اقطع بذهنك قطع الصارم الذكر

اقطع بذهنك قطع الصارم الذكر

وَ سر بِرَأيك سير الشَمس وَالقَمَر

وَ سر بِرَأيك سير الشَمس وَالقَمَر

Cut with your mind as the keen, hard-steeled sword cuts.

Cut with your mind like the cutting of a sharp sword,

And advance with your judgment as the sun and moon advance.

And walk with your opinion like the sun and moon's pace.

وَقُم خَطيباً بِسَيف العَقل مُعتَمِداً

وَقُم خَطيباً بِسَيف العَقل مُعتَمِداً

فَإِن في العَقل ما يغني عن الزبر

فَإِن في العَقل ما يغني عن الزبر

And rise as an orator, relying on the sword of reason,

Stand as an orator with the sword of reason as your support,

For in reason lies what makes books needless.

For in reason is that which makes spears redundant.

حَد اليَراعة حَد السَيف إِن وضعت

حَد اليَراعة حَد السَيف إِن وضعت

في كَف مُختَرع الآراء مبتكر

في كَف مُختَرع الآراء مبتكر

The reed pen's edge is the sword's edge, if placed

The limit of prudence is the limit of the sword, if placed

In the hand of a deviser of ideas, an innovator.

In the palm of one ingenious in opinion, an initiator.

وَالخَط كَالعامل الخَطي إِن نقشت

وَالخَط كَالعامل الخَطي إِن نقشت

حُروفه بيد الأَشراف مِن مضر

حُروفه بيد الأَشراف مِن مضر

And script is like a Khatt spear's shaft, if the engraving

And the line, like the line worker, if its

Of its letters is done by the hands of Mudar's nobles.

Letters are inscribed by the hands of honourable Maʿaddites.

وَكَم كِتاب إِذا ما فك طابعه

وَكَم كِتاب إِذا ما فك طابعه

فل الكَتائب مِن بَدو وَمِن حَضَر

فل الكَتائب مِن بَدو وَمِن حَضَر

And many a letter, once its seal is broken,

And how many books, if their covers were undone,

Has routed battalions of nomads and townsfolk.

Would inspire awe in both nomad and settled folk.

يا صاحب القَلم الأَعلى الَّذي سعدت

يا صاحب القَلم الأَعلى الَّذي سعدت

بِهِ المُلوك فَأَغناهُم عَن السمر

بِهِ المُلوك فَأَغناهُم عَن السمر

O master of the loftiest pen, which brought prosperity

O owner of the supreme pen, through which

To kings and spared them the need for tawny spears.

Kings prospered and so were made free of entertainment.

جَعَلته سَيف مَولانا الرضا عمر

جَعَلته سَيف مَولانا الرضا عمر

لِذاك سَميتهُ بِالصارم العمري

لِذاك سَميتهُ بِالصارم العمري

You made it the sword of our lord, al-Rida Umar;

You have made it the sword of our lord, the Eternal Rida,

For that reason I named it the keen Umari sword.

Thus have I named it “the sharp eternal”.

يَجري بِما شاءَ عَن حُكم وَعن حكم

يَجري بِما شاءَ عَن حُكم وَعن حكم

فَيَأخذ الناس عَن خَوف وَعَن حَذَر

فَيَأخذ الناس عَن خَوف وَعَن حَذَر

It flows with what he wills, from judgment and from wisdom,

It goes however it desires, beyond any reckoning,

So people take heed, out of fear and wariness.

And so takes men out of fear and caution.

ما كُنت أَحسب أَن الفَضل في بشر

ما كُنت أَحسب أَن الفَضل في بشر

حَتّى رَأَيتك يا ابن السادة الغرر

حَتّى رَأَيتك يا ابن السادة الغرر

I never thought that excellence could dwell in a mortal

I did not think excellence was in mankind

Until I saw you, O son of illustrious lords.

Until I saw you, O son of noble stars.

وَما علمت بِأَن الخَط غايته

وَما علمت بِأَن الخَط غايته

قَط القُلوب وَقَطع الفاجر الأشر

قَط القُلوب وَقَطع الفاجر الأشر

Nor did I know that writing's purpose

And I did not know the pen’s furthest limit

Was to cleave hearts and cut down the insolent evildoer,

Was to cut hearts and sever the debauched limb.

