وَسُمِّيتَ غيّاظاً وَلَست بِغائِظٍ

وَسُمِّيتَ غيّاظاً وَلَست بِغائِظٍ

عَدواً وَلَكِنَّ الصَّديقَ تَغيظُ

عَدواً وَلَكِنَّ الصَّديقَ تَغيظُ

You were named Ghayyaz, yet you do not enrage

You are called hot-tempered, yet you are not wrathful

an enemy—but it is the friend you enrage.

An enemy, but it is your friend whom you provoke

عَدوّكَ مَسرورٌ وَذو الودِّ بِالَّذي

عَدوّكَ مَسرورٌ وَذو الودِّ بِالَّذي

أَتى مِنكَ مِن غَيظٍ عَلَيكَ كَظيظُ

أَتى مِنكَ مِن غَيظٍ عَلَيكَ كَظيظُ

Your enemy is pleased, while the one who loves you, because of what

Your foe is delighted, and he who loves you is vexed

has come from you, is choked with anger toward you.

By the anger you show against yourself in your rage

نَسِيٌّ لما أُوليتَ مِن صالِحٍ مَضى

نَسِيٌّ لما أُوليتَ مِن صالِحٍ مَضى

وَأَنتَ لِتَعدادِ الذُّنوبِ حَفيظُ

وَأَنتَ لِتَعدادِ الذُّنوبِ حَفيظُ

You forget the kindness bestowed on you in the past,

Forgetful of the good you have known in days gone by

yet you keep a careful tally of faults.

While you keep count of sins for purpose of blame

تلينُ لِأَهلِ الغِلِّ وَالغمر مِنهُمُ

تلينُ لِأَهلِ الغِلِّ وَالغمر مِنهُمُ

وَأَنتَ عَلى أَهل الصَّفاءِ فَظيظُ

وَأَنتَ عَلى أَهل الصَّفاءِ فَظيظُ

You are gentle toward those among them who harbor malice and rancor,

Gentle to the deceitful and drunken, yet harsh

yet you are harsh toward those of sincere affection.

To the virtuous when you are in your fits of spleen

فَلا حَفِظَ الرَّحمَنُ روحَكَ حَيّةً

فَلا حَفِظَ الرَّحمَنُ روحَكَ حَيّةً

وَلا وَهيَ في الأَرواحِ حينَ تَغيظُ

وَلا وَهيَ في الأَرواحِ حينَ تَغيظُ

So may the All-Merciful not preserve your soul alive,

So may the Merciful not preserve your living soul

nor preserve it among the souls when it departs.

Nor when it quits the body in its angry state