أَمَيِّتَةٌ شُهبُ الدُجى أَم مُحِسَّةٌ

أَمَيِّتَةٌ شُهبُ الدُجى أَم مُحِسَّةٌ

وَلا عَقلَ أَم في آلِها الحِسُّ وَالعَقلُ

وَلا عَقلَ أَم في آلِها الحِسُّ وَالعَقلُ

Are the stars of night dead, or sentient,

Are the stars of dusk illusions, or are they accurate?

And without reason—or do their kind possess sense and reason?

Do they possess neither mind nor reason?

وَدانَ أُناسٌ بِالجَزاءِ وَكَونِهِ

وَدانَ أُناسٌ بِالجَزاءِ وَكَونِهِ

وَقالَ رِجالٌ إِنَّما أَنتُم بَقلُ

وَقالَ رِجالٌ إِنَّما أَنتُم بَقلُ

Some people believed in recompense and its existence,

While some believe in predestination and determination,

And some men said, "You are nothing but herbage."

Others say: you are but insignificant.

فَأَوصيكُمُ أَمّا قَبيحاً فَجانِبوا

فَأَوصيكُمُ أَمّا قَبيحاً فَجانِبوا

وَأَمّا جَميلاً مِن فِعالٍ فَلا تَقلوا

وَأَمّا جَميلاً مِن فِعالٍ فَلا تَقلوا

So I counsel you: as for what is vile, shun it;

So I advise you, avoid all evil,

And as for good deeds, do not despise them.

And do not neglect any good deed.

فَإِنّي وَجَدتُ النَفسَ تُبدي نَدامَةً

فَإِنّي وَجَدتُ النَفسَ تُبدي نَدامَةً

عَلى ما جَنَتهُ حينَ يُحضِرُها النَقلُ

عَلى ما جَنَتهُ حينَ يُحضِرُها النَقلُ

For I have found that the soul shows remorse

For I found the soul full of regret,

For what it has committed, when departure summons it.

For the wrong it committed, when the time of reckoning comes.

وَإِن صَدِئَت أَرواحُنا في جُسومِنا

وَإِن صَدِئَت أَرواحُنا في جُسومِنا

فَيوشِكُ يَوماً أَن يُعاوِدَها الصَقلُ

فَيوشِكُ يَوماً أَن يُعاوِدَها الصَقلُ

And if our souls have rusted in our bodies,

And if our spirits rust in our bodies,

Then one day they may well be polished anew.

The day will come when they will be polished anew.