كُلُّ نَفْسٍ لا تقصدُ ابنَ سلامَه

كُلُّ نَفْسٍ لا تقصدُ ابنَ سلامَه

فَهْيَ نَفْسٌ عن الغنى لوّامَه

فَهْيَ نَفْسٌ عن الغنى لوّامَه

Every soul that does not seek Ibn Salamah

Every soul that does not aim for the son of peace

is a soul forever reproaching itself for missing wealth.

Is a soul blaming fortune for poverty

ناضرٌ ناظرٌ بإنسانِ إنس

ناضرٌ ناظرٌ بإنسانِ إنس

نٍ خَيرٌ في دَستهِ علاّمه

نٍ خَيرٌ في دَستهِ علاّمه

Radiant, watchful through a human eye's pupil;

A blossoming, watching man is the best of men

good, a great scholar in his seat of office.

Goodness is in his hands, it is his mark

كاتبٌ دونه ابنُ مقْلةَ خطاً

كاتبٌ دونه ابنُ مقْلةَ خطاً

ليسَ يرضى قُدامةً قدامه

ليسَ يرضى قُدامةً قدامه

A scribe whom Ibn Muqlah cannot match in handwriting;

Below him writes the son of judgement in a script

he will not have Qudamah placed before him.

That neither Qudama would approve of preceding him

كم غدا الثّغرُ قمطرِيراً عَبوساً

كم غدا الثّغرُ قمطرِيراً عَبوساً

ثمَّ أبدى بالعَدل منه ابتسامه

ثمَّ أبدى بالعَدل منه ابتسامه

How often the frontier became grim and scowling,

How often did disappointment frown on the lips

then he drew from it a smile through justice.

Then justice made it smile through him

إنَّ دارَ الطرازِ بعدَ هَوانٍ

إنَّ دارَ الطرازِ بعدَ هَوانٍ

قد تبدَّتْ بالحفْظِ دارَ كرامَه

قد تبدَّتْ بالحفْظِ دارَ كرامَه

Indeed, the House of Embroidery, after humiliation,

The house of embroidery after humiliation

has emerged, through safekeeping, as a house of honor.

Appeared protected, the house of generosity

فَعْلُوّا يا مَنْ حوى كُلَّ فَضْلٍ

فَعْلُوّا يا مَنْ حوى كُلَّ فَضْلٍ

ها أنا ذاكرٌ لكُم أقامَه

ها أنا ذاكرٌ لكُم أقامَه

So rise high, O you who possess every excellence;

Rise up you who possess all virtue

here I recount to you how he established it:

Exaltation from humility, and neediness

رِفعةٌ عَنْ تَواضُعٍ وافتقارٌ

رِفعةٌ عَنْ تَواضُعٍ وافتقارٌ

عن غِنَى مَعْ تَحَكُّمٍ عَنْ صرامه

عن غِنَى مَعْ تَحَكُّمٍ عَنْ صرامه

high standing born of humility, and need

From wealth with determination against severity

born of riches, with command born of firmness.

And with this you give leadership praise

وبهذا تُعطي الرياسةَ حَمداً

وبهذا تُعطي الرياسةَ حَمداً

لا بكبرٍ في الرأسِ أو في العَمامه

لا بكبرٍ في الرأسِ أو في العَمامه

And through this you bring praise to leadership,

Not with arrogance in the head or in the turban

not by the bigness of one's head or turban.

O beauty whom God has beautified the one who made

يا جمالاً قَد جَمّلَ الله مَن سا

يا جمالاً قَد جَمّلَ الله مَن سا

مَ نداهُ وَللمواهبِ شامه

مَ نداهُ وَللمواهبِ شامه

O Jamal, God has adorned whoever sought

His call and the talents his mark

his bounty and looked to him for gifts.

