المالُ يفرُقُ بينَ الأُمِّ والوَلَدِ

المالُ يفرُقُ بينَ الأُمِّ والوَلَدِ

فذاكَ أدنَى نسيبٍ عندَ كلِّ يدِ

فذاكَ أدنَى نسيبٍ عندَ كلِّ يدِ

Money separates mother and child.

Money divides mother and child

For it is the closest kin to every hand.

That is the lowest relative at every hand

عهدي بهِ خادماً كالعبدِ نَملِكُهُ

عهدي بهِ خادماً كالعبدِ نَملِكُهُ

فما لعيني تراهُ سَيّدَ البَلَدِ

فما لعيني تراهُ سَيّدَ البَلَدِ

I remember it as a servant, like a slave we own;

My promise to him as a servant we own

so why does my eye see it as master of the land?

So why do my eyes see him lord of the land

مالٌ يميلُ إليهِ المَرْءُ من صِغَرٍ

مالٌ يميلُ إليهِ المَرْءُ من صِغَرٍ

وكُلمَّا شَبَّ شَبَّ الحُبُّ في الكَبدِ

وكُلمَّا شَبَّ شَبَّ الحُبُّ في الكَبدِ

Wealth, toward which a person inclines from childhood—

Money that men incline to from childhood

and as he grows, love of it blazes in his liver.

And the older they get, the more love grows in the heart

لو يجمَعُ اللهُ ما في الأرض قاطبةً

لو يجمَعُ اللهُ ما في الأرض قاطبةً

عندَ امرئٍ لم يَقُلْ حَسْبي فلا تَزِدِ

عندَ امرئٍ لم يَقُلْ حَسْبي فلا تَزِدِ

Were God to gather all that is on earth

If God gathered all in the wide earth

with one man, he would not say, "Enough for me; add no more."

To a man who’d not say “enough”, give no more

كلٌّ يروحُ من الدنيا الغَرُورِ كما

كلٌّ يروحُ من الدنيا الغَرُورِ كما

أتى بلا عَدَدٍ منها ولا عُدَدِ

أتى بلا عَدَدٍ منها ولا عُدَدِ

Everyone departs this deluding world just as

All leave the world's deceit as they came

he came, with none of its counted wealth or provisions.

Without number or count, without number or count

لو كانَ يأخُذُ شيئاً قبلَنا أَحَدٌ

لو كانَ يأخُذُ شيئاً قبلَنا أَحَدٌ

لم يبقَ شيءٌ لنا من سالفِ الأمَدِ

لم يبقَ شيءٌ لنا من سالفِ الأمَدِ

Had anyone before us taken anything away,

If another before us took something

nothing would have remained for us from ages past.

Naught would remain for us from olden days

غِشاوةٌ في عُيُونِ الناسِ مُحكَمةٌ

غِشاوةٌ في عُيُونِ الناسِ مُحكَمةٌ

تُفني العُيونَ ولا تَفنى إلى الأبدِ

تُفني العُيونَ ولا تَفنى إلى الأبدِ

A veil is firmly fixed over people's eyes;

A blindness covers people's eyes, impregnable

it consumes the eyes, yet itself never perishes.

It destroys eyes but lasts forever

عَلَتْ على كلِّ عالٍ في معَارِجهِ

عَلَتْ على كلِّ عالٍ في معَارِجهِ

ما لم يَكُنْ من رِجالِ اللهِ أهلِ غَدِ

ما لم يَكُنْ من رِجالِ اللهِ أهلِ غَدِ

It towers above every lofty man on his paths of ascent,

It rose above every lofty one in his ascent

unless he is among God's men, the people of the morrow.

Unless they be God's righteous men, people of the morrow

إيَّاكَ أَعني حَماك اللهُ من رجُلٍ

إيَّاكَ أَعني حَماك اللهُ من رجُلٍ

نَراهُ في أرضِنا كالرُّوحِ في الجَسَدِ

نَراهُ في أرضِنا كالرُّوحِ في الجَسَدِ

You are the man I mean—may God protect you—

You I mean, may God guard you from a man

whom we see in our land as the soul in the body.

