أَرى العُمر في غَير السُرور مضيعاً

أَرى العُمر في غَير السُرور مضيعاً

وَمن وَدّع الأَحباب روحاً مُوَدّعا

وَمن وَدّع الأَحباب روحاً مُوَدّعا

I see life spent without joy as wasted,

I see life wasted without joy,

And one who bids loved ones farewell as a departing soul.

And one who bids farewell to loved ones, a departing soul.

فَإِنّي قَد نازَلت كُل كَريهَةٍ

فَإِنّي قَد نازَلت كُل كَريهَةٍ

وَقَضَيت في النَعماءِ عِزّاً منوعا

وَقَضَيت في النَعماءِ عِزّاً منوعا

For I have confronted every adversity,

For I have endured every tribulation,

And spent my days in prosperity, in unassailable honor.

And spent my glory days denied of pleasure.

وَجالَستُ أَرباب الفَضائل يافِعاً

وَجالَستُ أَرباب الفَضائل يافِعاً

وَشاَهدتُ أَقمار الكَمالات طلعا

وَشاَهدتُ أَقمار الكَمالات طلعا

And as a youth I sat with masters of virtue,

I sat with the virtuous in my prime,

And beheld the moons of perfection rising.

And saw the moons of perfection rise.

وَصادَفتُ فَضل اللَهِ وَاِبن مَحبهِ

وَصادَفتُ فَضل اللَهِ وَاِبن مَحبهِ

أَجل بَني الدُنيا وَأَكرَم مَن سَعا

أَجل بَني الدُنيا وَأَكرَم مَن سَعا

And I encountered Fadl Allah and the son of His devotee,

I was blessed by God and the son He loves—

The most eminent of this world's sons, the most generous of all who strove.

The greatest of earth’s children and most generous who aspires.

وَعَلياهُ عَليا كُل يَمن وَدَولة

وَعَلياهُ عَليا كُل يَمن وَدَولة

وَلَم يَرَ مِنها غَيرَهُ الدَهر اِصبَعا

وَلَم يَرَ مِنها غَيرَهُ الدَهر اِصبَعا

And his eminence is the summit of all good fortune and sovereignty,

Elevated over all, every glory and kingdom his;

And Time has seen no other with even a finger's breadth of it.

None but he has the world seen clutching at power.

فَلا مَن كَساهُ الدَهر ثَوباً كَمَن غَدا

فَلا مَن كَساهُ الدَهر ثَوباً كَمَن غَدا

عَلَيهِ لِثَوب مُستَعار مُرَقَعا

عَلَيهِ لِثَوب مُستَعار مُرَقَعا

For one whom Time has clothed in a robe is not like one who goes about

Not like one the world robes is he who comes

With a borrowed, patched robe upon him.

Cloaked in borrowed garb, patchworked and poor.

وَلا مَن يَصيبُ الناس أَنواء فَضلِهِ

وَلا مَن يَصيبُ الناس أَنواء فَضلِهِ

كَمَن راحَ يَرضى بِالقَليل تَقنَعا

كَمَن راحَ يَرضى بِالقَليل تَقنَعا

Nor is one whose showers of bounty reach the people

Nor like one who harms people despite his merit,

Like one who settles for little, making do.

Is he, who is pleased with little, content in his need.