لا تُحدِثِ القَطعَ في كَفٍّ وَلا قَدَمٍ

لا تُحدِثِ القَطعَ في كَفٍّ وَلا قَدَمٍ

وَلا تُعَرِّض مِدى الدُنيا لِسَفكِ دَمِ

وَلا تُعَرِّض مِدى الدُنيا لِسَفكِ دَمِ

Do not sever a hand or a foot,

Do not cause a cut in hand or foot,

Nor put the world's blades to shedding blood.

Nor expose the world to bloodshed.

وَخَلِّ مَن صَوَّرَ الأَشباحَ مُقتَدِراً

وَخَلِّ مَن صَوَّرَ الأَشباحَ مُقتَدِراً

يَحُلُّها فَهوَ رَبُّ الدَهرِ وَالقِدَمِ

يَحُلُّها فَهوَ رَبُّ الدَهرِ وَالقِدَمِ

And leave the mighty One who fashioned bodies

And leave the one who portrayed ghosts as omnipotent-

To dissolve them, for He is Lord of time and eternity.

If he solves them then he is the Lord of eternity and antiquity.

وَتُصبِحُ الذَرَّةُ الصُغرى لَهُ أَمَةً

وَتُصبِحُ الذَرَّةُ الصُغرى لَهُ أَمَةً

وَالشَمسُ وَالبَدرُ مَعدودَينِ في الخَدَمِ

وَالشَمسُ وَالبَدرُ مَعدودَينِ في الخَدَمِ

And the smallest mote becomes His handmaid,

And the smallest particle becomes a nation to him,

And the sun and full moon are numbered among His servants.

The sun and moon counted among his servants.

وَقَدَ أَسِفتُ لِخَيرٍ إِذ عَلِمتُ بِهِ

وَقَدَ أَسِفتُ لِخَيرٍ إِذ عَلِمتُ بِهِ

وَما أَسِفتُ عَلَيهِ كَيفَ لَم يَدُمِ

وَما أَسِفتُ عَلَيهِ كَيفَ لَم يَدُمِ

And I have grieved over a good thing when I learned of it,

I was sorry for the good when I knew of it,

Yet I did not grieve over how it failed to last.

And how I was not sorry for it, that it did not last.

وَما اِنتِفاعي بِنَدمانٍ أُسَرُّ بِهِ

وَما اِنتِفاعي بِنَدمانٍ أُسَرُّ بِهِ

إِذا الفِراقُ رَماني مِنهُ بِالنَدَمِ

إِذا الفِراقُ رَماني مِنهُ بِالنَدَمِ

And what use to me is a boon companion who delights me,

And I have no benefit from regrets I become happy with,

If parting from him strikes me with regret?

When separation throws me into regret.

وَإِنَّ حَسرَةَ نَفسٍ غَيرَ هَيِّنَةٍ

وَإِنَّ حَسرَةَ نَفسٍ غَيرَ هَيِّنَةٍ

مَصيرُها بَعدَ إيجادٍ إِلى عَدَمِ

مَصيرُها بَعدَ إيجادٍ إِلى عَدَمِ

And surely a soul's grief is no small thing:

The sorrow of a soul is no easy thing-

Its fate, after creation, is to pass into nothingness.

Its fate after finding is to non-existence.

لَو شَكَّ بِالطَعنِ مَيتٌ لَم يَجِد أَلَماً

لَو شَكَّ بِالطَعنِ مَيتٌ لَم يَجِد أَلَماً

فَالرُمحُ فيهِ كَإِشفى الخَرزِ في الأَدَمِ

فَالرُمحُ فيهِ كَإِشفى الخَرزِ في الأَدَمِ

Were a dead man pierced by a thrust, he would feel no pain;

If the dead doubted being stabbed, it would not feel pain-

For a spear in him is like a stitching awl in leather.

So the spear in it is like a bead piercing leather.

سِيّانِ إِلباسُهُ ما لانَ مِن كَفَنٍ

سِيّانِ إِلباسُهُ ما لانَ مِن كَفَنٍ

وَطَرحُهُ في لَظىً لِلنارِ مُحتَدِمِ

وَطَرحُهُ في لَظىً لِلنارِ مُحتَدِمِ

It is all the same to clothe him in a soft shroud

It is the same whether to dress it in fine wraps

Or cast him into a raging blaze of fire.

Or toss it into fierce flames.