سَرَتِ الهُمومُ بِمَنزِلِ السَهمِ

إِذ كُنَّ بَينَ الجِلدِ وَالعَظمِ

Troubles crept insidiously to my abode like arrows,

Piercing me to the bone and penetrating to the marrow.

نَدَماً عَلى ما كانَ مِن زَلِلٍ

إِذ كُنتُ في فَنَنٍ مِنَ الإِثمِ

Regretting the lapses of my former days,

When I wallowed in the mire of sin and crime.

حَيرانَ يَعمَهُ في ضَلالَتِهِ

مُستَورِداً لِشرائِعِ الظُلمِ

Bewildered in the darkest night, losing my way,

Importing the canons of injustice and wrong.

عَمَهٌ يَزينَهُ بَنو جُمَحٍ

وَتوازَرَت فيهِ بَنو سَهمِ

Blinded by the clan of Jumah,

As the tribe of Suhaym closed ranks around me.

فَاليَومَ آمَنَ بَعدَ قَسوَتِهِ

عَظمي وآمنَ بَعدَهُ لَحمي

But now, after that hardness of heart,

My bone believes, and after it my flesh believes,

بِمُحَّمَدٍ وَبِما يَجيءُ بِهِ

مِن سُنَّةِ البُرهانِ وَالحُكمِ

In Muhammad and the truth he brought,

The exemplar of reason and wise decree.