لَولا التُقى لَقُلتُ لَم

لَولا التُقى لَقُلتُ لَم

يَخلُق سِواكِ الولَدا

يَخلُق سِواكِ الولَدا

Were it not for piety, I would say: none

Were it not for propriety, I would have said

but you created the child.

None but you gave birth to the boy

إِن شِئتِ كانَ العَيرَ أَو

إِن شِئتِ كانَ العَيرَ أَو

إِن شِئتِ كانَ الأَسَدا

إِن شِئتِ كانَ الأَسَدا

If you wish, he becomes an ass; or

If you wish, he becomes docile

if you wish, he becomes a lion.

If you wish, he becomes a lion

وَإِن تُرِد غَيّاً غَوى

وَإِن تُرِد غَيّاً غَوى

أَو تَبغِ رُشداً رَشَدا

أَو تَبغِ رُشداً رَشَدا

And if you desire error, he goes astray;

And if you want him to stray, he strays

or seek right guidance, he goes aright.

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

وَالبَيتُ أَنتِ الصَوتُ في

وَالبَيتُ أَنتِ الصَوتُ في

هِ وَهوَ لِلصَوتِ صَدى

هِ وَهوَ لِلصَوتِ صَدى

And the home—you are the voice in

And the house is you - the voice in it

it, and he is an echo of that voice.

While it is but an echo to the voice

كَالبَبَّغا في قَفَصٍ

كَالبَبَّغا في قَفَصٍ

قيلَ لَهُ فَقَلَّدا

قيلَ لَهُ فَقَلَّدا

Like a parrot in a cage,

Like a parrot in a cage

when spoken to, he imitates.

That is told to imitate

وَكَالقَضيبِ اللَدنِ قَد

وَكَالقَضيبِ اللَدنِ قَد

طاوَعَ في الشَكلِ اليَدا

طاوَعَ في الشَكلِ اليَدا

And like a pliant rod that has

And like soft clay that

yielded to the hand in taking shape,

Conforms to the shape of the hand

يَأخُذُ ما عَوَّدتِهِ

يَأخُذُ ما عَوَّدتِهِ

وَالمَرءُ ما تَعَوَّدا

وَالمَرءُ ما تَعَوَّدا

he adopts what you have accustomed him to;

He takes what you accustomed him to

and a person is what he has grown accustomed to.

And man becomes what he is accustomed to