إلى اللهِ إلى اللهِ المفرُّ

إلى اللهِ إلى اللهِ المفرُّ

فما ظلَّ عليها لا يسرُّ

فما ظلَّ عليها لا يسرُّ

To God, to God is the refuge.

To God, to God is the escape

For what remains upon it brings no joy.

For no shade has remained that brings comfort

و أيّامُ المزاميرِ تطولُ

و أيّامُ المزاميرِ تطولُ

وساعاتُ الأحاديثِ تمرُّ

وساعاتُ الأحاديثِ تمرُّ

And the days of the pipes grow long,

And days of music become long

and the hours of hadith pass.

And hours of talk pass by

وأخلاقُ النبيّين تردُّ

وأخلاقُ النبيّين تردُّ

ومنهاجُ الشياطين يقرُّ

ومنهاجُ الشياطين يقرُّ

And the prophets' virtues are rejected,

And morals of prophets regress

and the devils' way is approved.

And ways of devils become approved

وشرحُ الصحبِ للقرآنِ هذْرٌ

وشرحُ الصحبِ للقرآنِ هذْرٌ

وأقوالُ الميامسِ فيه درُّ

وأقوالُ الميامسِ فيه درُّ

And the Companions' explanation of the Qur'an is babble,

And companions' explanation of Quran is nonsense

and prostitutes' words about it are pearls.

And words of adulterers in it are harm

وأمجادُ بني العبّاسِ شرُّ

وأمجادُ بني العبّاسِ شرُّ

وأيّامُ بني الأصفرَ غُرُّ

وأيّامُ بني الأصفرَ غُرُّ

And the glories of the sons of al-Abbas are evil,

And glories of Abbasids are evil

and the days of the sons of al-Asfar are radiant.

And days of Banu Asfar are deceit

وهدْمُ مصانعِ التاريخ مرُّ

وهدْمُ مصانعِ التاريخ مرُّ

ولكنّ الفتوحاتِ أمرُّ

ولكنّ الفتوحاتِ أمرُّ

And demolishing history's edifices is bitter,

And destruction of history factories is bitter

but the conquests are more bitter.

But the conquests are a matter

وسيفُ الله للنسوةِ زيرٌ

وسيفُ الله للنسوةِ زيرٌ

ونابليون بونابرت حرُّ

ونابليون بونابرت حرُّ

And the Sword of God is a womanizer,

And sword of God for women is insult

and Napoleon Bonaparte is a free man.

And Napoleon Bonaparte is free

وأسْدُ العُرْبِ في الغرْبِ تُسبُّ

وأسْدُ العُرْبِ في الغرْبِ تُسبُّ

وحُمْرُ الغربِ في العُرْبِ تُبرُّ

وحُمْرُ الغربِ في العُرْبِ تُبرُّ

And the Arabs' lions are reviled in the West,

And lion of Arabs in West is insulted

and the West's asses are honored among the Arabs.

And red of West in Arabs is purified

وإن سُبَّ النبيُّ فذاك رأيٌ

وإن سُبَّ النبيُّ فذاك رأيٌ

وإنْ رُفعَ الأذانُ فذاك ضُرُّ

وإنْ رُفعَ الأذانُ فذاك ضُرُّ

And if the Prophet is insulted, that is an opinion,

And if the Prophet is insulted, that is an opinion

and if the call to prayer is raised, that is harm.

And if the call to prayer is raised, that is harm

وخيباتُ بني أمّي تزيدُ

وخيباتُ بني أمّي تزيدُ

وأصغرُها لأكبرِها تَجرُّ

وأصغرُها لأكبرِها تَجرُّ

And the failures of my mother's sons increase,

And disappointments of my mother's sons increase

and their smallest leads to their greatest.

And their smallest drags their greatest

وصدرُ الأرضِ بالخلقِ يضيقُ

وصدرُ الأرضِ بالخلقِ يضيقُ

وما عادَ لخيباتٍ مقرُّ

وما عادَ لخيباتٍ مقرُّ

And the earth's breast grows cramped with humankind,

And earth's chest is too tight for people

and there is no longer an abode for failures.

