نَصَحتُكَ لا تَنكِح فَإِن خِفتَ مَأثَماً

نَصَحتُكَ لا تَنكِح فَإِن خِفتَ مَأثَماً

فَأَعرِس وَلا تُنسِل فَذَلِكَ أَحزَمُ

فَأَعرِس وَلا تُنسِل فَذَلِكَ أَحزَمُ

I advised you: do not marry; but if you fear sin,

I advise you not to marry, if you fear sin,

then marry, but have no children—that is more prudent.

So get engaged and do not consummate, for that is more prudent,

أَظُنُّكَ مِن ضُعفٍ بِلُبِّكَ غادِياً

أَظُنُّكَ مِن ضُعفٍ بِلُبِّكَ غادِياً

يَحُلُّكَ مِن عِقدِ الزَواجِ المُعَزِّمُ

يَحُلُّكَ مِن عِقدِ الزَواجِ المُعَزِّمُ

I think you, through weakness of mind, will set out in the morning,

I think you are heading with your weak heart,

for a spell-worker to free you from the knot of marriage.

Which would release you from the tied knot of determined marriage,

إِلى اللَهِ نَصِّت رَغبَةً أَوَّلِيَّةً

إِلى اللَهِ نَصِّت رَغبَةً أَوَّلِيَّةً

نَصارى تُنادي أَو مَجوسٌ تُزَمزِمُ

نَصارى تُنادي أَو مَجوسٌ تُزَمزِمُ

To God a primal longing has been raised,

To God went my first inclination

by Christians calling out, or Magians murmuring.

Calling to Christianity or murmuring as a Magus,

هُوَ الحَظُّ عَيرُ البيدِ سافَ بِأَنفِهِ

هُوَ الحَظُّ عَيرُ البيدِ سافَ بِأَنفِهِ

خُزامى وَأَنفُ العَودِ بِالذِلِّ يُخزَمُ

خُزامى وَأَنفُ العَودِ بِالذِلِّ يُخزَمُ

Such is fortune: the wild ass of the wastes has sniffed with its nose

It is the share of the camel of the Bedouin that walked with its nose,

lavender, while the old camel's nose is pierced in humiliation.

The people of Khuzama and the lute wood is subjugated with humiliation,

وَما بَيضُ أُنثى يَهزِمُ القَيضَ فَرخَهُ

وَما بَيضُ أُنثى يَهزِمُ القَيضَ فَرخَهُ

كَبَيضِ ذُكورٍ بِالحَديدِ يُهَزَّمُ

كَبَيضِ ذُكورٍ بِالحَديدِ يُهَزَّمُ

And a female's eggs, whose chick breaks the shell, are not

And the egg white of a female does not defeat the yolk of its chick,

like males' helmets, smashed by iron.

Like the egg white of males defeated by iron,

تَبارَكتَ أَنهارُ البِلادِ سَوائِحٌ

تَبارَكتَ أَنهارُ البِلادِ سَوائِحٌ

بِعَذبٍ وَخُصَّت بِالمُلوحَةِ زَمزَمُ

بِعَذبٍ وَخُصَّت بِالمُلوحَةِ زَمزَمُ

Blessed are You! The rivers of the lands flow

Blessed are the rivers of the countries, waters flowing,

with fresh water, while Zamzam was singled out for saltiness.

And exclusivity went to the salty Zamzam,

تَعالَيتَ رَبَّ الناسِ عَن كُلِّ ريبَةٍ

تَعالَيتَ رَبَّ الناسِ عَن كُلِّ ريبَةٍ

كَأَنّا بِإِتيانِ المَآتِمِ نُلزَمُ

كَأَنّا بِإِتيانِ المَآتِمِ نُلزَمُ

Exalted are You, Lord of humankind, above all suspicion.

You rose above the people, Lord, above all doubt,

It is as though we are compelled to attend funerals.

As if we are compelled to come to condolences,

وَتُرفَعُ أَجسادٌ وَتُنصَبُ مَرَّةً

وَتُرفَعُ أَجسادٌ وَتُنصَبُ مَرَّةً

وَتُخفَضُ في هَذا التُرابِ وَتُجزَمُ

وَتُخفَضُ في هَذا التُرابِ وَتُجزَمُ

And bodies are raised, and once set upright,

And bodies are lifted and erected once,

and lowered into this dust, and cut off.

And lowered into this dust and bundled up,

غَرائِزُ أَعطاها رَبيعَةَ جَدُّهُ

غَرائِزُ أَعطاها رَبيعَةَ جَدُّهُ

وَشِنشِنَةٌ أَغرى بِها النَجلَ أَخزَمُ

وَشِنشِنَةٌ أَغرى بِها النَجلَ أَخزَمُ

Inborn traits his grandfather gave Rabi'ah,

Instincts, its grandfather Rabia gave it,

and a disposition Akhzam fostered in his offspring.

And musical tones that tempted the soft sand grouse,

وَحادِثَةٌ أَمّا الثُرَيّا بِعِبئِها

وَحادِثَةٌ أَمّا الثُرَيّا بِعِبئِها

وَأَينُقِها وَالمِرزَمانِ فُرَزَّمُ

وَأَينُقِها وَالمِرزَمانِ فُرَزَّمُ

And a calamity—as for the Pleiades with her burden

And an incident, as for the Thrall with its burden,

and her she-camels, and the two Mirzams, they lie inert.

And its beauty, and the myrtle, so it was bundled up,

حَياةٌ لَو اِنّي بِاِختِياري وَرَدتُها

حَياةٌ لَو اِنّي بِاِختِياري وَرَدتُها

لَما فَتِئَت مِنّي الأَنامِلُ تُؤزَمُ

لَما فَتِئَت مِنّي الأَنامِلُ تُؤزَمُ

A life—had I entered it of my own choosing,

A life, if I had chosen it with my will,

I would never have stopped biting my fingertips.

My fingers would not stop being bundled up.