يا نَبَأَ سُرَّ بِهِ مَسمَعي

يا نَبَأَ سُرَّ بِهِ مَسمَعي

حَتّى تَمَنّى أَنَّهُ الناقِلُ

حَتّى تَمَنّى أَنَّهُ الناقِلُ

O news that delighted my ear,

O news that has delighted my hearing

O tiding that brought joy to my hearing,

Until it wished it were the bearer!

So much that the bearer wished it was he

Until it wished that it were the narrator;

أَنعَشَ في نَفسي المُنى مِثلَما

أَنعَشَ في نَفسي المُنى مِثلَما

يُحيِ الجَديبَ الواكِفُ الهاطِلُ

يُحيِ الجَديبَ الواكِفُ الهاطِلُ

It revived hopes within my soul, just as

It revived hope in my soul just as

It revived hopes within my soul, just as

Streaming, pouring rain revives barren land.

The pouring rain revives the barren land

The pouring rain revives the barren earth.

عَرَفتُ مِنهُ أَنَّ ذاكَ الحِمى

عَرَفتُ مِنهُ أَنَّ ذاكَ الحِمى

بِالصَيدِ مِن فِطيانِنا آهِلُ

بِالصَيدِ مِن فِطيانِنا آهِلُ

From it I learned that that haven

From it I learned that the fevered place

I learned from it that this sanctuary

Is peopled with noble men from among our youths.

Is rich with prey from our youth

Is inhabited by the lions among our youth;

عِصابَةٌ كَالعِقدِ في أَكرِنِ

عِصابَةٌ كَالعِقدِ في أَكرِنِ

يَعتَزُّ فيها الفَضلُ وَالفاضِلُ

يَعتَزُّ فيها الفَضلُ وَالفاضِلُ

A band like a necklace in Akron,

A band as tight as a necklace

A band united like pearls in a necklace,

In which virtue and the virtuous take pride.

Where merit and the virtuous prevail

In whom virtue and the virtuous take pride.

مِن كُلِّ مِقدامٍ رَجيحِ النُهى

مِن كُلِّ مِقدامٍ رَجيحِ النُهى

كَالسَيفِ إِذ يَصقُلُهُ الصقِلُ

كَالسَيفِ إِذ يَصقُلُهُ الصقِلُ

Of every bold man of sound judgment,

Of every bold, rightly-guided one

Each one daring, of weighty intellect,

Like a sword when the polisher burnishes it.

Like a sword when the polisher polishes it

Like a sword when honed by the polisher.

البَدرُ مِن أَزرارِهِ طالِعٌ

البَدرُ مِن أَزرارِهِ طالِعٌ

وَالغَيثُ مِن راحَتِهِ هامِلُ

وَالغَيثُ مِن راحَتِهِ هامِلُ

The full moon rises from his buttons,

The full moon of their buttons rising

The full moon rises from his visage,

And rain streams from his palm.

And the rain of their hands pouring

And bountiful rain flows from his palm.

وَكُلُّ طَلقِ الوَجهِ مَوفورِهِ

وَكُلُّ طَلقِ الوَجهِ مَوفورِهِ

في بُردَتَيهِ سَيِّدٌ مائِلُ

في بُردَتَيهِ سَيِّدٌ مائِلُ

And every smiling man, his honor intact,

Every bright-faced and cheerful one

And every cheerful-faced one of ample merit,

Is a wealthy lord within his two cloaks.

A poised master in his cloak

Within his cloaks moves a master of grace.

شَبيهَةَ الشَرقِ اِنعَمي وَاِسلَمي

شَبيهَةَ الشَرقِ اِنعَمي وَاِسلَمي

كَي تَسلَمَ الآمالُ وَالآمِلُ

كَي تَسلَمَ الآمالُ وَالآمِلُ

O likeness of the East, prosper and remain safe,

Resembling the prosperity and peace of the East

O likeness of the East, live in grace and safety,

So that hopes and the hopeful may remain safe.

