للهِ في خَلْقِهِ ما شَاءَ مِنْ نَظَرِ

للهِ في خَلْقِهِ ما شَاءَ مِنْ نَظَرِ

فاصْبِر عَلَى الصَّفْوِ مِنْ دُنْياكَ والكَدَرِ

فاصْبِر عَلَى الصَّفْوِ مِنْ دُنْياكَ والكَدَرِ

God regards His creation however He wills.

God does as He wills in His creation, so bear

So patiently bear both the clarity and the murk of your world.

The sweet and bitter in your life patiently.

فَلَيْسَ يَدْفَعُ ما جَاءَ القَضَارُ بِهِ

فَلَيْسَ يَدْفَعُ ما جَاءَ القَضَارُ بِهِ

صِباً ولا تُدْرَأ الأقْدَارُ بالقُدَرِ

صِباً ولا تُدْرَأ الأقْدَارُ بالقُدَرِ

For what fate has brought cannot be repelled

What is ordained cannot be resisted;

By youth, nor can destinies be averted by strength.

Fate cannot be warded off by scheming.

وَعَدِّ عَنْ حَزَنٍ يُضْنِي وَعَن أسَفٍ

وَعَدِّ عَنْ حَزَنٍ يُضْنِي وَعَن أسَفٍ

وفَوِّضِ الأَمْرَ في وِرْدٍ وَفِي صَدَرِ

وفَوِّضِ الأَمْرَ في وِرْدٍ وَفِي صَدَرِ

And turn away from sorrow that wears you down, and from anguish,

Put aside any grief that hurts, any sadness,

And entrust the matter to Him, in coming to water and leaving it.

And entrust your affairs whether joyful or grieving.

وإن يَجلَّ مُصَابٌ قَدْ أُصِيبَ بِهِ

وإن يَجلَّ مُصَابٌ قَدْ أُصِيبَ بِهِ

سَاداتُ سادَاتِ أَهْلِ البَدْوِ والحَضَرِ

سَاداتُ سادَاتِ أَهْلِ البَدْوِ والحَضَرِ

And though a calamity be great, it has already befallen

If a calamity has struck that also struck

The lords of lords among desert-dwellers and townsfolk.

The finest of the finest leaders in desert and town—

أَعْنِي البهالِيلَ مَنْ شادُوا لمَدْدِهِمُ

أَعْنِي البهالِيلَ مَنْ شادُوا لمَدْدِهِمُ

رَبْعَ الفَخارِ بِبيضِ الهِنْدِ والحَضَرِ

رَبْعَ الفَخارِ بِبيضِ الهِنْدِ والحَضَرِ

I mean the noble chiefs who raised, to reinforce themselves,

I mean the Bahā’īlites who extended

The abode of glory with gleaming Indian swords and swift charges.

Their rule over a quarter of the world, east and west—

بِمَوْتِ مَنْ فَجَعَتْنا الكُلِّ مَوْتَتُهُ

بِمَوْتِ مَنْ فَجَعَتْنا الكُلِّ مَوْتَتُهُ

حَتّى تَحَدَّرَ دَمْعُ العَيْنِ كالدُّرَرِ

حَتّى تَحَدَّرَ دَمْعُ العَيْنِ كالدُّرَرِ

Through the death of him whose passing bereaved us all,

With the death that grieved us all, that death

Till the eye's tears streamed down like pearls.

Until tears streamed like pearls from every eye,

ذاكَ الحُسامِ الذي قَدْ سُلَّ فانْقَمَعَتْ

ذاكَ الحُسامِ الذي قَدْ سُلَّ فانْقَمَعَتْ

رُوسُ الرّؤوسِ لِجِيلِ البَغْيِ والبَطَرِ

رُوسُ الرّؤوسِ لِجِيلِ البَغْيِ والبَطَرِ

That keen sword which, once unsheathed, subdued

That sword which, when drawn, the heads

The heads of the chiefs of the people of tyranny and arrogance.

Of the heads of armies bowed down before it,

لادَرّ دَرُّ زَمانٍ أَغْمَدَتْ يَدُهُ

لادَرّ دَرُّ زَمانٍ أَغْمَدَتْ يَدُهُ

ذَاكَ الحُسامَ ولا حَيّاهُ بالْمَطَرِ

ذَاكَ الحُسامَ ولا حَيّاهُ بالْمَطَرِ

May no milk flow from an age whose hand has sheathed

Time does not last; its hand sheathed the sword

That keen sword; nor may God greet that age with rain.

That gave life with the rain. It knew the world

العالمَ البرَّ وهُوَ البَحْرُ إن عَصَفَتْ

العالمَ البرَّ وهُوَ البَحْرُ إن عَصَفَتْ

للمُشْكِلاتِ أعاصِيرٌ عَلَى العُصُرِ

للمُشْكِلاتِ أعاصِيرٌ عَلَى العُصُرِ

The righteous scholar—he is the sea when there rage

And was righteous. Though problems whip up storms

Whirlwinds of perplexing questions over the ages.

Over the age, it was a sea.

حَبْرُ المسَائِلِ سَبّاقُ الأَماثِلِ في

حَبْرُ المسَائِلِ سَبّاقُ الأَماثِلِ في

بابِ الفَضَائِلِ في خَبْرٍ وفي خَبَرِ

بابِ الفَضَائِلِ في خَبْرٍ وفي خَبَرِ

The learned master of questions, outstripping the finest in

Ink of issues, predecessor of examples

The realm of virtues, in experience and in report.

In the gate of virtues in every piece of news,

فالصَّبْرُ أَشْرَفُ ما لاَذَ الْمُصَابُ بِهِ

فالصَّبْرُ أَشْرَفُ ما لاَذَ الْمُصَابُ بِهِ

إن ناوَشَتْهُ يَدُ الأيّامِ بالضَّرَرِ

إن ناوَشَتْهُ يَدُ الأيّامِ بالضَّرَرِ

So patience is the noblest refuge for the afflicted,

Patience is the noblest resort for one visited

If the hand of days assails him with harm.

By harm, when the days claw at him.

لو كَانَ يُحْمَى حَمَتْهُ عُصْبَةٌ أَلِفَتْ

لو كَانَ يُحْمَى حَمَتْهُ عُصْبَةٌ أَلِفَتْ

وَخْزَ الرِّماحِ وضَرْبَ الصّارِمِ الذكَرِ

وَخْزَ الرِّماحِ وضَرْبَ الصّارِمِ الذكَرِ

If he could have been protected, a band would have protected him, accustomed

If hordes who befriend the point

To spear-thrusts and blows of the keen, hard-steeled sword,

Of spears and slash of sharp swords guarded him,

بِجَحْفَلٍ كَسَوادِ اللّيلِ أنْجُمُهُ

بِجَحْفَلٍ كَسَوادِ اللّيلِ أنْجُمُهُ

بَيْضٌ وبِيضٌ على الأَعْداءٍ كالقَدَرِ

بَيْضٌ وبِيضٌ على الأَعْداءٍ كالقَدَرِ

With a mighty host like the blackness of night, whose stars

With a host as dark as the night, its stars

Are helmets and gleaming swords, upon the foes like fate.

White, descending on the enemy like fate—