مَرَّت لَيالٍ وَقَلبِيَ حائِرٌ قَلِقٌ

مَرَّت لَيالٍ وَقَلبِيَ حائِرٌ قَلِقٌ

كَالفُلكِ في النَهرِ هاجَ النَوءُ مَجراهُ

كَالفُلكِ في النَهرِ هاجَ النَوءُ مَجراهُ

Nights have passed, and my heart is bewildered and anxious,

Nights have passed while my heart bewildered, anxious

Nights have passed while my heart is bewildered and anxious,

Like a boat in the river whose current the storm has churned;

Like a boat in the river, the stars trouble its course

Like a ship in the river whose course is churned by the storm,

أَو كَالمُسافِرِ في قَفرٍ عَلى ظَمَإٍ

أَو كَالمُسافِرِ في قَفرٍ عَلى ظَمَإٍ

أَضنى المَسيرُ مَطاياهُ وَأَضناهُ

أَضنى المَسيرُ مَطاياهُ وَأَضناهُ

Or like a traveler in a wilderness, parched with thirst,

Or a traveler in a desert, thirsty

Or like a traveler in a barren wasteland, parched with thirst,

The journey has exhausted his mounts and him.

The journey made the camels tired and made him tired

Whose journey has exhausted his mounts and worn him down.

لا أُدرِكُ الأَمرَ أَهواهُ وَأَطلُبُهُ

لا أُدرِكُ الأَمرَ أَهواهُ وَأَطلُبُهُ

وَأَبلُغُ الأَمرَ نَفسي لَيسَ تَهواهُ

وَأَبلُغُ الأَمرَ نَفسي لَيسَ تَهواهُ

I do not attain what I desire and seek,

I cannot attain what I love and seek

I cannot attain the thing I desire and seek,

And I attain what my soul does not desire.

And I attain what my soul does not desire

While I reach the very fate my soul does not desire.

عَجِبتُ مِن قائِلٍ إِنّني نَسَيتُكُمُ

عَجِبتُ مِن قائِلٍ إِنّني نَسَيتُكُمُ

مَن كانَ في القَلبِ كَيفَ القَلبُ يَنساهُ

مَن كانَ في القَلبِ كَيفَ القَلبُ يَنساهُ

I am amazed at one who says that I have forgotten you.

I am surprised by one who said I forgot you

I marvel at the one who claims that I have forgotten you;

One who was in the heart—how can the heart forget him?

Who was in the heart, how could the heart forget them

How can the heart forget the one who dwells within it?

إِن كُنتُ بَِلأَمسِ لَم أَهبِط مَربَعَكُم

إِن كُنتُ بَِلأَمسِ لَم أَهبِط مَربَعَكُم

فَالطَيرُ يَقعُدُ مَوثوقاً جَناحاهُ

فَالطَيرُ يَقعُدُ مَوثوقاً جَناحاهُ

If yesterday I did not alight at your dwelling,

If yesterday I did not descend to your dwellings

If yesterday I did not descend upon your dwelling place,

For a bird sits with its wings bound.

Then a bird perches with its wings folded

It is because a bird sits still when its wings are bound.

فَل يُقَرِّبُهُ شَوقٌ إِلى نَهرٍ

فَل يُقَرِّبُهُ شَوقٌ إِلى نَهرٍ

وَلَيسَ تنقُلُهُ في الرَوضِ عَيناهُ

وَلَيسَ تنقُلُهُ في الرَوضِ عَيناهُ

So no longing brings it nearer to a river,

So no yearning brings it near to a river

No longing can bring it any closer to the river,

Nor do its eyes carry it through the meadow.

Nor do its eyes roam in the meadow

Nor can its gaze transport it through the gardens.

وَلَيسَ يَشكو وَلا يَبكي مَخافَةَ أَن

وَلَيسَ يَشكو وَلا يَبكي مَخافَةَ أَن

تُؤذي مَسامِعَ مَن يَهوى شَكاواهُ

تُؤذي مَسامِعَ مَن يَهوى شَكاواهُ

And it neither complains nor weeps, for fear that

It does not complain or cry fearing that

He does not complain, nor does he weep, for fear that

Its complaints might hurt the ears of the one it loves.

Its lamentations would hurt the one it loves

His lamentations might hurt the ears of the one he loves.

إِنّي لَأَعجَبُ مِنّا كَيفَ تَخدَعُنا

إِنّي لَأَعجَبُ مِنّا كَيفَ تَخدَعُنا

عَنِ الحَقائِقِ أَمثالٌ وَأَشباهُ

عَنِ الحَقائِقِ أَمثالٌ وَأَشباهُ

I truly marvel at us—how we are misled

I wonder how we are deceived

I am truly amazed at us, how we are deceived

Away from truth by likenesses and semblances.

