إِذا أَنا لَم أُجزِ الزَمانَ بِفِعلِهِ

إِذا أَنا لَم أُجزِ الزَمانَ بِفِعلِهِ

تَقَلَّبَ مِنّي الدَهرُ في جانِبٍ سَهلِ

تَقَلَّبَ مِنّي الدَهرُ في جانِبٍ سَهلِ

If I do not repay Time for its deeds,

If I did not keep pace with time in its deeds

Fate would move freely along my vulnerable flank.

Time would turn away from me to an easy side

عَرَضتُ فَما أُعطي الحَوادِثَ طاعَةً

عَرَضتُ فَما أُعطي الحَوادِثَ طاعَةً

وَلَيسَ يُطيعُ الحادِثاتِ فَتىً مِثلي

وَلَيسَ يُطيعُ الحادِثاتِ فَتىً مِثلي

I confronted it; I yield no obedience to calamities,

I resisted so I do not obey events

And a young man like me does not obey calamities.

And a man like me does not obey accidents

إِذا ضَحِكَت حَربٌ عَنِ البيضِ وَالقَنا

إِذا ضَحِكَت حَربٌ عَنِ البيضِ وَالقَنا

رَأَيتَ الدُموعَ الحُمرَ تَجري عَلى نَصلي

رَأَيتَ الدُموعَ الحُمرَ تَجري عَلى نَصلي

When war laughs, baring bright swords and spears,

If war laughed about cutting white swords

You see red tears flowing over my blade.

You would see red tears flowing on my blade

أَبَينا لِمالٍ أَن نَصونَ كَرامَةً

أَبَينا لِمالٍ أَن نَصونَ كَرامَةً

عَنِ الضَيفِ وَالعافينَ في الخَصبِ وَالمَحلِ

عَنِ الضَيفِ وَالعافينَ في الخَصبِ وَالمَحلِ

We refused, for wealth’s sake, to withhold hospitality

We refused money to protect dignity

From the guest and those seeking aid, in plenty and drought.

From guests and the prosperous in fertility and ease

وَنُصلِحُ ما أَبقى لَنا مِنهُ جودُنا

وَنُصلِحُ ما أَبقى لَنا مِنهُ جودُنا

لِنَجرِيَ ما عِشنا عَلى عادَةِ الفَضلِ

لِنَجرِيَ ما عِشنا عَلى عادَةِ الفَضلِ

And we manage well what our generosity leaves us of it,

And we fix what our generosity left for us

So that, as long as we live, we follow the custom of generosity.

To spend our lives in the habit of virtue