العيدُ عيدٌ والصيام صيامُ

العيدُ عيدٌ والصيام صيامُ

والشّهرُ شَهْرٌ كُلُّهُ أيّامُ

والشّهرُ شَهْرٌ كُلُّهُ أيّامُ

The festival is a festival, and fasting is fasting.

The feast is a feast, and fasting is fasting,

And the month is a month, all of it days.

And the month, every bit of it is days.

والفطرُ من بعْدِ الغروبِ مُحَلّلٌ

والفطرُ من بعْدِ الغروبِ مُحَلّلٌ

لكَنّهُ بَعدَ الشُّروقِ حرامُ

لكَنّهُ بَعدَ الشُّروقِ حرامُ

And breaking the fast after sunset is permitted,

Breaking the fast after sunset is permitted,

but after sunrise it is forbidden.

But after dawn it is forbidden.

وإذا دَنى وَقتُ السّحورِ فكُل إذا

وإذا دَنى وَقتُ السّحورِ فكُل إذا

ما كانَ عنَدكَ للسّحورِ طعامُ

ما كانَ عنَدكَ للسّحورِ طعامُ

And when the time for the predawn meal draws near, eat if

And when the time of pre-dawn draweth nigh, eat whatever

you have food for the predawn meal.

You have for pre-dawn food.

والشّمسُ تَطْلُعُ بالنّهارِ وإنّما ال

والشّمسُ تَطْلُعُ بالنّهارِ وإنّما ال

ليلُ البَهيمُ إذا دنى الإظلامُ

ليلُ البَهيمُ إذا دنى الإظلامُ

And the sun rises by day; it is only the

The sun rises in the day, but the

pitch-black night when darkness draws near.

Night for the beasts when darkness draweth nigh.

وإذا رأيتَ الناسَ فوقَ رِحالهم

وإذا رأيتَ الناسَ فوقَ رِحالهم

هَجَعوا فإنّهُمُ كَذاكَ نيامُ

هَجَعوا فإنّهُمُ كَذاكَ نيامُ

And when you see people upon their saddles

And when you see people lying above their mounts,

slumbering, then they are likewise asleep.

They are thus sleeping.

وإذا سَعَيْتَ إلى الصّلاة فإنّما

وإذا سَعَيْتَ إلى الصّلاة فإنّما

ذاكَ المقدَّمُ في الصّلاةِ إمامُ

ذاكَ المقدَّمُ في الصّلاةِ إمامُ

And when you hasten to prayer, it is simply

And when you head for prayer, verily

that one placed in front for prayer who is the imam.

The one going forth in prayer is the imam.

واعلَمْ بأنَّ الدَّسْتَ مَجلسُ سيِّدٍ

واعلَمْ بأنَّ الدَّسْتَ مَجلسُ سيِّدٍ

يُرعى ومن فَرَشَ البساطَ غُلامُ

يُرعى ومن فَرَشَ البساطَ غُلامُ

And know that the dais is the seat of a lord

And know that the dais is the sitting place of a lord

who is attended to; and whoever spreads the carpet is a servant.

Who is obeyed, and he who has spread the carpet is a youth.

وكذا العبيدُ إذا اعتبرتَ فَمنهُمُ

وكذا العبيدُ إذا اعتبرتَ فَمنهُمُ

تلكَ الفحولُ ومنْهُمُ الخّدامُ

تلكَ الفحولُ ومنْهُمُ الخّدامُ

And likewise the slaves, if you consider them: among them

As such are slaves when you contemplate them,

are those virile males, and among them are servants.

Among them are stalwarts and among them servants.

وإذا لَقيتَ مُخاطباً بتحية

وإذا لَقيتَ مُخاطباً بتحية

عندَ اللقاء فإنَّ ذاكَ سلامُ

عندَ اللقاء فإنَّ ذاكَ سلامُ

And when you meet someone addressing you with a greeting

And if you meet one who greets

at the encounter, that is a salutation.

With a greeting upon meeting, that is peace.

وَلَقَد يكونُ البُخُل ِشحّاً في الورى

وَلَقَد يكونُ البُخُل ِشحّاً في الورى

والمفضلونَ على الأنام كرامُ

والمفضلونَ على الأنام كرامُ

And miserliness may indeed be avarice among humankind,

Stinginess can indeed be miserliness among people,

and those who bestow favors on humankind are generous.

Yet the generous are the noblest of men.

ورأيتُ مجدَ الدينِ في بَذْلِ النّدى

ورأيتُ مجدَ الدينِ في بَذْلِ النّدى

والجودِ والمعروفِ ليسَ يُلامُ

والجودِ والمعروفِ ليسَ يُلامُ

And I saw Majd al-Din, in bestowing bounty

And I saw the glory of faith in giving blandishment

and generosity and kindness, go unblamed.

And bounty and charity? that is not blamed.

يَهَبُ الدَّراهِم كاللُّجَينِ كأنّما

يَهَبُ الدَّراهِم كاللُّجَينِ كأنّما

أشعارُ مادحهِ لَدّيهِ كَلامُ

أشعارُ مادحهِ لَدّيهِ كَلامُ

He gives dirhams like silver, as though

He gives dirhams freely like the floods, as though

his praiser's verses were, to him, words.

