اِصبِرِ النَفسَّ عِندَ كُلِّ مُلِمٍّ
إِنَّ في الصَبرِ حيلَةَ المُحتالِ
Be patient, O soul, in every calamity,
for in patience there is the stratagem of the schemer.
لا تَضيقَنَّ بِالأُمورِ فَقَد
يُكشَفُ غَمّاؤُها بِغَيرِ اِحتيالِ
Do not be straitened by matters, for
their gloom may be dispelled without scheming.
رُبَّما تَجزَعُ النُفوسُ مِنَ
الأَمرِ لَهُ فَرجَةٌ كَحَلِّ العِقالِ
Sometimes souls despair of a matter,
yet for it there is relief, like the unfastening of a anklet.
سَمِعَ اللَهُ لِاِبنِ آدَمَ نوحٍ
رَبُّنا ذو الجَلالِ وَالإِفضالِ
God heard the lament of Adam's son Noah:
“Our Lord of majesty and bounty!
حينَ أوفى بِذي الحَمامَةِ
وَالناسُ جَميعاً في فُلكِهِ كَالعِيالِ
When He fulfilled His pact with the one with the dove
while all the people were in His ship like dependants.
فَهيَ تَجري فيهِ وَتَجتَسِرُ
البَحرَ بِأَقلاعِها كَقِدحِ المُغالي
It was sailing in it and plowing
the ocean with its ploughs like the ships of Mughal.
حابِساً جَوفَهُ عَلَيهِ رَسولاً
مِن خِفافِ الحَمامِ كَالتِمثالُ
Restraining its interior upon it as a messenger
from the light pigeons, like an idol.
فَرَشاها عَلى الرِسالَةِ طوقاً
وَخِضاباً عَلامَةً غَيرَ بالي
He spread them upon the missive like a necklace
and paint, a sign without failing.
فَأَتَتهُ بِالصِدقِ لَمّا رَشاها
وَبِقَطفٍ لَمّا غَدا عِثكالِ
It brought it back to him in truth when he spread them
and with picking when he set out early.
تَصرُخُ الطَيرُ وَالبَريَةُ فيها
مَعَ قَويِّ السِباعِ وَالأَفيالِ
The birds and wild beasts therein cry out
along with the strong predatory beasts and elephants,
حينَ فيها مِن كُلِّ ما عاشَ
زَوجٌ بينَ ظَهَريِّ غَوارِبٍ كَالجِبالِ
when in it was every liver,
a pair between the backs of resplendent hills like mountains.
وَلِإِبراهيمَ الموَّفي بِنَذرٍ
اِحتِساباً وَحامِلَ الأَجزالِ
And to Abraham, true to his vow
out of devotion, bearing the heavy loads,
بِكرَهُ لَم يَكُن ليَصبِرَ عَنهُ
لَو رآهُ في مَعشَرٍ اَقتالِ
his son he would not have had patience to sacrifice,
had he seen him in a band of fighters.
أَبُنَيَّ إِنّي نَذَرتُكَ لِلَّهِ شَحيطاً
فَاِصبِر فِدىً لَكَ حالي
O my little son, I have vowed you to God as an offering,
so be patient, a ransom for you in my state!
أَجابَ الغُلامُ أَن قالَ فيهِ
كُلُّ شَيٍ لِلَّهِ غَيرُ اِنتِحالِ
The boy replied saying about it,
“Everything belongs to God other than coercion.”
أَبُتي إِنَّني جَزَيتُكَ بِالَّلهِ تَقيّاً
بِهِ عَلى كُلِ حالِ
“My father I have rewarded you with God as a reverent one,
in every state.
فَاِقضِ ما قَد نَذَرتَ لِلَّهِ وَاَكفُف
عَن دَمي أَن يَمَسُّهُ سِربالي
So fulfill what you have vowed to God, and restrain
your hand from my blood, lest a shred touch it.
وَاِشدُد الصَفدَ لا أَحيدَ عَن
السِكّينِ حَيدَ الأَسيرِ ذي الأَغلالِ
And tighten the fetter, lest I shy
from the knife, shy like a prisoner in chains.
إِنَّني آلَمُ المَحَزَّ وَإِنّي
لا أَمَسُّ الأَذقانَ ذاتَ السِبالِ
I can endure anguish, and indeed
I do not touch the sinews, possessors of tendons.
وَلَهُ مُديَةٌ تُخايَلُ في اللَحمِ
حَذامٌ حَنِيَّةٌ كالهِلالِ
And he has for him a knife that pries into the flesh
serrated, curved like the crescent moon.
جَعَلَ اللَهُ جيدَهُ مِن نُحاسٍ
إِذ رَآهُ زَولاً مِنَ الأَزوالِ
God made his neck of brass
when he saw him turn away from the butchers.
بَينَما يَخلَعُ السَرابيلَ عَنهُ
فَكَّهُ رَبُّهُ بِكَبشٍ جُلالِ
While he takes off his trousers from him,
his Lord ransomed him with a majestic ram.
قالَ خُذهُ وَأَرسِل اِبنَكَ
إِنّي لِلَّذي قَد فَعَلتُما غَيرُ قالِ
He said, “Take it and send back your son!
I am not a sayer for what you two have done.”
والِدٌ يَتَّقي وَآخَرُ مَولودٍ
فَطارا مِنهُ يَسمَعَ فِعالِ
A reverent father and another newborn child
so they both flew from Him hearing deeds.
حَيِّ داودَ وَاِبنَ عادٍ وَموسى
وَفُرَيعٌ بُنيانُهُ بِالثِقالِ
Hail David and the son of Aad and Moses
and a superstructure its building with weights!
إِنَّني زارِدٌ الحَديدِ الحعَلى الناسِ
دُروعاً سَوابِغَ الأَذيالِ
I buttress iron, impenetrable armor upon the people,
long coats trailing.
لا أَرى مَن يُعينَني في حَياتي
غَيرَ نَفسي إلاّ بَني اِسرَلِ
I do not see anyone who helps me during my life
other than myself, except the children of Israel.
أَيُّما شاطِنٌ عَصاهُ عَكاهُ
ثُمَّ يُلقى في السِجنِ وَالأَغلالِ
What insolent person He disobeyed, He disappointed,
then He throws him into prison, into chains.
وَلَهُ الدينُ واصِباً وَلَهُ المُلكُ
وَحَمدٌ لَهُ عَلى كُلِّ حالِ
And to Him belongs lasting religion, and to Him belongs the possession of rule,
praise belongs to Him in every state.”
