زَعَمَتْ نَفْسكَ أنِّي جاهِلٌ

زَعَمَتْ نَفْسكَ أنِّي جاهِلٌ

وحَريصٌ مالَ قَلْباً للعَرَضْ

وحَريصٌ مالَ قَلْباً للعَرَضْ

Your self claimed that I am ignorant,

You claimed I was ignorant,

and greedy, with a heart inclined toward worldly gain;

Greedy, with no heart for dignity,

أو كأقْوامٍ غُروراً جَهِلوا السِّ

أو كأقْوامٍ غُروراً جَهِلوا السِّ

رَّ حتَّى جَعَلوا النَّفْسَ عَرَضْ

رَّ حتَّى جَعَلوا النَّفْسَ عَرَضْ

or like people who, in delusion, did not know the

Or like people led astray by pride,

secret, until they deemed the soul a mere accident;

Who made the self their dignity.

أو كَمَنْ طاشَ لِشأنٍ عارِضٍ

أو كَمَنْ طاشَ لِشأنٍ عارِضٍ

ورَمى الصِّدْقَ وأغْواهُ الغَرَضْ

ورَمى الصِّدْقَ وأغْواهُ الغَرَضْ

or one who lost his balance over a passing affair,

Or like one who was distraught over a passing matter,

and cast truthfulness aside, led astray by self-interest;

Who forsook sincerity and was misled by whims,

أو كَمَنْ عَقَّدَ حَبْلَ القَلْبِ بال

أو كَمَنْ عَقَّدَ حَبْلَ القَلْبِ بال

قومِ حتَّى قامَ جافا وقَرَضْ

قومِ حتَّى قامَ جافا وقَرَضْ

or one who knotted the heart's cord to the

Or like one whose heart's rope was tied to people,

people, until he rose, shunned them, and severed it;

Until he became distant and tore it apart.

أو كَمَنْ سِرٌّ لهُ رِقُّ الخَفا

أو كَمَنْ سِرٌّ لهُ رِقُّ الخَفا

فَلِوَهمٍ مَزَّقَ الخَتْمَ وَفَضْ

فَلِوَهمٍ مَزَّقَ الخَتْمَ وَفَضْ

or one whose secret had concealment for its parchment,

Or like one who had a secret desire for concealment,

then, for a delusion, tore the seal and broke it open;

So he tore open the seal in confusion,

أو كَمَن قامَ بِعَزمٍ من يَدٍ

أو كَمَن قامَ بِعَزمٍ من يَدٍ

فَبِسُكْرِ النَّفْسِ عالاها وَرَضّ

فَبِسُكْرِ النَّفْسِ عالاها وَرَضّ

or one who stood with resolve drawn from a hand,

Or like one who made a resolve with his own hand,

but, drunk on the self, overpowered that hand and crushed it;

Then in the intoxication of the self became conceited and satisfied.

أو كَمَنْ عاهَدَ مَولاهُ على

أو كَمَنْ عاهَدَ مَولاهُ على

حالَةِ النَّاسِ وخَلَّى وَنَقَضْ

حالَةِ النَّاسِ وخَلَّى وَنَقَضْ

or one who made a covenant with his Lord concerning

Or like one who made a covenant with his Master

the people's condition, then forsook and broke the pledge;

About people's states, then neglected it and voided it.

أو كَمَنْ شُدَّتْ له حُزْمُ الرِّضا

أو كَمَنْ شُدَّتْ له حُزْمُ الرِّضا

فَرآها حَزْمُهُ حتَّى انْبَهَضْ

فَرآها حَزْمُهُ حتَّى انْبَهَضْ

or one for whom the bundles of contentment were tied,

Or like one for whom the firmness of contentment was tied,

who took them for his own resolve, until he buckled;

Yet he saw his own firmness until it burst open.

أو كَمَنْ مُدَّتْ له مائِدَةُ ال

أو كَمَنْ مُدَّتْ له مائِدَةُ ال

غَيبِ من كفٍّ وبالغَيِّ رَفَضْ

غَيبِ من كفٍّ وبالغَيِّ رَفَضْ

or one for whom was spread the table of the

Or like one for whom the table of the unseen was set out

Unseen, from a palm—yet in waywardness he refused it;

From a palm and through the unseen then he rejected it.

أو كَمَنْ مَسَّ على جَبْهَتِهِ

أو كَمَنْ مَسَّ على جَبْهَتِهِ

عارِفٌ رَدَّ لِكَفَّيْهِ وَعَضّ

عارِفٌ رَدَّ لِكَفَّيْهِ وَعَضّ

or one whose forehead was touched by

Or like one whom a knower touched on the forehead,

a knower—yet he answered those hands by biting;

So he returned his palms and bit them.

أو كَمَنْ نودِيَ أقْبِلْ وانْظُرَنْ

أو كَمَنْ نودِيَ أقْبِلْ وانْظُرَنْ

نورَنا أغْمَضَ عَيْنَيْهِ وغَضّ

نورَنا أغْمَضَ عَيْنَيْهِ وغَضّ

or one who was called, 'Come and behold

Or like one called "Come and look at our light!"

our light!' but closed his eyes and lowered his gaze;

But he closed his eyes and frowned.