So hopes and the hopeful may be safe

That hopes and those who hope may be preserved.

بِكُم وَبِالراقينَ أَمثالِكُم

بِكُم وَبِالراقينَ أَمثالِكُم

يَفتَخِرُ العالِمُ وَالعامِلُ

يَفتَخِرُ العالِمُ وَالعامِلُ

In you and in those advancing like you,

With you and others like you

In you, and in the high-minded like you,

The scholar and the worker take pride.

The world and the worker take pride

Both the scholar and the worker take pride.

بَعَثتُمُ هَملِتَ مِن رَمسِهِ

بَعَثتُمُ هَملِتَ مِن رَمسِهِ

فَهَملِتٌ بَينَكُم ماثِلُ

فَهَملِتٌ بَينَكُم ماثِلُ

You raised Hamlet from his grave,

You roused an ambition that was dormant

You have resurrected Hamlet from his grave,

So Hamlet stands among you.

So ambition amongst you stands tall

And now Hamlet stands before you.

تَمشي وَيَمشي الطَيفُ ف إِثرِهِ

تَمشي وَيَمشي الطَيفُ ف إِثرِهِ

كلاهُما مِمّا بِهِ ذاهِلُ

كلاهُما مِمّا بِهِ ذاهِلُ

You walk, and the ghost walks in his wake,

It walks and the phantom walks in its tracks

He walks, and the ghost walks in his wake,

Both bewildered by what each endures.

Both of them lost in thought

Both absent-minded in their plight.

لا يَضحَكُ السامِعُ مِن هَزلِهِ

لا يَضحَكُ السامِعُ مِن هَزلِهِ

كَم عِظَةٍ جاءَ بِها الهازِلُ

كَم عِظَةٍ جاءَ بِها الهازِلُ

The listener does not laugh at his jesting;

The listener doesn’t laugh at his joke

The listener does not laugh at his jesting;

How many lessons the jester has brought!

See how many lessons the jester brings

For how often does the jester bring deep wisdom?

رِوايَةً يَظهَرُ فيها لَكُم

رِوايَةً يَظهَرُ فيها لَكُم

كَيفَ يُداجي الصادِقَ الخاتِلُ

كَيفَ يُداجي الصادِقَ الخاتِلُ

A play in which it becomes clear to you

A story in which is revealed to you

A narrative revealing to your eyes

How the deceiver flatters the truthful man,

How the truthful converses with the deceitful

How the deceiver cajoles the truthful soul,

وَتَنكُثُ المِرآةَ ميثاقَها

وَتَنكُثُ المِرآةَ ميثاقَها

وَكَيفَ يُجزي المُجرِمُ القاتِلُ

وَكَيفَ يُجزي المُجرِمُ القاتِلُ

And the mirror breaks its covenant,

And the mirror breaks its covenant

And how the mirror breaks its covenant,

And how the murderous criminal is recompensed.

And how the criminal is punished by the killer

And how the murderous criminal is requited.

وَإِنَّما الإِنسانُ أَخلاقُهُ

وَإِنَّما الإِنسانُ أَخلاقُهُ

لا يَستَوي الناقِصُ وَالكامِلُ

لا يَستَوي الناقِصُ وَالكامِلُ

And a person is nothing but his character;

Indeed, man is his manners

For a human is defined by his character;

The imperfect and the perfect are not equal.

The deficient and the perfect are not equal

The flawed and the perfect are not equal.

وَالنَفسُ كَالمِرآةِ إِن أُهمِلَت

وَالنَفسُ كَالمِرآةِ إِن أُهمِلَت

يَعلو عَلَيها الصَدَءُ الآكِلُ

يَعلو عَلَيها الصَدَءُ الآكِلُ

And the soul is like a mirror: if neglected,

And the soul is like a mirror—if neglected

The soul is like a mirror: if neglected,

Corrosive rust spreads over it.

The eating rust rises upon it

Corrosive rust will cloud its face.

