هَوَانٌ لِدُنْيَا غَزْلُهَا بِيَدِ النَّقْضِ

إِذَا لَمْ تَكُنْ تُرْضِي الذِي لَمْ يَزَلْ يُرْضِي

The world's allure is frail, woven by undoing hands,

Wretched is a world whose spun thread rests in the hands of unraveling,

When it cannot please Him who never ceased to please.

If it fails to please the One who never ceases to satisfy.

وَأَعْزِزْ عَلَيْنَا أَنْ يُعَزَّ الْعَزِيزُ مَا

يَبُزُّ عُيُوناً لِلْعُلاَ لَذَّةَ الْغَمْضِ

And it heartens us that the Almighty is honored

How grievous it is to us that the mighty should be exalted by what

When eyes awe in joy at splendor’s radiant gleam.

Strips the eyes seeking glory of the pleasure of sleep.

أَتَرْجُو أَكُفُّ الْقَبْضِ بَسْطاً إِلَى الذِي

تَعَوَّدَ بَسْطاً لِلأَكُفِّ بِلاَ قَبْضِ

Would you grasp in closed fist what’s offered opened wide

Do tightly closed fists hope to extend toward the one

By One who’s accustomed to unfold and bid take?

Who is accustomed to opening hands without withholding?

لِذَاكَ خَلِيلٌ وَالْجَلِيلُ تُجِلُّهُ

عَلَى أَنَّ بَعْضَ الشَّرِّ أَهْوَنُ مِنْ بَعْضِ

For that is the trusted Friend, the Majestic whom

For that reason, he is a close companion, and you revere the majestic,

Some evil's lighter than other evils, we find.

Even though some evils are lesser than others.

عَلَى أَنَّ بَعْضَ الشَّرِّ يَزْدَانُ رَبُّهُ

كَمَا ازْدَانَ خَدُّ الأَبْيَضِ الْبَضِّ بِالْعَضِّ

So the Lord adorns some evil, as the cheek

Even though the master of some evil is adorned by it,

Of fair ones is adorned by a beauty spot.

Just as the fair, tender cheek is adorned by a bite.

فَشَرٌّ يَسُوقُ الْخَيْرَ بَيْنَ بُرُودِهِ

عَظِيماً هُوَ الْخَيْرُ الْمُعَافَى مِنَ النَّقْضِ

Thus evil leads to good in its cool interstices—

Thus, an evil that drives goodness within its garments

Immense is that good, safe from all undoing.

Is truly a great good, safe from being undone.

وَمَا هَذِهِ الأَيَّامُ إِلاَّ أَرَاقِمٌ

وَإِنَّ بَرَزَتْ فِي زَيِّ زُخْرُفِهَا الْغَضِّ

These days are but ciphers, though they don

And these days are nothing but venomous serpents,

Finery and ornaments of spangled gloss.

Even if they appear in the guise of fresh adornments.

إِذَا سَالَمَتْ مِنْ بَعْضِ مَا قَدْ تَلَمَّظَتْ

فَذَلِكَ مِنْهَا الْخَيْرُ ذُو الطُّولِ وَالْعَرْضِ

When they're spared somewhat of their vileness,

If they spare you from some of what they hungered for,

That's the good in them, long and wide.

Then that is a vast goodness from them, immense in length and breadth.

يُعَالِجُ مِنْهَا الْمَرْءُ كَيْدَ مُنَافِقٍ

تُرِيهِ ابْتِسَاماً وَهْيَ تَغْلِي مِنَ الْبُغْضِ

One contends thereby with the guile of hypocrites

From them, a man must endure the deceit of a hypocrite,

Who smile at you while boiling with hatred inside.

Showing him a smile while boiling with hatred.

كَمَا اخْرَنْبَقَ الأَفْعَى لِيَنْبَاعَ دُفْعَةً

فَلاَ تَحْسِبَنَّ الأَيْمَ أَطْرَقَ مِنْ غَضِّ

As the viper squatted to suddenly spring forth,

Just as the viper lies low to spring all at once,

Do not think the moment it glanced down was out of remorse.

So do not think the serpent lowers its head out of modesty.

وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِي طَبْعِهَا بِامْتِحَانِهَا

كَمَا يُدْرَكُ الدَّاءُ الدَّفِينُ مِنَ النَّبْضِ

And one knows its nature by testing it,

And one learns what lies in its nature by testing it,

As a hidden malady's known from the pulse.

Just as a hidden disease is detected from the pulse.

فَلِلَّهِ عَيْناً مَنْ رَأَى مِثْلَ مَنْ يَرَى

كَوَارِثَهَا رَحْضاً لَهُ أَيَّمَا رَحْضِ

God bless the eye of one who sees what he sees—

How divine are the eyes of one who sees, like him who views

Sees its caprices as coloring all it surveys.

Its disasters as a profound cleansing for himself.

فَلاَ يَزْدَهِيهِِ الرَّفْعُ إِن شَامَ بَرْقُهُ

وَلاَ يَنْزَوِي لِلْخَفْضِ إِنْ سِيمَ بِالْخَفْضِ

Elevation cannot make him vain if his gleam rises high,

He is not made arrogant by elevation if he spots its lightning,

Nor will he shrink from abasement if it casts him low.

Nor does he shrink away if subjected to abasement.

فَذَاكَ الذِي يَحْتَاجُ جَمْعَ خُطُوبِهَا

بِجَمْعٍ مِنَ التَّأْيِيدِ لَيْسَ بِمُرْفَضِّ

That's the one who needs to meet its diverse woes

He is the one who requires that the gathering of its afflictions

With diverse aid, not rejected or pushed away.

Be met with a gathering of support that never disperses.

يُقَابِلُهَا مِنْ دُونِ تَحْرِيقِ أُرَّمٍ

بِرَأْيٍ لأَِبْكَار ِالْحَوَادِثِ مُنْقَضِّ

He counters it, without burning anchors,

He confronts them without gnashing his teeth in rage,

With opinons open to the new, e'er dissolving.

With a sharp intellect that swoops down on unprecedented events.

إِلَى أَنْ تَصِيرَ السُّودُ بِيضاً وَفِعْلُهَا

بِجَمْعِ الأَعَادِي السُّودِ لَيْسَ بِمُبْيَضِّ

Until the blacks turn white by its actions,

Until the dark days turn white, though their effect

And the throng of foes fails to whiten its darkness.

Upon the gathering of dark enemies does not turn white.

أَقُولُ فَإِنَّ الْقَوْلَ يَنْفَعُ غُلَّةً

وَيُطْفِئُ لَوْعَاتٍ وَيَشْفِي مِنَ الْمَضِّ

I say verily, for the word benefits an ache,

I speak, for speaking soothes a burning thirst,

And douses torments and cures the hurt.

And extinguishes anguish, and heals from the sting of pain.

وَيَقْضِي عَلَى عِلاَّتِهِ بِسِيَاسَةٍ

إِذَا النَّاسُ مَقْضِيٌّ عَلَيْهِ وَمُسْتَقْضِ

And it decides on the illness with wise governance

And he renders judgment, despite its burdens, with wise policy,

When people are hostage to it, and it holds sway.

When people are either subjected to judgment or demanding it.

أَقُولُ وَهَلْ يُلْفَى لِقَوْلِيَ عَائِبٌ

إِذَا مَا مَضَى قُدْماً إِذَا الْقَوْلُ لَمْ يَمْضِ

I say, and can fault be found with my word

I speak, and could there be found any faultfinder for my words,

Once spoken forthrightly, and the saying holds true?

When they advance boldly while other words fail to pass?

إذَا لَمْ تَحُوطُوا الأَرْضَ مِنْ رَجَفَانِهَا

فَغَضْبَةُ مَنْ أَسْمَى السَّمَاءَ عَلَى الأَرْضِ

If you cannot contain the earth from its shaking,

If you do not protect the earth from its trembling,

The wrath of Him Who highest named the heavens will be upon the earth.

Then the wrath of Him who raised the heavens will fall upon the earth.

أَلاَ إِنَّ ذَاكَ الْمِثْلَ أَنْتَ وَوَالِدٌ

نَهُوضٌ بِأَعْبَاءِ الْعُلاَ صَادِقُ النَّهْضِ

Verily, that parable is you and parent—

Indeed, you are that ideal example, alongside a father

Rising with the burdens of sublime sincerity.

Who rises to bear the burdens of glory, true in his rising.