It no longer has room for disappointments

لها جوفٌ إذا ضاقتْ بقومٍ

لها جوفٌ إذا ضاقتْ بقومٍ

أَحلَّهمُ الإلهُ لها فخرُّوا

أَحلَّهمُ الإلهُ لها فخرُّوا

It has a belly; when it grows cramped with a people,

It has a cavity, if it is too tight for a people

God gives them over to it, and they fall.

God destines them for it, so they fell proud

أكادُ أرى قضاءَ الله فيهِمْ

أكادُ أرى قضاءَ الله فيهِمْ

وليسَ لهمْ منَ الله مَفرُّ

وليسَ لهمْ منَ الله مَفرُّ

I can almost see God's judgment upon them,

I almost see God's judgement on them

and there is no escape for them from God.

And for them from God there is no escape

شَروْا حلماً لو استفتيتَ فيهِ

شَروْا حلماً لو استفتيتَ فيهِ

الشياطينَ لقالتْ ذاك شرُّ

الشياطينَ لقالتْ ذاك شرُّ

They bought a dream: if you sought a ruling on it

They bought patience, which if you sought opinion on

from the devils, they would say, 'That is evil.'

The devils would have said that is evil

كذلك قامرُوا بالصّحوِ جهلاً

كذلك قامرُوا بالصّحوِ جهلاً

بأنّ الحُلمَ للصّحوِ مَمرُّ

بأنّ الحُلمَ للصّحوِ مَمرُّ

Thus they gambled with wakefulness, unaware

Thus they gambled with sobriety out of ignorance

that the dream is a passage to wakefulness,

That patience is passage for sobriety

وأنّ مآلَ نهرهمُ القصيرِ

وأنّ مآلَ نهرهمُ القصيرِ

محيطٌ بلْ على الحمقِ أَصرُّوا

محيطٌ بلْ على الحمقِ أَصرُّوا

and that their short river's destination

And that their short river's fate

is an ocean. Rather, they persisted in folly.

Is an ocean, but they insisted on foolishness

وما انتبهوا إلى أنّ الصغيرَ

وما انتبهوا إلى أنّ الصغيرَ

من الأحلامِ خُدّامُه كثْرُ

من الأحلامِ خُدّامُه كثْرُ

And they did not notice that a small one

And did not realize that the small

among dreams has many servants.

Of dreams are its many servants

فما كانوا على قدْرِ الصّغيرِ

فما كانوا على قدْرِ الصّغيرِ

وقد فَرَغَتْ له أُممٌ تكرُّ

وقد فَرَغَتْ له أُممٌ تكرُّ

For they were not equal to the small dream,

So they were not up to the small

while nations had devoted themselves to it, charging forth.

And nations tired for it

فدُعُّوا لبياديهِ وجوهٌ

فدُعُّوا لبياديهِ وجوهٌ

بأخبارِ الهزيمةِ تكْفَهِرُّ

بأخبارِ الهزيمةِ تكْفَهِرُّ

So they were thrust into its wastelands; faces

So faces were left for its deserts

grow grim at news of defeat.

With news of defeat raging

بنوْا بيتاً من الوهمِ ببيدٍ

بنوْا بيتاً من الوهمِ ببيدٍ

بها ريحٌ لذي وزنٍ تَثرُّ

بها ريحٌ لذي وزنٍ تَثرُّ

They built a house of illusion in wastelands

They built a house of illusion in ruins

where a wind scatters even what has weight.

In it a wind blows for one with weight

وعلّوا فيه ناسينَ بأنّ

وعلّوا فيه ناسينَ بأنّ

بُنى الوهمِ بلا ريحٍ تخرُّ

بُنى الوهمِ بلا ريحٍ تخرُّ

And they built higher within it, forgetting that

And forgot that houses of illusion

structures of illusion collapse without a wind.

Without wind will collapse

شروْا أمساً على خدّيهِ ظلّت

شروْا أمساً على خدّيهِ ظلّت

معالمُ كفِّ أمسِهمُ الأغرُّ

معالمُ كفِّ أمسِهمُ الأغرُّ

They bought a yesterday on whose cheeks remained

Yesterday they bought on their cheeks shadows

the marks of their radiant yesterday's palm.

