إِلى العَينِ قَبلَ الكَفِّ يَبدو شُعاعُهُ

إِلى العَينِ قَبلَ الكَفِّ يَبدو شُعاعُهُ

وَلَيسَ شُعاعُ الجودِ شَيئاً سِوى البِشرِ

وَلَيسَ شُعاعُ الجودِ شَيئاً سِوى البِشرِ

Its radiance appears to the eye before the hand,

His radiance appears before palm meets hand

And generosity's radiance is nothing but cheerfulness.

Nothing but glad tidings is the radiance of generosity

وَجودٌ هُوَ القَطرُ الَّذي هُوَ دائِرُ

وَجودٌ هُوَ القَطرُ الَّذي هُوَ دائِرُ

عَلَيهِ حَديثُ الناسِ في البَحرِ وَالبَرِّ

عَلَيهِ حَديثُ الناسِ في البَحرِ وَالبَرِّ

And generosity is the rain around which revolves

A generosity which circulates among people on land and sea

The talk of people, at sea and on land.

Thus, though my tongue praised my friend, it reached not my heart

كَذَلِكَ إِن لُمتُ الصَديقَ جَرى عَلى

كَذَلِكَ إِن لُمتُ الصَديقَ جَرى عَلى

لِساني وَلَكِن ما وَصَلتُ إِلى صَدري

لِساني وَلَكِن ما وَصَلتُ إِلى صَدري

Likewise, if I reproached a friend, it ran across

I see you succeeding in neglecting rights, which I fear

My tongue, but I did not go as far as my breast.

Will be forsaken by the days

أَرى لَكَ في نَبذِ الحُقوقِ خَليفَةً

أَرى لَكَ في نَبذِ الحُقوقِ خَليفَةً

أَخافُ عَلَيها مِن مُنابَذَةِ الدَهرِ

أَخافُ عَلَيها مِن مُنابَذَةِ الدَهرِ

I see you have a successor in casting aside rights;

If you are of the night of fortune in companionship

I fear for that successor the hostility of time.

Then every evening after it is dawn’s rise

فَإِن كُنتَ مِن لَيلِ السَعادَةِ في العِشا

فَإِن كُنتَ مِن لَيلِ السَعادَةِ في العِشا

فَكُلُّ عِشاءٍ بَعدَهُ مَطلَعُ الفَجرِ

فَكُلُّ عِشاءٍ بَعدَهُ مَطلَعُ الفَجرِ

So if you are at dusk in the night of happiness,

Truly, when the names of nobles occur to mind

Then every evening is followed by the rise of dawn.

As they pass through the field one day in thought

وَإِنَّ لِأَسماءِ الكِرامِ مَغابِراً

وَإِنَّ لِأَسماءِ الكِرامِ مَغابِراً

إِذا خَطَرَت في الحَقلِ يَوماً عَلى الفِكرِ

إِذا خَطَرَت في الحَقلِ يَوماً عَلى الفِكرِ

And indeed, the names of the noble have dusty arenas,

Those names then retire like war parties

When one day, in the field, they cross the mind,

In the moment of victory or defeat

فَتَنصَرِفُ الأَسما اِنصِرافَ بَني الوَغى

فَتَنصَرِفُ الأَسما اِنصِرافَ بَني الوَغى

عَن الحَربِ في حالَيهِمُ الفَتحِ وَالكَسرِ

عَن الحَربِ في حالَيهِمُ الفَتحِ وَالكَسرِ

Then the names withdraw as the sons of battle withdraw

If you say you are the sea we say above it

From war, in their two states: victory and defeat.

Yet it is unveiled only by pearls

وَإِن قُلتَ إِنّي البَحرُ قُلنا وَفَوقَهُ

وَإِن قُلتَ إِنّي البَحرُ قُلنا وَفَوقَهُ

وَلَكِنَّهُ لا يُجتَلى بِسِوى الدُرِّ

وَلَكِنَّهُ لا يُجتَلى بِسِوى الدُرِّ

And if you say, 'I am the sea,' we say, 'You surpass it.'

If you say you are the sword we say above it

But it is admired for pearls alone.

