يا مَن لَهُ قَدَمٌ في الفَضلِ راسِخَةٌ

يا مَن لَهُ قَدَمٌ في الفَضلِ راسِخَةٌ

وَمَن لَهُ عَلَمٌ في العِلمِ مَرفوعُ

وَمَن لَهُ عَلَمٌ في العِلمِ مَرفوعُ

O you whose footing in excellence is firmly planted,

O you whose footsteps in excellence are firmly rooted

And whose banner in learning is raised aloft,

And you whose banner in knowledge is raised high

وَمَن لَهُ مِقوَلٌ كَالسَيفِ مُنصَلِتٌ

وَمَن لَهُ مِقوَلٌ كَالسَيفِ مُنصَلِتٌ

وَخاطِرٌ بَحرُهُ في الشِعرِ يَنبوعُ

وَخاطِرٌ بَحرُهُ في الشِعرِ يَنبوعُ

And whose tongue is like an unsheathed sword,

And you whose words cut like an unsheathed sword

And whose imagination's ocean is a wellspring of poetry.

And whose mind in poetry is an overflowing spring

لَهُ عَلى نَظمِهِ طَبعٌ يُساعِدُهُ

لَهُ عَلى نَظمِهِ طَبعٌ يُساعِدُهُ

ما كُلُّ مَن قالَ شِعراً فَهوَ مَطبوعُ

ما كُلُّ مَن قالَ شِعراً فَهوَ مَطبوعُ

He has a natural gift that helps him compose his verse;

Your talent assists your versification

Not everyone who speaks in verse is a born poet.

For not all who recite poetry have talent

حاشى لِقَلبِكَ مِن صَدعٍ وَمِن أَلَمٍ

حاشى لِقَلبِكَ مِن صَدعٍ وَمِن أَلَمٍ

تَعتادُهُ قَلبُ مَن يَشناكَ مَصدوعُ

تَعتادُهُ قَلبُ مَن يَشناكَ مَصدوعُ

May your heart be spared any fracture or pain

Far from your heart be the cracks and pains

That returns to afflict it; broken is the heart of whoever hates you.

That afflict the heart shattered by those who oppose you

فَإِن تَبِت حِلفَ هَمٍّ قَد أَرِقتَ لَهُ

فَإِن تَبِت حِلفَ هَمٍّ قَد أَرِقتَ لَهُ

وَأَنتَ مِن نَكَدِ الأَيّامِ مَلسوعُ

وَأَنتَ مِن نَكَدِ الأَيّامِ مَلسوعُ

So if you spend the night allied to sorrow, kept awake by it,

If you spend the night swearing an oath of sorrow

And you are stung by the miseries of the days,

While exhausted by the affliction of days

فَهَذِهِ شيمَةُ الدُنيا وَغَيرُ فَتىً

فَهَذِهِ شيمَةُ الدُنيا وَغَيرُ فَتىً

مَن باتَ وَهُوَ بِما غَرَّتهُ مَخدوعُ

مَن باتَ وَهُوَ بِما غَرَّتهُ مَخدوعُ

For this is the world's way, and no noble man

Such is the nature of life that fools not the valiant

Is he who passes the night deceived by its lures.

Who wakes still fooled by what had attracted him

أَماطَ عَنّي الأَذى شِعرٌ بَعَثتَ بِهِ

أَماطَ عَنّي الأَذى شِعرٌ بَعَثتَ بِهِ

مُنَقَّحاً كُلُّ بَيتٍ مِنهُ مَصنوعُ

مُنَقَّحاً كُلُّ بَيتٍ مِنهُ مَصنوعُ

A poem you sent me swept my distress away,

Your poetry has removed my troubles

Polished, with every couplet in it artfully crafted.

Every single of its verses carefully crafted

شِعرٌ يَعَلِّمُ نَظمَ الشِعرِ سامِعَهُ

شِعرٌ يَعَلِّمُ نَظمَ الشِعرِ سامِعَهُ

فيهِ طِباقٌ وَتَجنيسٌ وَتَرصيعُ

فيهِ طِباقٌ وَتَجنيسٌ وَتَرصيعُ

Poetry that teaches its listener how to compose verse,

Poetry that teaches its hearer the art of verse

In it are antithesis, wordplay, and rhymed parallelism.

With antithesis, paronomasia, and embellishment

وَشِعرُ غَيرِكَ كَالرَيحانِ لَيسَ لَهُ

وَشِعرُ غَيرِكَ كَالرَيحانِ لَيسَ لَهُ

إِذا ذَوي عودُهُ في الكَفِّ مَرجوعُ

إِذا ذَوي عودُهُ في الكَفِّ مَرجوعُ

And others' verse is like basil: it has no

While others’ poetry is like basil without fragrance

Revival once its stem has withered in the hand.

When its wood withers in the palm without returning

فَاِسلَم وَعِش لِبَني الآدابِ قاطِبَةً

فَاِسلَم وَعِش لِبَني الآدابِ قاطِبَةً

يا مَن بِهِ شَملُ أَهلِ الفَضلِ مَجموعُ

يا مَن بِهِ شَملُ أَهلِ الفَضلِ مَجموعُ

So be well, and live for all the sons of letters,

So live in peace and devote yourself to the literati

O you through whom the people of excellence are gathered together!

O you who unite the people of merit

إِن كانَ راعَكَ حُزنٌ يَومَ فُرقَتِنا

إِن كانَ راعَكَ حُزنٌ يَومَ فُرقَتِنا

فَلَستَ أَوَّلَ صَبٍّ بِالأَسى ريعا

فَلَستَ أَوَّلَ صَبٍّ بِالأَسى ريعا

If sorrow dismayed you on the day of our parting,

If sorrow has been your companion when we parted

Then you are not the first lover to be dismayed by grief.

You are not the first youth to be distressed by farewell