ما كفى الصد والغريم الغرام

ما كفى الصد والغريم الغرام

ازعجتنا بصدعها اللوام

ازعجتنا بصدعها اللوام

Estrangement was not enough, and passion is the creditor.

The disdain of the enemy could not subdue passion,

The reproachers disturbed us with their clamor.

Their reproaches disturbed us,

والحبيب الذي جفا عن غرور

والحبيب الذي جفا عن غرور

ارقصته بوهمها الايام

ارقصته بوهمها الايام

And the beloved, who turned away out of conceit,

And the lover who was unfaithful out of arrogance,

the days set him dancing with their illusions.

Its delusions made him dance.

نام في مهد طيشه يمتطي الغد

نام في مهد طيشه يمتطي الغد

ر وللدهر مقلة لا تنام

ر وللدهر مقلة لا تنام

He slept in the cradle of his folly, astride treachery;

He slept in the cradle of his frivolity riding tomorrow,

and Time has an eye that never sleeps.

While fate has an eyelid that does not sleep.

جانب الخب يا اخا الحب واصبر

جانب الخب يا اخا الحب واصبر

فالليالي اوقاتها احلام

فالليالي اوقاتها احلام

Avoid the deceiver, O brother of love, and be patient;

Side with good, O brother of love, and be patient,

for the nights' hours are dreams.

For nights, their times are dreams.

لن يرجى من الدني وفاء

لن يرجى من الدني وفاء

انما يعرف الكرام الكرام

انما يعرف الكرام الكرام

No fidelity can be hoped for from the base;

Loyalty cannot be expected from the lowly,

only the noble recognize the noble.

Only the generous know the generous.

فوفاء العهود خلة مجد

فوفاء العهود خلة مجد

وهي من غير اهلها لا ترام

وهي من غير اهلها لا ترام

For keeping covenants is a trait of nobility;

Keeping promises is an attribute of glory,

and it is not to be sought from those unworthy of it.

Without its people, it cannot be coveted.

لا يفيض السراب قط شرابا

لا يفيض السراب قط شرابا

لا ولا يرسل المياه الجهام

لا ولا يرسل المياه الجهام

A mirage never pours forth a drink;

Mirage never pours a drink,

no, nor does a rainless cloud send down water.

Nor does the charging army send down water.

كم جسوم تضوي بعيش مري

كم جسوم تضوي بعيش مري

يوم لا يحفظ المقام المقام

يوم لا يحفظ المقام المقام

How many bodies waste away amid pleasant living,

How many bodies are scorched in a bitter living,

on a day when rank does not preserve rank.

A day when positions cannot be kept.

راحة الحر ان يوفي حقوق ال

راحة الحر ان يوفي حقوق ال

مجد من قومه وان لا يضام

مجد من قومه وان لا يضام

The free man's comfort is to receive the full dues of

The tranquility of the free man is to fulfill the rights

honor from his people, and not to be wronged.

Of glory from his people without being wronged.

ولعمري هم اللئام كما قي

ولعمري هم اللئام كما قي

ل رداء وشهوة وطعام

ل رداء وشهوة وطعام

And by my life, the base are, as has been

By my life they are the vile, as was said,

said, a cloak, lust, and food.

Garment, lust, and food.

كيفما الدهر سن طيشا غراري

كيفما الدهر سن طيشا غراري

ه لئام الانام فيه لئام

ه لئام الانام فيه لئام

However Time may recklessly whet its two edges,

However the fate acted frivolously and deceiving,

the base of humankind remain base within it.

Among the people there are vile ones.

خل عن بالك الكلاب وضج

خل عن بالك الكلاب وضج

ات عواها فغوشها اوهام

ات عواها فغوشها اوهام

Put the dogs out of your mind, and the clamor

Leave the dogs and their clamor in your mind,

of their howling; their uproar is illusion.

Their barking is delusion.

كل لفظ بعليه فحواه لكن

كل لفظ بعليه فحواه لكن

ليس الا بقائليه الكلام

ليس الا بقائليه الكلام

Every utterance is [elevated] by its meaning, yet

Every word has an inside and outward dimension,

speech takes its worth only from those who speak it.

But only its speakers have speech.

يسقط الخبل بالتشدق واللغ

يسقط الخبل بالتشدق واللغ

و ويعلو ذو النخوف التمتام

و ويعلو ذو النخوف التمتام

The fool falls through bombast and idle talk,

The fool falls with pretentiousness and prattle,

and the stammering man of [noble pride] rises.

While the wise man of understanding rises.

فارقات الاشياء فيها جلب

فارقات الاشياء فيها جلب

ات فصول وما الضياء الظلام

ات فصول وما الضياء الظلام

The distinguishing traits of things contain clamors

Things are distinct with seasons of prosperity,

of division; light is not darkness.

What is light without darkness?

كم عديم من الحطام فخيم ال

كم عديم من الحطام فخيم ال

عرق لم تختطف هواه الحطام

عرق لم تختطف هواه الحطام

How many a man devoid of worldly goods is noble of

How many lowly people, gloomy in pedigree,

lineage, his longing never snatched away by worldly goods.

Whose passion did not carry away the rubble.

وملي دني عرق لفلس

وملي دني عرق لفلس

يجهد العزم كله ابرام

يجهد العزم كله ابرام

And a wealthy man of lowly stock, for a copper coin,

And I have filled the world with noble lineage,

exhausts all his resolve in stubborn insistence.

That strains all determination to the utmost.

