من كان ينفعُهُ الأدَبْ

من كان ينفعُهُ الأدَبْ

ويُحِلُّهُ أعلى الرُّتَبْ

ويُحِلُّهُ أعلى الرُّتَبْ

If literature benefits anyone

He who is helped by knowledge,

And raises him to the highest ranks,

And whom it raises to the highest ranks,

فلقد خَسِرْتُ عليهِ ما

فلقد خَسِرْتُ عليهِ ما

وُرِّثْتُ من أُمٍّ وأَبْ

وُرِّثْتُ من أُمٍّ وأَبْ

I have indeed lost on it what

I have certainly lost over him what

I inherited from mother and father.

I inherited from a mother and father.

كم ضيعةٍ كانتْ تصو

كم ضيعةٍ كانتْ تصو

نُ الوَجْهَ عن ذُلِّ الطَّلَبْ

نُ الوَجْهَ عن ذُلِّ الطَّلَبْ

How many estates once shielded

How many farms shining

My face from the humiliation of begging!

Turning faces away from the disgrace of seeking.

أتلَفْتُها لا في القِيا

أتلَفْتُها لا في القِيا

نِ ولا هوَى بِنْتِ العِنَبْ

نِ ولا هوَى بِنْتِ العِنَبْ

I squandered them—not on singing girls,

I wasted them not in gambling

Nor for love of the grape’s daughter,

Nor in craving the daughter of the vine,

بل في الحوادِثِ والحوا

بل في الحوادِثِ والحوا

ئجِ والنوائبِ والنُّوَبْ

ئجِ والنوائبِ والنُّوَبْ

But on mishaps and needs,

But in events and tribulations,

And calamities and adversities.

Misfortunes, calamities and woes.

كم قُلْتُ لمَّا بِعْتُها

كم قُلْتُ لمَّا بِعْتُها

وحَصَلْتُ في أَسْرِ الكَرَبْ

وحَصَلْتُ في أَسْرِ الكَرَبْ

How often I said, when I sold them

How often I said when I sold them

And found myself captive to anguish:

And fell into captivity of distress:

ذَهَبَتْ دجاجَتُنا التي

ذَهَبَتْ دجاجَتُنا التي

كانَتْ تبيضُ لنا الذَّهَبْ

كانَتْ تبيضُ لنا الذَّهَبْ

Gone is our hen, which

Our hen that used to lay

Used to lay gold for us!

Golden eggs for us is gone.