طالَ النَّوى وتَوالَى الدَّهرُ والأمَدُ

طالَ النَّوى وتَوالَى الدَّهرُ والأمَدُ

بعدَ الفراقِ وقلَّ الصَّبرُ والجَلَدُ

بعدَ الفراقِ وقلَّ الصَّبرُ والجَلَدُ

Separation has lasted long, and time and ages have rolled on,

The intention lengthened, and time kept going,

Since parting, patience and fortitude have dwindled.

After separation, patience and composure diminished.

والصّبرُ لو أنَّهُ في ذاتهِ عَسَلٌ

والصّبرُ لو أنَّهُ في ذاتهِ عَسَلٌ

لصارَ كالصبرِ مِمَّا طالتِ المُدَدُ

لصارَ كالصبرِ مِمَّا طالتِ المُدَدُ

And patience, even if it were honey in itself,

If patience itself were honey,

Would turn as bitter as aloes with the long passage of time.

It would become, like patience, when situations prolong.

تَعَمَّدَ الدَّهرُ لي سُوءاً بُلِيتُ بهِ

تَعَمَّدَ الدَّهرُ لي سُوءاً بُلِيتُ بهِ

والدَّهرُ ليسَ بناجٍ عِندَهُ أحَدُ

والدَّهرُ ليسَ بناجٍ عِندَهُ أحَدُ

Time meant me harm, and I was stricken by it;

Time intentionally did me wrong, and I was afflicted by it,

And no one escapes time unscathed.

And time is not a confidant for anyone.

قد كان لي جَسَدٌ قبلاً أعيشُ بهِ

قد كان لي جَسَدٌ قبلاً أعيشُ بهِ

واليومَ قد صار نصفاً ذلِكَ الجَسَدُ

واليومَ قد صار نصفاً ذلِكَ الجَسَدُ

I once had a body that sustained my life;

I used to have a body I lived with,

And today that body is half what it was.

And today it has become half that body.

والحمدُ للهِ شكوَى الجسمِ هيِّنهٌ

والحمدُ للهِ شكوَى الجسمِ هيِّنهٌ

ما دامَ يَسلَمُ منَّا العقلُ والرَّشدُ

ما دامَ يَسلَمُ منَّا العقلُ والرَّشدُ

And praise be to God: bodily suffering is a small matter,

Thanks to God - complaining of the body is easy

So long as our reason and sound judgment remain intact.

As long as the mind and wisdom remain sound from us.

فليس يَجزَعُ من في كفِّهِ شَلَلٌ

فليس يَجزَعُ من في كفِّهِ شَلَلٌ

وليس يَجزَعُ من في عينهِ رَمَدُ

وليس يَجزَعُ من في عينهِ رَمَدُ

For one whose hand is paralyzed does not despair,

So one with paralysis in his hand does not despair,

Nor does one whose eye is inflamed despair.

Nor one with conjunctivitis in his eye despair.

لنا بذي الأرضِ أيَّامٌ تَمرُّ بنا

لنا بذي الأرضِ أيَّامٌ تَمرُّ بنا

أحداثُها كبريدِ الخيلِ تَطَّرِدُ

أحداثُها كبريدِ الخيلِ تَطَّرِدُ

We have days on this earth that pass us by;

We have days on earth that pass by us,

Their events race in succession like relays of post horses.

Whose events chase like the running of horses.

وكلُّ أمرٍ لهُ في دهرنا أجَلٌ

وكلُّ أمرٍ لهُ في دهرنا أجَلٌ

فلا يدومُ بهِ صفوٌ ولا كَمَدُ

فلا يدومُ بهِ صفوٌ ولا كَمَدُ

And everything in our time has an appointed end;

And everything, in our time, has an end,

So neither serenity nor sorrow endures in it.

So neither purity nor eternity remains with it.

حُلْمٌ تَروَّعَ تحتَ اللَّيلِ ناظِرُهُ

حُلْمٌ تَروَّعَ تحتَ اللَّيلِ ناظِرُهُ

فزالَ عندَ انجلاءِ الصُّبحِ ما يَجِدُ

فزالَ عندَ انجلاءِ الصُّبحِ ما يَجِدُ

A dream—its beholder took fright beneath the night,

A dream that terrified its beholder at night,

Then what he felt vanished at the break of dawn.

Dissipated at the clarity of dawn what it yielded.

من ليسَ يَملِكُ في دفعِ البَلاءِ يداً

من ليسَ يَملِكُ في دفعِ البَلاءِ يداً

فما لهُ سِوَى الصَّبرِ الجميلِ يَدُ

فما لهُ سِوَى الصَّبرِ الجميلِ يَدُ

Whoever has no hand with which to ward off affliction

One who does not own a hand to ward off affliction,

Has no helping hand but beautiful patience.

Then he has nothing but beautiful patience as a hand.