حيِّ على خيرِ العَمَل

على الغزالِ والغَزَل

Greet the best of deeds

The gazelle and the spinning

لو كان لِي بِضاعَه

او في يَدِي صِنَاعَه

If I had merchandise

Or a profession in my hands

ألّقى بها الَمجاعه

لم أَخلَعِ الخلاعَه

I would give it to the hungry

I would not take off my robe

ولم أُفِق من الجَذَل

ولا دَرَستُ مسألَه

And I would not ask for baseness

And I did not study an issue

ولا رَحَلتُ يَعمَلَه

ولا قَطعتُ مَجهلَه

And I did not travel for work

And I did not cut ignorance

ولا طلَبتُ مَنزِلَه

ولا تعلَّمتُ الجَدَل

And I did not seek residence

And I did not learn debate

ولا دَخَلتُ مَدرَسَه

سِباعُها مُفتَرِسَه

And I did not enter school

Its predators are ferocious

وجُوهُهمُ مُعَبِّسه

ما لِي وتِلكَ الَمنحَسَه

And their faces are frowning

What do I and that ominous

لولا النِّفاقُ والحِيَل

الأصفرُ المنقوشُ

Were it not for hypocrisy and tricks

The yellow engraved

شِيدتَ بهِ العُروشُ

بهِ الفتى يَعِيشُ

Palaces were built with it

The young man lives by it

وباسمهِ يَطيش

لولاهُ ما شاءَ فَعَل

And by its name he floats

Were it not for him, he would have done what he wanted

يا عجباً كلَّ العَجَب

لا أَدَبٌ ولا حَسَب

What a wonder, all wonder

No manners, nor lineage

ولا تُقىً ولا نَسَب

يُغنِي الفتَى عن الذَّهَب

Neither piety nor ancestry

It enriches the young man over gold

سبحانَهُ عزَّ وجَل

بُؤساً لِرَبِّ المِحبَرَه

Glory be to Him, Honorable and Majestic

Misery to the owner of the inkwell

وعيشه ما أكدَرَه

ودرسه ودفتره

And his life how bitter it is

And his school and his notebook

يا ويلَهُ ما أدبَرَه

إن لَم تُصَدِّقني فَسَل

Oh what a ruin he has

If you do not believe me, then ask

اصعَد إلى تلكَ الغُرف

وانظر إلى تلكَ الحِرفَ

Climb up to those rooms

And look at those letters

وابكِ لفَضِلي والشَّرَف

واحكُم لِغَيرِي بالسَّرَف

And cry for my virtues and honor

And judge others to be excessive

واضرِب بخِذلانِي الَمثَل

And cite my humiliation as an example