لِيَبْسِمْlet it smile فِيin مُحَيَّاكِyour face الرَّجَاءُhope
لِيَبْسِمْ فِي مُحَيَّاكِ الرَّجَاءُ
وَيُبْرِقُand gleams فِيin أَسِرَّتِكِyour features الْهَنَاءُhappiness
وَيُبْرِقُ فِي أَسِرَّتِكِ الْهَنَاءُ
Let hope smile upon your face,
Let hope smile in your greeting
And joy gleam in your features.
And joy shine in your secrets
وَطِيبِيand delight بِالشَّبَابِin youth كَمَاas يُرَجِّيgives hope
وَطِيبِي بِالشَّبَابِ كَمَا يُرَجِّي
عَفَافُكِyour chastity وَالطَّهارَةُand purity وَالإِبَاءُand dignity
عَفَافُكِ وَالطَّهارَةُ وَالإِبَاءُ
And delight in youth, as hope is offered by
Beautify my youth as one wishes
Your chastity, purity, and dignity.
Your chastity, purity and coyness
وَقَرِّيand be gladdened أَعْيُناًeyes بِبَنِينَby sons غُرٍّnoble
وَقَرِّي أَعْيُناً بِبَنِينَ غُرٍّ
وَبَعْلٍand a husband مِنْamong مَحَامِدِهِhis virtues الوَفَاءُfaithfulness
وَبَعْلٍ مِنْ مَحَامِدِهِ الوَفَاءُ
And let your eyes be gladdened by noble sons
Delight my eyes with lovely sons
And a husband whose virtues include faithfulness.
And a husband whose faithfulness endures
وَحَلِّيand adorn الرَّأْسَthe head مَفْخَرَةًproudly بِتَاجٍwith a crown
وَحَلِّي الرَّأْسَ مَفْخَرَةً بِتَاجٍ
يُضِيءُshines بِهِthrough it جَلاَلُكِyour majesty وَالبَهَاءُand splendor
يُضِيءُ بِهِ جَلاَلُكِ وَالبَهَاءُ
And proudly adorn your head with a crown
Adorn your head proudly with a crown
Through which your majesty and splendor shine.
That illuminates your glory and brilliance
وَلاَand do not تَنْسَيْforget نِظَامَarrangement الشَّعْرِthe hair فِيهِon it
وَلاَ تَنْسَيْ نِظَامَ الشَّعْرِ فِيهِ
كَأَحْسَنِlike the finest مَاthat which تُنَظِّمُهُarrange it النِّسَاءُwomen
كَأَحْسَنِ مَا تُنَظِّمُهُ النِّسَاءُ
And do not forget to arrange your hair there,
And forget not the rhythm of poetry in it
As beautifully as women can arrange it.
As the best women poets compose
فَمَاfor ... is not الإِكْلِيلُthe wreath لِلْحَسْنَاءِfor a beautiful woman وِقْرٌa burden
فَمَا الإِكْلِيلُ لِلْحَسْنَاءِ وِقْرٌ
وَلاَand not تَصْفِيفُarranging وَفْرَتِهَاher tresses عَنَاءُa hardship
وَلاَ تَصْفِيفُ وَفْرَتِهَا عَنَاءُ
For a wreath is no burden to a beautiful woman,
For the garland is no honor to the beauty
Nor is arranging her tresses a hardship.
Nor the plaiting of her locks toil
وَلَكِنْand yet يَصْدَعُsplits الرَّأْسَthe head اشْتِغَالٌpreoccupation
وَلَكِنْ يَصْدَعُ الرَّأْسَ اشْتِغَالٌ
بِمَاwith what تَأْبَىreject المَلاَحَةُloveliness وَالْفَتَاءُand youth
بِمَا تَأْبَى المَلاَحَةُ وَالْفَتَاءُ
But the head is split by preoccupation
Rather, preoccupation splits the head
With what loveliness and youth reject.
With what virtue rejects and chivalry disdains
وَيُثْقلُهُand weighs it down اهْتِمَامُconcern غَيْرُnot مُجْدٍbeneficial
وَيُثْقلُهُ اهْتِمَامُ غَيْرُ مُجْدٍ
بِمَاabout what فِيunder حُكْمِهِits rule الدُّنْيَاthe world سَوَاءُequal
بِمَا فِي حُكْمِهِ الدُّنْيَا سَوَاءُ
And fruitless concern weighs it down
And preocupation with futile matters weighs it down
Over matters under whose rule all the world is equal.
In which the world is equal
عَلَتْhas risen high شَمْسُthe sun الضُّحىthe forenoon وَالرَّوْضُand the garden زَاهٍradiant
عَلَتْ شَمْسُ الضُّحى وَالرَّوْضُ زَاهٍ
وَفِيهِand in it نَضَارَةٌfreshness وَسَنىًand radiance وَمَاءُand water
وَفِيهِ نَضَارَةٌ وَسَنىً وَمَاءُ
The morning sun has risen high, and the garden is radiant,
The sun of morning shone and the meadow bloomed
And in it are freshness, radiance, and water.
With freshness, ease and water
فَهُبِّيso rise لِلصَّبوحِfor the morning draught وَبَادِرِيهِand hasten to it
فَهُبِّي لِلصَّبوحِ وَبَادِرِيهِ
سُلاَفَتُهُits choicest wine النَّزَاهَةُpurity وَالضِّياءُand light
سُلاَفَتُهُ النَّزَاهَةُ وَالضِّياءُ
So rise for the morning draught, and hasten to it:
Rise to the morn and anticipate it
Its choicest wine is purity and light.
Its advance is honesty and illumination
وَشَادِيand sing with الصَّادِحَاتِthe songbirds فَإِنَّfor indeed أَسْمَىthe loftiest
وَشَادِي الصَّادِحَاتِ فَإِنَّ أَسْمَى
بَيَانٍexpression لِلنُّفوسِfor souls هُوَit is الْغِنَاءُsong
بَيَانٍ لِلنُّفوسِ هُوَ الْغِنَاءُ
And sing with the songbirds, for the loftiest
And sing loudly for the souls' highest
Expression of souls is song.
Expression is singing
وَحَاكِيand emulate الزَّهْرَthe flowers تَسْلِيماًin surrender وَلَهْواًand play
وَحَاكِي الزَّهْرَ تَسْلِيماً وَلَهْواً
فَمَاfor there is no لِلْهَمِّfor worry فِيin حُسْنٍbeauty ثَوَاءُdwelling
فَمَا لِلْهَمِّ فِي حُسْنٍ ثَوَاءُ
And emulate the flowers in surrender and play,
And talk to the flowers agreeably and playfully
For worry has no dwelling place in beauty.
For anxiety has no place in beauty