1. تَناقضَ الرَّأيُ بينَ النَّاسِ والعَمَلُ

    والكُلُّ يَرضَى بما فيهِ ويقَتبِلُ

    Opinion and action differ among people,

    and everyone is pleased with what is in him and accepts it.

  2. إن كانَ ذلكَ مَقبُولاً بِرُمَّتِهِ

    فليسَ بينَ الوَرى عَيبٌ ولا زَلَلُ

    If all of that is acceptable in its entirety,

    then among mankind there is neither fault nor error.

  3. النَّاسُ في الأرضِ كالأشجارِ قامَ بها

    حُلوٌ ومُرٌّ ومُعْوجٌّ ومُعتَدِلُ

    People on earth are like trees: there stand

    the sweet and the bitter, the crooked and the straight.

  4. وكُلُّ صِنفٍ لهُ وَقتٌ يُرادُ بهِ

    فَلا يَصِحُّ لهُ من غَيرهِ بَدَلُ

    And every kind has a time when it is wanted,

    so no other kind can properly take its place.

  5. مَن كانَ في النَّاسِ مولوداً على صِفَةٍ

    فليسَ للنَّاسِ في تَغْييرها أمَلُ

    Whoever among people is born with a trait,

    people have no hope of changing it.

  6. إذا تَمكَّنَ خُلقُ السُّوءِ في رَجُلٍ

    كما إذا استحَكَمَتْ في جِسِمهِ العِلَلُ

    When an evil disposition takes firm hold in a man,

    it is as when ailments take firm hold in his body.

  7. لا يستطيعُ بخيلٌ أنْ يجُودَ ولو

    حَوَى من المالِ ما لا تَحمِلُ الإبِلُ

    A miser cannot be generous, even if

    he possesses wealth beyond what camels can carry.

  8. وكُلَّما رُمتَ تَشديدَ الجَبانِ على

    شجاعةٍ زادَ فيهِ الجُبنُ والفَشَلُ

    And whenever you try to steel a coward for

    courage, his cowardice and faintheartedness increase.

  9. إنَّ الكريمَ الذي لا مالَ في يَدهِ

    مِثلُ الشُّجاعِ الذي في كَفِّهِ شَلَلُ

    Indeed, the generous man with no money in his hand

    is like the brave man whose palm is paralyzed.

  10. والمالُ مِثلُ الحَصَى ما دَامَ في يَدِنا

    فليسَ يَنفَعُ إلاّ حينَ يَنتقِلُ

    And wealth is like pebbles as long as it stays in our hands;

    so it is useful only when it changes hands.

  11. إنَّ الذي قسَمَ الأخلاقَ قد قَسَمَ ال

    أرزاقَ تجري إلى أن يُقسَمَ الأجَلُ

    Indeed, He who apportioned dispositions has apportioned the

    livelihoods, flowing until life's term is allotted.

  12. يا رُبَّ قومٍ سَعَوا بالجَهلِ فانتَصَروا

    ورُبَّ قومٍ سَعَوا بالعَقلِ فانخَذلوا

    Oh, how many a people strove in ignorance and triumphed,

    and how many strove with reason and were defeated!

  13. وقَلَّ من طابَقَتْ دُنياهُ حِكمَتُهُ

    مِثلَ الأمينِ الذي اعتزَّت بهِ الدُوَلُ

    And few are those whose wisdom matches their worldly lot,

    like al-Amin, through whom realms gained glory.

  14. ذاك الذي يَجمعُ السَيفِينِ سَيفَ يدٍ

    وسَيفَ رأيٍ وكُلٌّ به كَلَلُ

    He is the one who unites the two swords: the sword of the hand

    and the sword of judgment; all are blunted by him.

  15. بالجِدِّ قَومٌ وقَومٌ بالجُدودِ لهُم

    فخرٌ وهذا على الأمرَينِ يَشتَمِلُ

    Some, through diligence, and some, through forefathers, have

    glory; this man combines both.

  16. من آلِ رَسْلانَ من لَخْمٍ لهُ نسَبٌ

    إلى تَنُوخَ إلى قَحْطانَ يتَّصِلُ

    Of the house of Raslan, of Lakhm, he has a lineage

    that reaches to Tanukh, to Qahtan.

  17. سَقَتْ شَقائقَ نُعمانٍ بِمَنْبِتِهِ

    ماءُ السَّماءِ التي يَجري بها المَثَلُ

    At his birthplace, Nu'man's anemones were watered

    by Ma' al-Sama', 'Water of Heaven,' of whom the proverb speaks.

