أَهلَكَ وَاللَيلَ أَيُّها الرَجُلُ

أَهلَكَ وَاللَيلَ أَيُّها الرَجُلُ

قَد طالَ هَذا الرَجاءُ وَالأَمَلُ

قَد طالَ هَذا الرَجاءُ وَالأَمَلُ

Hurry to your family before nightfall, O man!

O man, the night is gone and time has passed on,

This hope and expectation have lasted long.

This longing and hope have been too long drawn.

عَوِّل عَلى الصَبرِ وَاِتَّخِذ سَبَباً

عَوِّل عَلى الصَبرِ وَاِتَّخِذ سَبَباً

إِلى اللَيالي فَإِنَّها دُوَلُ

إِلى اللَيالي فَإِنَّها دُوَلُ

Rely on patience, and find a means

Rely upon patience and find yourself a way,

to face the nights, for they are turns of fortune.

To the nights that keep changing day by day.

ما أَبعَدَ المَكرُماتِ عَن رَجُلٍ

ما أَبعَدَ المَكرُماتِ عَن رَجُلٍ

عَلى سُؤالِ الرِجالِ يَتَّكِلُ

عَلى سُؤالِ الرِجالِ يَتَّكِلُ

How far noble deeds lie from a man

How far are favors from a man, who depends,

who relies on begging from other men!

Upon begging from others his needs to attend.

وَما يُريدُ الفَتى بِهِمَّتِهِ

وَما يُريدُ الفَتى بِهِمَّتِهِ

بُلِّغَهُ مِن وَرائِهِ أَجَلُ

بُلِّغَهُ مِن وَرائِهِ أَجَلُ

And what does the young man seek through his resolve,

What the young man intends with his ambition,

when an appointed end is brought to him from behind?

Will reach him behind without his volition.

لَيسَ الثَرى وَالثَرِيَّ وَالعِزَّةَ ال

لَيسَ الثَرى وَالثَرِيَّ وَالعِزَّةَ ال

قَعساءَ إِلّا السُيوفُ وَالصَلُ

قَعساءَ إِلّا السُيوفُ وَالصَلُ

Land, the wealthy man, and honor that is

Neither wealth nor honor except with swords that collide,

unassailable are nothing but swords and serpents.

And necks that our sharp blades have severed and divide.

كُلُّ إِمرِئٍ شُغلُهُ بِقِصَّتِهِ

كُلُّ إِمرِئٍ شُغلُهُ بِقِصَّتِهِ

وَلِلفَزارِيِّ بِالقَنا شُغلُ

وَلِلفَزارِيِّ بِالقَنا شُغلُ

Each man is occupied with his own affair,

Every man is busy with stories of his own,

and al-Fazari is occupied with spears.

While my only care is striking with my spear's hone.

فَكُن عَلى الدَهرِ فارِساً بَطَلاً

فَكُن عَلى الدَهرِ فارِساً بَطَلاً

فَإِنَّما الدَهرُ فارِسُ بَطَلُ

فَإِنَّما الدَهرُ فارِسُ بَطَلُ

So be a valiant horseman against Time,

So be on time an undaunted horseman and knight,

for Time is but a valiant horseman.

For time itself is but an undaunted horse and knight.

هَل هُوَ إِلّا سَبيلُ أَوَّلِكَ ال

هَل هُوَ إِلّا سَبيلُ أَوَّلِكَ ال

ماضينَ أَينَ الجَحاجِحُ الأُوَّلُ

ماضينَ أَينَ الجَحاجِحُ الأُوَّلُ

Is it anything but the path of your forebears,

Is it not but the path your forefathers have crossed?

who have passed away? Where are the great chiefs of old?

Where are the departed crowds of the past?

كانوا فَبانوا وَبانَ ذِكرُهُمُ

كانوا فَبانوا وَبانَ ذِكرُهُمُ

فَلَيسَ إِلّا الرُسومُ وَالطَلَلُ

فَلَيسَ إِلّا الرُسومُ وَالطَلَلُ

They lived, then departed, and their memory departed;

They existed and then passed away and so did their fame,

so nothing remains but traces and the ruined abode.

Naught remains except relics and empty names.

لا بُدَّ لِلخَيلِ أَن تَجولَ بِنا

لا بُدَّ لِلخَيلِ أَن تَجولَ بِنا

وَالخَيلُ أَرماحُنا الَّتي تَصِلُ

وَالخَيلُ أَرماحُنا الَّتي تَصِلُ

The horses must wheel about with us,

Our steeds must roam and charge in the fray,

and the horses are our spears that reach their mark.

