فاضَ اللِئامُ وَغاضَتِ الأَحسابُ

فاضَ اللِئامُ وَغاضَتِ الأَحسابُ

وَاِجتُثَّتِ العَلياءُ وَالآدابُ

وَاِجتُثَّتِ العَلياءُ وَالآدابُ

The ignoble have surged, and ancestral honor has ebbed;

The scoundrels overflowed and accounts were settled,

And high honor and good manners have been uprooted.

The noble and the refined were uprooted.

فَكَأَنَّ يَومَ البَعثِ فاجَأَهُم فَلا

فَكَأَنَّ يَومَ البَعثِ فاجَأَهُم فَلا

أَنسابَ بَينَهُمُ وَلا أَسبابُ

أَنسابَ بَينَهُمُ وَلا أَسبابُ

So it is as though the Day of Resurrection surprised them—no

It was as if the Day of Resurrection took them by surprise,

Kinship among them, nor any ties.

With no lineage between them, and no bonds.

أَمُوَيسُ لا يُغني اِعتِذارُكَ طالِباً

أَمُوَيسُ لا يُغني اِعتِذارُكَ طالِباً

عَفوي فَما بَعدَ العِتابِ عِقابُ

عَفوي فَما بَعدَ العِتابِ عِقابُ

O Muways, your apology avails nothing as you seek

Omayyad, your apology will not benefit you when seeking

My pardon, for no punishment follows reproach.

My forgiveness, for after reproach comes punishment.

هَب مَن لَهُ شَيءٌ يُريدُ حِجابَهُ

هَب مَن لَهُ شَيءٌ يُريدُ حِجابَهُ

ما بالُ لا شَيءٍ عَلَيهِ حِجابُ

ما بالُ لا شَيءٍ عَلَيهِ حِجابُ

Grant that one who has something wishes to veil it;

Let whoever desires his veil conceal him,

Why is there a veil over nothing?

Why would there be any veil over nothing?

ما إِن سَمِعتُ وَلا أَراني سامِعاً

ما إِن سَمِعتُ وَلا أَراني سامِعاً

أَبَداً بِصَحراءٍ عَلَيها بابُ

أَبَداً بِصَحراءٍ عَلَيها بابُ

I have never heard, nor do I expect to hear,

Never have I heard, nor will I ever hear,

Ever, of a desert with a gate upon it.

In a desert with a door upon it.

مَن كانَ مَفقودَ الحَياءِ فَوَجهُهُ

مَن كانَ مَفقودَ الحَياءِ فَوَجهُهُ

مِن غَيرِ بَوّابٍ لَهُ بَوّابُ

مِن غَيرِ بَوّابٍ لَهُ بَوّابُ

Whoever is bereft of shame—his face

He whose shame is lost, his face

Is his doorkeeper, even without a doorkeeper.

Is without a doorman to guard it.

مازالَ وَسواسي لِعَقلي خادِعاً

مازالَ وَسواسي لِعَقلي خادِعاً

حَتّى رَجا مَطَراً وَلَيسَ سَحابُ

حَتّى رَجا مَطَراً وَلَيسَ سَحابُ

My inner whisperings kept deceiving my reason,

My obsessive thoughts kept deceiving my mind

Until it hoped for rain, though there were no clouds.

Until it hoped for rain without clouds.

ما كُنتُ أَدري لا دَرَيتُ بِأَنَّهُ

ما كُنتُ أَدري لا دَرَيتُ بِأَنَّهُ

يَجري بِأَفنِيَةِ البُيوتِ سَرابُ

يَجري بِأَفنِيَةِ البُيوتِ سَرابُ

I did not know—may I never know—that

I did not know, had I not realized,

A mirage flows through the courtyards of houses.

That mirages run through the courtyards of homes.

عَجَباً لِقَومٍ يَسمَعونَ مَدائِحي

عَجَباً لِقَومٍ يَسمَعونَ مَدائِحي

لَكَ لَم يَقولوا قُم فَأَنتَ مُصابُ

لَكَ لَم يَقولوا قُم فَأَنتَ مُصابُ

How strange that people who hear my praises

Strange are the people who hear my praises of you,

Of you did not say, 'Rise, for you are mad!'

Yet do not say: "Arise, for you are right."

نَبَذوا بِكَذّابٍ مُسَيلَمَةً فَقَد

نَبَذوا بِكَذّابٍ مُسَيلَمَةً فَقَد

وَهِموا وَجاروا بَل أَنا الكَذّابُ

وَهِموا وَجاروا بَل أَنا الكَذّابُ

They branded Musaylima a liar; thus they have indeed

They rejected me as a lying Musailamah,

Erred and been unjust—rather, I am the liar.

They were mistaken and went astray, rather I am the liar.

هَتَّكتُ ديني فَاِستَتَرتُ بِتَوبَةٍ

هَتَّكتُ ديني فَاِستَتَرتُ بِتَوبَةٍ

فَأَنا المُقِرُّ بِذَنبِهِ التَوّابُ

فَأَنا المُقِرُّ بِذَنبِهِ التَوّابُ

I tore my faith apart, then veiled myself in repentance;

I compromised my religion and took cover in repentance,

So I am the one who confesses his sin, ever repentant.

I admit my sin, the ever-repentant.