لو كانَ جُرحاً ما لقيتَ لَزَالا

لو كانَ جُرحاً ما لقيتَ لَزَالا

لكنّها الطَّعَنَاتُ إذْ تتوالى

لكنّها الطَّعَنَاتُ إذْ تتوالى

Had what you suffered been a wound, it would have faded,

If it were but a wound, it would have healed

but these are stabs, coming one after another.

But the stabs kept coming endlessly

حاولتَ أن لا إنّما لم تستطع

حاولتَ أن لا إنّما لم تستطع

فتركتَ نفسكَ للضَّياعِ، فنالا

فتركتَ نفسكَ للضَّياعِ، فنالا

You tried not to, yet you could not,

You tried not to give in, but you couldn't

so you left yourself to ruin, and it claimed you.

So you let yourself get lost, and it was your ruin

ألأنَّ ما بعدَ المنيَّةِ مُفزعٌ

ألأنَّ ما بعدَ المنيَّةِ مُفزعٌ

قررتَ ألا تستمرَّ قتالا؟

قررتَ ألا تستمرَّ قتالا؟

Is it because what comes after death is terrifying

Is it because what comes after death terrifies you

that you decided not to go on fighting?

That you decided not to fight anymore?

إنْ تخشَ أسئلةَ القبورِ، فعِشْ لها

إنْ تخشَ أسئلةَ القبورِ، فعِشْ لها

يكفيكَها سُبحانهُ وتعالى

يكفيكَها سُبحانهُ وتعالى

If you fear the questions of the graves, live for them;

If you fear the questions of the grave, then live for them

He—glorified and exalted—will see you through them.

Glorified is He, the Most High

من عادةِ البلوى إذا هَجَمت على

من عادةِ البلوى إذا هَجَمت على

رَجُلٍ، تُخلِّفُ في حشاهُ رجالا

رَجُلٍ، تُخلِّفُ في حشاهُ رجالا

It is affliction's habit, when it descends upon

It is the nature of afflictions when they attack a man

a man, to leave men within his breast.

To leave behind in his courtyard men

وكَذا المصائبُ إن رَمتكَ بنارها

وكَذا المصائبُ إن رَمتكَ بنارها

تركتكَ لا حِلّاً ولا ترحالا

تركتكَ لا حِلّاً ولا ترحالا

So too calamities: if they strike you with their fire,

And so too calamities, when they pelt you with their fire

they leave you neither settled nor journeying.

Leave you with no solution or way out

يكفي بوعدِ الموهِماتِ تَمسُّكاً

يكفي بوعدِ الموهِماتِ تَمسُّكاً

وتَعلُّقاً بحبالِ قيلَ وقالا

وتَعلُّقاً بحبالِ قيلَ وقالا

Enough clinging to the promise of what deceives,

It is enough to hold on with the promises of deceivers

and hanging on the ropes of hearsay and idle talk.

And cling to the ropes of gossip and words

خَف من بقائكَ لا المماتِ فبعدهُ

خَف من بقائكَ لا المماتِ فبعدهُ

من لستَ تُظلَمُ عِندهُ مثقالا

من لستَ تُظلَمُ عِندهُ مثقالا

Fear living on, not death; for after it awaits

Fear staying alive, not death, for after it

One before whom you will not be wronged in the least.

You will not be wronged by Him even an atom's weight

هانت عليكَ الأُمنياتُ فخُنتَها

هانت عليكَ الأُمنياتُ فخُنتَها

لمّا رأيتَ المُمكِناتِ مُحالا

لمّا رأيتَ المُمكِناتِ مُحالا

Your wishes lost their worth to you, so you betrayed them,

You gave up on dreams when you saw

when you saw what was possible as impossible.

The possibilities were impossible

لن تبلغَ الشمسَ التي أمَّلتها

لن تبلغَ الشمسَ التي أمَّلتها

حتّى تُقطِّعَ دونَها الأهوالا

حتّى تُقطِّعَ دونَها الأهوالا

You will not reach the sun you hoped for

You will never reach the sun you hoped for

until you cut through the terrors that lie before it.

Until you cut through the terrors before it

في كلّ يومٍ عنكَ ترحلُ ضحكةٌ

في كلّ يومٍ عنكَ ترحلُ ضحكةٌ

حتّى غدوتَ على الرحيلِ مثالا

حتّى غدوتَ على الرحيلِ مثالا

Every day, a laugh departs from you,

Every day a laugh leaves you

until you have become an emblem of departure.

Until you became a model of departure

بالرّغم من هذا تزيدُ تقرُّباً

بالرّغم من هذا تزيدُ تقرُّباً

ممن يزيدُكَ في الهوى إهمالا!

ممن يزيدُكَ في الهوى إهمالا!

Despite this, you draw ever closer

Yet despite this you draw ever closer

to one who neglects you ever more in love!

To one who adds to your passion only neglect!

لم تبتسم للموتِ حُبّاً بالتي

لم تبتسم للموتِ حُبّاً بالتي

قد عذَّبتكَ تَمنُّعاً ودلالا

قد عذَّبتكَ تَمنُّعاً ودلالا

You have not smiled at death, for love of her

You did not smile at death out of love

who has tormented you with coy refusal and coquetry:

For one who had tortured you with aloofness and coyness

دُنيا تُحاولها وغيرُكَ يزدري

دُنيا تُحاولها وغيرُكَ يزدري

ويُهينُها وتُجلُّها إجلالا!

ويُهينُها وتُجلُّها إجلالا!

a world you pursue, while others scorn

A world you try for, while others spurn it

and demean it, while you revere it deeply!

And dishonor it, while you revere it!

