كُلُّ شَيءٍ مِنَ الزَمانِ طَريفُ

كُلُّ شَيءٍ مِنَ الزَمانِ طَريفُ

وَاللَيالي مَغانِمٌ وَحُتوفُ

وَاللَيالي مَغانِمٌ وَحُتوفُ

All that time brings is novel;

Everything in time is delightful

And nights bring spoils and deaths.

And nights are gains and gifts

لا يَبُذُّ الهُمومَ إِلّا غُلامٌ

لا يَبُذُّ الهُمومَ إِلّا غُلامٌ

يَركَبُ الهَولَ وَالحُسامُ رَديفُ

يَركَبُ الهَولَ وَالحُسامُ رَديفُ

None outstrips cares but a young man

Worries are only dispelled by a youth

Who rides terror, with the keen sword riding behind him.

Who rides terror and the sword his companion

كُلَّما حَزَّتِ النَوائِبُ فينا

كُلَّما حَزَّتِ النَوائِبُ فينا

أَطلَعَتنا عَلى الكُلومِ القُروفُ

أَطلَعَتنا عَلى الكُلومِ القُروفُ

Whenever calamities cut into us,

Whenever misfortunes tear at us

The scabs reveal the wounds to us.

They reveal to us well-guarded heights

يا أَبا الفَضلِ وَالأُمورُ فُنونٌ

يا أَبا الفَضلِ وَالأُمورُ فُنونٌ

تَبعَثُ الهَمَّ وَالخُطوبُ صُروفُ

تَبعَثُ الهَمَّ وَالخُطوبُ صُروفُ

O Abu al-Fadl, affairs take many forms,

O Abu Al Fadl, affairs are skills

Stirring worry, while adversities take many turns.

That stir cares and calamities turn aside

وَحِفاظي كَما عَلِمتَ وَلَكِن

وَحِفاظي كَما عَلِمتَ وَلَكِن

أَنكَرَ الغَدرَ وُدِّيَ المَعروفُ

أَنكَرَ الغَدرَ وُدِّيَ المَعروفُ

And my loyalty is as you have known it; yet

And my restraints, as you know, but

My well-known affection has rejected treachery.

Goodness rejects betrayal and clings to virtue

إِنَّما الغَدرُ في الرِجالِ أَذَبٌّ

إِنَّما الغَدرُ في الرِجالِ أَذَبٌّ

إِن تَأَمَّلتَ وَالوَفاءُ أَلوفُ

إِن تَأَمَّلتَ وَالوَفاءُ أَلوفُ

Treachery among men is but a wild thing,

Betrayal among men is truly rare

If you reflect, while fidelity is tame.

If you reflect, while loyalty is abundant

صَرَّحَ الاِقتِضاءُ وَالقَولُ مَحبو

صَرَّحَ الاِقتِضاءُ وَالقَولُ مَحبو

سٌ عَلى ما تُريدُهُ مَوقوفُ

سٌ عَلى ما تُريدُهُ مَوقوفُ

The claim has been made plain, while speech is held

Necessity and affectionate words explain plainly

Back, dependent upon what you desire.

As you wish, dependent on your will

وَمُرادي يَقِلُّ في جَنبِ نُعما

وَمُرادي يَقِلُّ في جَنبِ نُعما

كَ فَأَينَ التَكَرُّمُ المَألوفُ

كَ فَأَينَ التَكَرُّمُ المَألوفُ

And my wish is small beside your bounty;

And my desire is little next to your favors

Where, then, is your accustomed generosity?

So where is the accustomed generosity?

إِنَّ قَولَ الجَوادِ يَتبَعُهُ الفِع

إِنَّ قَولَ الجَوادِ يَتبَعُهُ الفِع

لُ كَما يَتبَعُ الوَظيفَ الوَظيفُ

لُ كَما يَتبَعُ الوَظيفَ الوَظيفُ

Indeed, a generous man's word is followed by action,

The words of the noble are followed by deeds

As one shank follows another.

As official succeeds official

ما يُذِلُّ الزَمانُ بِالفَقرِ حُرّاً

ما يُذِلُّ الزَمانُ بِالفَقرِ حُرّاً

كَيفَ ما كانَ فَالشَريفُ شَريفُ

كَيفَ ما كانَ فَالشَريفُ شَريفُ

Time does not abase a freeborn man through poverty;

Time does not debase the free man with poverty

However he may fare, the noble man remains noble.

However it may be, for the noble is noble

إِن تَكَرَّمتَ فَالخَليلُ كَريمٌ

إِن تَكَرَّمتَ فَالخَليلُ كَريمٌ

أَو تَمَنَّعتَ فَالمَلولُ عَنيفُ

أَو تَمَنَّعتَ فَالمَلولُ عَنيفُ

If you act generously, the friend is generous;

If you are generous, the friend is generous

Or if you withhold, one quick to tire is harsh.

Or if you hold back, the weary is harsh

أَو يَكُن أَنكَرَ الإِخاءَ قَديماً

أَو يَكُن أَنكَرَ الإِخاءَ قَديماً

مِنكَ قَلبٌ فَإِنَّ قَلبي عَروفُ

مِنكَ قَلبٌ فَإِنَّ قَلبي عَروفُ

Or if brotherhood was disowned long ago

Or it may be you denied brotherhood long ago

By a heart of yours, then my heart recognizes it well.

Yet my heart is gentle, though yours is unyielding

أَحمَدُ اللَهَ أَنَّني ما تَقَصّي

أَحمَدُ اللَهَ أَنَّني ما تَقَصّي

تُ وَإِنَّ الَّذي طَلَبتُ طَفيفُ

تُ وَإِنَّ الَّذي طَلَبتُ طَفيفُ

I praise God that I did not press my claim to the limit,

I thank God that I did not importune you

And indeed, what I requested is slight.

And what I sought is trifling

فَاِجعَلِ الآنَ ما سَأَلتُكَ بِرّاً

فَاِجعَلِ الآنَ ما سَأَلتُكَ بِرّاً

إِنَّما البِرُّ مَنزِلٌ مَألوفُ

إِنَّما البِرُّ مَنزِلٌ مَألوفُ

So now make what I asked of you an act of kindness;

So make now what I asked of you a kindness

Kindness is but a familiar dwelling.

For kindness has its accustomed dwelling

وَاِحتَمِل سَطوَةَ العِتابِ فَخَيرُ ال

وَاِحتَمِل سَطوَةَ العِتابِ فَخَيرُ ال

نَبعِ ما مَدَّ مَتنَهُ التَثقيفُ

نَبعِ ما مَدَّ مَتنَهُ التَثقيفُ

And bear the force of reproach; for the finest

And bear the violence of reproach, for the best spring

Nabʿ wood is that whose shaft has been lengthened by straightening.

Is one whose channel is deepened by clearing

وَعِتابي هَزّاً لِعِطفِكَ وَالأَغ

وَعِتابي هَزّاً لِعِطفِكَ وَالأَغ

صانُ ما لَم تَهُزُّهُنَّ وُقوفُ

صانُ ما لَم تَهُزُّهُنَّ وُقوفُ

And my reproach is a shaking of your side; the branches

And my reproach is a shaking of your affection

Stand still unless you shake them.

While gentleness is not stirred by insistence