يا غافلاً والإثم حل بأرضهِ

يا غافلاً والإثم حل بأرضهِ

كم غافلٍ ذاق الحمام بغمضهِ

كم غافلٍ ذاق الحمام بغمضهِ

O heedless one, in whose land sin has settled,

O heedless one, while sin has settled in his land

How many a heedless one has tasted death with his eyes shut!

How many heedless tasted defeat in their blink

فق مستفزّاً عن خطيتك التي

فق مستفزّاً عن خطيتك التي

إن باشرت حرّاً رمته بعِرضهِ

إن باشرت حرّاً رمته بعِرضهِ

Awake, roused from your sin, which,

So wake up from your sin that if

If it touches a free man, strikes at his honor.

You commit injustice, it will cast him down by his honor

أم الرزايا والبلايا شرُّها

أم الرزايا والبلايا شرُّها

ملءُ الفضاءِ بطوله وبعَرضهِ

ملءُ الفضاءِ بطوله وبعَرضهِ

The mother of calamities and afflictions—its evil

Or calamities and afflictions, the worst of which

Fills space throughout its length and breadth.

Fills the horizon in its length and width

فكأنها والشر فيها كامنٌ

فكأنها والشر فيها كامنٌ

بحرٌ طمى والشر زبدة مَخضه

بحرٌ طمى والشر زبدة مَخضه

It seems, with evil lurking within it,

It is as if it and the evil in it are latent

An overflowing sea, with evil the foam of its churning.

A raging sea and evil is the foam of its surge

لذّاتُها وقتيةٌ فكأنها

لذّاتُها وقتيةٌ فكأنها

برقٌ تغيَّبَ عند سرعة ومضه

برقٌ تغيَّبَ عند سرعة ومضه

Its pleasures are fleeting, as though they were

Its pleasures are ephemeral, so it is as if they are

Lightning that vanishes as swiftly as it flashes.

Lightning that disappeared with the speed of its flash

تَمضي وتُبقي في النفوس مرارةً

تَمضي وتُبقي في النفوس مرارةً

ويذوب قلبُ قتيلها من مَضِّه

ويذوب قلبُ قتيلها من مَضِّه

They pass, leaving bitterness in souls,

It passes and leaves bitterness in the souls

And their victim's heart melts from its anguish.

And the heart of its victim melts from its burning

وكأنما لدغُ الضمير ونخسُه

وكأنما لدغُ الضمير ونخسُه

عِرقٌ يدوم محرَّكاً من نبضه

عِرقٌ يدوم محرَّكاً من نبضه

As though the sting and pricking of conscience were

It is as if the sting of conscience and its bite

A vein kept ever in motion by its pulse,

Is a throbbing vein continuously provoked from its pulse

متفكّراً فيما يراه من البلى

متفكّراً فيما يراه من البلى

من ربه يوم الحساب وعَرضه

من ربه يوم الحساب وعَرضه

As he ponders the affliction he will face

Reflecting on what he sees of decay

From his Lord on the day of reckoning, when he stands before Him.

From his Lord on Judgement Day and his dignity

بخطيَّةٍ عَدِمَ السعادةَ آدمٌ

بخطيَّةٍ عَدِمَ السعادةَ آدمٌ

واعتاض منها بِموته وبرفضه

واعتاض منها بِموته وبرفضه

Through a sin, Adam lost happiness,

With a sin, Adam denied happiness

And received his death and rejection in its place.

And was barred from it by his death and his rejection

ما زال يركضُ في ميادين الشقا

ما زال يركضُ في ميادين الشقا

ندماً وكان الموت غايةَ ركضه

ندماً وكان الموت غايةَ ركضه

He kept running in the fields of misery,

He kept running in the fields of misery

In remorse; death was the end of his running.

Regretfully, and death was the end of his running

رفض الوصية حين أهمل فرضَها

رفض الوصية حين أهمل فرضَها

ونسِي بأن جهنماً في فرضه

ونسِي بأن جهنماً في فرضه

He rejected the commandment when he neglected its obligation,

He rejected the commandment by neglecting its obligation

And forgot that hell lay in his allotted share.

And forgot that Hell is on its course

إيه ابن آدم فِق لأنك إبنُه

إيه ابن آدم فِق لأنك إبنُه

والكل يَدخل بعضُه في بعضه

والكل يَدخل بعضُه في بعضه

Come now, son of Adam, awake, for you are his son,

O son of Adam, wake up, for you are his son

And one part of the whole enters into another.

