إذا ما الفتى في الناس بالعقل قد سما

إذا ما الفتى في الناس بالعقل قد سما

تيقّن أن الأرض من فوقها السما

تيقّن أن الأرض من فوقها السما

When a young man rises high among people through reason,

If a young man is distinguished among people by his intellect,

He knows for certain that above the earth is the sky,

Be certain that the earth is above the sky,

وأن السما من تحتها الأرض لم تزل

وأن السما من تحتها الأرض لم تزل

وبينهما أشيا متى ظهرت تُرى

وبينهما أشيا متى ظهرت تُرى

And that beneath the sky the earth has always remained,

And that the sky is beneath the earth it has not ceased to be,

And between them are things seen whenever they appear.

And between them are things - when they appear they can be seen,

وإني سأبدي بعضَ ما قد علمته

وإني سأبدي بعضَ ما قد علمته

ليعلم أني من ذوي اللم والحجى

ليعلم أني من ذوي اللم والحجى

And I shall reveal some of what I have learned,

And I will reveal some of what I have learned,

So it may be known that I possess understanding and reason.

So it may be known that I possess intelligence and wisdom,

فمن ذاك أن الناس من نسل آدم

فمن ذاك أن الناس من نسل آدم

ومنهم أبي سودون أيضاً ولو مضى

ومنهم أبي سودون أيضاً ولو مضى

And among these is that people descend from Adam,

For from that, people are the progeny of Adam,

And among them is my father, Sudun, too, even though he is gone;

Among them is my father Sudun, even if he passed away,

وأن أبي زوّج لأمي وأنني

وأن أبي زوّج لأمي وأنني

أنا ابنهما والناس هم يعرفون ذا

أنا ابنهما والناس هم يعرفون ذا

And that my father was married to my mother, and that I—

And that my father married my mother, and I

I am their son, and people themselves know this.

Am their son, and people know this,

وكم عجب عندي بمصر وغيرها

وكم عجب عندي بمصر وغيرها

فمصر بها نيل على الطين قد جرى

فمصر بها نيل على الطين قد جرى

And how many marvels I know in Egypt and elsewhere!

And how strange it is to me about Egypt and others,

For Egypt has a Nile that has flowed over mud.

Egypt, through which the Nile flows on the mud,

ومن نيلها من نام في الليل بلّه

ومن نيلها من نام في الليل بلّه

وليست تبلّ الشمس من نام في الضحى

وليست تبلّ الشمس من نام في الضحى

And its Nile wets whoever sleeps at night,

And whoever sleeps at night in its Nile wets the bed,

And the sun does not wet whoever sleeps in midmorning.

But the sun does not wet whoever sleeps at noon,

وفي الشام أقوام إذا ما رأيتهم

وفي الشام أقوام إذا ما رأيتهم

ترى ظهر كل منهم وهو من ورا

ترى ظهر كل منهم وهو من ورا

And in the Levant are people: whenever you see them,

And in Damascus are people - when you see them,

You see each one's back, and it is at the rear.

You see each of their backs while they are from the front,

وتسخن فيها النار في الصيف دائماً

وتسخن فيها النار في الصيف دائماً

ويبرد فيها الماء في زمن الشتا

ويبرد فيها الماء في زمن الشتا

And there fire always grows hot in summer,

And fire heats up constantly in it during summer,

And there water grows cold in winter.

And water cools in it during winter,

وقد يضحك الإنسان أوقات فرحه

وقد يضحك الإنسان أوقات فرحه

ويبكي زمان الحزن فيها إذا ابتلى

ويبكي زمان الحزن فيها إذا ابتلى

And a person may laugh in times of joy,

And a person may laugh during times of joy,

And weep there in times of sorrow, when afflicted.

And cry during times of affliction when tested,

وفي القدس قال الناس إن كرومها

وفي القدس قال الناس إن كرومها

لها عنب يحلو إذا طاب واستوى

لها عنب يحلو إذا طاب واستوى

And in Jerusalem, people said that its vineyards

And in Jerusalem, it is said its vineyards

Have grapes that grow sweet when ripe and fully mature.

