1. تَقارَنَ اليومَ طيبُ السَّمْعِ والبَصَرِ

    من دولةٍ نَظَرَتْ في مَوْضِعِ النَّظَرِ

    Today the delights of hearing and sight have come together,

    From a state that showed regard where regard was due.

  2. فاضتْ كراماتُها في الشَّرقِ واردةً

    منها إلى البَدرِ تُهدي نَجْمةَ السَّحَرِ

    Its honors flowed into the East, arriving

    From it to the full moon, offering the star of dawn.

  3. يا حبذا شَرَفٌ وافَى على شَرَفٍ

    كأنَّهُ مَطَرٌ وافى على مَطَرِ

    O, how splendid an honor added to an honor,

    As though it were rain falling upon rain!

  4. أهدَى بهِ المَلِكُ المأمولُ نائلُهُ

    إلى الحبيبِ حبيبِ اللهِ والبَشَرِ

    The king, whose bounty is hoped for, presented it

    To the beloved, beloved of God and humankind.

  5. عطيَّةُ الفخرِ فوقَ المالِ مَرتَبةً

    كرُتبةِ الشَّمسِ تعلو رُتبةَ القَمَرِ

    The gift of honor ranks above wealth,

    As the sun's rank rises above the moon's.

  6. وإنْ يكُنْ ذاكَ من جنسِ الحِلَى نَسَباً

    فهكذا الماسُ معدودٌ من الحجرِ

    And though it belongs by lineage to the class of ornaments,

    So too the diamond is counted among stones.

  7. سَحابةٌ أنبَتَت شُكراً لمُقتدرٍ

    في روضةٍ ثمرَت جاهاً لمُفتخِرِ

    A cloud that made gratitude grow for one with power,

    In a garden that bore distinction for one who takes pride.

  8. وأفضلُ الأرضِ ما يزكو النَّباتُ بها

    وأفضلُ النَّبْتِ ما يأتيكَ بالثَّمرِ

    And the best land is where plants flourish,

    And the best plants are those that bring you fruit.

  9. كلُّ الأمورِ إذا ضاقتْ لها فَرَجٌ

    مُقيَّدٌ بقَضاءِ اللهِ والقدَرِ

    For all affairs, when they grow difficult, there is relief,

    Bound by God's decree and destiny.

  10. لا يثبتُ الدَّهرُ في حالٍ فإن كَدِرَتْ

    مياهُهُ فانتَظِروا صَفواً من الكَدَرِ

    Time never stays in one state; if murk clouds

    Its waters, then await clarity from the murk.

  11. ورُبَّما كان فيهِ المرءُ مُنتظِراً

    عُسْراً فجاءَ بيُسرٍ غيرِ مُنتظَرِ

    And sometimes a person, in its course, expects

    Hardship, yet it brings unexpected ease.

  12. لكِ البشارةُ يا عيناً قد انطرفَتْ

    فطَرْفة العينِ لا تُفضي إلى الخَطَرِ

    Glad tidings to you, O eye that has been struck:

    For a blow to the eye does not lead to danger.

  13. قدْ كانَ ما كانَ ممَّا حامَ طائِرُهُ

    كأنَّهُ لم يَحُمْ يوماً ولم يَطِرِ

    All that happened, whose bird once hovered,

    Is as though it had never once hovered or flown.

  14. ما دامَ يخلُفُ يوماً جنحُ ليلتِهِ

    يُقلِّبُ الدَّهرُ بينَ النَّومِ والسَّهرِ

    So long as the darkness of its night follows a day,

    Time turns us between sleep and wakefulness.

  15. والمرءُ في الدَّهرِ مثلُ الدَّهرِ في سَفَرٍ

    لكنَّهُ ليسَ يدري منزِلَ السَّفَرِ

    And a person in time, like time itself, is on a journey,

    But he does not know the journey's destination.

  16. إنَّ التجارِبَ تُؤْذي عند نَوْبَتِها

    لكنْ عواقِبُها محمودةُ الأثَرِ

    Indeed, trials hurt when their turn comes,

    But their outcomes have praiseworthy effects.

  17. وعِشرةُ النَّاسِ في دُنياكَ مدرسةٌ

    تُعطي من الخُبْرِ ما يُغني عن الخَبَرِ

    And keeping company with people in your world is a school:

    It gives experience enough to make reports needless.

  18. مَن عاشَ في الأرض لا تُرجى سلامَتُهُ

    من الخُطوبِ ولو بالغتَ في الحَذَرِ

    Whoever lives on earth cannot hope for safety

    From calamities, even if you exercise the utmost caution.

  19. وأهوَنُ الضَرِّ ما جرَّتْ عواقِبُهُ

    نفعاً فنَسلو بهِ عن ذلكَ الضَّررِ

    And the least severe harm is that whose consequences bring

    Benefit, and so through it we forget that harm.