Do not see me as a small part in the eye

لا تَراني في العينِ جزأ صغيراً

لا تَراني في العينِ جزأ صغيراً

أنا مني تحتَ الثّرى ألفُ قامَه

أنا مني تحتَ الثّرى ألفُ قامَه

Do not see me as a tiny speck in the eye;

I am from under the soil a thousand statues

I have a thousand body-lengths of myself beneath the soil.

I have been divided in life into a thousand knowledge

أنا قَد جُزتُ في الورى ألفَ علْمٍ

أنا قَد جُزتُ في الورى ألفَ علْمٍ

وخُصوصاً منْ ذاكَ علمَ النجامه

وخُصوصاً منْ ذاكَ علمَ النجامه

I have traversed a thousand sciences among mankind,

Especially from that the knowledge of the astrologer

and especially, among those, the science of astrology.

I have a star that tells me in returning

لي نَجمٌ يقولُ لي في رجوع

لي نَجمٌ يقولُ لي في رجوع

عنكَ ذَقنَ الحكيم في الاستقامه

عنكَ ذَقنَ الحكيم في الاستقامه

I have a star that tells me, in retrograde motion:

From you the wise man tasted straightness

'The sage's chin is away from you in direct motion.'

How often have I looked upon the calendar, calling out

كم نَظَرتُ التَقويمَ يوماً ونادَ ب

كم نَظَرتُ التَقويمَ يوماً ونادَ ب

تُ أسألُ الله في القران السّلامه

تُ أسألُ الله في القران السّلامه

Many a day I studied the almanac and lamented,

Asking God for the Quran's safety

asking God for safety at the conjunction.

Your head's Quran was true for me in arriving to

صّح عندي قرانُ رأسكَ في الدل

صّح عندي قرانُ رأسكَ في الدل

وِ إلى أنْ تدورَ كالدوامه

وِ إلى أنْ تدورَ كالدوامه

Your head's conjunction in Aquarius, the Bucket, proved certain to me,

Spin like the whirlpool

until you whirl like a spinning top.

All that you feared impossible

كلُّ ما كُنْتَ تتّقيهِ محالا

كلُّ ما كُنْتَ تتّقيهِ محالا

لم تُحَقّقْ بصّحة أحكامَه

لم تُحَقّقْ بصّحة أحكامَه

All you used to fear was impossible;

You did not prove with sound judgements

you had not verified the soundness of its predictions.

Rest your eyes, for the generosity of the beauty of the son

قرَّ عَيناً فإنَّ جودَ جمالِ الإ

قرَّ عَيناً فإنَّ جودَ جمالِ الإ

بنِ ينضي ما قَدْ خَشيتُ دوامَه

بنِ ينضي ما قَدْ خَشيتُ دوامَه

Be of good cheer, for the generosity of Jamal, the

Dispels what I had feared would last

son, wears away what I feared would endure.

My lord, the result of settlement is insignificant

سَيدي حاصلُ الإقامةِ نَزْرٌ

سَيدي حاصلُ الإقامةِ نَزْرٌ

ولهذا هُنا كَرِهتُ الإِقامَه

ولهذا هُنا كَرِهتُ الإِقامَه

My lord, the yield of staying is scant,

And so here I have disliked settlement

and for this reason I have disliked staying here.

And my little ones are like the Jews

وَصغاري مثلُ اليهودِ بذُل

وَصغاري مثلُ اليهودِ بذُل

تَشْتَهي لو أتَيتُهُمْ بعَلامه

تَشْتَهي لو أتَيتُهُمْ بعَلامه

And my little ones, abased like the Jews,

If I brought them a mark, they longed

long for me to come to them with a badge.

If they saw a round letter from a loaf

لو رأُوا حَرْفَ كرةٍ من رغيفٍ

لو رأُوا حَرْفَ كرةٍ من رغيفٍ

جعلوهُ لَدَيْهمُ شَمّامَه

جعلوهُ لَدَيْهمُ شَمّامَه

If they saw the edge of a round piece of a loaf,

They made it their trinket

they would keep it beside them as a melon to sniff.