Sol 5.6

  1. Gray age called him, through its very sign, to the noblest path, and summoned him;

    so he returned, mending through renunciation what he had broken.

  2. He spent the night shaking off delightful sleep, keenly alert,

    knowing that he would be clothed in fine silk—robes of honor—

  3. clear-sightedly taking ascetic renunciation as a refuge,

    that he might be safe from terror and dread on the Day of Presentation,

  4. striving toward righteous deeds and hastening to them;

    for a human being shall have only that for which he strives.

  5. O fearful, humble one, do not reckon those two as mere traits:

    safety and glory in the Hereafter belong to whoever humbles himself.

  6. If indeed you toss sleeplessly in the depths of pitch-dark night,

    then you shall enjoy Paradise at ease.

  7. You kept vigil for the One, the Self-Subsisting, ever joined

    to Him; thus His favor toward you will never be cut off.

  8. The Abode of Permanence is for one whose journey was sound

    upon the earth, and who made the Gardens his resort.

  9. Undertake nothing save that through which you seek

    the pleasure of Him who made all things and brought them forth.

  10. Do not turn aside toward perishing worldly goods

    that utterly forsake you when you devote yourself to them in passion.

  11. Beware becoming entangled in what you must leave behind—

    vanities that bring disgrace and greed.

  12. Practice devotion by casting off a world that has long betrayed,

    and its glitter; how mightily its adornments have deceived!

  13. Persevere in righteousness and piety, for their gate

    to happiness stands open to whoever knocks.

  14. Do not forsake thirst and hunger in this world,

    and in the Abode of Eternity you shall attain quenching and fullness.

  15. Support whoever keeps aloof from it, and beware its snares;

    for weaning follows in the footsteps of whoever has suckled.

  16. Sow goodness, and you shall harvest joy forever;

    for a human being harvests only what he has sown.

  17. When you look, behold God’s handiwork and take heed;

    and when you listen, hearken attentively to the Qur’an.

  18. How fine a companion, when the pitch-black night lies still,

    for its people—and when the rising forenoon climbs high!

  19. Its wonders are never exhausted, however often they are recited;

    nor does one grazing in its meadow ever suffer drought.

  20. A rope for one who holds fast; a light for one who follows;

    guidance for the bewildered; safety for the frightened.

  21. It is the intercessor for its reciter and one well-versed in it,

    and one like him is not rebuffed when he intercedes.

  22. Alas, my sorrow! The human being was created of haste,

    and false hope and greed beguiled him.

  23. He lived amid toil and afflictions, bearing their burden,

    for, panic-stricken, he sought repose in Fate’s deceit.

  24. Ah, for a borrowed lifetime that cannot endure!

    Time scatters from it everything it has gathered.

  25. It is like a rain cloud whose departure follows close upon its arrival:

    no sooner does it gather upon its horizons than it disperses.

  26. Each day a person travels another stage,

    even if he stays in place, neither departing nor journeying afar.

  27. He was lent—woe to him—a lifetime until an appointed term;

    then, against his will, it was reclaimed from him and taken back.

  28. A person of understanding is not deceived by a lightning flash

    that holds no water, though its radiance shines brightly.

  29. It is as though grievous sleeplessness were his sole concern:

    he fears a night assault by calamities, should he doze.

Sol 5.6