1. الغرب مركبه البخا

    ر أو الهواء أو الأثير

    The West's mount is steam,

    or air, or ether.

  2. وركوبة الشرق الهجي

    ن أو الحمار أو البعير

    And the East's mount is a crossbred steed,

    or a donkey, or a camel.

  3. والدهر للرجل القوي

    ي على صلابته ظهير

    And time, for the strong man,

    is an ally in his steadfastness.

  4. والدهر يخذل من يني

    والدهر يصفع من يخور

    And time forsakes whoever slackens;

    and time slaps whoever falters.

  5. ولمن تقدم باسم

    ولمن تأخر قمطرير

    For whoever advances, it smiles;

    for whoever falls behind, it is grim.

  6. هذا يثبطه الحجا

    ب وذاك يحفزه السفور

    This one is held back by veiling;

    and that one is spurred on by unveiling.

  7. وكأنما المتحجبا

    ت بكل مملكة قبور

    And it is as though veiled women

    are graves in every kingdom.

  8. ما في السفور لمن تر

    بتها الثقافة ما يضير

    There is nothing in unveiling, for a woman nurtured

    by culture, that can do harm.

  9. اما الحجاب فمنه تذ

    بعث المفاسد والشرور

    As for veiling, from it

    spring corruption and evils.

  10. ما بال هاتيك النجو

    م على وضاءتها تغور

    Why do those stars,

    for all their radiance, sink from sight?

  11. ولقد يعوق من الوصو

    ل لغاينا الجد العثور

    And we may indeed be kept from reaching

    our goal by stumbling fortune.

  12. هل انت وحدك ايها

    المتعصب العاتي غيور

    Are you alone, O

    overbearing fanatic, protective of honor?

  13. الدائرات وان حبت

    مهلا على الباغي تدور

    The turns of fate, though they creep

    slowly, turn against the oppressor.

  14. في الارض تزهق انفس

    اما السماء فلا تمور

    On earth, lives are lost,

    but the sky does not tremble.

  15. ولقد تأخرت الانا

    ث فما تقدمت الذكر

    And women have indeed fallen behind;

    so men have made no progress.

  16. اسعد بام سافر

    لقضاء حاجتها تسير

    How happy is an unveiled mother,

    who walks to attend to her needs,

  17. محمية بوقارها

    ومن العفاف لها خفير

    protected by her dignity,

    with chastity as her guard!

  18. الامهات منابت

    اولادهن لها زهور

    Mothers are seedbeds;

    their children are their flowers.

  19. والامهات كواكب

    وضاءة والولد نور

    And mothers are stars,

    radiant, and a child is light.

  20. والامهات مدارس

    منهم بها ينمو الشعور

    And mothers are schools;

    from them, within them, awareness grows.