يا منْ سكونُ النفس في تأميلهِ

يا منْ سكونُ النفس في تأميلهِ

وبلوغها المأمولَ في تأميلِهِ

وبلوغها المأمولَ في تأميلِهِ

O you, hope in whom gives the soul repose,

O you in whose contemplation the soul finds peace

and through hope in whom it attains its wished-for goal:

And attains what it hopes for in its longing

قدَرِي لديك مُظاهرٌ لبليَّتي

قدَرِي لديك مُظاهرٌ لبليَّتي

فاصرفْ بطرفك عن جلالِ جليلِهِ

فاصرفْ بطرفك عن جلالِ جليلِهِ

My standing with you is an ally of my affliction;

My destiny has aspects that show my misery

so turn your gaze away from its lofty majesty.

So turn your glance away from the majesty of its majestic one

أصبحتُ يحقر لي تطوّلك الغنى

أصبحتُ يحقر لي تطوّلك الغنى

فَتَخَطَّ قدْري وانْسَ نُبلَ نبيلِهِ

فَتَخَطَّ قدْري وانْسَ نُبلَ نبيلِهِ

Your bounty now makes wealth seem paltry to me;

You have come to despise my poverty

so pass over my standing and forget its noble dignity.

So you dismissed my worth and forgot the nobility of the noble one

وابذلْ لعبدِك ما تيسَّر إنه

وابذلْ لعبدِك ما تيسَّر إنه

في حالةٍ تقذى جفونَ خليلِهِ

في حالةٍ تقذى جفونَ خليلِهِ

And give your servant whatever is available, for he

Bestow upon your servant what is made easy

is in a plight that irritates his friend's eyelids.

For he is in a state that pains the eyes of his intimate one

ولتبلغنَّ به الغنى لكنّه

ولتبلغنَّ به الغنى لكنّه

لا بدّ قبلَ غناه من تعليلِهِ

لا بدّ قبلَ غناه من تعليلِهِ

And you will surely bring him to wealth, but he

And let wealth reach him, but before his riches

must be kept going before he becomes wealthy.

It needs to justify him

لا تحقرنّ له التي في بذلها

لا تحقرنّ له التي في بذلها

إحياءُ مهجتِه وقتلُ غليلِهِ

إحياءُ مهجتِه وقتلُ غليلِهِ

Do not scorn the gift whose bestowal upon him

Do not despise what will revive his spirit in its giving

revives his soul and slays his burning thirst.

And kill his anguish

وافرضْ له من فضل كفك قُوتَه

وافرضْ له من فضل كفك قُوتَه

واعزمْ إذا اتّسعتْ على تنقيلِهِ

واعزمْ إذا اتّسعتْ على تنقيلِهِ

And allot him his sustenance from your hand's bounty,

Apportion for him from the bounty of your palm his sustenance

and resolve, when your means expand, to improve his lot.

And resolve, when you have ample means, to transfer him

واملك عليه جماح نفسك إنها

واملك عليه جماح نفسك إنها

تأبى من المعروفِ غيرَ جزيلِهِ

تأبى من المعروفِ غيرَ جزيلِهِ

And rein in your soul's unruliness toward him, for it

Restrain your soul’s wings over him, for it

refuses any kindness but the lavish kind.

Refuses any kindness less than abundant

واعذرهُ في استعجالهِ بغياثهِ

واعذرهُ في استعجالهِ بغياثهِ

لشديدِ حاجته إلى تعجيلِهِ

لشديدِ حاجته إلى تعجيلِهِ

And pardon him for pressing for relief,

And forgive him for hastening his rescue

because of his dire need to have it hastened.

Due to his great need for expediting it

ولكان أوسعَ مُهلةً من غيره

ولكان أوسعَ مُهلةً من غيره

لو تحسنُ الحوجاءُ في تمهيلِهِ

لو تحسنُ الحوجاءُ في تمهيلِهِ

And he would allow more time than others,

Though he would have been more patient than others

if want would kindly grant him respite.

Had the wretched known how to gradually introduce it

واعلمْ ولستَ معلَّماً بحقيقةٍ

واعلمْ ولستَ معلَّماً بحقيقةٍ

أن النوى تأبى ازدراءَ ضئيلِهِ

أن النوى تأبى ازدراءَ ضئيلِهِ

And know—though I teach you no new truth—

And know—though you are not truly informed—

that separation permits no scorn for even a little of it.

That intentions refuse disparagement of their meager one

كلُّ النوال معونةٌ لمناله

كلُّ النوال معونةٌ لمناله

عندَ الضرورةِ زينةٌ لمُنيلِهِ

عندَ الضرورةِ زينةٌ لمُنيلِهِ

Every gift is aid to its recipient

Every grant is an aid to the one who requests it

in dire need, and an adornment to its giver.

When needed, an adornment for the attainer

ليس الجوادُ من اشترى شمسَ العلا

ليس الجوادُ من اشترى شمسَ العلا

وحياةَ سمعتِها بموتِ هزيلِهِ

وحياةَ سمعتِها بموتِ هزيلِهِ

He is no generous man who buys the sun of glory

Not generous is one who bought the sun of glory

and life for its renown with his starving dependent's death.

And the life of a reputation with the death of its feeble one

يا من يجود من الجَدا بكثيرهِ

يا من يجود من الجَدا بكثيرهِ

ويُغيث قبلَ كثيرهِ بقليلِهِ

ويُغيث قبلَ كثيرهِ بقليلِهِ

O you who give bounty in abundance,

O You who gives abundantly of wealth

and bring relief with a little before bestowing much,

And relieves much before a little

فاقصدْ لحق الرأي لا جورِ الهدى

فاقصدْ لحق الرأي لا جورِ الهدى

فلأنت أعلى ناظراً بجميلِهِ

فلأنت أعلى ناظراً بجميلِهِ

so seek sound judgment, not guidance gone astray,

So intend the truth of opinion, not injustice of guidance

for yours is the loftiest gaze upon its beauty.

For you are highest in looking with its beauty

وعليك عند بلوغنا آمالنا

وعليك عند بلوغنا آمالنا

بعريضِ فعلك في الورى وطويلِهِ

بعريضِ فعلك في الورى وطويلِهِ

And when we attain our hopes, then apply yourself

And upon you, when we attain our hopes

to the breadth and length of your deeds among mankind.

Is ample deed among mankind and its long one

ولكم جوادِ الكفِّ بخَّل سائلاً

ولكم جوادِ الكفِّ بخَّل سائلاً

فرماه بالحرمان عن تبخيلِهِ

فرماه بالحرمان عن تبخيلِهِ

And many a generous-handed man has called a petitioner stingy,

Many who refused a begging hand

then struck him with deprivation for calling him stingy.

So he cast it away in deprivation of his stinginess

ولربما شقي الفتى بجوداه

ولربما شقي الفتى بجوداه

ولربما حظي الفتى بنخيلِهِ

ولربما حظي الفتى بنخيلِهِ

And sometimes a young man suffers through his generous patron [uncertain reading],

Sometimes the young man is miserable for his generosity

and sometimes a young man prospers through his date palms [perhaps: his miserly patron].

And sometimes the young man is fortunate for his stinginess