1. يا كاسِيَ الأَخلاقِ في

    بَلَدٍ عَنِ الأَخلاقِ عاري

    O you who clothe us in virtue, in

    a land bare of virtue,

  2. لَم يَبقَ فينا مَن يُجا

    دِلُ في مَقامِكَ أَو يُماري

    none remains among us to

    dispute your standing or question it.

  3. بِالأَمسِ قَد عَلَّمتَنا

    أَدَبَ الكِتابَةِ وَالحِوارِ

    Yesterday you taught us

    the art of writing and dialogue;

  4. وَاليَومَ قَد أَلطَفتَنا

    بِالطَيِّباتِ مِنَ الثِمارِ

    and today you have favored us

    with the choicest of fruits:

  5. بِكِتابِ رَسطاليسَ تا

    جِ نَوادِرِ الفَلَكِ المُدارِ

    with Aristotle's book, the crown

    of rarities in the revolving firmament.

  6. جاهَدتَ في تَفضيلِهِ

    وَوَصَلتَ لَيلَكَ بِالنَهارِ

    You strove to give it pride of place,

    and joined your night to the day.

  7. تَزِنُ الكَلامَ كَأَنَّهُ

    ماسٌ بِميزانِ التِجارِ

    You weigh words as though they were

    diamonds on merchants' scales.

  8. وَتَصونُ مَعنى رَبِّهِ

    صَونَ اللَآلِئِ في المَحارِ

    And you safeguard their author's meaning

    as pearls are kept safe in oyster shells.

  9. وَتَضَنُّ دُهقانَ الكَلا

    مِ كَضَنِّ دُهقانِ النُضارِ

    And you guard it jealously, master of speech,

    as a master of pure gold guards his gold.

  10. حَتّى حَسِبتُكَ في الأَنا

    ةِ وَالاِختِبارِ وَالاِختِيارِ

    Until I imagined you, in your patience,

    your scrutiny and your selection,

  11. صَنَعاً يُصَوِّرُ في الفُصو

    صِ لَدى الفَراعِنَةِ الكِبارِ

    a craftsman carving images on gemstones

    for the great pharaohs.

  12. إِنّي قَرَأتُ كِتابَهُ

    بَينَ الخُشوعِ وَالاِعتِبارِ

    I read his book

    with reverence and reflection.

  13. فَإِذا المُتَرجِمُ ماثِلٌ

    جَنبَ المُؤَلِّفِ في إِطارِ

    And behold, the translator stands

    beside the author, within one frame,

  14. وَعَلَيهِما نورٌ يَفي

    ضُ مِنَ المَهابَةِ وَالوَقارِ

    and over them flows a light

    from majesty and dignity.

  15. قالوا لَقَد هَجَرَ السِيا

    سَةَ وَاِنزَوى في عُقرِ دارِ

    They said, “He has abandoned politics

    and withdrawn into the depths of his home;

  16. تَرَكَ المَجالَ لِغَيرِهِ

    وَرَأى النَجاةَ مَعَ الفِرارِ

    he left the field to others

    and saw salvation in flight.”

  17. لا تَظلِموا رَبَّ النُهى

    وَحَذارِ مِن خَطَلٍ حَذارِ

    Do not wrong the master of reason;

    beware of foolish talk—beware!

  18. هَجَرَ السِياسَةَ لِلسِيا

    سَةَ لا لِنَومٍ أَو قَرارِ

    He abandoned politics for politics,

    not for sleep or repose.

  19. لَو أَنَّهُم عَلِموا الَّذي

    يَبني لَهُم خَلفَ السِتارِ

    Had they known what

    he builds for them behind the curtain,

  20. لَسَعَوا إِلى حامي الفَضي

    لَةِ وَالحَقيقَةِ وَالذِمارِ

    they would have hastened to the defender of virtue,

    of truth and honor.

  21. وافاهُمُ بِدَعائِمَ ال

    أَخلاقِ وَالحِكَمِ السَواري

    He brought them the pillars of

    virtue and wisdom, rising high—

  22. أُسِّ السِياسَةِ وَالنَجا

    حِ وَحِصنِ سَيِّدَةِ البِحارِ

    the foundation of politics and success,

    and the fortress of the mistress of the seas.

