قد يُدْرِكُ العاقلُ في عُسْرِهِ

قد يُدْرِكُ العاقلُ في عُسْرِهِ

ما يُعجز الجاهلَ في يُسْرِهِ

ما يُعجز الجاهلَ في يُسْرِهِ

A wise man may attain, amid his hardship,

The wise can attain in hardship

What eludes the ignorant man amid his ease.

What defeats the ignorant in ease

وكلُّ إِنسَانٍ على حَذْرِهِ

وكلُّ إِنسَانٍ على حَذْرِهِ

يُصيبُ أو يخطئ في أمره

يُصيبُ أو يخطئ في أمره

And every person, despite his caution,

And every person is on guard

May succeed or err in his affairs.

Whether he hits or misses his goal

فالشكرُ للملهمنا شُكْرَه

فالشكرُ للملهمنا شُكْرَه

على الذي ألْهَمَ من شُكْرِه

على الذي ألْهَمَ من شُكْرِه

So thanks to Him who inspires us to thank Him,

So thanks to the One who inspired us to thank Him

For the gratitude to Him that He has inspired.

For what He inspired of thanks from us

ما ضاق باب النصر عن خائف

ما ضاق باب النصر عن خائف

دعا أبا نصرٍ إلى نصره

دعا أبا نصرٍ إلى نصره

The gate of victory was never too narrow for a fearful man

The door of victory is not closed to one who fears

Who called Abu Nasr to his aid—

He called on the Helper of victory for His help

من كلِّ بحرٍ من بحَارِ النَّدى

من كلِّ بحرٍ من بحَارِ النَّدى

يَغْرَقُ في القطرةِ من بحره

يَغْرَقُ في القطرةِ من بحره

One before whom every sea among the seas of generosity

From every sea of the oceans of bounty

Drowns in a single drop from his sea.

He drowns in the drop from His sea

يرى لسان اليسر في بدوه

يرى لسان اليسر في بدوه

مترجماً عنه وفي حضره

مترجماً عنه وفي حضره

The tongue of prosperity is seen in his desert life,

He sees the tongue of ease in its desolation

Speaking on his behalf, and in his settled life.

Translating from it and in its civilization

وَبشْرُهُ يضحكَ عن وجهه

وَبشْرُهُ يضحكَ عن وجهه

ووجهُهُ يضحكُ عن بشره

ووجهُهُ يضحكُ عن بشره

And his cheerfulness smiles through his face,

Its good tidings laugh from its face

And his face smiles with his cheerfulness.

And its face laughs from its good tidings

طبْع العلى استُخرِجَ من طبعه

طبْع العلى استُخرِجَ من طبعه

وبحرها استنبطَ من بحره

وبحرها استنبطَ من بحره

The nature of nobility was extracted from his nature,

The nature of nobility was extracted from his nature

And its sea was drawn forth from his sea.

And its sea deduced from his sea

كأنّ نظمَ الدرِّ أو نثره

كأنّ نظمَ الدرِّ أو نثره

من نظمِهِ في الطِّرْسِ أو نثره

من نظمِهِ في الطِّرْسِ أو نثره

As though the stringing of pearls or their scattering

As if the prose of pearls or his poetry

Came from his verse upon the page or his prose.

Is from his prose in the prose or his poetry

سهلٌ إذا احتجَت إلى سَهْلِهِ

سهلٌ إذا احتجَت إلى سَهْلِهِ

وعرٌ إذا احتجتَ إِلى وَعْرِه

وعرٌ إذا احتجتَ إِلى وَعْرِه

Gentle when you need his gentleness,

Easy when you need its ease

Rough when you need his roughness.

And difficult when you need its difficulty

حلوٌ ومرٌّ فحياةُ الورى

حلوٌ ومرٌّ فحياةُ الورى

في حُلْوِهِ والموتُ في مُرِّه

في حُلْوِهِ والموتُ في مُرِّه

Sweet and bitter—for the life of humankind

Sweet and bitter, so the life of creation

Is in his sweetness, and death in his bitterness.

Is in its sweetness, and death in its bitterness

أُهدي له الشعرَ ومستحسنٌ

أُهدي له الشعرَ ومستحسنٌ

أن يُهْدِيَ الشاعرُ من شعره

أن يُهْدِيَ الشاعرُ من شعره

I offer him poetry, and it is commendable

Poetry was gifted to him, excellent

That a poet should offer some of his poetry.

That the poet gift some of his poetry

وأَنتقي أَنْفَسَ ما يُنْتَقى

وأَنتقي أَنْفَسَ ما يُنْتَقى

من لؤلؤِ المدحِ ومن درّه

من لؤلؤِ المدحِ ومن درّه

And I select the most precious that can be selected

And I chose the finest that could be chosen

From the pearls of praise and from its fine pearls.

Of the pearls of praise and its jewels

عساهُ أ يُذْكِرَهَ موعداً

عساهُ أ يُذْكِرَهَ موعداً

تَشْغَلُهُ الأشغالُ عن ذكره

تَشْغَلُهُ الأشغالُ عن ذكره

May it remind him of a promise

May He mention him at an appointed time

That his duties keep him from remembering.

When occupations distract him from remembering