  18. قُلْ للخَوَرنَقِ قد أنشا الزَّمانُ لنا

    مَنْ رَبُّهُ اللهُ لا منْ رَبُّهُ الهُبَلُ

    Tell al-Khawarnaq: time has brought forth for us

    one whose Lord is God, not one whose lord is Hubal;

  19. مَنْ يَقرَعُ الذِّكرُ والأورادُ مِسَمعَهُ

    لا ناقةُ العَطَنِ الهَوجاءُ والجَمَلُ

    one whose ear is struck by remembrance and litanies,

    not by the frenzied she-camel of the watering-place or the he-camel.

  20. تِلكَ المُلوكُ أساسٌ قامَ مُنتصِباً

    عليهِ قَصرٌ بَناهُ الخالقُ الأزَلُ

    Those kings are a foundation; there stands upright

    upon it a palace built by the eternal Creator.

  21. خُلاصةٌ قد تَصَفَّت من عَشائِرِها

    كما تَصفَّى لنا من شَهدِهِ العَسَلُ

    An essence purified from its clans,

    as honey is strained for us from its comb.

  22. لَقد وَجدنا بني رَسلانَ طائفةً

    مثلَ الأهلَّةِ بالتَّدريجِ تَكتَمِلُ

    We have indeed found the sons of Raslan a company

    like crescent moons, gradually becoming full.

  23. أليومَ نالت كمالَ البدرِ فاقتصَرَتْ

    إذ لا كمالَ إلى ما فَوقَهُ يَصِلُ

    Today it has attained the full moon's perfection and stopped there,

    for no perfection reaches anything beyond itself.

  24. كُنَّا نُعظِّمُ إسماعيلَ من قِدَمٍ

    فصَغَّرَ الدَّهرُ ما تَستعظِمُ الأُوَلُ

    Long ago we used to exalt Isma'il,

    but time has made small what earlier generations deemed great.

  25. قد كانَ ذلكَ فوقَ الغَربِ رابيةً

    واليومَ هذا على كُلِّ الرُّبَى جَبَلُ

    That man was once a hill above al-Gharb,

    and today this man is a mountain above every hill.

  26. هُوَ الكريمُ الذي تُملى القُلوبُ بهِ

    أُنساً وتُجلَى بمَرأى وَجههِ المُقَلُ

    He is the generous man through whom hearts are filled

    with delight, and eyes are brightened at the sight of his face.

  27. لا تَسبِقُ الفعلَ من إنجازِهِ عِدَةٌ

    ويَسبِقُ السَّيفَ من إنصافِهِ العَذَلُ

    No promise precedes the deed, such is his fulfillment,

    and, such is his fairness, rebuke precedes the sword.

  28. رَحيبُ صَدرٍ تَضيعُ النَّائِباتُ بهِ

    ولا تَضيقُ على آرائهِ السُبُلُ

    His breast is broad; calamities are lost within it,

    and no paths are too narrow for his counsels.

  29. تَخفَى على مِثلِنا أسرارُ حِكمتِهِ

    كما تَحجَّبَ عن أبصارِنا زُحَلُ

    The secrets of his wisdom are hidden from such as us,

    as Saturn is veiled from our eyes.

  30. ألبستُهُ من مديحي خاتَماً نَقَشَتْ

    فيهِ شَهادَتَها الأملاكُ والرُسُلُ

    I have adorned him with a ring of my praise, engraved

    by the angels and messengers with their testimony.

  31. نَقشٌ إلى الدَّهرِ لا يُمحَى لهُ أثَرٌ

    حتى تَزُول وتُمحَى السَّبعَةُ الطُوَلُ

    An engraving whose trace shall never be erased through time,

    until the Seven Long Ones vanish and are effaced.

  32. قُلْ للأميرِ الذي من نَقدِهِ وَجَلٌ

    يَغشَى القَوافي ومن تَقصيرِها خَجَلُ

    Tell the emir, fear of whose criticism

    overwhelms the rhymes, as does shame at their shortcomings:

  33. عارٌ علينا مديحٌ فيكَ مُنتحَلٌ

    وأنتَ في النَّاسِ بِدْعٌ ليسَ تنتَحِلُ

    Plagiarized praise of you would be a disgrace to us,

    while you are unique among people, borrowing nothing.

  34. يا سيفَ دولةِ قَيْسٍ تَقتَضي رَجُلاً

    كابنِ الحُسَينِ وإنِّي ذلكَ الرَجُلُ

    O sword of Qays's realm, you require a man

    like Ibn al-Husayn—and I am that man.

  35. سَهَّلْتَ لي الشِّعرَ حتَّى لو نَطقَتُ بهِ

    في النَّومِ جاءَ صحيحاً ما بهِ خَلَلُ

    You have made poetry so easy for me that, even if I uttered it

    in sleep, it would come out sound, with no flaw.

  36. رَوضٌ تَقلَّبتُ فيهِ من شمائِلِكم

    فكَيفَما مِلْتُ يَملا راحتي النَفَلُ

    A garden of your virtues, in which I have wandered:

    so whichever way I turn, clover fills my palm.