Claude 2

  1. لَولا التُقى لَقُلتُ لَم

    يَخلُق سِواكِ الولَدا

    Were it not for propriety, I would have said

    None but you gave birth to the boy

  2. إِن شِئتِ كانَ العَيرَ أَو

    إِن شِئتِ كانَ الأَسَدا

    If you wish, he becomes docile

    If you wish, he becomes a lion

  3. وَإِن تُرِد غَيّاً غَوى

    أَو تَبغِ رُشداً رَشَدا

    And if you want him to stray, he strays

    Or if you want him to be rightly-guided, he is rightly-guided

  4. وَالبَيتُ أَنتِ الصَوتُ في

    هِ وَهوَ لِلصَوتِ صَدى

    And the house is you - the voice in it

    While it is but an echo to the voice

  5. كَالبَبَّغا في قَفَصٍ

    قيلَ لَهُ فَقَلَّدا

    Like a parrot in a cage

    That is told to imitate

  6. وَكَالقَضيبِ اللَدنِ قَد

    طاوَعَ في الشَكلِ اليَدا

    And like soft clay that

    Conforms to the shape of the hand

  7. يَأخُذُ ما عَوَّدتِهِ

    وَالمَرءُ ما تَعَوَّدا

    He takes what you accustomed him to

    And man becomes what he is accustomed to