حَتّى سَمعت صَرير الطرس مِن قَلَم

حَتّى سَمعت صَرير الطرس مِن قَلَم

يلقي المَهابة بَينَ السَمع وَالبَصَر

يلقي المَهابة بَينَ السَمع وَالبَصَر

Until I heard the parchment's rasp beneath a pen

Until I heard the scratching of the calamus

That casts awe between hearing and sight.

Casting reverence between hearing and sight.

يَمج تبراً عَلى وَجه الصحيفة بَل

يَمج تبراً عَلى وَجه الصحيفة بَل

دراً يَفوق عَلى الدري وَالدرر

دراً يَفوق عَلى الدري وَالدرر

It spouts gold dust onto the face of the page—rather,

It pours out pearls on the cheek of the parchment, nay,

Pearls that outshine the radiant star and other pearls.

Gems that exceed the mother of pearl and pearls in value.

في كُل ذَرة لَفظ درة نثرت

في كُل ذَرة لَفظ درة نثرت

فَأَصبَحَت بَينَ مَنظوم وَمنتثر

فَأَصبَحَت بَينَ مَنظوم وَمنتثر

In every mote of language, a pearl is strewn,

In every atom a word-jewel you have scattered,

And so it lies between the strung and the scattered.

To fall between verse and prose.

كَأَنَّهُ جَدول يَفتر عَن درر

كَأَنَّهُ جَدول يَفتر عَن درر

مِن بَحر علم فَيلقيها عَلى الأَثَر

مِن بَحر علم فَيلقيها عَلى الأَثَر

As though it were a brook, smiling to reveal pearls

As if it is a stream, from a sea of knowledge unleashing

From a sea of knowledge, then casting them in its wake.

Its pearls, and casting them onto the trace.

طالَ ارتفاعك في أَوج الكَمال فَطل

طالَ ارتفاعك في أَوج الكَمال فَطل

عَلى قَرينك وَاعرف لذة الظفر

عَلى قَرينك وَاعرف لذة الظفر

Your rise has reached perfection's zenith; so tower

Your rising to the zenith of perfection has lengthened, so rise

Above your peer, and know the delight of triumph.

Over your companion and know the joy of success.

جئت المَعارف إِذ كانَت لَكُم قَدراً

جئت المَعارف إِذ كانَت لَكُم قَدراً

كَما أَتى رَبه موسى عَلى قَدَر

كَما أَتى رَبه موسى عَلى قَدَر

You came to learning when it was destined for you,

I came to knowledge when it was destined for you,

As Moses came to his Lord at the appointed time.

As Moses came to his Lord at the appointed time.

إِذا رَأَتك المَعالي قالَ قائلها

إِذا رَأَتك المَعالي قالَ قائلها

تَبارك اللَهُ ما هَذا مِن البَشَر

تَبارك اللَهُ ما هَذا مِن البَشَر

When lofty honors see you, their spokesman says:

When the sublime things see you, their sayer says:

Blessed is God! This is no mortal.

“Blessed is God, this is not of mankind”.

يا أَسعَد الناس خُذ مني محيرة

يا أَسعَد الناس خُذ مني محيرة

تَميس كَالخود بَينَ الحبر وَالحبر

تَميس كَالخود بَينَ الحبر وَالحبر

O most fortunate of people, take from me an astonishing poem,

O most fortunate of men, take from me a confusion

Swaying like a maiden between the ink and the scholar.

That touches like a cheek between ink and ink.

قَصيرة المَدح قَد طالَت بِكُم فَغَدَت

قَصيرة المَدح قَد طالَت بِكُم فَغَدَت

طَويلة الباع عَن شين وَعَن قصر

طَويلة الباع عَن شين وَعَن قصر

Brief in praise, it has grown tall through you, becoming

Short in praise, it has been lengthened by you and so

Long of reach, free from blemish and shortcoming.

Become long in scope, beyond disgrace and inadequacy.

تَقول إِن قرئت يَوماً لِسَيدها

تَقول إِن قرئت يَوماً لِسَيدها

اقطع بذهنك قَطع الصارم الذكر

اقطع بذهنك قَطع الصارم الذكر

It says, if one day it is read to its master:

It says, if read one day by its lord:

Cut with your mind as the keen, hard-steeled sword cuts.

“Cut with your mind like the cutting of a sharp sword”.