Have grapes that are sweet when ripe and ready,

وفي الصين صيني إذا ما طرقته

وفي الصين صيني إذا ما طرقته

يطنّ كصيني طرقت سوا سوا

يطنّ كصيني طرقت سوا سوا

And in China there is china: whenever you tap it,

And in China, a Chinese, when you knock him,

It rings like china you have tapped—exactly alike.

Rattles like a Chinese knocked evenly,

ومَن قد رأى في الهند شيئاً بعينه

ومَن قد رأى في الهند شيئاً بعينه

فذاك له بالعين في الهند قد رأى

فذاك له بالعين في الهند قد رأى

And whoever has seen something in India with his own eye,

And whoever saw something in India with his eye,

That is what he himself has seen with his eye in India.

Then that is in his eye he saw in India,

وعشاق إقليم الصعيد به رأوا

وعشاق إقليم الصعيد به رأوا

ثماراً كأثمار العراق لها نوى

ثماراً كأثمار العراق لها نوى

And lovers of the region of Upper Egypt have seen there

And lovers of Upper Egypt saw therein

Fruits like the fruits of Iraq, with pits.

Fruits like the fruits of Iraq that have pits,

بها باسقات النخل وهي حوامل

بها باسقات النخل وهي حوامل

بأثمارها قالوا يحركها الهوا

بأثمارها قالوا يحركها الهوا

There are towering palms there, laden

With tall palm trees that are pregnant

With their fruit; they said the wind moves them.

With their fruits, they said the wind sways them,

وشاهدت في دمياط قطراً مكررا

وشاهدت في دمياط قطراً مكررا

وموزاً عليه قد تقشّر وارتمى

وموزاً عليه قد تقشّر وارتمى

And in Damietta I saw refined sugar syrup,

And I witnessed in Damietta recurring rain,

And bananas, peeled and fallen upon it.

And bananas on which the peel has cracked and discarded,

بها النجم حال الغيم يخفى ضياؤه

بها النجم حال الغيم يخفى ضياؤه

بها الشمس حال الصحو يبدو لها ضيا

بها الشمس حال الصحو يبدو لها ضيا

There, in cloudy weather, the star's light is hidden;

By which the stars hide their light during cloudiness,

There, in clear weather, the sun's radiance appears.

By which the sun shows its light during clearness,

وعندي علوم بعد هذا كثيرة

وعندي علوم بعد هذا كثيرة

تدل على أني من الناس يا فتى

تدل على أني من الناس يا فتى

And beyond this I have much knowledge

And I have after this a lot more knowledge

That shows I am one of mankind, O young man.

That indicates, O youth, that I am of the people,

وما علّمني ذاك أمي ولا أبي

وما علّمني ذاك أمي ولا أبي

ولا امرأة قد زوّجاني ولا حما

ولا امرأة قد زوّجاني ولا حما

And neither my mother nor my father taught me this,

And neither my mother nor father taught me that,

Nor a woman they married me to, nor a father-in-law.

Nor a woman they married me to or a protector,

ولكنني قد جرّبتها فعرفتها

ولكنني قد جرّبتها فعرفتها

وحققتها بالفهم والحِذق والذكا

وحققتها بالفهم والحِذق والذكا

But I have tested these things and so come to know them,

But I tried them and so knew them,

And verified them through understanding, skill, and intelligence.

And verified them with understanding, skill and intelligence,

فيا بخت أمي بي ألا يا سرورها

فيا بخت أمي بي ألا يا سرورها

إذا سمعت أني أفوق على حجا

إذا سمعت أني أفوق على حجا

So how lucky my mother is to have me—oh, her joy

So blessed is my mother by me! Lo the joy of her

When she hears that I surpass Ḥajā!

When she hears I surpass others in wisdom!