Yet its blade did not avail without victory

وَإِن قُلتَ إِنّي السَيفُ قُلنا وَفَوقَهُ

وَإِن قُلتَ إِنّي السَيفُ قُلنا وَفَوقَهُ

وَلَكِنَّهُ لَم يَغنَ حَدّاهُ عَن نَصرِ

وَلَكِنَّهُ لَم يَغنَ حَدّاهُ عَن نَصرِ

And if you say, 'I am the sword,' we say, 'You surpass it.'

If you say life is fleeting

But its two edges have not made aid unnecessary.

You are right but I say you extend life

وَإِن قُلتَ إِنَّ العُمرَ شَيءٌ مُؤَقَّتٌ

وَإِن قُلتَ إِنَّ العُمرَ شَيءٌ مُؤَقَّتٌ

صَدَقتَ وَلَكِنّي أُزيدُكَ في العُمرِ

صَدَقتَ وَلَكِنّي أُزيدُكَ في العُمرِ

And if you say, 'Life is something with a fixed term,'

If people are equal in the place of destruction

You speak truly, but I add to your life.

They are not equal in the place of remembrance

وَإِن يَتَساوَ الخَلقُ في مَورِدِ الرَدى

وَإِن يَتَساوَ الخَلقُ في مَورِدِ الرَدى

فَلَم يَتَساوَالخَلقُ في مَورِدِ الذِكرِ

فَلَم يَتَساوَالخَلقُ في مَورِدِ الذِكرِ

And though people are equal at the watering-place of death,

If you say Egypt has no equal on earth

They are not equal at the watering-place of remembrance.

God has not enjoined worshippers to Egypt

وَإِن قُلتَ مِصرٌ ما عَلى الأَرضِ مِثلُها

وَإِن قُلتَ مِصرٌ ما عَلى الأَرضِ مِثلُها

فَما وَكَّلَ اللَهُ العِبادَ إِلى مِصرِ

فَما وَكَّلَ اللَهُ العِبادَ إِلى مِصرِ

And if you say, 'Egypt has no equal on earth,'

God has apportioned lands their sustenance

Yet God has not entrusted His servants to Egypt.

Not granted the Nile an allotment of rain

وَقَد قَسَمَ اللَهُ القِطارَ عَلى الثَرى

وَقَد قَسَمَ اللَهُ القِطارَ عَلى الثَرى

وَما لِثَراها قَطُّ قِسمٌ مِنَ القَطرِ

وَما لِثَراها قَطُّ قِسمٌ مِنَ القَطرِ

And God has apportioned the rains over the earth,

They boast about the Nile, but the Nile is adorned

And its soil has never had a share of rain.

How many rivers has God belted the plain with?

وَإِن أَجلَبوا بِالنَيلِ وَالنَيلُ قَد زَها

وَإِن أَجلَبوا بِالنَيلِ وَالنَيلُ قَد زَها

فَكَم قَلَّدَ اللَهُ البَسيطَةَ مِن نَهرِ

فَكَم قَلَّدَ اللَهُ البَسيطَةَ مِن نَهرِ

And if they clamor about the Nile, and the Nile has grown splendid,

Its boundaries from the Nile rounded as if

Then how many rivers has God hung as necklaces upon the earth!

A mirror, no, but rivers run like an unsheathed sword

قَرارَتُهُ مِنها اِستَدارَت كَأَنَّها ال

قَرارَتُهُ مِنها اِستَدارَت كَأَنَّها ال

مِراةُ بَل الأَنهارُ كَالسَيفِ إِذ تَجري

مِراةُ بَل الأَنهارُ كَالسَيفِ إِذ تَجري

Its basin there has become round, as though it were the

Thus not women were their men, who prepare

mirror; rather, rivers are like a sword when they flow.

Mirrors, no, but the blades that dash forth

كَذَلِكَ ما كانَت نِساءً رِجالُهُم

كَذَلِكَ ما كانَت نِساءً رِجالُهُم

تُعِدُّ المَرايا لا الحُسامَ الَّذي يَفري

تُعِدُّ المَرايا لا الحُسامَ الَّذي يَفري

Likewise, their men were not women,

Preparing mirrors, not the keen sword that cleaves.