And each one enters into some of the other

إن أنت خالفت الوصية مثلَه

إن أنت خالفت الوصية مثلَه

شاركته في طرده وبدحضه

شاركته في طرده وبدحضه

If you disobey the commandment as he did,

If you disobey the commandment like him

You share in his expulsion and downfall.

You share in his expulsion and his downfall

وعدلت عن إرث البُنوَّة عندما

وعدلت عن إرث البُنوَّة عندما

خنتَ الإله منكِّباً عن حضِّه

خنتَ الإله منكِّباً عن حضِّه

And you turned from the inheritance of sonship when

And you turn away from the inheritance of sonship when

You betrayed God, turning away from His exhortation.

You betrayed the God, turning away from His embrace

وكرهت منه محبةً أبويةً

وكرهت منه محبةً أبويةً

ورضيت منه ببعده وببغضه

ورضيت منه ببعده وببغضه

And hated His fatherly love,

And you hated His fatherly love

And were content with His estrangement and hatred.

And accepted His distance and His hatred

وأنست نفسك مذ أَحلت جمالَها

وأنست نفسك مذ أَحلت جمالَها

وأقمتَ في ضر العذاب ورضِّه

وأقمتَ في ضر العذاب ورضِّه

And soothed your soul after altering its beauty,

And you forgot yourself when you made your beauty ugly

And dwelt in torment's pain and crushing blows.

And dwelt in the harm of torment and its severity

وعدمتَ أفعالَ الصلاح وقوتَه

وعدمتَ أفعالَ الصلاح وقوتَه

وكرعتَ من مرِّ الطلاح وحمضِه

وكرعتَ من مرِّ الطلاح وحمضِه

And lost the deeds and nourishment of righteousness,

And you denied good and powerful deeds

And drank deep of wickedness's bitterness and sourness.

And you satiated yourself with the bitterness of aloes and its acidity

دنَّستَ ثوباً بالعِماد رَحَضتَه

دنَّستَ ثوباً بالعِماد رَحَضتَه

بخطيّةٍ عابت نقاوةَ رَحضه

بخطيّةٍ عابت نقاوةَ رَحضه

You stained a garment you had washed in baptism,

You defiled a gown you adorned with baptism

With a sin that marred the purity of its washing.

With a sin that condemned the purity of its adornment

بخطيّةٍ صار الإلهُ عدوَّنا

بخطيّةٍ صار الإلهُ عدوَّنا

كيف الخلاصُ وروحنا في قَبضه

كيف الخلاصُ وروحنا في قَبضه

Through a sin, God became our enemy;

With a sin that made God become our enemy

How can we be saved, when our soul is in His grasp?

How can there be salvation while our soul is in His grip

يا أيها الخاطي الشقيُّ ألا ترى

يا أيها الخاطي الشقيُّ ألا ترى

ما أنت فيه من الشقاء ومضِّه

ما أنت فيه من الشقاء ومضِّه

O wretched sinner, do you not see

O wretched sinful one, do you not see

The misery you are in, and its anguish?

What you are in of misery and its burn

أين الصلاح الجمُّ والخير الذي

أين الصلاح الجمُّ والخير الذي

لك حين كنت منعَّماً في رُبضه

لك حين كنت منعَّماً في رُبضه

Where are abundant righteousness and the goodness that

Where is the total goodness and kindness that

Were yours when you lived in ease within its precincts?

You had when you were comfortable in His bosom

أين التقى وجمالُ نفسك يانعٌ

أين التقى وجمالُ نفسك يانعٌ

غصنٌ يروق بهاؤه من غَضِّه

غصنٌ يروق بهاؤه من غَضِّه

Where is piety, with your soul's beauty flourishing,

Where is piety and worship when

A branch whose splendor charms through its tender freshness?

You became a monk in its performance

أين الزهادة والعبادة عندما

أين الزهادة والعبادة عندما

أصبحت فيها راهباً في فَرضه

أصبحت فيها راهباً في فَرضه

Where are asceticism and worship, when

Where is supplication while you were humble in it

You became therein a monk devoted to his prescribed prayers?

