عن العدل لا تعدل فأنت المعدل

عن العدل لا تعدل فأنت المعدل

وإنَّ قيامَ الفضلِ بالحرّ أجملُ

وإنَّ قيامَ الفضلِ بالحرّ أجملُ

Do not turn aside from justice, for you are the one who sets things right.

Do not judge justice, for You are the Judge

And generosity is more becoming when it abides in a free man.

And upholding virtue openly is more beautiful

فلو عامل الله العبادَ بعدله

فلو عامل الله العبادَ بعدله

لأهلكهم والله من ذاك أفضل

لأهلكهم والله من ذاك أفضل

For if God dealt with His servants according to His justice,

If God had treated people with His justice

He would destroy them; yet God is better than that.

He would have destroyed them, and God is more virtuous than that

يجودُ ويثري بالجميل عليهمُ

يجودُ ويثري بالجميل عليهمُ

وليس له عما اقتضى الجودُ مَعدِلُ

وليس له عما اقتضى الجودُ مَعدِلُ

He gives generously and enriches them with goodness.

He gives generously and enriches them with kindness

And He has no turning aside from what generosity demands.

And none can match His generosity when He is benevolent

تباركَ جلَّ اللهُ في ملكوته

تباركَ جلَّ اللهُ في ملكوته

كمالاً وإن الله في الملك أكمل

كمالاً وإن الله في الملك أكمل

Blessed and exalted is God in His spiritual realm,

Blessed be God, full of glory in His dominion

in perfection; and in the manifest realm God is more perfect.

Perfect in might, and God is the most complete in sovereignty

فإن الذي في الملك صورة عينه

فإن الذي في الملك صورة عينه

وفي ملكوت الله جزؤ مفصل

وفي ملكوت الله جزؤ مفصل

For what is in the manifest realm is the form of His very essence,

For He who is in the dominion is the image of His essence

while in God's spiritual realm it is a differentiated part.

And in God's kingdom is a distinct part

وليس لهذا اللفظِ عند اصطلاحنا

وليس لهذا اللفظِ عند اصطلاحنا

مبالغة فانظر على ما أعوِّل

مبالغة فانظر على ما أعوِّل

And in our terminology this expression contains no

This wording has no exaggeration in our terminology

exaggeration; so consider what I rely upon.

Consider well what I rely upon

إذا كنتَ في قومٍ تعرف بلحنهم

إذا كنتَ في قومٍ تعرف بلحنهم

وحينئذ يجملُ به ويفصل

وحينئذ يجملُ به ويفصل

If you are among a people, become familiar with their idiom,

If you are among people, speak in their dialect

and then, through it, one summarizes and elaborates.

And then refinement and clarity is beautiful through it

إذا كنتَ في قومٍ تكلم بلحنهم

إذا كنتَ في قومٍ تكلم بلحنهم

لتفهمهم لا تلجىء الشخصَ يسأل

لتفهمهم لا تلجىء الشخصَ يسأل

If you are among a people, speak in their idiom,

If you are among people, speak in their dialect

so you make them understand; do not compel a person to ask.

So they understand you, do not resort to the individual asking

لو أنَّ الذي بالعجز يُعرف قدرُه

لو أنَّ الذي بالعجز يُعرف قدرُه

لكنت كريم الوقتِ يسدي ويفضل

لكنت كريم الوقتِ يسدي ويفضل

If the worth of the one marked by powerlessness were known,

If the one known for his incapacity, his worth would be known

you would be the age's generous one, giving and bestowing bounty.

You would be the generous of the time, giving and excelling

وكانت لك العليا وكنت لك المدى

وكانت لك العليا وكنت لك المدى

وأنتَ بها العالي وما ثم أسفلُ

وأنتَ بها العالي وما ثم أسفلُ

Yours would be the highest station, and you would be your own utmost reach,

And you would have the high ground, and you would have the range

and through it you would be the exalted one, with nothing lower there.

You would be the highest, and none below you

ومن أين جاءتْ ليت شعري ففرِّعوا

ومن أين جاءتْ ليت شعري ففرِّعوا

كلامي الذي قد قلت فيه وفصِّلوا

كلامي الذي قد قلت فيه وفصِّلوا

And where did it come from, I wonder? So draw out the ramifications of

And from where did this come, I wish I knew, so elaborate

my speech, in which I have already spoken, and expound it.

My words which I have spoken, and detail them

علمتُ به قلت أودعتُه في مقالتي

علمتُ به قلت أودعتُه في مقالتي

وجملة أمري أنني لستُ أجهل

وجملة أمري أنني لستُ أجهل

I knew through Him; I spoke; I placed it in my discourse.

I learned it, I said, I deposited it in my speech

And the sum of my affair is that I am not ignorant,

And the summary of my matter is that I am not ignorant

لأني به قلت الذي جئتكم به

لأني به قلت الذي جئتكم به

ومن كان قول الحق قل كيف يجهل

ومن كان قول الحق قل كيف يجهل

for through Him I spoke what I brought you.

Because I spoke to you with what I brought you

And whoever is the utterance of the Truth—say, how can he be ignorant?

And whoever speaks the truth, say how can he be ignorant?

أنا كلماتُ الله فالقولُ قولنا

أنا كلماتُ الله فالقولُ قولنا

لأني مجموعٌ وغيري مفصّل

لأني مجموعٌ وغيري مفصّل

I am the words of God; so the speech is our speech,

I am God's words, so the saying is our saying

for I am gathered into one, while others are differentiated.

Because I am the collection, and others are detailed

كعيسى الذي يحيى وينشىء طائراً

كعيسى الذي يحيى وينشىء طائراً

فيحيى بإذنِ الله والحقُّ فيصل

فيحيى بإذنِ الله والحقُّ فيصل

Like Jesus, who gives life and fashions a bird,

Like Jesus who gives life and creates a bird

so it lives by God's leave, and the Truth is the arbiter.

So he gives life by God's permission, and truth distinguishes

فمن كان مثلي فليقلْ مثلَ قولنا

فمن كان مثلي فليقلْ مثلَ قولنا

وإلا فإن الصمتَ بالعبد أجمل

وإلا فإن الصمتَ بالعبد أجمل

So let whoever is like me speak as we speak;

So let whoever is like me speak words like ours

otherwise, silence is more becoming in a servant.

Otherwise, silence in a servant is more beautiful