إذا بتَّ والفكر تستخرجا

إذا بتَّ والفكر تستخرجا

ن مفتاح أمر عسير الغلق

ن مفتاح أمر عسير الغلق

When you and thought spend the night drawing out

When you stay up at night thinking,

the key to a matter whose lock is hard to open,

You find the key to unlock a difficult matter.

وأنت لأمر العلا مؤثرٌ

وأنت لأمر العلا مؤثرٌ

على كل ناعمة المعتنق

على كل ناعمة المعتنق

while you prefer the pursuit of glory

And you prefer the matter of knowledge,

to every tender-necked woman,

Over every delicate necklace.

وأبدى لك الصبح عن واضحي

وأبدى لك الصبح عن واضحي

نِ رأيك منبلجاً والفلق

نِ رأيك منبلجاً والفلق

and dawn reveals to you two bright things:

And dawn has shown you clearly,

your judgment, shining forth, and daybreak—

Your radiant opinion and daybreak.

فلله صبحك ماذا جلا

فلله صبحك ماذا جلا

ولله ليلك ماذا وسق

ولله ليلك ماذا وسق

God be praised for your dawn—what it has unveiled!

So your morning is for Allah, what has it uncovered?

And God be praised for your night—what it has gathered!

And your night is for Allah, what has it brought?

وإما أجرت من الحادثا

وإما أجرت من الحادثا

ت جاراً فليس عليه رهق

ت جاراً فليس عليه رهق

And if you grant refuge from calamities

Either you have made events,

to a protégé, no affliction weighs upon him.

A profitable trader, so it does not burden him.

يرى الدهر جارك في شاهق

يرى الدهر جارك في شاهق

تأزَّر من لجة وانطلق

تأزَّر من لجة وانطلق

Time sees your protégé upon a towering peak,

Time sees your trader in loftiness,

girdled by a deep sea and soaring free,

Having girded himself from turbulence and set forth.

وقد عَلِقَت قبضتاه عُرى

وقد عَلِقَت قبضتاه عُرى

بها عصم الله تلك الوُثَق

بها عصم الله تلك الوُثَق

and his two fists have gripped handholds—

His hands have clung to the ties,

those firm bonds through which God has protected him.

With which Allah has protected those bonds.

فهل من سبيل إلى مثله

فهل من سبيل إلى مثله

أبى الله ذاك على من خلق

أبى الله ذاك على من خلق

Is there, then, any path to one such as he?

Is there a way to one like him?

God has denied that to all He created.

Allah has refused that, for those He created.

فدونكها يا ابن سيف الملو

فدونكها يا ابن سيف الملو

ك لهو المجالس زاد الرُّفَق

ك لهو المجالس زاد الرُّفَق

So take it, O son of Sayf al-Mulūk:

So be like him, O son of the kings of rule,

a delight for gatherings, provisions for traveling companions.

For gentleness is the increase of amiability.