إذا ما الفتى في الناس بالعقل قد سما

تيقّن أن الأرض من فوقها السما

If a young man is distinguished among people by his intellect,

Be certain that the earth is above the sky,

وأن السما من تحتها الأرض لم تزل

وبينهما أشيا متى ظهرت تُرى

And that the sky is beneath the earth it has not ceased to be,

And between them are things - when they appear they can be seen,

وإني سأبدي بعضَ ما قد علمته

ليعلم أني من ذوي اللم والحجى

And I will reveal some of what I have learned,

So it may be known that I possess intelligence and wisdom,

فمن ذاك أن الناس من نسل آدم

ومنهم أبي سودون أيضاً ولو مضى

For from that, people are the progeny of Adam,

Among them is my father Sudun, even if he passed away,

وأن أبي زوّج لأمي وأنني

أنا ابنهما والناس هم يعرفون ذا

And that my father married my mother, and I

Am their son, and people know this,

وكم عجب عندي بمصر وغيرها

فمصر بها نيل على الطين قد جرى

And how strange it is to me about Egypt and others,

Egypt, through which the Nile flows on the mud,

ومن نيلها من نام في الليل بلّه

وليست تبلّ الشمس من نام في الضحى

And whoever sleeps at night in its Nile wets the bed,

But the sun does not wet whoever sleeps at noon,

وفي الشام أقوام إذا ما رأيتهم

ترى ظهر كل منهم وهو من ورا

And in Damascus are people - when you see them,

You see each of their backs while they are from the front,

وتسخن فيها النار في الصيف دائماً

ويبرد فيها الماء في زمن الشتا

And fire heats up constantly in it during summer,

And water cools in it during winter,

وقد يضحك الإنسان أوقات فرحه

ويبكي زمان الحزن فيها إذا ابتلى

And a person may laugh during times of joy,

And cry during times of affliction when tested,

وفي القدس قال الناس إن كرومها

لها عنب يحلو إذا طاب واستوى

And in Jerusalem, it is said its vineyards

Have grapes that are sweet when ripe and ready,

وفي الصين صيني إذا ما طرقته

يطنّ كصيني طرقت سوا سوا

And in China, a Chinese, when you knock him,

Rattles like a Chinese knocked evenly,

ومَن قد رأى في الهند شيئاً بعينه

فذاك له بالعين في الهند قد رأى

And whoever saw something in India with his eye,

Then that is in his eye he saw in India,

وعشاق إقليم الصعيد به رأوا

ثماراً كأثمار العراق لها نوى

And lovers of Upper Egypt saw therein

Fruits like the fruits of Iraq that have pits,

بها باسقات النخل وهي حوامل

بأثمارها قالوا يحركها الهوا

With tall palm trees that are pregnant

With their fruits, they said the wind sways them,

وشاهدت في دمياط قطراً مكررا

وموزاً عليه قد تقشّر وارتمى

And I witnessed in Damietta recurring rain,

And bananas on which the peel has cracked and discarded,

بها النجم حال الغيم يخفى ضياؤه

بها الشمس حال الصحو يبدو لها ضيا

By which the stars hide their light during cloudiness,

By which the sun shows its light during clearness,

وعندي علوم بعد هذا كثيرة

تدل على أني من الناس يا فتى

And I have after this a lot more knowledge

That indicates, O youth, that I am of the people,

وما علّمني ذاك أمي ولا أبي

ولا امرأة قد زوّجاني ولا حما

And neither my mother nor father taught me that,

Nor a woman they married me to or a protector,

ولكنني قد جرّبتها فعرفتها

وحققتها بالفهم والحِذق والذكا

But I tried them and so knew them,

And verified them with understanding, skill and intelligence,

فيا بخت أمي بي ألا يا سرورها

إذا سمعت أني أفوق على حجا

So blessed is my mother by me! Lo the joy of her

When she hears I surpass others in wisdom!