قل للذي يهوى البيان المحكما

قل للذي يهوى البيان المحكما

دعه فأملح من ملاحته العمى

دعه فأملح من ملاحته العمى

Tell the one who loves well-wrought eloquence:

Tell the one who loves eloquent speech,

Leave it, for blindness is lovelier than its charm.

Leave him, for more eloquent than his eloquence is blindness,

وتوقَّ أن تبدي خطاباً نيِّراً

وتوقَّ أن تبدي خطاباً نيِّراً

فالناس قد صارت جواباً مظلما

فالناس قد صارت جواباً مظلما

And beware of delivering a radiant address,

And beware of revealing an enlightened address,

For people have become a dark reply.

For people have become an obscure response,

عش جاهلاً تجد الغباوة سكَّراً

عش جاهلاً تجد الغباوة سكَّراً

والجهل جاهاً والبلادة مغنما

والجهل جاهاً والبلادة مغنما

Live in ignorance: you will find stupidity sugar,

Live ignorantly, you will find ignorance a cloak,

And ignorance prestige, and dullness a prize.

And ignorance glory, and foolishness profitable,

عيش الفصيح من القريض أمرُّ من

عيش الفصيح من القريض أمرُّ من

عيش المريض إذا تناول علقما

عيش المريض إذا تناول علقما

The eloquent man's livelihood from verse is more bitter than

The life of the eloquent is more bitter than

The sick man's life when he swallows colocynth.

The life of the sick when he takes aloes,

ومن الذي دفعت فصاحته الظما

ومن الذي دفعت فصاحته الظما

إلّا فؤاد الملك دام معظما

إلّا فؤاد الملك دام معظما

And whose eloquence has warded off thirst,

And who has his eloquence pushed away adversity,

Except Fuad, heart of the realm—may he remain exalted?

Except the heart of the king, may his glory last,

خير الصدور المترعات معارفاً

خير الصدور المترعات معارفاً

وعوارفاً ولطائفاً وتكرما

وعوارفاً ولطائفاً وتكرما

The finest of bosoms, brimming with knowledge,

The best chests are pastures of knowledge,

And favors, graces, and generosity.

And gentleness, subtleties and generosity,

أفغيره ساد الورى بصنائعٍ

أفغيره ساد الورى بصنائعٍ

لو أنها صيغت لصارت أنجما

لو أنها صيغت لصارت أنجما

Has anyone but he become lord of mankind through benefactions

Does anyone other than him rule the world with talents?

That, if fashioned, would become stars?

If they were formulated, they would become stars,

شهدت لها الملل التي اختلفت وما ات

شهدت لها الملل التي اختلفت وما ات

تفق اَنَّها اتفقت رِياً وتوهما

تفق اَنَّها اتفقت رِياً وتوهما

The differing faiths bore witness to them, and never did it

The disagreements that differed testified to them, and did not

Happen that they agreed in opinion and conjecture.

Agree that they agreed, awake and imagining,

مولاي إن فصاحتي لم تعطني

مولاي إن فصاحتي لم تعطني

قوت الدمى بل غادرت دمعي دما

قوت الدمى بل غادرت دمعي دما

My lord, truly my eloquence has not given me

My Master, my eloquence did not give me

The sustenance of dolls, but has left my tears blood,

The livelihood of the tearful, but left my tear blood,

حتى كأن ظُبَى الوزير محمدٍ

حتى كأن ظُبَى الوزير محمدٍ

ذبحت على عيني لئيماً مجرما

ذبحت على عيني لئيماً مجرما

So that it is as though the blades of the minister Muhammad

As if the fingers of Vizier Muhammad

Had slaughtered upon my eye a vile criminal,

Were slaughtered before my eyes, an accursed criminal,

ينهاه عن توظيف عبد صادق

ينهاه عن توظيف عبد صادق

عف الرِدا لا يستبيح محرما

عف الرِدا لا يستبيح محرما

Who dissuades him from employing an honest servant,

Preventing him from employing an honest servant

Unsullied of cloak, violating nothing forbidden.

Who is chaste of bribery and does not violate sanctities,

لو كان ممن في الخيانة أدلجوا

لو كان ممن في الخيانة أدلجوا

لأتاك يركب أشقراً أو أدهما

لأتاك يركب أشقراً أو أدهما

Had he been among those who set out by night in treachery,

If he were one of those who plotted treachery

He would have come to you riding a chestnut horse or a black one.

He would come to you riding a blond or ruddy horse,

ورأيته في بيته والبيت من

ورأيته في بيته والبيت من

أملاكه متنفّشاً متعرّما

أملاكه متنفّشاً متعرّما

And you would have seen him in his house—the house among

And you would see him in his house, and the house is

His properties—puffed up and swaggering,

From his properties, extravagant and pretentious,

مثل الذين عهدتم متنازعي

مثل الذين عهدتم متنازعي

مال الضياع مدنَّراً ومدرهما

مال الضياع مدنَّراً ومدرهما

Like those you have known, contending over

Like those you knew competing over

The estates' wealth, in dinars and dirhams.

The wealth of estates, pampered and lavish,

سل آلهم هل خلفت آباؤهم

سل آلهم هل خلفت آباؤهم

هذا الغنى أم صادفوه مكوَّما

هذا الغنى أم صادفوه مكوَّما

Ask their families: did their fathers leave behind

Ask their families, did their fathers leave them

This wealth, or did they chance upon it piled in heaps?

This wealth or did they find it accumulated?

وارحمتاه لغفلة الوالي الذي

وارحمتاه لغفلة الوالي الذي

صارت لأرباب الخيانة سلَّما

صارت لأرباب الخيانة سلَّما

Alas for the heedlessness of the governor, which

And have mercy on the heedlessness of the governor who

Has become a ladder for the masters of treachery!

Has become a ladder for the treacherous,

لو لم يكن والي الشآم شريكهم

لو لم يكن والي الشآم شريكهم

ما كان أصبح كالبهيمة أبكما

ما كان أصبح كالبهيمة أبكما

Had the governor of al-Sham not been their partner,

If the governor of Damascus had not been their partner

He would not have become mute like a beast.

He would not have become like a silent beast.