Our spears the means to drive evil away.

فَمَرَّةً بِاللُجَينِ تَنعَلُها

فَمَرَّةً بِاللُجَينِ تَنعَلُها

وَمَرَّةً بِالدِماءِ تَنتَعِلُ

وَمَرَّةً بِالدِماءِ تَنتَعِلُ

So sometimes you shoe them with silver,

Now shod with sharp swords, now with blood dyed,

and sometimes they are shod in blood,

Until under our banners death itself has died,

حَتّى تَرى المَوتَ تَحتَ رايَتِنا

حَتّى تَرى المَوتَ تَحتَ رايَتِنا

تُطفَأُ نيرانُهُ وَتَشتَعِلُ

تُطفَأُ نيرانُهُ وَتَشتَعِلُ

until you see death beneath our banner,

And we quench its fires as our own flames rise.

its fires are quenched and flare up.

I live with dignity, not chasing youthful lies,

فَأَقنى حَياءً فَلَستُ مِن غَزَلٍ

فَأَقنى حَياءً فَلَستُ مِن غَزَلٍ

فَلَيسَ مِنّي النِساءُ وَالغَزَلُ

فَلَيسَ مِنّي النِساءُ وَالغَزَلُ

So keep your modesty, for I am not given to dalliance;

No more women or passion my heart beguiles,

women and dalliance have no part in me.

The crow of youth has flown away miles and miles,

طارَ غُرابُ الشَبابُ مُرتَحِلاً

طارَ غُرابُ الشَبابُ مُرتَحِلاً

وَحَلَّ شيبٌ فَلَيسَ يَرتَحِلُ

وَحَلَّ شيبٌ فَلَيسَ يَرتَحِلُ

The raven of youth has flown off on its journey,

While gray hair that stays and does not flee,

and gray hair has settled and does not depart.

This leads to that as time aids the free,

هَذا لِهَذا وَالدَهرُ لِلغِنى سَبَبٌ

هَذا لِهَذا وَالدَهرُ لِلغِنى سَبَبٌ

وَالمَرءُ في نَفسِهِ لَهُ عِلَلُ

وَالمَرءُ في نَفسِهِ لَهُ عِلَلُ

This is for that, and Time is a means to wealth;

While the person himself has his own special needs,

and man has ailments within himself.

Do not place on people unbearable misdeeds,

تَنَقَّلُ الدَهرِ لِلغِنى سَبَبٌ

تَنَقَّلُ الدَهرِ لِلغِنى سَبَبٌ

وَالمَرءُ وَالدَهرَ حَيثُ يَنتَقِلُ

وَالمَرءُ وَالدَهرَ حَيثُ يَنتَقِلُ

The shifts of Time are a means to wealth,

More than a human being can bear and hold,

and man goes with Time wherever it moves.

Beware of miserliness when you are to give or spend of your gold,

فَدُم عَلَى صَبرِكَ الجَميلِ لَهُ

فَدُم عَلَى صَبرِكَ الجَميلِ لَهُ

وَاِعمَل فَإِنَّ المُلوكَ قَد عَمِلوا

وَاِعمَل فَإِنَّ المُلوكَ قَد عَمِلوا

So persist in your gracious patience with it,

And if you see people who are misers stingy and cold,

and labor, for kings have labored.

Seek from Allah alone, not people you're told,

إِيّاكَ وَالناسُ أَن تُحَمِّلَهُم

إِيّاكَ وَالناسُ أَن تُحَمِّلَهُم

فَوقَ الَّذي الآدَمِيُّ يَحتَمِلُ

فَوقَ الَّذي الآدَمِيُّ يَحتَمِلُ

Beware of burdening people

For He is the best guardian your wants to attend.

beyond what a human being can bear.

إِيّاكَ وَالبُخلَ عِندَ مَكرُمَةٍ

إِيّاكَ وَالبُخلَ عِندَ مَكرُمَةٍ

وَإِن رَأَيتَ الرِجالَ قَد بَخِلوا

وَإِن رَأَيتَ الرِجالَ قَد بَخِلوا

Beware of stinginess when generosity is called for,

even if you see that men have been stingy.

وَاِرغَب إِلى اللَهِ لا إِلى أَحَدٍ

وَاِرغَب إِلى اللَهِ لا إِلى أَحَدٍ

فَإِنَّهُ خَيرُ واصِلٌ تَصِلُ

فَإِنَّهُ خَيرُ واصِلٌ تَصِلُ

And appeal to God, not to anyone else,

for He is the best benefactor you can approach.