إذا ما الشخص أظهر ما يراه

إذا ما الشخص أظهر ما يراه

وما سبر الفهومَ ولا الزمانا

وما سبر الفهومَ ولا الزمانا

If ever a person reveals what he sees,

If a person shows what he sees,

without having gauged minds or the time,

And fathoms neither the intellect nor time,

فإنَّ اللوم يلحقه عليه

فإنَّ اللوم يلحقه عليه

ويسلب من إذاعته الأمانا

ويسلب من إذاعته الأمانا

then blame overtakes him for it,

Then blame befalls him,

and through his disclosure he is stripped of safety.

And his broadcasting is deprived of security.

فمن شرط الأمانة أن يراه

فمن شرط الأمانة أن يراه

بخيلا في أمانته عيانا

بخيلا في أمانته عيانا

For a condition of trustworthiness is that he be seen

For the condition of honesty is that he sees himself

plainly miserly with what is entrusted to him.

As miserly in his honesty and clear.

فغنَّ لها إذا فكرت أهلاً

فغنَّ لها إذا فكرت أهلاً

وإنَّ لها المكانةَ والزمانا

وإنَّ لها المكانةَ والزمانا

So sing to it, when you reflect, 'Welcome!'

So sing to it if you thought of people,

And indeed it has its station and its time.

And indeed it has status and time.

لقد جاء الرسولُ به صريحاً

لقد جاء الرسولُ به صريحاً

وقد كنا تلوناه قرانا

وقد كنا تلوناه قرانا

The Messenger indeed brought it explicitly,

The Messenger came with it explicitly,

and we had already recited it as Qur'an.

And we used to recite it as verses.

هوان الذوق من هذا وهذا

هوان الذوق من هذا وهذا

إذا كنا بحضرته قرانا

إذا كنا بحضرته قرانا

The abasement of taste comes from this and this;

The lowness of taste is from this and that,

when we are in His presence, He hosts us.

When we were in his presence as verses.

أراه مع الزمانِ بكلِّ وقتٍ

أراه مع الزمانِ بكلِّ وقتٍ

يدور بحكمةٍ وكذا يرانا

يدور بحكمةٍ وكذا يرانا

I see Him with time at every moment,

I see it with time at every moment,

turning with wisdom, and likewise He sees us.

Circling with wisdom and thus showing us.

فنزه عن معارضةِ الليالي

فنزه عن معارضةِ الليالي

كلامَك إن حكمَ الدهر بانا

كلامَك إن حكمَ الدهر بانا

So keep free from opposition to the nights

So abstain from opposing the nights,

your speech: Time's decree has indeed become clear.

Your words, if the fate of time ruled us decayed.

به ربُّ البريّة قد تسمى

به ربُّ البريّة قد تسمى

لذلك قد علا مجداً وشانا

لذلك قد علا مجداً وشانا

The Lord of creation has called Himself by it;

The Lord of creation was named by it,

therefore it has risen in glory and stature.

Thus its glory became high and noble.

لقد جاد الإله عليَّ إذ لم

لقد جاد الإله عليَّ إذ لم

أكن من أهله كرماً ودانا

أكن من أهله كرماً ودانا

God has indeed been generous to me—when I was not

God has been generous to me when

among those worthy of it—out of generosity, and drew near.

I was not of its people, generous and humbling.