زينة العبد فقره واحتياجُهْ

زينة العبد فقره واحتياجُهْ

والغنى بالإله لاق ابتهاجُهْ

والغنى بالإله لاق ابتهاجُهْ

The servant's adornment is his poverty and need.

The servant's adornment is his poverty and need,

And wealth through God—its joy is fitting.

And richness with God wherever he is happy.

وهو في غيره مجرد وهمٍ

وهو في غيره مجرد وهمٍ

كم به رادت الردى أفواجه

كم به رادت الردى أفواجه

And in anything other than Him, it is mere illusion.

And he in other than Him is mere illusion,

How often, through it, its legions have sought death!

How many desires ruin brought upon its groups.

والجهول الذي يظن بشيء

والجهول الذي يظن بشيء

من متاع الدنيا يصح مزاجه

من متاع الدنيا يصح مزاجه

And ignorant is he who thinks that something

And the ignorant who thinks with something,

Of this world's goods will make his constitution sound.

Of the goods of the world his disposition is corrected.

ليس يغنى الفقير شيء ولو سي

ليس يغنى الفقير شيء ولو سي

ق إليه من الوجود خراجه

ق إليه من الوجود خراجه

Nothing enriches the poor man, even were there brought

Nothing enriches the poor even if the existence,

To him all the revenues of existence.

Poured down to him all of its revenue.

ولهذا تراه والحرص في حا

ولهذا تراه والحرص في حا

ل افتقار وغنية معراجه

ل افتقار وغنية معراجه

Thus you see him, with greed, in a state

And for this you see him while the greed is in a condition,

Of need, with sufficiency as his ladder of ascent.

Of need yet rich is his ascension.

وهي من داء حب دنياه مازا

وهي من داء حب دنياه مازا

ل مريضاً أعيى الجميع علاجه

ل مريضاً أعيى الجميع علاجه

Weakened by the sickness of loving his worldly life, he remains

And it is from the disease of loving his world, he remains

Ill; his cure has baffled everyone.

Sick, everyone's cure has blinded him.

والغني الغني بالذات لا بال

والغني الغني بالذات لا بال

عرَض الزائل المثار عجاجه

عرَض الزائل المثار عجاجه

And the truly rich one is rich in essence, not through

And the rich one, rich with the essence, not with the

A transient accident whose dust is stirred up.

Fleeting accident whose foam is whipped up.

يا ابن يومين لا تخف قطع رزق

يا ابن يومين لا تخف قطع رزق

كم فتى قبلك اكتفى محتاجه

كم فتى قبلك اكتفى محتاجه

O son of two days, do not fear sustenance being cut off.

O son of two days, do not fear the cutting off of your sustenance,

How many a youth before you—his needy dependent had enough!

How many youths before you were content when needy.

وكم ارتاب عائل في كفاف

وكم ارتاب عائل في كفاف

وعليه في العيش ضاقت فجاجه

وعليه في العيش ضاقت فجاجه

And how many a poor man doubted he would have enough,

And how many providers have doubted in their adequacy,

And life's paths closed in upon him.

And survival has straitened its expanses upon them.

ثم لما أن سلم الأمر أثرت

ثم لما أن سلم الأمر أثرت

خادموه وأيسرت أزواجه

خادموه وأيسرت أزواجه

Then, when he surrendered the matter, wealth came to

Then when the matter was submitted, his servants prospered

His servants, and his wives prospered.

And his women's ease was facilitated.

فُزْ بِراحات قلبك الغر يا من

فُزْ بِراحات قلبك الغر يا من

زادَ من فَوْتِ ما يروم انزعاجه

زادَ من فَوْتِ ما يروم انزعاجه

Win your heart's radiant comforts, O one

So win with the comfort of your heart O you who,

Whose distress grows at losing what he seeks.

Increased from missing what he aspires to upset him.

واطرح الهمَّ عن فؤادك واربح

واطرح الهمَّ عن فؤادك واربح

صفوَ عيشٍ إن طبت طاب نتاجه

صفوَ عيشٍ إن طبت طاب نتاجه

And cast worry from your heart, and gain

And cast away the worries from your heart and gain

The serenity of living: if you are well, its yield is good.

The pure living if you are well its produce is good.

لا تقل قل دون غيري رزقي

لا تقل قل دون غيري رزقي

كل رزق مقدر إخراجه

كل رزق مقدر إخراجه

Do not say, 'My sustenance is less than another's.'

Do not say, my sustenance is diminished apart from others,

Every share of sustenance has its delivery decreed.

Every sustenance its extraction is estimated.

قسمة الله لا زيادة فيها

قسمة الله لا زيادة فيها

لا ولا نقص عذبه وأجاجه

لا ولا نقص عذبه وأجاجه

God's allotment admits no increase,

The apportionment of God, no increase in it,

No, nor decrease, in its sweet and briny portions.

Nor decrease, its fresh and its salty.

والفتى غير رزقه لم ينله

والفتى غير رزقه لم ينله

ولو احتال واستطال لجاجه

ولو احتال واستطال لجاجه

And a youth attains no sustenance but his own,

And the youth, other than his sustenance he did not attain,

Even if he schemes and his obstinacy drags on.

Even if he strategized and prolonged his dispute.

