بُليتُ بِنَفسي شَرَّ نَفسٍ رَأَيتُها

لَجوجٍ تَمادى بي إِذا ما نَهَيتُها

I was afflicted by my own soul, the evilest of souls I saw,

Stubbornly disobedient when I forbid it.

فَكَم مِن قَبيحٍ صِرتُ مُعتَرِفاً بِهِ

وَكَم مِن جِناياتٍ عِظامٍ جَنَيتُها

How much ugly did I confess to,

And how many major sins did I commit.

وَكَم مِن شَفيقٍ باذِلٍ لي نَصيحَةً

وَلَكِنَّني ضَيَّعتُها وَأَبَيتُها

And how many caring advisors were generous to me,

But I wasted and refused their advice.

دَعَتني إِلى الدُنيا دَواعٍ مِنَ الهَوى

فَأَرسَلتُ ديني مِن يَدي وَأَتَيتُها

Worldly desires called me to the life of this world,

So I let go of my religion from my hands and went to it.

وَلي حِيَلٌ عِندَ المَطامِعِ رُبَّما

تَلَطَّفتُ لِلدُنيا بِها فَرَقَيتُها

And I have tricks with greed sometimes,

I flatter the life of this world with them and attain it.

أَقولُ لِنَفسي إِذ شَكَت ضيقَ بَيتِها

كَأَنّي بِها في القَبرِ قَد ضاقَ بَيتُها

I say to myself when it complained of the narrowness of its home,

As if I were in the grave - its home has narrowed.

وَلي في خِصالِ الخَيرِ ضِدٌّ مُعانِدٌ

يُثَبِّطُني عَنها إِذا ما نَوَيتُها

And I have in good traits an obstinate opponent

That discourages me from them when I intend them.

وَلي مُدَّةٌ لا بُدَّ يَوماً سَتَنقَضي

كَأَن قَد أَتاني وَقتُها فَقَضَيتُها

And I have a lifespan that will inevitably end one day

As if its time has come and I will finish it.

فَلَو كُنتُ في الدُنيا بَصيراً وَقَد نَعَت

إِلى ساكِنيها نَفسَها لَنَعَيتُها

So if I was insightful in the life of this world and lamented

For my soul to its inhabitants, I would eulogize it.

وَلَو أَنَّني مِمَّن يُحاسِبُ نَفسَهُ

لَخالَفتُ نَفسي في الهَوى وَعَصَيتُها

And if I was one of those who hold themselves accountable,

I would have defied my soul in desires and disobeyed it.

أَياذا الَّذي أَلقَتهُ في الغَيِّ نَفسُهُ

وَمَن غَرَّهُ مِنها عَساها وَلَيتُها

O you whom your soul threw into confusion,

And whom it deceived of its "if only" and "would that".

كَفانا بِهَذا مِنكَ جَهلاً وَغِرَّةً

لِأَنَّكَ حَيُّ النَفسِ في الأَرضِ مَيتُها

Enough of this ignorance and deceit from you,

Because you are the living soul on earth - its deceased.