أهجُرِ النَومَ في طِلابِ العَلاءِ

وَصلِ الصُبحَ دائِباً بِالمَساءِ

Forsake sleep in pursuit of glory,

and tirelessly join morning to evening.

وَالتَمِس بِالمسير في كل قُطرٍ

رُتبةَ العارِفين وَالحُكماءِ

Seek, by journeying through every land,

the rank of the learned and the wise.

إِن غَضَّ الشَباب فَقَّهَهُ التَر

حالُ شَيخٌ في أَعيُنِ العُقَلاءِ

If a tender youth is schooled by trav—

el, he is an elder in the eyes of the discerning.

وَمُقامُ الحُسامِ في الغِمدِ يُزري

بِالذي حازَ مَتنُه من جَلاءِ

A sword's remaining in its sheath diminishes

the polish possessed by its blade.

فَدَعِ الغِمدَ يَبدُ لِلعَينِ مِن فَض

لِكَ ما كانَ في زَوايا الخَفاءِ

Then cast off the sheath, so that of your mer—

it what lay in hidden corners may appear to the eye.

إِنَّ أَمضى الرِجال مَن كانَ سهماً

نافِذاً في حُشاشَةِ الغَبراءِ

The keenest of men is he who becomes an arrow,

piercing the very heart of the dust-brown earth.

وَاللَبيبُ اللَبيبُ مَن دارَ في الأَر

ضِ لِعلمٍ يناله أَو ثَراء

The truly discerning—truly discerning—is he who roams the ear—

th for knowledge he may gain, or wealth.

إِنما الأَرضُ وَالفَضاءُ كِتابٌ

فَاِقرَأوهُ معاشِرَ الأَذكِياءِ

Earth and the firmament are but a book;

so read it, company of the intelligent.

وَاِقرِنوا العِلمَ بِالسُرى رُبَّ علمٍ

لم تَحُزهُ قَرائِحُ العُلَماءِ

Wed knowledge to night journeying—many a truth

the minds of scholars have failed to possess.

وَأَطيلوا ما كانَ من قِصَرِ العَي

شِ بحَثِّ الرِكابِ في الأَنحاءِ

Lengthen what is brief in li—

fe by urging your mounts through every region.

وَطَنُ المَرءِ مَهدُه وَبَقايا ال

كَونِ بَيتٌ له رَفيعُ البِناءِ

A person's homeland is his cradle; the rest of the uni—

verse is his house, loftily built.

وَمَعيبٌ أَن تَصرِفَ العُمرَ في المَه

دِ وَتَنسى البَيتَ الوَسيعَ الفِناءِ

It is shameful to spend one's lifetime in the cra—

dle and forget the house with its spacious courtyard.

هذه الفُلكُ يَستَحِثُّ خُطاها

هَزَجُ الريحِ في صحارى الماء

This ship hastens her steps,

to the wind's lilting song across the deserts of water.

كَم أَطالَت مدى الرَحيل وَوالَت

هُ فعادَت بِالخَير وَالسَرّاءِ

How often she has prolonged the journey and pursued

it, then returned with bounty and prosperity.

وَهلالُ السَماءِ يَزدادُ نوراً

كلَّما خاضَ لُجَّة الظُلماء

The crescent of heaven increases in light

whenever it wades into the abyss of darkness.

لَو وَنى عَزمهُ لما فازَ بِالقِد

حِ المُعَلّى في القُبَّةِ الزَرقاء

Had its resolve weakened, it would not have won the lo—

t held highest in the blue dome.

خُلِقَ المرءُ لِلتَنَقُّلِ في الأَر

ضِ وَلِلسَعيِ لا لِمَحضِ الثَواء

Humankind was created to roam the ear—

th and to strive, not merely to remain.

فَتَحَرَّك بِحُكم طَبعِك أَو كُن

حَجرا في مَجاهلِ البَيداء

So move in accordance with your nature, or be

a stone in the unknown reaches of the desert.

حَبَّذا رِحلةٌ تُمَثِّلُ تَمثي

لاً مزايا الأَسفارِ لِلقُرّاء

How excellent a journey—one that vividly re—

presents to readers the merits of travel.

قد أَجادَت فيها يَراعةُ مُنشي

ها اِختِيارَ الأَخبارِ وَالأَنباء

The pen of its au—

thor has excelled in choosing its accounts and tidings.

فَأَجِل في جَمالِها نَظراتٍ

فهيَ بِكرُ الآدابِ وَالإِنشاء

Let your gaze roam across its beauty,

for it is a maiden among works of literature and composition.

وَتَفَهَّم حديثَها ثم سافِر

ليس مَن يَسمعُ الحديثَ كرائي

Grasp its discourse, and then set out:

one who hears the tale is not like one who sees.