عَدلُ الصَوارِمِ أَعدَلُ الأَحكامِ

عَدلُ الصَوارِمِ أَعدَلُ الأَحكامِ

وَشَبا الأَسِنَّةِ أَكتبُ الأَقلامِ

وَشَبا الأَسِنَّةِ أَكتبُ الأَقلامِ

The justice of keen swords is the justest of judgments;

The justice of sharp swords is the most just of judgments.

and spearpoints write more tellingly than pens.

And spearheads' points are the ablest of pens.

أَخلِق بِمَن كفر الغني أن يغتدي

أَخلِق بِمَن كفر الغني أن يغتدي

كُفرانُهُ سَبَباً إِلى الإِعدامِ

كُفرانُهُ سَبَباً إِلى الإِعدامِ

How fitting that one ungrateful for prosperity should wake

How fitting that, for one ungrateful for wealth,

to find his ingratitude the cause of his destitution.

His ingratitude should become a cause of destitution.

مَن كانَ في الإِكرامِ مُفسِدَةٌ لَهُ

مَن كانَ في الإِكرامِ مُفسِدَةٌ لَهُ

فَهَوانُهُ أَولى مِنَ الإِكرامِ

فَهَوانُهُ أَولى مِنَ الإِكرامِ

Whoever is corrupted by being honored,

Whoever is corrupted by being honored,

humiliation is more fitting for him than honor.

Then his humiliation is more fitting than honor.

فَتَرَكتُهُم صَرعى كَأَنَّكَ بِالظُبا

فَتَرَكتُهُم صَرعى كَأَنَّكَ بِالظُبا

عاطَيتَهُم في الرَوعِ كَأسَ مُدامِ

عاطَيتَهُم في الرَوعِ كَأسَ مُدامِ

So I left them fallen—as though, before your eyes, with keen swords

So I left them slain, as though you, with sword-edges,

I had plied them, amid battle’s terror, with a cup of wine—

Had handed them, amid terror, a cup of wine.

مُتَهاجِرينَ عَلى الدَنّو كَأَنَّما

مُتَهاجِرينَ عَلى الدَنّو كَأَنَّما

أَنفَت رُؤوسَهُم مِنَ الأَجسامِ

أَنفَت رُؤوسَهُم مِنَ الأَجسامِ

shunning one another despite their closeness, as though

Mutually estranged despite their closeness, as though

their heads disdained their bodies.

Their heads had spurned their bodies.