بِالغارِ مِن هَضبَي عَمايَةَ نازِلٌ

بِالغارِ مِن هَضبَي عَمايَةَ نازِلٌ

ما زالَ توقَدُ نارُهُ بِالغارِ

ما زالَ توقَدُ نارُهُ بِالغارِ

In the cave among ʿAmāyah's two heights dwells a man;

Dwelling in the cave of Amaya's plateaus

his fire has never ceased to be kindled with laurel.

His fire continues blazing in the cave

وَكَبائِرُ الأَشياءِ تُحدِثُ غَيرَها

وَكَبائِرُ الأَشياءِ تُحدِثُ غَيرَها

فَتُعيدُها مَوصوفَةً بِصِغارِ

فَتُعيدُها مَوصوفَةً بِصِغارِ

And great things bring forth others,

And the big things bring about others

which in turn reduce them to things called small.

Then bring them back described as small

وَمَغارُ هَذا الدَهرُ تَقطَعُ خَيلُهُ

وَمَغارُ هَذا الدَهرُ تَقطَعُ خَيلُهُ

أَسبابُ حَبلٍ لِلحَياةِ مُغارِ

أَسبابُ حَبلٍ لِلحَياةِ مُغارِ

And this Time's onslaught—its horses sever

And the caves of this life tear apart its horses

the strands of life's tightly twisted rope.

Reasons a rope for life in the cave

لا تَبخَلِنَّ عَلى خَليلِكِ إِن بَغى

لا تَبخَلِنَّ عَلى خَليلِكِ إِن بَغى

خِلّاً سِواكِ فَتُبخَلي وَتُغاري

خِلّاً سِواكِ فَتُبخَلي وَتُغاري

Do not be stingy toward your close friend if he seeks

Do not be stingy to your friend if he desires

a friend other than you, lest you be deemed stingy and made jealous.

A friend other than you so you become stingy and jealous

لا يَجعَلَنَّ هِنداً هُنَيدَةً فُوَكَ فَالتَ

لا يَجعَلَنَّ هِنداً هُنَيدَةً فُوَكَ فَالتَ

صغيرُ مَقرونٌ إِلى الإِصغارِ

صغيرُ مَقرونٌ إِلى الإِصغارِ

Let not your mouth turn Hind into Hunaydah; for

Do not make one Indian despise another Indian

the diminutive goes hand in hand with belittlement.

The small connected to smallness

إِنَّ الثُرَيّا حينَ صَغَّرَ لَفظَها

إِنَّ الثُرَيّا حينَ صَغَّرَ لَفظَها

أَهلُ البَسيطَةِ مادَنَت لِصَغارِ

أَهلُ البَسيطَةِ مادَنَت لِصَغارِ

Indeed, the Pleiades, when their name was made diminutive

Verily al-Thuria, when she made small her words

by earth's inhabitants, did not stoop to abasement.

The people of simplicity drew near to smallness