أَخا الدَهرِ ما الدَهرُ إِذ يُنسَبُ

وَأَينَ هِيَ الأُمَمُ الغُيَّبُ

O brother of time, what is time when attributed?

And where are those vanished nations?

شَرِبتَ العُصورَ فَأَفنَيتَها

وَما زِلتَ مِن دَمِها تَشرَبُ

You drank the ages and destroyed them,

Yet you still drink their blood.

تُميتُ وَتُحيي عَلى شِرعَةٍ

يَدورُ بِها الزَمَنُ القُلَّبُ

You kill and revive according to a system

By which time revolves, fickle and wavering.

تَثورُ وَتَسكُنُ تَقضي الأُمورَ

فَتَطفو الحَوادِثُ أَو تَرسُبُ

You rage and calm, fulfill affairs,

So events rise or settle down.

أَخا الدَهرِ أَينَ حَديثُ القُرونِ

وَأَينَ المِدادُ لِمَن يَكتُبُ

O brother of time, where are the tales of eras?

And where is the ink for one who would write?

شَهِدتَ المَمالِكَ تُزجي الجُنودَ

وَعايَنتَها رِمَماً تُندَبُ

You witnessed kingdoms deploy armies

And saw them as mended ruins.

وَما حَجَبَ الدَهرُ مِن سِرِّها

فَخافيهِ عِندَكَ لا يُحجَبُ

Whatever time has veiled of their mysteries

Remains undisclosed to you.

إِلَيكَ اِنصَرَفتُ أَضُمُّ المُنى

وَأَبعَثُها نُزَّعاً تَدأَبُ

To you I turned, cherishing wishes,

Sending them urged on tirelessly.

غَوالِبَ تَأخُذُ أَقصى المَدى

وَيَأخُذُها القَدَرُ الأَغلَبُ

Conquerors reach the farthest extent

While fate, the inevitable, seizes them.

يُصَرِّفُها في أَفانينِها

هَوىً لا يَضِلُّ وَلا يكذبُ

It disposes them in their demise

With passion not deviant or lying.

عَلى مِلَّةٍ مِن شُعاعِ الضُحى

يُضاحِكُها الرَونَقُ المُعجَبُ

On a doctrine of the dawn’s radiance

It enchants them with pleasing grace.

يُجاوِرُهُ أَدَبٌ ساطِعٌ

كَما جاوَرَ الكَوكَبَ الكَوكَبُ

Accompanying it is a splendid literature

As planets accompany planets.

فَيا نيلُ أَنتَ الهَوى وَالحَياةُ

وَأَنتَ الأَميرُ وَأَنتَ الأَبُ

So O Nile! You are passion and life.

You are the prince and father.

وَيا نيلُ أَنتَ الصَديقُ الوَفِيُّ

وَأَنتَ الأَخُ الأَصدَقُ الأَطيَبُ

And O Nile! You are the faithful friend

And the most sincere, sweetest brother.

وَأَنتَ القَريضُ الَّذي أَقتَفي

فَيَزهى بِهِ الشرقُ وَالمَغرِبُ

You are the poem I discover,

Making East and West shine.

وَلَولاكَ تَعذِبُ لِلشارِبينَ

لَما ساغَ مَورِدُهُ الأَعذَبُ

Without you, drinking would torment the drinkers.

Your sweet stream could not be savored.

فَإِن أورِثِ الخِصبَ هذي العقولَ

فممّا تعلِّمني تخصبُ

If you make these minds fertile,

It will be from what you teach.

وإن أنا أطربتُ هَذي النُفوسَ

فَصَوتُكَ لا صَوتِيَ المُطرِبُ

If I have delighted these souls,

It is your sound, not mine, that enchants.

تَسيلُ فَتَندَفِقُ الرائِعاتُ

وَتَجري فَتَستَبِقُ الجُوَّبُ

You flow, and masterpieces pour forth.

You run, and poems race.

قَوافٍ يَقودُ بِها الحادِثاتِ

فَتىً لا يُقادُ وَلا يُجنَبُ

Leadership takes them to the ends of places.

A heroic youth not led or diverted.

عَصَيتُكَ إِن كانَ لي مَأرِبٌ

سِواكَ فَيُؤثَرُ أَو يُطلَبُ

If I have a goal apart from you,

I would prefer or seek it.

قَسَمتَ الحُظوظَ فَمَن يَشتَكي

وَسُستَ الحَياةَ فَمَن يَعتَبُ

You divided fortunes—who then complains?

You ordained life—who then blames?

لَئِن فاتَني الذَهَبُ المُنتَقى

فَما فاتَني الأَدَبُ المُذهَبُ

If untried gold has eluded me,

Refined literature has not.

وَهَبتُ لَكَ المُلكَ مُلكَ القَريضِ

وَذَلِكَ أَفضَلُ ما يوهَبُ

I gifted you kingdom, rule of verse,

The finest gift given.

فَهَل وَهَبَت ما لَها أُمَّةٌ

يَظَلُّ الغُرورُ بِها يَلعَبُ

Did any nation give what it possesses

While illusion toys with it?

تَضِنُّ عَلَيكَ بِنَزرِ العَطاءِ

وَيَسلُبُها الغَيُّ ما يَسلُبُ

It is miserly with you with bits of bounty.

Loss robs it of what loss takes away.

تُسيءُ إِلَيكَ فَلا تَستَطيرُ

وَتَجني عَلَيكَ فَلا تَغضَبُ

It harms you but you do not take offense.

It sins against you but you do not rage.

وَتَقتُلُ أَبناءَكَ النابِغينَ

فَتَذهَبُ في الحِلمِ ما تَذهَبُ

It kills your gifted children.

Wisdom diminishes what disappears.

أَلَم يَئنِ أَن تَزَعَ الجاهِلينَ

فَنَحيا وَنَأمَنَ ما نَرهَبُ

Does it not pain you that the ignorant rouse you,

While we live in dread of what we fear?

لَئِن وَجَبَ الحِلمُ عَمَّن أَساءَ

فَإِنَّ دِفاعَ الأَذى أَوجَبُ

If forbearance is due those who did evil,

Then defending against harm is even more due.

فَلا تَجرِ إِلّا دَماً أَو ذُعافاً

وَلا تَحفَل القَومَ أَن يَعطَبوا

So drag forth only blood or corpses,

And pay the people no heed should they perish.

أَماناً فَما بَينَنا ثائِرٌ

وَعَفواً فَما بَينَنا مُذنِبُ

We now have security, so no rebel remains,

And pardon, so no sinner remains.

عَسى عقِبٌ مِنهُمو صالِحٌ

يُعَظِّمُ أَقدارَ مَن تُنجِبُ

May hope remain for goodness from them,

Revering the worth of those you beget.