كم شجاع أراد رزق سواه

كم شجاع أراد رزق سواه

يحتويه فقطعت أوداجه

يحتويه فقطعت أوداجه

How many a brave man desired another's sustenance,

How many valiant wanted other than his sustenance,

To possess it, and his jugular veins were severed!

So it cut off his limbs.

ولكم ضم رزق إنسان حصن

ولكم ضم رزق إنسان حصن

فغزوه وهدمت أبراجه

فغزوه وهدمت أبراجه

And how often a fortress enclosed a person's sustenance,

And for how many the sustenance of a man fortified,

So they assailed it, and its towers were demolished.

So they raided him and demolished his towers.

صاح لو كان فيك رزقك ما لم

صاح لو كان فيك رزقك ما لم

يفتح الله عاقك استخراجه

يفتح الله عاقك استخراجه

Friend, even were your sustenance within you, unless

It called out, if your sustenance were in you, what

God opened the way, drawing it out would defeat you.

God did not open for you, you cannot extract it.

ولو انضم تاج كسرى على رز

ولو انضم تاج كسرى على رز

ق فتى ذل وانزوى عنه تاجه

ق فتى ذل وانزوى عنه تاجه

And even if Kisra's crown closed over the sustenance

And if the crown of Chosroes joined upon the sustenance of a lowly youth,

Of a youth, that crown would be humbled and withdraw from him.

And the crown recoiled from him.

كل ضيق وإن تطاول دهراً

كل ضيق وإن تطاول دهراً

عن قريب لا بد يأتي انفراجه

عن قريب لا بد يأتي انفراجه

Every hardship, though it lasts an age—

Every hardship, even if it lasted long,

Its relief must come before long.

Soon its relief and unraveling will come.

هذه عادة المهيمن فينا

هذه عادة المهيمن فينا

وعليها لقد جرى منهاجه

وعليها لقد جرى منهاجه

This is the Guardian's custom with us,

This is the custom of the All-Dominant over us,

And His course has indeed followed that way.

And upon it has his course certainly ran.

أي وقت يمر من غير نوع

أي وقت يمر من غير نوع

من عطاء كسا الكساد رواجه

من عطاء كسا الكساد رواجه

What time passes without some kind

Which time has passed without a type,

Of bounty whose flourishing has clothed stagnation?

Of bestowal which clothed the barrenness flourishing.

كم لمولاي في الورى من أياد

كم لمولاي في الورى من أياد

عند عبد بها استقام اعوجاجه

عند عبد بها استقام اعوجاجه

How many favors my Master has shown among creation,

And for my Master in the world are many hands,

To a servant, through which his crookedness is set straight!

With which the servant straightens his twisting.

وله كل ساعة وزمان

وله كل ساعة وزمان

بحر فضل تدفقت أمواجه

بحر فضل تدفقت أمواجه

And His, at every hour and time, is

And for Him every hour and time,

A sea of grace whose waves pour forth.

An ocean of grace its waves surge forth.

ثق بلطف الإله في كل حال

ثق بلطف الإله في كل حال

فهو في الخلق مستنير سراجه

فهو في الخلق مستنير سراجه

Trust God's kindness in every condition,

Trust in the Gentleness of God in every condition,

For His lamp shines brightly among creation.

For He in creation is a shining lamp.

وإذا ضاق أو تعسر أمر

وإذا ضاق أو تعسر أمر

ثم أبطا انفساحُه وانبلاجه

ثم أبطا انفساحُه وانبلاجه

And if a matter grows constricted or difficult,

And if it narrowed or the matter became difficult,

And then its opening and dawning are delayed,

Then it expands widely its opening and illumination.

وغدا القلب منه في سجن همٍّ

وغدا القلب منه في سجن همٍّ

زائد الظلم لم يمت حجاجه

زائد الظلم لم يمت حجاجه

And the heart, because of it, becomes confined in worry's prison,

And tomorrow the heart from it will be in a prison of worries,

Ever more oppressive, its Hajjaj not yet dead—

With darkness increased not dying its disputation.

فتوكل وارمِ السلاحَ ودعْ ما

فتوكل وارمِ السلاحَ ودعْ ما

أنت فيه وليمض عنك هياجه

أنت فيه وليمض عنك هياجه

Then trust, throw down your arms, and leave what

So rely and toss the weapon and leave what,

You are in; let its agitation pass away from you.

You are in and let its frenzy pass from you.

واجعل الكون كله لم يكن من

واجعل الكون كله لم يكن من

قبلُ يذهبْ عن الفؤاد ارتجاجه

قبلُ يذهبْ عن الفؤاد ارتجاجه

And deem the whole universe never to have existed

And make the whole creation as if it did not,

Before; its trembling will leave the heart.

Exist before to remove from the heart its shaking.

وتر الخير في الذي أنت فيه

وتر الخير في الذي أنت فيه

لكن الجهل سود الوجه زاجه

لكن الجهل سود الوجه زاجه

And you will see good in the state you are in,

And expect goodness in that which you are,

But ignorance's vitriol has blackened the face.

But ignorance blackened the face muddied.

والذي عنده الأمور تساوت

والذي عنده الأمور تساوت

ثم في طاجن الحجا إنضاجه

ثم في طاجن الحجا إنضاجه

And the one for whom all matters have become equal—

And He with Whom all matters are equal,

Then his ripening is in the cooking-pot of reason.

Then in the crucible of trial its melting.