Bowing down and comfortable in its lowering

أين القنوت وأنت فيه خاشعٌ

أين القنوت وأنت فيه خاشعٌ

في راكعٍ ومنعَّمٌ في خَفضه

في راكعٍ ومنعَّمٌ في خَفضه

Where is devotion, in which you were humble,

So you undid, O owner, what you built and how miserable

Bowing in worship, and enjoying its tranquility?

Is what you suffered from demolishing the building and its undoing

فنقَضتَ يا ذا ما بنيتَ وبئسما

فنقَضتَ يا ذا ما بنيتَ وبئسما

عانيتَ من هدم البناء ونقضه

عانيتَ من هدم البناء ونقضه

So you undid, O man, what you had built; how wretched

And you lost the vast comfort of livelihood from yourself

Was your toil in demolishing and dismantling the structure!

And sufficed yourself from that livelihood with its meagerness

وأضعت منك رخاء عيشٍ واسعٍ

وأضعت منك رخاء عيشٍ واسعٍ

وقنعت من ذاك المعاش ببَرضه

وقنعت من ذاك المعاش ببَرضه

And squandered the comfort of a life of plenty,

You resembled Adam in disobedience, and it is only fitting

And settled for a scant remnant of that livelihood.

For the branch to be like its origin

أشبهت آدم في الخلاف وإنما

أشبهت آدم في الخلاف وإنما

للفرع حقٌّ أن يكون كإضِّه

للفرع حقٌّ أن يكون كإضِّه

You resembled Adam in disobedience; indeed,

This is the error, and you accepted doing it

A branch has the right to be like its root.

And Hell is an offshoot from another offshoot

هو ذا الخَطاء وقد رضيت بفعله

هو ذا الخَطاء وقد رضيت بفعله

وجهنمٌ هي بضعةٌ من بعضه

وجهنمٌ هي بضعةٌ من بعضه

Here is sin, and you have consented to commit it,

What did it benefit you but tearing apart the intestines

And hell is a fragment of a part of it.

And the soul with the cracking of the heart and its fracture

ماذا أفادك غيرَ تمزيق الحشا

ماذا أفادك غيرَ تمزيق الحشا

والنفس مع صدع الفؤاد ورضِّه

والنفس مع صدع الفؤاد ورضِّه

What has it brought you but the tearing of your entrails

So weep and moan for tears are the trait of a penitent

And your soul, with the splitting and crushing of your heart?

And make your tears a tool in its dripping

فابكي ونحْ فالدمع شيمةُ تائبٍ

فابكي ونحْ فالدمع شيمةُ تائبٍ

واجعل دموعَك آلةً في رَحضه

واجعل دموعَك آلةً في رَحضه

So weep and lament, for tears are the mark of a penitent,

And knock on the door of the side of Mary, she is

And make your tears a means of washing it away.

For the repentant fast walker the end of his running

واقرع رتاجَ جنابِ مريمَ إنها

واقرع رتاجَ جنابِ مريمَ إنها

للتائب المحضير غايةُ رَكضه

للتائب المحضير غايةُ رَكضه

And knock at the portal of Mary's court, for she

You will find complete salvation in her, she is

Is the goal of the swift-running penitent's course.

A sword the enemy fears from its slashing

تجد الخلاصَ التامّ فيها إنها

تجد الخلاصَ التامّ فيها إنها

سيفٌ يخاف عدوُّنا من قَرضه

سيفٌ يخاف عدوُّنا من قَرضه

You will find complete salvation in her; she

With her the misguided are confused, her arrows

Is a sword whose cutting our enemy fears.

Protect you from the sharpness of his claws and his wrath

فهي المجنُّ بها تطيش سهامُه

فهي المجنُّ بها تطيش سهامُه

وتقيك حِدَّةَ ظُفرِه مع غَضِّه

وتقيك حِدَّةَ ظُفرِه مع غَضِّه

For she is the shield; through her his arrows go astray,

So get up and pay no heed to the words of a skeptic

And she guards you from his claw's sharpness and his bite.

And mix the coarseness of yourself with its delicacy

فانهض ولا تحفل بقول مفنِّدٍ

فانهض ولا تحفل بقول مفنِّدٍ

وامزج غليظ العمر منك بغَضِّه

وامزج غليظ العمر منك بغَضِّه

So rise, and heed no faultfinder's words,

And blend your life's roughness with its tender freshness.