لا تساوي لدى العقول بأن

لا تساوي لدى العقول بأن

صالحات الاعمال والآثام

صالحات الاعمال والآثام

To reason, there is no equality [between]

To minds, good deeds are not equal

righteous deeds and sins.

To sins.

ومن الحزم ان يوالي كرام ال

ومن الحزم ان يوالي كرام ال

قوم طول المدى وتقصى الطغام

قوم طول المدى وتقصى الطغام

And prudence includes befriending the noble among

And of wisdom is to befriend the noble ones of the people for ages,

the people for all time, and keeping the rabble far away.

And keep away the tyrants.

واذا قاطع الكريم لئيم العلب

واذا قاطع الكريم لئيم العلب

ع عن غير موجب لا يلام

ع عن غير موجب لا يلام

And if a noble man breaks with one base in [nature],

If the generous cuts ties with the vile undeservedly,

without any justifying cause, he is not to blame.

He is not to be blamed.

انما الجزع كيفما هز جزع

انما الجزع كيفما هز جزع

يا اخا اللب والحسام حسام

يا اخا اللب والحسام حسام

Onyx, however shaken, is only onyx;

Indeed, whichever way panic shakes,

O brother of understanding, and a sword remains a sword.

O brother of the heart and the sword, the sword trembles.

فخذ الصبر والثبات ففيه

فخذ الصبر والثبات ففيه

تتخطى العذافر الاقدام

تتخطى العذافر الاقدام

So take patience and steadfastness, for through it

So take patience and steadfastness, for with it

feet stride over mighty lions.

You will surpass the steps of eagles.

واهجر الخائنين واغلظ عليهم

واهجر الخائنين واغلظ عليهم

صحبة الخائن الكذوب حرام

صحبة الخائن الكذوب حرام

And shun the traitors, and be stern with them;

And abandon the traitors and be harsh to them,

keeping company with the lying traitor is forbidden.

Befriending a traitorous liar is forbidden.

لا تؤمل من الخؤن ذماما

لا تؤمل من الخؤن ذماما

ما لذي الخدعة الخؤن ذمام

ما لذي الخدعة الخؤن ذمام

Do not expect a bond of honor from the treacherous;

Do not expect remorse from the wicked,

the deceitful traitor has no bond of honor.

The deceitful wicked have no remorse.

وتباعد عن البخيل فللأغ

وتباعد عن البخيل فللأغ

راض في طور عزمه إجذام

راض في طور عزمه إجذام

And keep far from the miser, for aims

And stay away from the stingy, as for purposes

suffer amputation within the bounds of his resolve.

In his resolved state, he is quick to deny.

بعدت عن اقدام اهل المروا

بعدت عن اقدام اهل المروا

ت فهاق من اللئام وهام

ت فهاق من اللئام وهام

Far from the feet of people of noble virtue

I have distanced myself from the ways of the arrogant,

are the necks and heads of the base.

So I fell into oblivion and wandered.

رب فرد من الكرام به مز

رب فرد من الكرام به مز

ق جيش من الانام لهام

ق جيش من الانام لهام

Many a lone noble man has torn apart

A single noble one, with him is the weapon

a vast army of humankind.

Of an army of people attacking violently.

واختلاف الطباع يقصي ويدني

واختلاف الطباع يقصي ويدني

وبها الاتصال والانصرام

وبها الاتصال والانصرام

Differences of temperament estrange and draw near;

The difference in character brings together and separates,

and through them come union and severance.

Through it is connection and separation.

وسواءٌ في ساحة الدين عند ال

وسواءٌ في ساحة الدين عند ال

عارفين الاعراب والاعجام

عارفين الاعراب والاعجام

And equal in the realm of faith, in the eyes of

And in the battleground of religion among the gnostics,

those who know, are Bedouin Arabs and non-Arabs.

Arabs and non-Arabs are equal.

فرق فرقت بشرق وغرب

فرق فرقت بشرق وغرب

باختلاف والجامع الاسلام

باختلاف والجامع الاسلام

Groups were divided in east and west

I have distinguished between east and west,

by differences, and Islam is the unifier.

With differences, and the unifier is Islam.

وارع حقا للآدميين طرا

وارع حقا للآدميين طرا

الزمتنا بذلك الاحكام

الزمتنا بذلك الاحكام

And respect the rights of all human beings;

Respect the rights of human beings we are

the ordinances have bound us to that.

Bound to this by laws.

وافهم السر من نظام بديع

وافهم السر من نظام بديع

جل مبديه زانه الانتظام

جل مبديه زانه الانتظام

And grasp the secret of a wondrous order;

And understand the mystery of the beautiful system,

exalted is the one who brings it forth; harmony adorns it.

Its disclosure adorned it with harmony.

فلعي عن مغلقات المعاني

فلعي عن مغلقات المعاني

خبطت في اوهامها الاقوام

خبطت في اوهامها الاقوام

For inability to grasp locked-away meanings,

They have gone astray from the meanings of metaphors,

peoples have floundered amid their illusions.

The nations wandered in their imaginations.

وتجرد ما ساعد الحظ للنف

وتجرد ما ساعد الحظ للنف

ع فثغر الورى به بسام

ع فثغر الورى به بسام

And devote yourself, while fortune favors you, to doing good;

Free yourself from what does not benefit the self,

for through it the mouth of humankind smiles.

And the land grinned with it smiling.

واترك الامر للاله وهذا

واترك الامر للاله وهذا

منهج المصطفى عليه السلام

منهج المصطفى عليه السلام

And leave the matter to God; this

And leave the matter to Allah, this

is the path of the Chosen One, peace be upon him.

Is the way of Muhammad, peace be upon him.