بِبابِكَ النَحسُ وَالسُعودُ

وَمَوقِفُ اليَأسِ وَالرَجاءِ

At your door misfortune and fortune knock,

And the standpoints of despair and hope,

وَفيكَ قَد حارَتِ اليَهودُ

يا مَطلَعَ السَعدِ وَالشَقاءِ

The Jews have wandered confused by you,

O horizon of fortune and misfortune!

وَوَجهُكِ الضاحِكُ العَبوسُ

قَد ضاقَ عَن وَصفِهِ البَيان

Your laughing and frowning face

Has exceeded the capacity of eloquence to describe,

كَم سُطِّرَت عِندَهُ طُروسُ

بِقِسمَةِ العِزِّ وَالهَوان

Many glorious chapters have been inscribed by it

In the divisions of honor and disgrace.

وَطُؤطِئَت دونَهُ رُؤوسُ

يَهتَزُّ مِن خَوفِها الزَمان

Heads have bowed down before it

While time trembles in fear of it.

وَكَم أَطافَت بِهِ وُفودُ

وَأَكثَروا حَولَهُ الدُعاء

Many delegations have circled around it

And increased their prayers around it.

فَرابِحٌ نَجمُهُ سَعيدُ

وَطامِعٌ بِالخَسارِ باء

A star of one who succeeded is joyful,

While one aspiring loss is disappointed.

لَمّا عَلَت صَيحَةُ المُنادي

وَأَصبَحَ القَومُ في عَناء

When the cry of the announcer was raised,

And the people were in distress,

وَشَمَّرَت ثَروَةُ البِلادِ

وَضَجَّتِ الأَرضُ وَالسَماء

And the wealth of the countries was plundered

While the earth and sky clamored,

قَنِعتُ بِالقُطنِ في الوِسادِ

وَفي الحَشِيّاتِ وَالغِطاء

I was content with cotton in the pillows

And in the mattresses and blankets.

وَإِنَّما العاقِلُ الرَشيدُ

مَن سارَ في مَنهَجِ النَجاء

Verily, the wise and reasonable man

Is one who walked the path of salvation.

بِاللَهِ يا قَومُ لا تَزيدوا

فَإِنَّ آمالَكُم هَباء

By God, O people, do not increase,

For your hopes are delusions.

مُضارَباتٌ هِيَ المَنايا

وَرُسلُها أَحرُفُ البُروق

They are speculations, the hour of death,

And its messengers are the strokes of lightning.

صَبوحُ أَصحابِها الرَزايا

وَما لَهُم دونَها غَبوق

The morning of their people is misery,

And they have no false dawn after it.

قَد أَتلَفَت أَنفُسَ البَرايا

بِأَسهُمِ الغَدرِ وَالعُقوق

The selves of the innocent have been destroyed

By their treacherous and disloyal arrows.

هُبوطُها المَوتُ وَالصُعودُ

ضَربٌ مِنَ البُؤسِ وَالبَلاء

Their descent is death and their ascent

Is a kind of misery and affliction,

وَما لَها عِندَهُم عُهودُ

إِلّا كَما تَعهَدُ النِساء

And they have no covenants with them

Except as women make promises.

كَم بالَةٍ سَبَّبَت وَبالا

وَأَشبَهَت لامِعَ السَرابِ

How many problems it caused and troubles

And resembled the mirage’s flash,

وَبِذرَةً أَنبَتَت خَبالا

وَأَثمَرَت عاجِلَ الخَرابِ

And a seed it germinated misfortunes

And produced imminent ruin,

وَكَم غَنِيٍّ أَضاعَ مالا

وَشابَ في مَوقِفِ الحِسابِ

And how many wealthy it made lose money

And grow old in the position of judgement!

فَليَتَّعِظ مِنكُمُ البَعيدُ

وَلِيَتَّقِ اللَهَ ذو الثَراء

So let the distant one take heed,

And let the prosperous one fear God.

فَذَلِكَ التاجِرُ الشَهيدُ

قَد عافَ مِن أَجلِها البَقاء

For that is the martyred merchant

Who preferred survival over it.