The eulogies of his eulogizer to him are but words.

وإذا أشارَ إلى الغُلامِ بِطَرفِهِ

وإذا أشارَ إلى الغُلامِ بِطَرفِهِ

أعطِ الحكيمَ فذلكَ الإنعامُ

أعطِ الحكيمَ فذلكَ الإنعامُ

And when he signals to the servant with his glance,

And if he gestures to the boy with a wink of his eye,

'Give the sage!'—that is bestowing favors.

Give, wise one, for that is benefaction.

ومتى وَصَفنا بالسّحائبِ كفّهُ

ومتى وَصَفنا بالسّحائبِ كفّهُ

كَرَماً وَجوداً فالسّحابُ غَمامُ

كَرَماً وَجوداً فالسّحابُ غَمامُ

And whenever we liken his hand to clouds

And when we describe his palm as clouds,

in bounty and generosity, clouds are clouds.

Bounteously and generously, clouds are cumulus clouds,

مُتَبَسِّماً كفَتىً يَهشُّ طَلاقةً

مُتَبَسِّماً كفَتىً يَهشُّ طَلاقةً

في ضحكهِ والضّاحِكُ البسّامُ

في ضحكهِ والضّاحِكُ البسّامُ

Smiling like a youth who beams with cheer

Smiling like a bloke cheerily

in his laughter; he who laughs is ever-smiling.

Joking, and the joker is beaming.

يأوي إليهِ البائسونُ وَكُلّهُمْ

يأوي إليهِ البائسونُ وَكُلّهُمْ

كالسّائلينَ لَهُمَ هُناكَ زِحامُ

كالسّائلينَ لَهُمَ هُناكَ زِحامُ

The wretched seek refuge with him, and all of them,

The wretched throng to him, all of them

like beggars, crowd together there,

Like beggars, for them there a press.

في مَنْزلٍ كالبيتِ إلاَّ أنّه

في مَنْزلٍ كالبيتِ إلاَّ أنّه

في أرضهِ عِوَضَ البلاط رُخامُ

في أرضهِ عِوَضَ البلاط رُخامُ

in a dwelling like a house, except that

In an abode like a house except

on its floor, instead of paving tiles, there is marble.

In his land pavement has replaced carpets.

ولهُ سِماطٌ كالخِوانِ إذا بَدا

ولهُ سِماطٌ كالخِوانِ إذا بَدا

قُلنا عَلَيهِ في العشاءِ حسامُ

قُلنا عَلَيهِ في العشاءِ حسامُ

And he has a table spread like a dining table; when it appears,

And he has tableware like platters, when it appears,

we say: 'Upon it at supper is a sharp sword.'

We say over it at supper, “a quickening."

وَلَرُّبما الصّينيُّ كلُّ صحافهِ

وَلَرُّبما الصّينيُّ كلُّ صحافهِ

مِن غيرِ شَكً والقدورُ بُرامُ

مِن غيرِ شَكً والقدورُ بُرامُ

And perhaps all his dishes are Chinese porcelain,

And sometimes every bowl of the Chinese,

without a doubt, and the pots are stone cooking pots.

Without doubt, and cooking pots are copper pots.

وَلَدَيهِ أَصحابٌ أخلاَّءٌ لهُ

وَلَدَيهِ أَصحابٌ أخلاَّءٌ لهُ

والواقِفونَ منَ العَبيدِ قِيامُ

والواقِفونَ منَ العَبيدِ قِيامُ

And he has companions who are close friends of his,

And he has boon friends and cronies,

and those standing among the slaves stand upright.

And standing slaves.

بَلَدي الجزيرةُ والمواطنُ تُربةٌ

بَلَدي الجزيرةُ والمواطنُ تُربةٌ

لكنَّ أكثرَ أهلهِا أقوامُ

لكنَّ أكثرَ أهلهِا أقوامُ

My homeland is al-Jazira, and homelands are soil,

My homeland is the Peninsula, and its climes are a land,

but most of its inhabitants are people.

But most of its people are folk.

وبأرضِنا قومٌ إذا قالوا بِيا

وبأرضِنا قومٌ إذا قالوا بِيا

أنجا عَلمِنا أنّهم أعجامُ

أنجا عَلمِنا أنّهم أعجامُ

And in our land are people who, when they say 'biyā

And in our land are folk, when they say “bye,"

anjā,' we know they are non-Arabs.

Our banner told us they are foreigners.

وَرأيتُ أخوالي لأُمّي إخوةً

وَرأيتُ أخوالي لأُمّي إخوةً

لكنَّ إخوةَ والدي أعمامُ

لكنَّ إخوةَ والدي أعمامُ

And I found my maternal uncles to be my mother's brothers,

And I saw my mother’s brothers are brothers.

but my father's brothers are paternal uncles.

But my father’s brothers are uncles.

هذا هُوَ الصِّدقُ الصريحُ وغيرُهُ

هذا هُوَ الصِّدقُ الصريحُ وغيرُهُ

فيهِ التّحرُّضُ والنِّظامُ نظامُ

فيهِ التّحرُّضُ والنِّظامُ نظامُ

This is the plain truth; anything else

This is the plain truth, and other than it

contains incitement, and verse is verse.

Contains incitement and organization is organization.