Features of their yesterday's palm remained exposed

وفي عيْنيهِ شكوى من عصورٍ

وفي عيْنيهِ شكوى من عصورٍ

هي البردُ بيومٍ يستحِرُّ

هي البردُ بيومٍ يستحِرُّ

And in its eyes, a lament from ages

And in their eyes complaints of eras

that are the cold on a day growing hot.

That are the cold of a day getting hot

وفي أُذُنيْهِ بُقيا من صهيلٍ

وفي أُذُنيْهِ بُقيا من صهيلٍ

لأمسٍ هابَهُ بحرٌ وبرُّ

لأمسٍ هابَهُ بحرٌ وبرُّ

And in its ears, a remnant of neighing

And in their ears remains of neighing

from a yesterday feared by sea and land.

Of a yesterday a sea and land fled from

وتسألُني لمَ الآنَ أفِرُّ

وتسألُني لمَ الآنَ أفِرُّ

ومثلي بالهزيمةِ لا يُقرُّ

ومثلي بالهزيمةِ لا يُقرُّ

And you ask me why I flee now,

And you ask me why I escape now

though one like me does not admit defeat.

And one like me with defeat feels no comfort

وكِسْراتٌ من الخبز يمنُّ

وكِسْراتٌ من الخبز يمنُّ

بها الجوعُ بحلقي لا تمُرُّ

بها الجوعُ بحلقي لا تمُرُّ

And scraps of bread, bestowed

And bits of bread which

by hunger, do not pass down my throat.

My throat craves do not pass

وقطْراتٌ من الماءِ يمنُّ

وقطْراتٌ من الماءِ يمنُّ

بها الغُلُّ من الجمرِ أحَرُّ

بها الغُلُّ من الجمرِ أحَرُّ

And drops of water, bestowed

And drops of water which

by the shackle, are hotter than embers.

The burning coal's heat intensifies

فقلْ ما شئتَ لا رُدّت حياةٌ

فقلْ ما شئتَ لا رُدّت حياةٌ

بها الأعينُ والآذانُ ضرُّ

بها الأعينُ والآذانُ ضرُّ

So say what you will; may no life be restored

So say what you will, no life returned

in which eyes and ears bring harm.

In which eyes and ears are harmed

أفقتُ على أُسودٍ لا تلينُ

أفقتُ على أُسودٍ لا تلينُ

فحلّ محلّها سودٌ وحمْرُ

فحلّ محلّها سودٌ وحمْرُ

I awoke to lions that do not yield—

I awoke to lions that do not soften

then black ones and asses took their place—

So their place was taken by black and red

وخيلٍ حسنُها برهانُ عزٍّ

وخيلٍ حسنُها برهانُ عزٍّ

يسوس أُمورَها أُسْدٌ ونُمْرُ

يسوس أُمورَها أُسْدٌ ونُمْرُ

and horses whose beauty is proof of glory,

And horses whose beauty proves might

whose affairs are governed by lions and leopards.

Their affairs ruled by lions and panthers

وما ساستْهمُ الخيلُ ولو أن

وما ساستْهمُ الخيلُ ولو أن

نها فعلتْ فحكمُ الخيلِ فخرُ

نها فعلتْ فحكمُ الخيلِ فخرُ

And the horses never ruled them; even if

And even if the horses did rule them

they had, the rule of horses would be an honor.

Judgment of horses is pride

وليت الأُسْدَ قد علِمتْ بجيلٍ

وليت الأُسْدَ قد علِمتْ بجيلٍ

يسوسُ أمورَه بالموءِ هرُّ

يسوسُ أمورَه بالموءِ هرُّ

And if only the lions had known of a generation

If only the lion knew of a generation

whose affairs a cat governs by meowing.

Whose affairs are ruled by the bellowing donkey

لهم في الأرضِ خزيٌ ما استمرُّوا

لهم في الأرضِ خزيٌ ما استمرُّوا

وفي نارِ جهنّم مستقرُّ

وفي نارِ جهنّم مستقرُّ

Disgrace is theirs on earth as long as they persist,

They have on earth disgrace, however long they last

and in the fire of Hell, an abode.

And in hellfire an abode