  23. كَلِفَت بِها وَتَمَسَّكَت

    قَبلَ الفَيالِقِ وَالجَواري

    She cherished them and held them fast

    before legions and ships.

  24. يا عاشِقَ الخُلُقِ الصَري

    حِ وَشانِئَ الخُلُقُ المُواري

    O lover of forthright character

    and hater of dissembling character,

  25. إِنّي اِختَبَرتُكَ في الكُهو

    لَةِ وَالصِبا حَقَّ اِختِبارِ

    I have tested you in maturity

    and youth, with a thorough test.

  26. لَم يَجرِ في ناديكَ هُج

    رُ القَولِ أَو خَلعُ العِذارِ

    In your gathering there has never been

    foul speech or casting off the bridle.

  27. حُلوُ التَواضُعِ وَالتَوا

    ضُعُ آيَةُ القَومِ الخِيارِ

    Sweet in humility—and humility

    is the hallmark of the best of men;

  28. مُرُّ التَكَبُّرِ حينَ يَد

    عوكَ التَواضُعُ لِلصَغارِ

    bitter in pride, when humility calls

    you to abasement.

  29. سِر في طَريقِكَ وادِعاً

    فَلَأَنتَ مَأمونُ العِثارِ

    Go along your path in peace,

    for you are safe from stumbling.

  30. وَاِجعَل عَلى لُقَمِ الطَري

    قِ صُوىً تَلوحُ لِكُلِّ ساري

    And place along the main road

    stone waymarks visible to every traveler by night.

  31. إِنّا إِلى كُتبِ السِيا

    سَةِ يا حَكيمُ عَلى أُوارِ

    We yearn for books on politics,

    O sage, with a burning thirst.

  32. عَجِّل بِها قَبلَ الفَسا

    دِ وَقَبلَ عادِيَةِ البَوارِ

    Hasten with them before corruption,

    and before ruin's onslaught.

  33. إِنّا نُناضِلُ أُمَّةً

    أَقطابُها أُسدٌ ضَواري

    We contend with a nation

    whose leaders are ravening lions.

  34. عَرَكوا الزَمانَ وَأَهلَهُ

    وَتَحَصَّنوا مِن كُلِّ طاري

    They have wrestled with time and its people

    and fortified themselves against every unforeseen event.

  35. أَمسَت سِياسَتُهُم كَطِل

    لَسمٍ يُحَيِّرُ كُلَّ قاري

    Their politics has become like a talisman

    that bewilders every reader.

  36. إِن يَنكِروا بَعضَ الغُمو

    ضِ عَلى أَديبٍ ذي اِقتِدارِ

    If they object to some obscurity

    in a writer of great ability,

  37. فَلِأَنَّهُم لَم يَذكُروا

    أَنَّ المُتَرجِمَ في إِسارِ

    it is because they have not remembered

    that the translator is in fetters.

  38. لَم يَعيَ أَحمَدُ أَن يَجي

    ءَ بِآيِ قَيسٍ أَو نِزارِ

    Ahmad was not at a loss to bring

    forth the marvels of Qays or Nizar,

  39. وَهوَ المُجَلّي في أَسا

    ليبِ الفَصاحَةِ وَالمُباري

    for he is foremost in the arts

    of eloquence, and a worthy rival.

  40. لُغَةُ العُلومِ حَقائِقٌ

    هِيَ عَن زَخارِفِنا عَواري

    The language of science consists of facts,

    bare of our embellishments.

  41. تَأبى الغُلُوَّ وَتَحسَبُ ال

    إِغراقَ كَالثَوبِ المُعارِ

    It rejects excess and regards

    hyperbole as a borrowed garment.

  42. وَالنَقلُ إِن عَدِمَ الأَما

    نَةَ كانَ عُنوانَ الخَسارِ

    And translation, if it lacks fidelity,

    is the emblem of loss.