إِذا لَم تَستطعْ للرزءِ دَفْعاً

إِذا لَم تَستطعْ للرزءِ دَفْعاً

فَصَبراً للرزيّةِ وَاِحتِسابا

فَصَبراً للرزيّةِ وَاِحتِسابا

If you cannot ward off calamity,

When you cannot ward off grief,

then bear the affliction patiently and seek divine reward.

Have patience for sorrow and count it as worship.

فَما نالَ المُنى في العَيشِ إِلّا

فَما نالَ المُنى في العَيشِ إِلّا

غَبِيُّ القَومِ أَو فطنٌ تغابى

غَبِيُّ القَومِ أَو فطنٌ تغابى

For none has attained his wishes in life except

None gains comfort in life

the fool among men, or a clever man who played the fool.

Except a foolish man or one who feigns ignorance.

هِيَ الدّنيا نُغَرُّ بها خَدوعاً

هِيَ الدّنيا نُغَرُّ بها خَدوعاً

ونُورَدُها على ظمأٍ سرابا

ونُورَدُها على ظمأٍ سرابا

Such is the world: deceitful, it beguiles us,

This life cheats us,

and, thirsting, we are led to it—a mirage.

And we chase after it like a mirage.

وَهَذا الدَّهر يُصبِحُ ثُمَّ يُمسي

وَهَذا الدَّهر يُصبِحُ ثُمَّ يُمسي

يَقودُ إِلى الرَّدى مِنّا صِعابا

يَقودُ إِلى الرَّدى مِنّا صِعابا

And this Time passes from morning into evening,

Days alternate from morn till eve,

leading the headstrong among us to death.

Leading us to demise little by little.

وَهَل أَحياؤُنا إِلّا تُرابٌ

وَهَل أَحياؤُنا إِلّا تُرابٌ

بِظَهرِ الأرضِ يَنتظرُ التّرابا

بِظَهرِ الأرضِ يَنتظرُ التّرابا

And are our living anything but dust

Are not our lives just dust

on the earth's back, awaiting dust?

Waiting for dust on earth’s back?

صَدَعتَ بِما كَتبتَ صَميمَ قلبي

صَدَعتَ بِما كَتبتَ صَميمَ قلبي

عَلى عَجلٍ فلم أُطِقِ الجوابا

عَلى عَجلٍ فلم أُطِقِ الجوابا

You shattered my heart's very core with what you wrote,

You have split my heart in two

so swiftly that I could not manage a reply.

With what you wrote hastily, and I could not answer.

فَلَو أَنّي اِستَطَعت حَمَلتُ وَحدي

فَلَو أَنّي اِستَطَعت حَمَلتُ وَحدي

وَلَم أهب الأَذى عنكَ المصابا

وَلَم أهب الأَذى عنكَ المصابا

Had I been able, I would have borne alone—

If only I could, I would have borne it all alone

without fearing harm—the calamity in your stead.

And not let this harm touch you.

وَغَيرك من نعلّمهُ التعزّي

وَغَيرك من نعلّمهُ التعزّي

ونُذكره وقد ذَهَل الثَّوابا

ونُذكره وقد ذَهَل الثَّوابا

And it is someone other than you we teach to find solace,

Others we console

and remind, when he has forgotten, of the reward.

Reminding them of reward when they forget.

فَلَو حابى الزّمان سِواك خَلْقاً

فَلَو حابى الزّمان سِواك خَلْقاً

لَكانَ سَبيل مِثلك أَن يُحابى

لَكانَ سَبيل مِثلك أَن يُحابى

If Time favored any creature other than you,

If time treated any as badly as you,

then one such as you would surely deserve to be favored.

The course for the likes of you is to treat it the same.