أُدافِعُ مِنكَ العَذلَ منِّيَ بالعُذرِ

أُدافِعُ مِنكَ العَذلَ منِّيَ بالعُذرِ

وَمَن لَم يَلِن لِلِّينِ لَانَ عَلى القَسرِ

وَمَن لَم يَلِن لِلِّينِ لَانَ عَلى القَسرِ

I counter your reproach with my excuse.

I defend you from blame, and excuse myself,

And whoever does not yield to gentleness yields under force.

For he who does not bend to gentleness, breaks under force.

فَإِن كانَ أَمري في يَدي فَكَما تَرى

فَإِن كانَ أَمري في يَدي فَكَما تَرى

وَإِلّا فَدَبِّرهُ وَلا تُسمِهِ أَمري

وَإِلّا فَدَبِّرهُ وَلا تُسمِهِ أَمري

So if my affair is in my hands, it is as you see;

If my affair is in my hands, then as you see,

and if not, manage it, and do not call it my affair.

If not, manage it well, name it not my affair.

وَما الصَبرُ إِلّا مُعقِبٌ ما أُريدُهُ

وَما الصَبرُ إِلّا مُعقِبٌ ما أُريدُهُ

وَلَكِنَّني اِستَبطَأتُ عاقِبَةَ الصَبرِ

وَلَكِنَّني اِستَبطَأتُ عاقِبَةَ الصَبرِ

And patience brings nothing but what I desire,

Patience is but to await what I desire,

but I have found patience's outcome too slow in coming.

Yet I grew impatient for patience’s outcome.

وَقُلتُ لَهُ يا صَبرُ إِن كُنتَ مُعقِباً

وَقُلتُ لَهُ يا صَبرُ إِن كُنتَ مُعقِباً

بِعُقبى فَمِن قَبلِ الخُروجِ مِنَ العُمرِ

بِعُقبى فَمِن قَبلِ الخُروجِ مِنَ العُمرِ

And I said to it, "O patience, if you are to bring

And I said: Oh patience, if you bring reward

a reward, let it come before I depart this life."

In the future, that comes when life has gone.

كَمِ اِستَأذَنَت عُقبى عَلى المَرءِ مَيِّتاً

كَمِ اِستَأذَنَت عُقبى عَلى المَرءِ مَيِّتاً

فَما أَذِنَت حُجبٌ عَلَيهِ مِنَ القَبرِ

فَما أَذِنَت حُجبٌ عَلَيهِ مِنَ القَبرِ

How often has a reward sought leave to visit a man already dead,

How often has the future granted a dead man

only for the grave's veils over him to deny it entry.

No leave through the veils of the grave.