أَمَرَ الخالِقُ فَاِقبَل ما أَمَر

أَمَرَ الخالِقُ فَاِقبَل ما أَمَر

وَاِشكُرِ اللَهَ إِنِ العَذبُ أَمَر

وَاِشكُرِ اللَهَ إِنِ العَذبُ أَمَر

The Creator commanded, so accept what He commanded.

The Creator commanded, so accept what He ordered

And thank God if what is sweet turns bitter.

And thank Allah, for obedience is pleasant

أَضمِرِ الخيفَةَ وَاِضمِر قَلَّما

أَضمِرِ الخيفَةَ وَاِضمِر قَلَّما

أَحرَزَ الطَرفُ المَدى حَتّى ضَمَر

أَحرَزَ الطَرفُ المَدى حَتّى ضَمَر

Harbor fear and grow lean; seldom

Conceal your fears, and seldom reveal

Has a noble steed reached the finish before growing lean.

The eye has barely seen the extent of life before it withers

أَيُّها المُلحِدُ لا تَعصِ النُهى

أَيُّها المُلحِدُ لا تَعصِ النُهى

فَلَقَد صَحَّ قِياسٌ وَاِستَمَرّ

فَلَقَد صَحَّ قِياسٌ وَاِستَمَرّ

O unbeliever, do not defy reason;

O atheist, do not disobey the prohibitions

For an analogy has proved sound and held firm.

For logic has been proven and persisted

إِن تَعُد في الجِسمِ يَوماً رَوحُهُ

إِن تَعُد في الجِسمِ يَوماً رَوحُهُ

فَهُوَ كَالرَبعِ خَلا ثُمَّ عَمَر

فَهُوَ كَالرَبعِ خَلا ثُمَّ عَمَر

If one day its spirit returns to the body,

If you count in the body a lifetime for its spirit

Then it is like a dwelling, deserted, then inhabited again.

It is but a quarter minus then lived

وَهِيَ الدُنِّيا أَذاها أَبَداً

وَهِيَ الدُنِّيا أَذاها أَبَداً

زُمَرٌ وارِدَةٌ إِثرَ زُمَر

زُمَرٌ وارِدَةٌ إِثرَ زُمَر

And such is the world: its afflictions are forever

And this world, its harm is endless

Throngs arriving after throngs.

Groups arriving after groups

يا أَبا السِبطَينِ لا تَحفِل بِها

يا أَبا السِبطَينِ لا تَحفِل بِها

أَعَتيقٌ سادَ فيها أَم عُمَر

أَعَتيقٌ سادَ فيها أَم عُمَر

O father of the two grandsons, pay it no heed—

O father of two grandsons, pay it no heed

Whether Atiq ruled in it or Umar.

Did one leading in it grow old or live long?

عجَباً لِلدَهرِ صُبحٌ وَدُجى

عجَباً لِلدَهرِ صُبحٌ وَدُجى

وَنُجومٌ وَهِلالٌ وَقَمَر

وَنُجومٌ وَهِلالٌ وَقَمَر

How wondrous is time: dawn and darkness,

Wondrous is time, dawn and nightfall

And stars, and a crescent, and a moon;

Stars, crescent moon, and full moon

وَغُصونٌ أَثمَرَت نائِيَةً

وَغُصونٌ أَثمَرَت نائِيَةً

وَدَوانٍ لَيسَ فيهِنَّ ثَمَر

وَدَوانٍ لَيسَ فيهِنَّ ثَمَر

And distant branches that have borne fruit,

Branches fruited in isolation

And nearby ones with no fruit upon them;

Circles with no fruit in them

وَغَويٌّ كَرَّ في حَيرَتِهِ

وَغَويٌّ كَرَّ في حَيرَتِهِ

بَعدَ ما حَجَّ لِنُسكٍ وَاِعتَمَر

بَعدَ ما حَجَّ لِنُسكٍ وَاِعتَمَر

And a wayward man who returned to his bewilderment,

Misguided in his confusion after pilgrimage and visitation

After making the pilgrimage for worship, and the lesser pilgrimage;

He lived immersed in delusion then survived

عامَ في الغَمرِ زَماناً فَنَجا

عامَ في الغَمرِ زَماناً فَنَجا

وَاِنثَنى الآنَ غَريقاً في الغُمَر

وَاِنثَنى الآنَ غَريقاً في الغُمَر

He swam in deep water for a time and escaped,

Now drowning again in delusion

And now has turned back, drowned in deep waters.

Saturnine and silent, accompanied by

زُحَليٌّ واجِمٌ يَصحَبُهُ

زُحَليٌّ واجِمٌ يَصحَبُهُ

زُهَرِيُّ الطَبعِ غَنّى وَزَمَر

زُهَرِيُّ الطَبعِ غَنّى وَزَمَر

A gloomy, Saturn-like man is accompanied

One cheerful and singing light tunes

By one Venus-like in temperament, who sang and piped;

Worries accustomed to their gloom

وَهُمومٌ أَلِفَت مَقمورَها

وَهُمومٌ أَلِفَت مَقمورَها

وَسُرورٌ آبَهُ حينَ قَمَر

وَسُرورٌ آبَهُ حينَ قَمَر

And cares that grew familiar with the man they beat at gambling,

And joy forgotten when it shined

And joy that returned to him when he won;

These are the tales that showed us lessons

تِلكَ أَنباءٌ أَرَتنا عِبَراً

تِلكَ أَنباءٌ أَرَتنا عِبَراً

مُعجَباتٍ كَأَحاديثَ السَمَر

مُعجَباتٍ كَأَحاديثَ السَمَر

Those are accounts that have shown us lessons,

Of wondrous things like night conversations

Wondrous, like stories told at night,

In a life like a fleeting specter

في حَياةٍ كَخَيالٍ طارِقٍ

في حَياةٍ كَخَيالٍ طارِقٍ

شَغَلَ الفِكرَ وَخَلّاكَ وَمَرّ

شَغَلَ الفِكرَ وَخَلّاكَ وَمَرّ

In a life like a phantom visiting by night,

That occupied thought and passed you by

That occupied the mind, left you, and passed on.