لِكُلِّ زَمانٍ مَضى آيَةٌ

وَآيَةُ هَذا الزَمانِ الصُحُف

Every past era has a sign,

And the sign of this era is newspapers,

لِسانُ البِلادِ وَنَبضُ العِبادِ

وَكَهفُ الحُقوقِ وَحَربُ الجَنَف

The country's tongue and pulse of the worshipers,

Shelter of rights and war of hypocrisy.

تَسيرُ مَسيرَ الضُحى في البِلادِ

إِذا العِلمُ مَزَّقَ فيها السَدَف

It moves like the dawn in the countries,

When knowledge in them tore the veil.

وَتَمشي تُعَلِّمُ في أُمَّةٍ

كَثيرَةِ مَن لا يَخُطُّ الأَلِف

And it walks teaching in a nation,

With many who do not write the first letter.

فَيا فِتيَةَ الصُحفُ صَبراً إِذا

نَبا الرِزقُ فيها بِكُم وَاِختَلَف

So O youth of newspapers, have patience when

Livelihood in it narrowed for you and differed.

فَإِنَّ السَعادَةَ غَيرُ الظُهو

رِ وَغَيرُ الثَراءِ وَغَيرُ التَرَف

For happiness is not luxury,

Nor wealth, nor extravagance.

وَلَكِنَّها في نَواحي الضَميرِ

إِذا هُوَ بِاللَومِ لَم يُكتَنَف

But it is in the realm of conscience,

When it is not tainted with blame.

خُذوا القَصدَ وَاِقتَنِعوا بِالكَفافِ

وَخَلّوا الفُضولَ يَغِلها السَرَف

Take moderation and be content with sufficiency,

And leave extravagance which leads to waste.

وَروموا النُبوغَ فَمَن نالَهُ

تَلَقّى مِنَ الحَظِّ أَسنى التُحَف

And seek excellence, for whoever attains it,

Receives the best gifts from fate.

وَما الرِزقُ مُجتَنِبٌ حِرفَةً

إِذا الحَظُّ لَم يَهجُرِ المُحتَرِف

And livelihood does not avoid a profession,

When fate does not abandon the professional.

إِذا آخَتِ الجَوهَرِيَّ الحُظوظُ

كَفَلنَ اليَتيمَ لَهُ في الصَدَف

When fortunes befriend the orphan,

The oyster's shell guarantees him pearls.

وَإِن أَعرَضَت عَنهُ لَم يَحلُ في

عُيونِ الخَرائِدِ غَيرُ الخَزَف

And if they turn away from him, there is nothing in

The eyes of fates except potsherds.

رَعى اللَهُ لَيلَتَكُم إِنَّها

تَلَت عِندَهُ لَيلَةَ المُنتَصَف

May God watch over your night, it

Came to Him at midnight.

لَقَد طَلَعَ البَدرُ مِن جُنحِها

وَأَوما إِلى صُبحِها أَن يَقِف

The full moon certainly rose from its wings,

And intends to stop at its dawn.

جَلَوتُم حَواشِيَها بِالفُنونِ

فَمِن كُلِّ فَنٍّ جَميلٍ طَرَف

You have adorned its margins with arts,

So a piece of every beautiful art is seen.

فَإِن تَسأَلوا ما مَكانُ الفُنونِ

فَكَم شَرَفٍ فَوقَ هَذا الشَرَف

If you are asked where is the place of arts,

How many glories above this glory!

أَريكَةُ مولِييرَ فيما مَضى

وَعَرشُ شِكِسبيرَ فيما سَلَف

Moliere's throne in the past,

And Shakespeare's throne in times gone by,

وَعودُ اِبنِ ساعِدَةٍ في عُكاظَ

إِذا سالَ خاطِرُهُ بِالطُرَف

And Ibn Saaeda's lute in Ukaz,

When his imagination flowed with wit.

فَلا يَرقَيَن فيهِ إِلّا فَتىً

إِلى دَرَجاتِ النُبوغِ اِنصَرَف

None shall ascend it except a youth

Who strives to the ranks of genius.

تُعَلِّمُ حِكمَتُهُ الحاضِرينَ

وَتُسمِعُ في الغابِرينَ النُطَف

Its wisdom teaches those present

And lets the embryos hear in those gone by.

حَمَدنا بَلاءَكُمُ في النِضالِ

وَأَمسُ حَمَدنا بَلاءَ السَلَف

We praised your ordeal in the struggle,

And yesterday we praised the ordeal of predecessors.

وَمَن نَسِيَ الفَضلَ لِلسابِقينَ

فَما عَرَفَ الفَضلَ فيما عَرَف

Whoever forgets the merit of early comers,

Does not know merit in what he knows.

أَلَيسَ إِلَيهِم صَلاحُ البِناءِ

إِذا ما الأَساسُ سَما بِالغُرَف

Are they not owed the integrity of the building,

When the foundation rose high?

فَهَل تَأذَنونَ لِذي خِلَّةٍ

يَفُضُّ الرَياحينَ فَوقَ الجِيَف

Will you allow one of blemish

To spill winds above the dead?

فَأَينَ اللِواءُ وَرَبُّ اللِواءِ

إِمامُ الشَبابِ مِثالُ الشَرَف

So where is the banner and the Lord of the banner,

The youths' imam, the ideal of nobility?

وَأَينَ الَّذي بَينَكُم شِبلُهُ

عَلى غايَةِ الحَقِّ نِعمَ الخَلَف

And where is the one among you whose youth

Resembles the ultimate truth, a fine successor?

وَلا بُدَّ لِلغَرسِ مِن نَقلِهِ

إِلى مَن تَعَهَّدَ أَو مَن قَطَف

The sapling must be transplanted

To whoever tended it or plucked its fruits.

فَلا تَجحَدَنَّ يَدَ الغارِسينَ

وَهَذا الجَنى في يَدَيكَ اِعتَرَف

Do not deny the planters' hand,

While this harvest is in your hands; recognize it.

أُولَئِكَ مَرّوا كَدودِ الحَريرِ

شَجاها النَفاعُ وَفيهِ التَلَف

They passed like silkworms,

Whose cocoons hardship pierced, and in them is ruin.