جَعَلتُ عُبَيداً دونَ ما أَنا خائِفٌ

جَعَلتُ عُبَيداً دونَ ما أَنا خائِفٌ

وَصَيَّرتُهُ بَيني وَبَينَ يَدِ الدَهرِ

وَصَيَّرتُهُ بَيني وَبَينَ يَدِ الدَهرِ

I placed Ubayd between me and what I fear,

I have made servants other than what I fear

I made Ubayd a shield against all that I fear,

And set him between me and the hand of Time.

And I have made him between me and the hands of fate

And placed him between myself and the hand of Fate.

أَشارَ إِلَيهِ الناسُ مِن كُلِّ جانِبٍ

أَشارَ إِلَيهِ الناسُ مِن كُلِّ جانِبٍ

وَقالوا أَبو عَمروٍ لَها وَأَبو عَمروِ

وَقالوا أَبو عَمروٍ لَها وَأَبو عَمروِ

People pointed to him from every side,

People pointed to him from every side

The people pointed to him from every side,

And said, "Abu Amr is the man for it—Abu Amr!"

And said, there goes Abu Amr, yes Abu Amr

Saying, "Abu Amr is the man for it, truly Abu Amr!"

فَتاً لا يُحِبُّ الكَسبَ إِلّا أَحَلَّهُ

فَتاً لا يُحِبُّ الكَسبَ إِلّا أَحَلَّهُ

وَلا الكَنزَ إِلّا مِن ثَناءٍ وَمِن شُكرِ

وَلا الكَنزَ إِلّا مِن ثَناءٍ وَمِن شُكرِ

A young man who loves no gain but the most lawful,

A young man who loves no earning but what is lawful

A youth who loves no gain unless it is pure,

Nor any treasure but praise and gratitude;

No treasure but from praise and gratitude

And stores no treasure save praise and gratitude.

عُيوفٌ لِأَخلاقِ اللِئامِ وَهَديِهِم

عُيوفٌ لِأَخلاقِ اللِئامِ وَهَديِهِم

وَذو زَوَرٍ عَمّا يُقَرِّبُ مِن وِزرِ

وَذو زَوَرٍ عَمّا يُقَرِّبُ مِن وِزرِ

Averse to the character of the ignoble and their ways,

Kind to the ethics of villains and their guidance

He disdains the nature of the base and their ways,

And turning away from whatever brings one close to sin.

And showing falsehood about what brings him closer to sin

And turns aside from all that draws near to sin.

وَيَقصُرُ كَفُّ الدَهرِ عَمَّن أَجارَهُ

وَيَقصُرُ كَفُّ الدَهرِ عَمَّن أَجارَهُ

وَيَرعى مِنَ الآفاتِ مِن حَيثُ لا يَدري

وَيَرعى مِنَ الآفاتِ مِن حَيثُ لا يَدري

And Time's hand falls short of anyone he has sheltered,

And the hand of fate is too short for whoever it protects

The hand of Time falls short of those he shelters,

And he guards him from calamities without his knowing it.

And it guards him from harms in ways he knows not

Guarding against calamities from whence they do not know.