اِصبِر لِمَرِّ حَوادِثِ الدَهرِ

اِصبِر لِمَرِّ حَوادِثِ الدَهرِ

فَلَتَحمَدَنَّ مَغَبَّةَ الصَبرِ

فَلَتَحمَدَنَّ مَغَبَّةَ الصَبرِ

Be patient with the bitterness of time's calamities,

Endure the bitter events of fate

Bear patiently the bitterness of Time’s events,

for you will surely praise the outcome of patience.

You will then praise the rewards of patience

For you shall surely praise the aftermath of patience.

وَاِمهَد لِنَفسِكَ قَبلَ ميتَتِها

وَاِمهَد لِنَفسِكَ قَبلَ ميتَتِها

وَاِذخَر لِيَومِ تَفاضُلِ الذُخرِ

وَاِذخَر لِيَومِ تَفاضُلِ الذُخرِ

And make provision for yourself before your death,

And pave the way for yourself before your death

Prepare a resting place for your soul before its death,

and store up for the day when treasures differ in worth.

And store for the day of reckoning

And gather stores for the Day when provisions are weighed.

فَكَأَنَّ أَهلَكَ قَد دَعوكَ فَلَم

فَكَأَنَّ أَهلَكَ قَد دَعوكَ فَلَم

تَسمَع وَأَنتَ مُحَشرَجُ السَدرِ

تَسمَع وَأَنتَ مُحَشرَجُ السَدرِ

For it is as though your family have already called you, but you did not

It is as though your family bid you farewell but

It is as though your family called to you, yet you

hear, while the death-rattle fills your chest.

You did not hear while you lie resting on the tree

Heard nothing, locked within the rattling throes of death.

وَكَأَنَّهُم قَد عَطَّروكَ بِما

وَكَأَنَّهُم قَد عَطَّروكَ بِما

يَتَزَوَّدُ الهَلكى مِنَ العِطرِ

يَتَزَوَّدُ الهَلكى مِنَ العِطرِ

And it is as though they have already perfumed you with

It is as though they have embalmed you with what

As though they had anointed you with fragrant scents,

the perfume the dead take as their provision.

The doomed take as perfume

With which the dead are provisioned for their journey.

وَكَأَنَّهُم قَد قَلَّبوكَ عَلى

وَكَأَنَّهُم قَد قَلَّبوكَ عَلى

ظَهرِ السَريرِ وَظُلمَةِ القَبرِ

ظَهرِ السَريرِ وَظُلمَةِ القَبرِ

And it is as though they have already turned you onto

It is as though they tossed you atop

As though they turned your body on the washing-plank,

the bier's surface, and into the darkness of the grave.

The bier into the darkness of the grave

Upon the funeral bier, then to the grave’s deep dark.

يا لَيتَ شِعري كَيفَ أَنتَ عَلى

يا لَيتَ شِعري كَيفَ أَنتَ عَلى

ظَهرِ السَريرِ وَأَنتَ لا تَدري

ظَهرِ السَريرِ وَأَنتَ لا تَدري

Ah, would that I knew how you will fare upon

Oh how I wish I knew how you fare atop

Oh, how I wish I knew your state as you lay there,

the bier's surface, while you are unaware.

The bier while being unaware

Upon the funeral bier, whilst you were unaware.

أَو لَيتَ شِعري كَيفَ أَنتَ إِذا

أَو لَيتَ شِعري كَيفَ أَنتَ إِذا

غُسِّلتَ بِالكافورُ وَالسِدرِ

غُسِّلتَ بِالكافورُ وَالسِدرِ

Or would that I knew how you will fare when

Oh how I wish I knew how you will be when

Or how I wish I knew your state when you were washed,

you are washed with camphor and lote-tree leaves.

Bathed with camphor and myrtle

Purified with the waters of camphor and lotus leaves.

أَو لَيتَ شِعري كَيفَ أَنتَ إِذا

أَو لَيتَ شِعري كَيفَ أَنتَ إِذا

وُضِعَ الحِسابُ صَبيحَةَ الحَشرِ

وُضِعَ الحِسابُ صَبيحَةَ الحَشرِ

Or would that I knew how you will fare when

Oh how I wish I knew how you will be when

Or how I wish I knew your state when Judgment falls,

the reckoning is set forth on the morning of the Gathering.

The reckoning is placed that morn

And the Reckoning is set on the Gathering’s morn.

ما حُجَّتي فيما أَتَيتُ وَما

ما حُجَّتي فيما أَتَيتُ وَما

قَولي لِرَبّي بَل وَما عُذري

قَولي لِرَبّي بَل وَما عُذري

What is my plea for what I have done, and what

What excuse have I in what I did and what

What is my argument for all that I have done?

shall I say to my Lord—rather, what is my excuse

Can I say to my Lord; what defence have I?

What speech is for my Lord? Nay, what is my excuse?

أَن لا أَكونَ قَصَدتُ رُشدي أَو

أَن لا أَكونَ قَصَدتُ رُشدي أَو

أَقبَلتُ ما اِستَدبَرتُ مِن أَمري

أَقبَلتُ ما اِستَدبَرتُ مِن أَمري

for not having sought my right course, or

That I did not seek righteousness or

That I did not pursue the path of rectitude,

turned toward what I had turned away from in my affairs?

Embrace what I had ignored of my affair

Or seek out that which I neglected of my deeds?

يا سَوأَتا مِمّا اِكتَسَبتُ وَيا

يا سَوأَتا مِمّا اِكتَسَبتُ وَيا

أَسَفي عَلى ما فاتَ مِن عُمري

أَسَفي عَلى ما فاتَ مِن عُمري

Oh, my shame for what I have earned! And oh,

Oh what ill I have earned and

Oh, shame upon me for the burdens I have earned,

my sorrow for what has passed of my life!

Oh my remorse for what of my life has passed

And oh, my sorrow for the life that has passed by.