لولا الذي أحيا بنفسكَ صبرها

لولا الذي أحيا بنفسكَ صبرها

لولاهُ كنتَ الآنَ أسوأَ حالا

لولاهُ كنتَ الآنَ أسوأَ حالا

Were it not for Him who revived patience in your soul,

Were it not for the One who revived your patience with His Spirit

were it not for Him, you would now be worse off.

You would now be in a worse state

قلبٌ بحجمِ الكَفِّ، بل هوَ بعضُهُ

قلبٌ بحجمِ الكَفِّ، بل هوَ بعضُهُ

باللهِ كيفَ حملتَ فيهِ جبالا؟

باللهِ كيفَ حملتَ فيهِ جبالا؟

A heart the size of a palm—rather, just part of it—

A heart the size of a handful, or rather part of it

by God, how have you carried mountains within it?

By God, how could it carry mountains?

يا عاذلاً عيني لكثرةِ مائها

يا عاذلاً عيني لكثرةِ مائها

لم أبكِ غانيةً ولا أطلالا

لم أبكِ غانيةً ولا أطلالا

O you who reproach my eye for its abundant tears,

O reproacher of my eyes for their abundant tears

I have not wept for a beauty, nor for ruined dwellings.

I did not weep out of joy, nor for ruins

أبكي على عُمر أسَنَّ بوجهنا

أبكي على عُمر أسَنَّ بوجهنا

وتظلُّ فيهِ قلوبُنا أطفالا

وتظلُّ فيهِ قلوبُنا أطفالا

I weep for a lifetime that has grown old upon our faces,

I cry over a lifetime that aged our faces

while our hearts within it remain children.

While our hearts inside remain those of children

إنّي لقيتُ منَ الحياةِ وأهلِها

إنّي لقيتُ منَ الحياةِ وأهلِها

ما لم يدعْ لي أنْ أقولَ مقالا

ما لم يدعْ لي أنْ أقولَ مقالا

Indeed, I have endured from life and its people

I have received from life and its people

what has left me unable to utter a word.

That which left me unable to say a word

لجهنَّمٍ بنتٌ نعيشُ بقَعرها

لجهنَّمٍ بنتٌ نعيشُ بقَعرها

قد لا تَقلُّ عَنُ امِّها أنَكالا!

قد لا تَقلُّ عَنُ امِّها أنَكالا!

Hell has a daughter, in whose depths we live;

Hell has a daughter in whose depths we live

she may have no fewer fetters than her mother!

She may be no less vicious than her mother!

ياربُّ بالألطافِ قد عوَّدتَني

ياربُّ بالألطافِ قد عوَّدتَني

لولا رعايتُها لذقتُ وبالا

لولا رعايتُها لذقتُ وبالا

O Lord, You have accustomed me to Your kindnesses;

O Lord, with kindness you accustomed me

without their care, I would have tasted ruin.

If not for Your care I would have tasted affliction

فإذا المَنيَّةُ أصبَحتْ أُمنيَّةً

فإذا المَنيَّةُ أصبَحتْ أُمنيَّةً

واشتدَّ بأسُ اليأسِ فيَّ، وغالى

واشتدَّ بأسُ اليأسِ فيَّ، وغالى

And when death became a wish,

So when death became my wish

and despair's force grew fierce within me and went too far,

And the grip of despair intensified in me, and it went on

وتلفَّتَ الموت الذي يا طالما

وتلفَّتَ الموت الذي يا طالما

أمَّلتُ فيهِ إلى النجاةِ مآلا

أمَّلتُ فيهِ إلى النجاةِ مآلا

and death turned to look—the death in which, oh, how often

And death, which I had always hoped for

I had hoped for an end leading to deliverance—

As a refuge from distress, turned away from me

أرسلتَ لُطفكَ في الضلوعِ سَكينَةً

أرسلتَ لُطفكَ في الضلوعِ سَكينَةً

ومددتَ لي دونَ الجميعِ حبالا

ومددتَ لي دونَ الجميعِ حبالا

You sent Your kindness into my ribs as serenity,

You sent tranquility into my ribs

and stretched out ropes for me, apart from everyone else.

And extended to me a rope beyond all others

إن كانَ ذنباً ما أُخِذتُ بشؤمهِ

إن كانَ ذنباً ما أُخِذتُ بشؤمهِ

فاللهُ أمهلَ قبلَهُ إمهالا

فاللهُ أمهلَ قبلَهُ إمهالا

If it was a sin for whose ill effects I was punished,

If I was seized by the ill omen of a sin

then God had granted ample respite before it.

Then Allah postponed it with forbearance

أو كانَ للقلبِ امتحاناً قاسياً

أو كانَ للقلبِ امتحاناً قاسياً

فاللهُ مَن واسى وأصلحَ بالا

فاللهُ مَن واسى وأصلحَ بالا

Or if it was a harsh trial for the heart,

Or if it was a difficult test for the heart

then God is the One who consoled me and set my mind at ease.

Then Allah is the one who consoled and mended

وهو الخبيرُ، فكيفَ لا تشكو لهُ؟

وهو الخبيرُ، فكيفَ لا تشكو لهُ؟

وهو القريبُ مَقالةً وفَعَالا

وهو القريبُ مَقالةً وفَعَالا

And He is the All-Aware—so how can you not complain to Him?

And He is the All-Knowing, so how can you not complain to Him?

And He is near, in word and deed.

And He is the Near, in word and deed

عِش في مخافتهِ الحياةَ، فإن دَنا

عِش في مخافتهِ الحياةَ، فإن دَنا

منكَ الرحيلُ فغَلِّبِ الآمالا

منكَ الرحيلُ فغَلِّبِ الآمالا

Live life in fear of Him; and if it draws near—

Live in awe of Him, and if

your departure—then let hopes prevail.

Death draws near you, then be hopeful