بُليتُ بِنَفسي شَرَّ نَفسٍ رَأَيتُها

بُليتُ بِنَفسي شَرَّ نَفسٍ رَأَيتُها

لَجوجٍ تَمادى بي إِذا ما نَهَيتُها

لَجوجٍ تَمادى بي إِذا ما نَهَيتُها

I have been afflicted with my own soul, the worst soul I have seen:

I was afflicted by my own soul, the evilest of souls I saw,

Obstinate, it carries me too far whenever I restrain it.

Stubbornly disobedient when I forbid it.

فَكَم مِن قَبيحٍ صِرتُ مُعتَرِفاً بِهِ

فَكَم مِن قَبيحٍ صِرتُ مُعتَرِفاً بِهِ

وَكَم مِن جِناياتٍ عِظامٍ جَنَيتُها

وَكَم مِن جِناياتٍ عِظامٍ جَنَيتُها

So, how many a vile deed have I come to confess,

How much ugly did I confess to,

And how many grave offenses have I committed!

And how many major sins did I commit.

وَكَم مِن شَفيقٍ باذِلٍ لي نَصيحَةً

وَكَم مِن شَفيقٍ باذِلٍ لي نَصيحَةً

وَلَكِنَّني ضَيَّعتُها وَأَبَيتُها

وَلَكِنَّني ضَيَّعتُها وَأَبَيتُها

And how many a caring person has offered me counsel,

And how many caring advisors were generous to me,

Yet I squandered it and rejected it.

But I wasted and refused their advice.

دَعَتني إِلى الدُنيا دَواعٍ مِنَ الهَوى

دَعَتني إِلى الدُنيا دَواعٍ مِنَ الهَوى

فَأَرسَلتُ ديني مِن يَدي وَأَتَيتُها

فَأَرسَلتُ ديني مِن يَدي وَأَتَيتُها

The promptings of desire called me to this world,

Worldly desires called me to the life of this world,

So I released my faith from my hand and went to it.

So I let go of my religion from my hands and went to it.

وَلي حِيَلٌ عِندَ المَطامِعِ رُبَّما

وَلي حِيَلٌ عِندَ المَطامِعِ رُبَّما

تَلَطَّفتُ لِلدُنيا بِها فَرَقَيتُها

تَلَطَّفتُ لِلدُنيا بِها فَرَقَيتُها

And I have stratagems for coveted gains; at times

And I have tricks with greed sometimes,

I have dealt subtly with the world through them and charmed it.

I flatter the life of this world with them and attain it.

أَقولُ لِنَفسي إِذ شَكَت ضيقَ بَيتِها

أَقولُ لِنَفسي إِذ شَكَت ضيقَ بَيتِها

كَأَنّي بِها في القَبرِ قَد ضاقَ بَيتُها

كَأَنّي بِها في القَبرِ قَد ضاقَ بَيتُها

I say to my soul when it complains of its cramped home:

I say to myself when it complained of the narrowness of its home,

I seem to see it in the grave, its home already cramped.

As if I were in the grave - its home has narrowed.

وَلي في خِصالِ الخَيرِ ضِدٌّ مُعانِدٌ

وَلي في خِصالِ الخَيرِ ضِدٌّ مُعانِدٌ

يُثَبِّطُني عَنها إِذا ما نَوَيتُها

يُثَبِّطُني عَنها إِذا ما نَوَيتُها

And in good deeds I have a stubborn adversary,

And I have in good traits an obstinate opponent

Who holds me back from them whenever I resolve to perform them.

That discourages me from them when I intend them.

وَلي مُدَّةٌ لا بُدَّ يَوماً سَتَنقَضي

وَلي مُدَّةٌ لا بُدَّ يَوماً سَتَنقَضي

كَأَن قَد أَتاني وَقتُها فَقَضَيتُها

كَأَن قَد أَتاني وَقتُها فَقَضَيتُها

And I have a span of life that must one day end;

And I have a lifespan that will inevitably end one day

As though its hour has already come to me, and I have lived it out.

As if its time has come and I will finish it.

فَلَو كُنتُ في الدُنيا بَصيراً وَقَد نَعَت

فَلَو كُنتُ في الدُنيا بَصيراً وَقَد نَعَت

إِلى ساكِنيها نَفسَها لَنَعَيتُها

إِلى ساكِنيها نَفسَها لَنَعَيتُها

So, had I been clear-sighted about the world, which has already announced

So if I was insightful in the life of this world and lamented

Its own death to its inhabitants, I would have proclaimed its death.

For my soul to its inhabitants, I would eulogize it.

وَلَو أَنَّني مِمَّن يُحاسِبُ نَفسَهُ

وَلَو أَنَّني مِمَّن يُحاسِبُ نَفسَهُ

لَخالَفتُ نَفسي في الهَوى وَعَصَيتُها

لَخالَفتُ نَفسي في الهَوى وَعَصَيتُها

And if I were among those who hold their own souls to account,

And if I was one of those who hold themselves accountable,

I would have opposed my soul in its desires and disobeyed it.

I would have defied my soul in desires and disobeyed it.

أَياذا الَّذي أَلقَتهُ في الغَيِّ نَفسُهُ

أَياذا الَّذي أَلقَتهُ في الغَيِّ نَفسُهُ

وَمَن غَرَّهُ مِنها عَساها وَلَيتُها

وَمَن غَرَّهُ مِنها عَساها وَلَيتُها

O you whom your own soul has cast into error,

O you whom your soul threw into confusion,

And you whom its 'perhaps' and 'if only' have deceived,

And whom it deceived of its "if only" and "would that".

كَفانا بِهَذا مِنكَ جَهلاً وَغِرَّةً

كَفانا بِهَذا مِنكَ جَهلاً وَغِرَّةً

لِأَنَّكَ حَيُّ النَفسِ في الأَرضِ مَيتُها

لِأَنَّكَ حَيُّ النَفسِ في الأَرضِ مَيتُها

This ignorance and heedlessness of yours is enough for us,

Enough of this ignorance and deceit from you,

For you are a living soul on earth, yet a dead one.

Because you are the living soul on earth - its deceased.