Whom we see in our land like the soul in the body

نِلتَ الكَمالَ إلى ما فوقَ غايتِنا

نِلتَ الكَمالَ إلى ما فوقَ غايتِنا

فلا ينالُكَ منا طَوْرُ مُجتهدِ

فلا ينالُكَ منا طَوْرُ مُجتهدِ

You have attained perfection beyond our utmost reach;

You attained perfection beyond our limit

so no striver among us can reach you, even at his utmost.

So no discontent with us can reach you

القائلُ الحقَّ تحتَ السيفِ مشتهراً

القائلُ الحقَّ تحتَ السيفِ مشتهراً

والفاعلُ الخيرَ تحتَ البُغضِ والحَسدِ

والفاعلُ الخيرَ تحتَ البُغضِ والحَسدِ

You speak the truth beneath an unsheathed sword,

The speaker of truth proclaimed under the sword

and do good amid hatred and envy.

The doer of good under hate and envy

خلُقٌ طُبِعتَ عليه لا تَمنَّ به

خلُقٌ طُبِعتَ عليه لا تَمنَّ به

فلو أردت سبيلاً عنه لم تَجِدِ

فلو أردت سبيلاً عنه لم تَجِدِ

A disposition you were born with—claim no credit for it;

A nature you were created upon, you take no pride in

for if you sought a path away from it, you would find none.

Yet if you wished a way from it, you'd find none

من مَغربِ الأرضِ نَجْمٌ زانَ مَشرِقَها

من مَغربِ الأرضِ نَجْمٌ زانَ مَشرِقَها

تَفيضُ أنواؤُهُ بالدُّرِّ لا البَرَدِ

تَفيضُ أنواؤُهُ بالدُّرِّ لا البَرَدِ

A star from the earth's west has adorned its east;

From west of earth a star adorned its east

its rains pour forth pearls, not hail.

Its drops pour forth pearls, not hail

مَشَى على كَبِدِ الدُّنيا فما عَرَفَتْ

مَشَى على كَبِدِ الدُّنيا فما عَرَفَتْ

سيَّارةَ الأرضِ من سَيَّارةِ الجَلَدِ

سيَّارةَ الأرضِ من سَيَّارةِ الجَلَدِ

He walked upon the world's heart, and it could not distinguish

It walked on the liver of the lowly world, which knew not

the wanderers of earth from the wandering stars of the firmament.

The walker on earth from the walker on skin

فردٌ يَقُومُ على ساقٍ بما عَجَزَتْ

فردٌ يَقُومُ على ساقٍ بما عَجَزَتْ

عنهُ الجُموعُ ولو قامَتْ على عُمُدِ

عنهُ الجُموعُ ولو قامَتْ على عُمُدِ

One man, standing on one leg, accomplishes what

A single man who stands on one leg with what

the multitudes could not, even if they stood on pillars.

The multitudes failed, though they stood on pillars

لا يُعجَبِ العَدَدُ الوافي بكَثرتِهِ

لا يُعجَبِ العَدَدُ الوافي بكَثرتِهِ

فرُبَّما غَلَبَتْهُ كَثرةُ المَدَدِ

فرُبَّما غَلَبَتْهُ كَثرةُ المَدَدِ

Let the full host not pride itself on its numbers,

Numbers are not impressed by their multitude

for abundant aid may overcome it.

For oft has their excess been defeated

أهلاً ببدرٍ تجلَّى بعدَ مغرِبِهِ

أهلاً ببدرٍ تجلَّى بعدَ مغرِبِهِ

عَنّا وأشرَقَ بعد الخسفِ والكَمَدِ

عَنّا وأشرَقَ بعد الخسفِ والكَمَدِ

Welcome to a full moon that appeared after its setting

Welcome to a full moon that shone after its setting

away from us, and shone after eclipse and grief.

Far from us and rose after eclipse and waning

حَسِبتُ مَرآهُ حُلْماً بعدَ عوْدتِهِ

حَسِبتُ مَرآهُ حُلْماً بعدَ عوْدتِهِ

فطالما زارَ في حُلمٍ ولم يَعُدِ

فطالما زارَ في حُلمٍ ولم يَعُدِ

I took the sight of him for a dream after his return,

I thought its image a dream after its return

for so often he had visited in dreams, yet had not returned.

For long it had visited in a dream and not come back