أو كَمَنْ قيلَ له اقْعُدْ مَعَنا

أو كَمَنْ قيلَ له اقْعُدْ مَعَنا

نحنُ في الأمنِ وعن عُجْبٍ نَهَضْ

نحنُ في الأمنِ وعن عُجْبٍ نَهَضْ

or one who was told, 'Sit with us—

Or like one told "Sit with us,

we are in safety,' yet out of conceit he rose;

We are safe," but he arrogantly stood up.

أو كَمَنْ شَمَّرَ للسُّنَّةِ عن

أو كَمَنْ شَمَّرَ للسُّنَّةِ عن

ساعِدِ الجَدِّ وخَلَّى المُفْتَرَضْ

ساعِدِ الجَدِّ وخَلَّى المُفْتَرَضْ

or one who bared, for the Sunna,

Or like one who rolled up his sleeves for the Sunnah

the forearm of earnest effort, yet neglected the obligatory;

And earnest work, but neglected the obligatory.

أو كَمَنْ صيحَ له قِفْ بالهَنا

أو كَمَنْ صيحَ له قِفْ بالهَنا

فَعَصَى الآمرَ واخْتارَ المَضَضْ

فَعَصَى الآمرَ واخْتارَ المَضَضْ

or one to whom they shouted, 'Stay in bliss!'

Or like one called to stop in our oasis,

yet he disobeyed the one commanding and chose anguish;

But he disobeyed the command and chose suffering.

أو كَمَنْ حُطَّ على مِئْزَرِهِ

أو كَمَنْ حُطَّ على مِئْزَرِهِ

جَوْهَرٌ ألْقاهُ عنهُ ونَفَضْ

جَوْهَرٌ ألْقاهُ عنهُ ونَفَضْ

or one on whose waistcloth was placed

Or like one who had a jewel placed on his apron

a jewel, which he cast from himself and shook off;

But he threw it off of himself and shook it away.

أو كَمَنْ مَدَّ إلى الأُخرى يَداً

أو كَمَنْ مَدَّ إلى الأُخرى يَداً

وبهِ من ألَمِ الدُّنيا مَرَضْ

وبهِ من ألَمِ الدُّنيا مَرَضْ

or one who stretched a hand toward the other world,

Or like one who extended a hand to others,

while afflicted with sickness from this world's pain;

And through it felt the pain of the world.

أو كَمَنْ بالبَسْطِ جَرُّوهُ لهمْ

أو كَمَنْ بالبَسْطِ جَرُّوهُ لهمْ

فَمِنَ البَسْطِ تَعالى وانْقَبَضْ

فَمِنَ البَسْطِ تَعالى وانْقَبَضْ

or one whom they drew to themselves with openness,

Or like one whom they attracted with generosity

who grew haughty through that openness and shrank away.

But he rose above generosity and withdrew.

قَسَماً بالغُرِّ من أهلِ العَبا

قَسَماً بالغُرِّ من أهلِ العَبا

وبِمَنْ وُدَّهُمُ الله فَرَضْ

وبِمَنْ وُدَّهُمُ الله فَرَضْ

I swear by the radiant ones among the People of the Cloak,

I swear by the cave dwellers of the cloak,

and by those whose love God made obligatory:

And those whose love Allah made obligatory,

أنا من قومٍ بِمولاهُمْ عَلَوا

أنا من قومٍ بِمولاهُمْ عَلَوا

وافَقَ الحاسِدُ أو فيها اعْتَرَضْ

وافَقَ الحاسِدُ أو فيها اعْتَرَضْ

I am of a people who rose high through their Lord,

That I am of a people who through their Master became exalted,

whether the envious one agrees or objects to it;

Whether the envious one agreed or objected.

ومن الرَّاضينَ عن خالِقِهِمْ

ومن الرَّاضينَ عن خالِقِهِمْ

إنْ أحَبَّ الجارُ يوماً أو بَغَضْ

إنْ أحَبَّ الجارُ يوماً أو بَغَضْ

and of those content with their Creator,

And of those content with their Creator,

whether the neighbor loves them one day or hates them;

Whether the neighbor one day loved or hated.

ومِنَ القومِ الذينَ انْتَهَزوا

ومِنَ القومِ الذينَ انْتَهَزوا

فُرْصَةَ الإخلاصِ في تَركِ الغَرَضْ

فُرْصَةَ الإخلاصِ في تَركِ الغَرَضْ

and of the people who seized

And of the people who seized

the opportunity for sincerity in abandoning self-interest;

The opportunity for sincerity by leaving ambition.

ومنَ الحِزْبِ الذينَ اشْتَغَلوا

ومنَ الحِزْبِ الذينَ اشْتَغَلوا

بحبيبٍ ما لهم عنهُ عِوَضْ

بحبيبٍ ما لهم عنهُ عِوَضْ

and of the company who became absorbed

And of the party who were preoccupied

in a beloved for whom they have no substitute.

With a Beloved; they have no substitute for Him.

تَرَكوا الأغْيارَ عن خاطِرِهمْ

تَرَكوا الأغْيارَ عن خاطِرِهمْ

تَرْكَ ذي عَزْمٍ على المَطْلوبِ حَضّ

تَرْكَ ذي عَزْمٍ على المَطْلوبِ حَضّ

They banished all that is other from their thoughts,

They left strangers out of their thoughts,

as one resolute renounces it, urging pursuit of the sought-for goal.

With the abandon of one determined to seek the desired.