قَد باشَروكَ بِمَكروهٍ أُديتَ بِهِ

قَد باشَروكَ بِمَكروهٍ أُديتَ بِهِ

حَتّى تَوَهَّمتَ أَن لَيسوا مِنَ البَشَرِ

حَتّى تَوَهَّمتَ أَن لَيسوا مِنَ البَشَرِ

They have dealt you harm that brought you to ruin,

They oppress you with hatefulness afflicted upon you,

Until you imagined they were not human.

Until you thought they were not of mankind.

زَهوُ التَكَبُّرِ لا زَهوُ النَخيلِ بِهِم

زَهوُ التَكَبُّرِ لا زَهوُ النَخيلِ بِهِم

وَالنَبعُ لَيسَ بِمَجنِيٍّ مِنَ العُشرِ

وَالنَبعُ لَيسَ بِمَجنِيٍّ مِنَ العُشرِ

Theirs is the pride of arrogance, not the ripening glow of palms;

The arrogance of haughtiness, not the arrogance of palm trees, is in them.

And bow-wood is not harvested from milkweed.

The spring is not freed from paying a tithe.

خَمساً وَعَشَراً أَجادوا في قِراءَتِهِم

خَمساً وَعَشَراً أَجادوا في قِراءَتِهِم

وَوَفَّروا المالَ مِن خُمسٍ وَمِن عُشرِ

وَوَفَّروا المالَ مِن خُمسٍ وَمِن عُشرِ

They excelled at reciting five verses and ten,

They excel in their reciting of the Five and the Ten,

And kept their wealth untouched by the fifth and the tithe.

And they calculate precisely the tax from a fifth and a tithe.

وَما يَحُجّونَ مِن دينٍ وَلا نُسُكٍ

وَما يَحُجّونَ مِن دينٍ وَلا نُسُكٍ

وَإِنَّما ذاكَ إِفراطٌ مِنَ الأَشَرِ

وَإِنَّما ذاكَ إِفراطٌ مِنَ الأَشَرِ

And they make pilgrimage neither out of faith nor devotion;

They make no pilgrimage for religion or ritual,

That is only an excess of wanton pride.

Rather that is nothing but excess wickedness.

إِذا اِستَشاروكَ فَاِنَصَحهُم وَإِن غَضِبوا

إِذا اِستَشاروكَ فَاِنَصَحهُم وَإِن غَضِبوا

فَإِن كُفَيتَ وَلَم تُسأَل فَلا تُشِرِ

فَإِن كُفَيتَ وَلَم تُسأَل فَلا تُشِرِ

If they seek your counsel, advise them sincerely, even if they grow angry;

If they consult you, then advise them, and if they rage,

But if you are spared and not asked, offer no advice.

Then suffice yourself if you are not asked, and do not meddle.

إِنَّ اللَيالِيَ تَسقي الحَتفَ ساكِنَها

إِنَّ اللَيالِيَ تَسقي الحَتفَ ساكِنَها

قَيلاً وَصُبحاً وَفي الظَلماءِ وَالجَشرِ

قَيلاً وَصُبحاً وَفي الظَلماءِ وَالجَشرِ

The nights indeed make their inhabitant drink death,

For nights water the resting place of him who shelters in them

At noon and in the morning, in darkness and at daybreak.

Mornings and evenings, in darkness and in drizzle.

وَتُلهِمُ النَحلَ جَمعَ الأَريِ جاهِدَةً

وَتُلهِمُ النَحلَ جَمعَ الأَريِ جاهِدَةً

حَتّى إِذا جَمَّ قالَت لِلعَديمِ شُرِ

حَتّى إِذا جَمَّ قالَت لِلعَديمِ شُرِ

And inspire the toiling bees to gather honey,

And it inspires the bees to gather nectar exerting themselves

Until, when it abounds, they tell the penniless, 'Harvest it!'

Until, when they have gathered, it says to the destitute, “Take!”

تُعطي وَتَأخُذُ حَتّى مَبسِماً دَرِداً

تُعطي وَتَأخُذُ حَتّى مَبسِماً دَرِداً

أَعطَت بِأَخذِ الَّذي فيهِ مِنَ الأَشَرِ

أَعطَت بِأَخذِ الَّذي فيهِ مِنَ الأَشَرِ

They give and take—even a toothless mouth

It gives and takes until it gave a faint smile

They gave by taking away the serrated teeth within it.

In exchange for what evil was in it.

وَقَد طَوَتني كَأَنّي ضَربُ مُنسَرِحٍ

وَقَد طَوَتني كَأَنّي ضَربُ مُنسَرِحٍ

فَيا لَطَيٍّ لِطَيٍّ غَيرِ مُنتَشِرِ

فَيا لَطَيٍّ لِطَيٍّ غَيرِ مُنتَشِرِ

And they have folded me as though I were the munsariḥ meter's final foot;

It has folded me as if I were a battered tent,

So, O Ṭayy, aid a fold that remains unspread!

Oh what folding! What folding with no spreading!

وَاللَهُ يَنشُرُ أَرواحاً بِقُدرَتِهِ

وَاللَهُ يَنشُرُ أَرواحاً بِقُدرَتِهِ

وَيَبعَثُ الغَيثَ في أَرواحِهِ النُشُرِ

وَيَبعَثُ الغَيثَ في أَرواحِهِ النُشُرِ

And God resurrects souls by His power,

And God spreads spirits by His power

And sends the rain amid His spreading winds.

And sends rain in spirits needing relief.