انْ شاركَ الأدْوانُ أهلَ العُلى

انْ شاركَ الأدْوانُ أهلَ العُلى

والمجْدِ في تسميةٍ باللسانْ

والمجْدِ في تسميةٍ باللسانْ

If the lowly share with the people of eminence

If the eras share with the people of highness

and glory in a name upon the tongue,

And glory in naming with the tongue

فما على أهْلِ العُلى سُبَّةٌ

فما على أهْلِ العُلى سُبَّةٌ

أنَّ بخورَ العودِ بعضُ الدخانْ

أنَّ بخورَ العودِ بعضُ الدخانْ

then it is no disgrace to the people of eminence

Then no blemish is upon the people of highness

that aloeswood incense is a kind of smoke.

That some of the incense is smoke

صاحبْ أخا الشَّرِّ لتَسْطوبه

صاحبْ أخا الشَّرِّ لتَسْطوبه

يوماً على بعض شِرارِ الزَّمانْ

يوماً على بعض شِرارِ الزَّمانْ

Befriend a brother of evil, so through him you may strike

Befriend the brother of evil to subdue him

one day at some of the age's evildoers.

One day over some of the evils of time

فالرُّمْحُ لا يُرْهبُ اُنْبوبُهُ

فالرُّمْحُ لا يُرْهبُ اُنْبوبُهُ

اِلاَّ اذا رُكِّبَ فيه السِّنانْ

اِلاَّ اذا رُكِّبَ فيه السِّنانْ

For the spear's shaft is not feared

For the spear does not frighten with its bending

unless the spearhead is fitted into it.

Except when the blade is attached to it

اِصْبرْ على الشِّدَّةِ تحْوِ العُلى

اِصْبرْ على الشِّدَّةِ تحْوِ العُلى

فكلُّ قاصٍ عند ذي الصْبرِ دانْ

فكلُّ قاصٍ عند ذي الصْبرِ دانْ

Be patient in hardship, and you will attain eminence;

Be patient with hardship, you will attain highness

for all that is distant is near to one with patience.

For every storyteller is indebted to one with patience

ما لَقيَ الضَّامِرُ منْ جوعِهِ

ما لَقيَ الضَّامِرُ منْ جوعِهِ

حَوى له السَّبْقَ بيومِ الرِّهانْ

حَوى له السَّبْقَ بيومِ الرِّهانْ

The hunger the lean steed endured

What the fasting one suffered from his hunger

won it first place on the day of the wager.

Won him precedence on the day of the bet

اُشجُعْ وجُدْ تحْظَ بفخريهما

اُشجُعْ وجُدْ تحْظَ بفخريهما

فكلُّ ما قَدَّرهُ اللّهُ كانْ

فكلُّ ما قَدَّرهُ اللّهُ كانْ

Be brave and generous, and enjoy the glory of both;

Be courageous and exert effort, you will gain pride in both

for whatever God has decreed comes to pass.

For whatever Allah decreed, it was

لو نفعَ البُخْلُ وذُلُّ الفتى

لو نفعَ البُخْلُ وذُلُّ الفتى

ما افْتَقرَ الكَزُّ وماتَ الجَبانْ

ما افْتَقرَ الكَزُّ وماتَ الجَبانْ

If miserliness and a young man's abasement were useful,

If stinginess and the humiliation of a man benefited,

the miser would not become poor, nor would the coward die.

The miser would not become poor, nor the coward die