أَبيتُ بِاللَيلِ غَريبَ الكَرى

يَأخُذُ مِنّي الدَرسَ وَالكُتبُ

I spent the night a stranger to my kind

Taking from me lesson and book

وَقَيِّمُ الحِكمَةِ في أَنمُلي

يَصوغُ ما يَسكُبُهُ اللُبُّ

The master of wisdom crafts in my fingers

What my mind pours out

أَنفِ ضَميري حينَ أَرعَفتُهُ

أَفرَغَ ما اِستَوعَبَهُ القَلبُ

When I unleashed my conscience

It emptied what my heart had contained

لِسانُ كَفّي حينَ أَنطَقتُهُ

أَرضاكَ مِنهُ المَنطِقُ العَذبُ

When I loosed my hand's tongue

You were pleased by its sweet eloquence

مُنَحَّفٌ في خَلقِهِ ذابِلٌ

مُعَظَّمٌ في فِعلِهِ نَدبُ

Deformed in his creation, withered

Glorified in his deed, excellent

إِن لَم يَكُن كَالعَضبِ في حَدِّهِ

فَإِنَّهُ في فِعلِهِ عَضبُ

If he is not like steel in his mettle

Then in his deed he is steel

يَنكُسُهُ المَرءُ فَيَعلو بِهِ

وَرُبَّ نِكسٍ غِبُّهُ نَصبُ

A man may debase him but he rises by him

And many a debased man, his glory casts him down

وَمُذ عَرَفنا لَذَّةَ العِلمِ لا

يَعجِبُنا الحُلوَ وَلا العَذبُ

Since we have known the joy of knowledge

Neither the sweet nor the fresh delight us