By parables and metaphors from the truth

From the truth by mere semblances and illusions.

وَإِذا بَنى رَجُلٌ قَصراً وَزَخرَفَهُ

وَإِذا بَنى رَجُلٌ قَصراً وَزَخرَفَهُ

سُقنا إِلَيهِ التَهاني وَاِمتَدَحناهُ

سُقنا إِلَيهِ التَهاني وَاِمتَدَحناهُ

And when a man builds a palace and adorns it,

And if a man builds a palace and decorates it

If a man builds a palace and adorns it with ornament,

We bring him congratulations and praise him.

We congratulate him and praise him

We rush to offer him congratulations and sing his praises;

وَما بَنى قَصرَهُ إِلّا لِيُحجَبَ عَن

وَما بَنى قَصرَهُ إِلّا لِيُحجَبَ عَن

أَبصارُنا في زَواياهُ خَطاياهُ

أَبصارُنا في زَواياهُ خَطاياهُ

Yet he built his palace only to conceal from

Yet he only built his palace to veil from

Yet he built his palace only so that his sins

Our eyes his sins within its corners.

Our sights within its corners his sins

Might be veiled from our eyes within its corners.

وَنَمدَحُ المَرءَ مِن خَزِّ مَلابِسِهِ

وَنَمدَحُ المَرءَ مِن خَزِّ مَلابِسِهِ

وَذَلِكَ الخَزُّ لَم تَنسُجُهُ كَفّاهُ

وَذَلِكَ الخَزُّ لَم تَنسُجُهُ كَفّاهُ

And we praise a man for the silk of his clothes,

We praise a man for the quality of his clothes

We praise a man for the silk of his garments,

Yet his hands did not weave that silk.

Yet those clothes his hands did not weave

Though his own hands did not weave that silk.

وَإِن أَتانا أَخو مالٍ يُكاثِرُنا

وَإِن أَتانا أَخو مالٍ يُكاثِرُنا

بَِلتِبرِ تيهاً رَجَوناهُ وَخِفناهُ

بَِلتِبرِ تيهاً رَجَوناهُ وَخِفناهُ

And if a wealthy man comes to us, boasting that he outdoes us

And if a brother of wealth rivals us

And if a man of wealth comes to us, boasting against us

In gold, full of pride, we seek his favor and fear him.

With scraps we hope for him and fear him

With gold in his arrogance, we court his favor and fear him.

وَقَد يَكونُ نُضارٌ في خَزائِنِهِ

وَقَد يَكونُ نُضارٌ في خَزائِنِهِ

دَماً سَفَكناهُ أَو جَهداً بَذَلناهُ

دَماً سَفَكناهُ أَو جَهداً بَذَلناهُ

And the pure gold in his coffers may be

Yet gore may be fresh within his treasures

Yet the pure gold stored within his vaults may be

Blood we have shed, or effort we have expended.

Blood we spilled or effort we spent

The very blood we have shed or the labor we have spent.

لا تَحسَبِ المَجدَ ما عَيناكَ أَبصَرَتا

لا تَحسَبِ المَجدَ ما عَيناكَ أَبصَرَتا

أَو ما مَلَكتَ هُوَ السُلطانُ وَالجاهُ

أَو ما مَلَكتَ هُوَ السُلطانُ وَالجاهُ

Do not think glory is what your eyes have seen,

Think not glory what your eyes have seen

Do not deem glory to be what your eyes behold,

Or that what you possess is power and prestige.

Or what you possessed, it is not might and fame

Nor think that possession is true authority and status.

المالُ مَولكَ ما أَمسَكتُهُ طَمَعاً

المالُ مَولكَ ما أَمسَكتُهُ طَمَعاً

فَأَنفِقهُ في الخَيرِ تُصبِح أَنتَ مَولاهُ

فَأَنفِقهُ في الخَيرِ تُصبِح أَنتَ مَولاهُ

Wealth is your master so long as it is held out of greed;

Wealth makes you owner of what you grasped in greed

Wealth is your master so long as you hoard it in greed,

So spend it on good deeds, and you will become its master.

So spend it in good and you will be its master

But spend it for good, and you become its master.

ما دامَ قَلبُكَ فيهِ رَحمَةٌ لِأَخٍ

ما دامَ قَلبُكَ فيهِ رَحمَةٌ لِأَخٍ

عانٍ فَأَنتَ اِمرُؤٌ في قَلبِكَ اللَهُ

عانٍ فَأَنتَ اِمرُؤٌ في قَلبِكَ اللَهُ

As long as your heart holds compassion for a brother

As long as your heart holds mercy for a brother

As long as your heart holds mercy for a brother in distress,

In distress, you are a man with God in your heart.

In need, then you are a man, in your heart is God

Then you are a man who carries God within his heart.