اصبرْ على مترادِفِ الضَّرَّاءِ

اصبرْ على مترادِفِ الضَّرَّاءِ

فلعلَّ ذلك مُؤذِنٌ بشِفاءِ

فلعلَّ ذلك مُؤذِنٌ بشِفاءِ

Be patient with hardship upon hardship,

Be patient with the succession of misfortunes,

For perhaps that heralds recovery.

Perhaps that is a herald of recovery.

ما حالَ مَنْ لَعِبَ السَّقامُ بجسمِهِ

ما حالَ مَنْ لَعِبَ السَّقامُ بجسمِهِ

ظُلْماً فعضَّ نفيسةَ الأعضاءِ

ظُلْماً فعضَّ نفيسةَ الأعضاءِ

How fares one whose body sickness has toyed with,

What is the state of him whom disease toyed with unjustly,

Unjustly, then bitten the most precious of his organs?

Gnawing at the finest of limbs?

حَظَرَ الطبيبُ عليه طيبَ غِذائِه

حَظَرَ الطبيبُ عليه طيبَ غِذائِه

وأباحَه مكروهَ كلِّ غِذاءِ

وأباحَه مكروهَ كلِّ غِذاءِ

The physician forbade him his pleasant food,

The doctor forbade him wholesome food,

And permitted him every unpalatable food.

And made lawful to him the unpleasantness of all foods.

ويعودُه أعداؤُّه وأشدُّ مِنْ

ويعودُه أعداؤُّه وأشدُّ مِنْ

مَرَضِ المريضِ عيادةُ الأعداءِ

مَرَضِ المريضِ عيادةُ الأعداءِ

And his enemies visit him—and worse than

And his enemies visit him, yet more severe than

The patient's illness is a visit from enemies.

The sickness of the sick is the visit of enemies.