وَالناسُ أَدوارٌ فَذا صاعِدٌ

وَالناسُ أَدوارٌ فَذا صاعِدٌ

يُراوِدُ الشُهبَ وَذا نازِلُ

يُراوِدُ الشُهبَ وَذا نازِلُ

And people have their turns: this one rises,

And people are cycles—so one ascending

People are roles: one ascends

Courting the shooting stars, while another descends.

Chasing the stars, and one descending

To court the stars, while another falls.

وَالدَهرُ حالاتٌ فَيَومٌ بِهِ

وَالدَهرُ حالاتٌ فَيَومٌ بِهِ

تَحُسُّ وَيَومٌ سَعدُهُ كامِلُ

تَحُسُّ وَيَومٌ سَعدُهُ كامِلُ

And time has its changing states: a day when

And time is states—so one day

Time shifts in states: a day wherein you suffer,

You feel it, and a day whose good fortune is complete.

You feel hope and one day your bliss is complete

And a day whose happiness is full.

فَمَثَّلوا الجَهلَ وَأَضرارِهِ

فَمَثَّلوا الجَهلَ وَأَضرارِهِ

حَتّى يُعادي جَهلَهُ الجاهِلُ

حَتّى يُعادي جَهلَهُ الجاهِلُ

So portray ignorance and its harms,

So they exemplified ignorance and its harms

So portray ignorance and its perils,

Until the ignorant man opposes his own ignorance.

Until even the ignorant oppose their ignorance

That the ignorant may come to loathe his state;

وَمَثَّلوا الفَضلَ وَآياتِهِ

وَمَثَّلوا الفَضلَ وَآياتِهِ

كَي يَستَزيدَ الرَجُلُ الفاضِلُ

كَي يَستَزيدَ الرَجُلُ الفاضِلُ

And portray virtue and its signs,

And they exemplified merit and its signs

And portray virtue and its noble signs,

So that the virtuous man may seek still more.

So that the virtuous man may excel more

That the virtuous man may seek yet more.

وَصَوَّروا المَجدَ وَلَألائِهِ

وَصَوَّروا المَجدَ وَلَألائِهِ

عَسى يُفيقُ الهاجِعُ الغافِلُ

عَسى يُفيقُ الهاجِعُ الغافِلُ

And depict glory and its radiance,

And they depicted glory and its splendors

And depict glory and its radiance,

Perhaps the heedless sleeper will awaken,

Perhaps the sleeping wakeful one may awaken

That the heedless sleeper might awake,

وَيَرجِعُ الشَرقُ إِلى أَوجِهِ

وَيَرجِعُ الشَرقُ إِلى أَوجِهِ

كَما يَعودُ القَمَرُ الآفِلُ

كَما يَعودُ القَمَرُ الآفِلُ

And the East return to its zenith,

And the East returns to its prime

And the East may return to its zenith,

As the setting moon returns.

Like the waning moon returns

Just as the waning moon returns to light.

وَاِبنوا إِلى الآتينَ مِن بَعدِكُم

وَاِبنوا إِلى الآتينَ مِن بَعدِكُم

يَبنِ لِمَن يَخلُفُهُ القابِلُ

يَبنِ لِمَن يَخلُفُهُ القابِلُ

And build for those coming after you;

And build for those who come after you

And build for those who come after you,

The next to come will build for whoever succeeds him.

What the successor builds for the one he succeeds

As the successor builds for those to follow.

ما دُمتُمُ لِلحَقِّ أَنصارَهُ

ما دُمتُمُ لِلحَقِّ أَنصارَهُ

هَيهاتَ أَن يَنتَصِرَ الباطِلُ

هَيهاتَ أَن يَنتَصِرَ الباطِلُ

As long as you remain champions of truth,

As long as you are the supporters of truth

So long as you remain champions of the Truth,

Falsehood can never triumph!

Never will falsehood prevail

Never shall Falsehood gain the victory.