يا نَفسِ صَبراً صَبرا

أَما عَرِفتِ الدَهرا

O soul, patience, patience

Don't you know life's nature?

لِلَّهِ مِنّي قَلبٌ

يَقري البَلايا شُكرا

I have a heart for God

That welcomes tribulations with gratitude

يا رَبُّ لَيلٍ قاسٍ

كَأَنَّ عَلَيَّ قُرّا

O Lord of a harsh night

That weighed heavily on me

سَرَيتُهُ بِعَيني

حَتّى رَأَيتُ الفَجرا

I watched it with my eyes

Until I saw the dawn

كَأَنَّما سَناهُ

أَطارَ عَنّي نَسرا

As if he who made it

Had flown from me like an eagle

وَاِستَجمَعَت هُمومي

حَتّى مَلَأنَ الصَدرا

And my worries gathered

Until they filled my chest

ذاقَت مِنَ الأَعادي

عَينايَ لَحظاً مُرّا

My eyes tasted from the enemies

A bitter glance

ضاعَ الوَفاءُ مِنهُم

وَأَضمَروا لي الغَدرا

Loyalty faded from them

And they secretly betrayed me

يا نَفسِ لي بِقَومٍ

كانوا كِراماً زُهرا

O soul, I had a people

Who were noble flowers

مَضَوا بِخَيرِ عُمُري

وَتَرَكوا لِيَ الشَرّا

They passed in the prime of my life

And left me with evil

وَلَم أَجِد إِذا ماتوا

لي في الحَياةِ عُذرا

And when they died

I could find no excuse to live

عاشوا بِخَيرِ عَصرٍ

سَقياً لِذاكَ عَصرا

They lived in the best times

As rain for those times

نُبِّئتُ أَنَّ قَومي

قَد دَفَنوا لي مَكرا

I was told my people

Had buried treachery for me

طالَ عَلَيهِم عُمري

فَاِستَعجَلوا بي القَبرا

My life was long for them

So they hastened my grave for me

رَدّوا رِدائي لَمّا

رَأوا بَقائي فَخرا

They cast off my cloak when

They saw my continued pride

كَأَنَّهُم بِيَومي

فَلاتَحُثّوا العُمرا

As if, on the day I die,

Do not hurry life

هَل لِلأَغَرِّ ذَنبٌ

إِن لَم يَكونوا غُرّا

Is it the stranger's fault

If they were not strangers?

أَغمَدتُ عَنكُمُ سَيفي

وَقَد مَلَكتُ النَصرا

I sheathed my sword from you

And I had already won

صِيانَةً وَعَطفاً

لِرَحِمي وَغَفرا

In protection and kindness

For my womb and forgiveness

وَليسَ كُلُّ وَقتٍ

يُطفِئُ ماءٌ جَمرا

And not every time

Can water extinguish embers

أَإِن أَلَمَّ دَهرٌ

جاءَ بِكُم وَسُرّا

If fate has pained you

And brought you bliss

كَفَّرتُمُ كَريماً

حَنَّ لَكُم وَدَرّا

Have you recompensed nobly

He who smiled and was kind to you?

أَتعَبتُمُ يَدَيهِ

بِالقَلَباتِ دَهرا

Have you wearied his hands

With life's vicissitudes?

وَمَهمَهٍ رَحيبٍ

ظَمآنَ يُضني السَفَرا

With a spacious, echoing environment

A thirsty traveler is frugal

يَخطِرُ في فَلاةٍ

مَوجُ السَحابِ خَطَرا

Danger emerges in desolation

The surging waves of clouds

فَاِبتَلَعَ المَطايا

مَعَ الحُداةِ شَهرا

The beasts of burden were devoured

With the nomads for a month

كَم مِن عَبيدِ دارٍ

ظَعَنتُ عَنهُم حُرّا

How many noble sons of houses

Whose freedom I disdained

ذا خُلُقٍ كَريمٍ

لَم يُبقِ فيهِم عَقرا

With noble character

Without leaving a single enemy among them

وَنَسَبٍ صَحيحٍ

يَنطُقُ عَنّي جَهرا

And authentic lineage

That speaks openly about me

خاضوا الظَلامَ بَعدي

وَكُنتُ فيهِم فَجرا

They wandered in the darkness after me

And I was their dawn