1. السِّحر هذا مَا أرَى

    أم تِلكَ أحلامُ الكَرَى

    Is this magic that I see,

    or are those the dreams of slumber?

  2. بل هِيَّ أفكارُ الورَى

    أتت بِعُجبِ العَجَبِ

    Rather, these are humankind's thoughts,

    which have brought the wonder of wonders.

  3. كُرةُ الأرضِ انكمَشت

    في بعضِها بعضٍ مَشَت

    The earth's globe has shrunk;

    its parts have moved into one another,

  4. وفي حَشاهُ عَشَّشَت

    فالشرقُ جارُ المغرِب

    and nested within its belly;

    so the East is the West's neighbor.

  5. يا لَخطيبٌ قد سكَن

    مِنبَرهُ فكُلّ مَن

    What an orator has settled

    on his pulpit! Whoever

  6. يَشاؤُه علَيه أن

    يطلبَه فيخطُبِ

    wants him need only

    summon him, and he delivers a speech.

  7. يَدرِي لُغَى التكالُم

    وليسَ بابنِ آدم

    He knows the languages of conversation,

    yet is no son of Adam;

  8. وهو لسَانُ العالَم

    مِن أعجمِي وَعَربي

    he is the tongue of the world,

    of non-Arab and Arab alike.

  9. إذا فركتَ أذنَه

    يُقلِّبنَّ جَفنَه

    When you rub his ear,

    he will surely turn his eyelid,

  10. ثُم يُوالِي لحنَه

    حالَة طفلِ المكتبِ

    then continue his melody,

    like a child in the schoolroom.

  11. يَروِي عن المِذياحِ

    بغايَة الإبدَاع

    He relays from the radio,

    with consummate artistry,

  12. ما لذَّ للأسماعِ

    مِن كلَِّّ شيءٍ مُعجبِ

    whatever delights the ears,

    of every wondrous thing.

  13. فكلُّ حادثٍ جرَى

    ممَّا ترَى أو لا تَرى

    Thus every event that occurs,

    whether you see it or do not,

  14. في الحِين عنه أخبَرا

    بالصِّدقِ أو بالكَذبِ

    he reports on it at once,

    truthfully or falsely.

  15. وكم تغنَّى بِنَغَم

    يطرُدُ عنك كلَّ غَم

    How often he has sung a tune

    that drives all sorrow from you;

  16. يَشِفي بها داءَ الصَّمَم

    من أُذنِ مَن لم يَطرَبِ

    with it he cures the malady of deafness

    in the ear of one who felt no rapture.

  17. مَيدانُه رَحبُ الفضَا

    وسَيرُه البرقُ أضَا

    His arena is the vastness of space,

    and his course is lightning flashing;

  18. ومثلُه مِثلُ القَضَا

    في سَيرِهِ لَم يُحجَبِ

    and he is like fate:

    unhindered on his way.

  19. وكَم أفادَ مِن حِكَم

    وكَم رَوَى عنِ الأُمَم

    How much wisdom he has imparted,

    and how much he has related of nations,

  20. وكَم وكَم وكَم وكَم

    مِن مُعجِزاتِ الأدبِ

    and how much, how much, how much, how much

    of literature's marvels!

  21. وهو أديبٌ كيِّسُ

    فالبِالحديثِ يَهمِسُ

    He is a discerning man of letters;

    so he whispers in conversation,

  22. إن منه ذا تلتَمِسُ

    وله صَوتُ الغضَبِ

    if that is what you ask of him;

    and he has the voice of anger.

  23. بَريدُهُ الأثيرُ

    علَى الهوَى يَسيرُ

    His courier is the ether;

    he travels upon the air,

  24. كأنَّه المقدُورُ

    يَجدُّ في التغيُّبِ

    as though he were destiny,

    striving hard to disappear.

  25. ما سُرعةُ الضياءِ

    ما البرقُ في السَماء

    What is the speed of light,

    what is lightning in the sky,

  26. ما لَمحُ عَينِ الرائي

    أمامَه إن يركَب

    what is the blink of the beholder's eye,

    before him, if he rides?

  27. لو كان لِي من قُدرةٍ

    في عَشوتِي وبكرَتِي

    If I had the power,

    in my evening and my morning,

  28. مَائَة ألفِ مرَّةٍ

    أفرِكُ أُذنَ اللَّولبِ

    a hundred thousand times

    I would rub the screw's ear.

  29. قضَى على العُزلةِ لا

    يُخافُ مَعهُ مللا

    He has ended solitude; no

    boredom need be feared with him.

  30. إن كان مَعكَ فالملا

    منكِ ذوو تَقرُّبِ

    If he is with you, then the people

    are drawn close to you.

  31. سجَّلَ ما قد سَجلا

    برانلي ثم عجلا

    He recorded what had already been recorded

    by Branly, then sped it up;

  32. فالذكرُ منه بُجلا

    على لِسان الحِقَبِ

    so his memory was held in honor

    on the tongue of the ages.

  33. به ذَوُوه تفخَرُ

    وخيرُ ما يُذَّخَرُ

    His people take pride in him,

    and the best thing to store up

  34. لِلفخرِ حين يُذكَرُ

    العلمَ فَالعِلمَ أطلُبِ

    for pride when it is recalled

    is knowledge—so seek knowledge!

  35. بالعلمِ طارَ الأمَمُ

    وفي السماء هوَّمُو

    Through knowledge the nations took flight,

    and hovered in the sky;

  36. وأسرَجُوا وألجَمُوا

    مَتنَ الهوَى في السُّحبِ

    and they saddled and bridled

    the back of the air among the clouds.

  37. بالعِلم سارُوا في البِحَار

    واستخدَموا به البُخَار

    Through knowledge they traveled the seas

    and harnessed steam by it;

  38. والكَهربَاءُ في استِعَار

    تَخرِقُ سِرَّ الحُجُبِ

    and electricity, ablaze,

    pierces the mystery of the veils.

  39. فمِن مَعينِه أغرِفِ

    ومن جَناه اقتطِف

    So draw from its flowing spring,

    and pluck from its fruit,

  40. لا سيَما وأنتَ في

    عصرِ مليكِنا الأبِي

    especially while you are in

    the age of our unbowed king,

  41. مُحمدِ بنِ يوسُف

    سَليلِ بيتِ الشرَفِ

    Muhammad son of Yusuf,

    scion of the house of honor,

  42. رَبِّ الحُسامِ المُرهَفِ

    خَيرِ مُلوكِ العَربِ

    master of the finely honed sword,

    the best of Arab kings.