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Extol the people of virtues and pride

ألا اثن على أهل المكارم والفخر

1. Extol the people of virtues and pride
With praise like the gentle morning breeze upon the flower's scent

١. أَلا اِثْنِ عَلى أَهلِ المَكارِمِ وَالفَخرِ
ثَناءَ الصَّبا اللطفِيّ على نَفحَةِ الزّهرِ

2. Adorn the structure of this poem in praising them
Like adorning a necklace with the radiance of a smile

٢. وَزَيِّنْ نُحورَ النَّظمِ في عَقدِ مَدحِهم
كَتَزيينِ سِلكِ الدُرِّ بارقةَ الثّغرِ

3. Articulate clearly in describing praise elegantly
With excellent composition, for eloquence is magic

٣. وَأَفصِحْ بِتَبيينِ المَديحِ مُهذَّباً
بِتَحسينِ سَبكٍ فَالبيانُ مِنَ السِّحرِ

4. And know that whenever you come with every pearl
You are like the guide sending gems to the sea

٤. وَأَيقن إِذا ما جِئتَ في كلِّ درَّةٍ
بِأَنَّكَ كَالمُهدي الجَواهِرَ لِلبَحرِ

5. Filter the gardens of thought from the turbidity of passion
For the clarity of praise is with the clarity of secret

٥. وَصَفِّ جَنانَ الفِكرِ مِن كَدرِ الهَوى
فإنّ صَفاءَ المدْحِ عند صَفا السِّرِّ

6. Did you not see that from it my senses, limbs and mind with thought scattered
But I escaped from the shackle of its bondage

٦. أَلَم تَرَ أَنَّ العِشقَ مِنه تشتّتتْ
حَواسي وأعضائي وذِهني مع الفِكرِ

7. And it was impossible for me to be unfettered from the shackling
And I decided not to hover around it

٧. وَلَكنّني أَفلَتُّ مِن قيدِ أَسرِهِ
وَكانَ مُحالاً أَن أُفكَّ منَ الأَسرِ

8. For passion by compulsion enslaves the free
And a blamer came to me blaming me

٨. وَآليتُ أَنّي لا أَحومُ بِقُربِهِ
فَإِنّ الهَوى بِالقَهرِ مستعبِدُ الحرِّ

9. For rejecting it, while she deserves the evil
I said, I have been released from it by praising Abu Bakr

٩. وَعاذِلَةٍ جاءَت إِلَيَّ تَلومُني
عَلى رَفضِهِ وهيَ الجَديرةُ بِالشرِّ

10. The brother of glory, the lion of honor, the son of nobles
The father of virtue, the star and jewel of the age

١٠. تَقول رَفضتَ العِشقَ قُلتُ مُجيبها
تَخلّصتُ مِنهُ في اِمتِداحِ أَبي بَكرِ

11. He is the breast whose sources have been purified
Thus the hearts of people became purified by the stream of generosity

١١. أَخو المَجدِ شِبلُ العِزِّ نَجلُ أَكارم
أَبو الفضلِ صِنوُ الفخرِ جَوهرةُ الدهرِ

12. He is the lord of benefaction, the sweetest spring
From which the heart of glorious ones drink to quench its heat

١٢. هوَ الصدرُ قَد طابَت مَوارِدُ صَدرِهِ
فَطابَتْ صُدورُ النّاسِ مِن مَوردِ الصدرِ

13. He possesses the supreme ambition - glory serves him
He has the highest honor over the honor of the full moon

١٣. هوَ السيّدُ الصوّاف أَعذَبُ مَنهَلٍ
بِهِ يَشتَفي قَلبُ المَعالي مِنَ الحرِّ

14. If he wished to rise to the heavens it would come to him
Swiftly like lightning walking easily

١٤. لَهُ الهِمَّةُ العُليا لَهُ تخدمُ العُلى
لَهُ الشرَفُ العالي عَلى شَرفِ البَدرِ

15. By your life, this honor is but a gift
So how can one acquiring pride tire himself

١٥. فَلَو رامَ أَن يَرقى السِّماكَ لَجاءَهُ
عَلى هامِهِ كَالبَرقِ هَرولةً يَسري

16. And how can one who carried it attain the heights
Or attained it through effort in the days of an abject life

١٦. لَعَمرُكَ ما ذا العِزُّ إِلّا مَواهبٌ
فَأَنَّى يكدُّ النَّفسَ مُكتَسِبُ الفَخرِ

17. For every pride is with the family of Muhammed
And indeed Abu Bakr is from his pure family

١٧. وَأَنّى الَّذي نالَ العُلى حينَ حَملِهِ
وَمَن نالَها كَسباً لَدى أرذَلِ العمرِ

18. So in praising him I adorned my poem’s creation
And wasted that jewel in that throat

١٨. فَكلُّ اِفتِخارٍ عِندَ آلِ محمّدٍ
وإنّ أبا بكرٍ لَمِن آلِه الطُهرِ

19. It was as if you adorned an old woman with jewels
And one who mixed refined honey with wine

١٩. فَفي مَدحِهِ حَلَّيتُ نَحرَ قَصيدَتي
فَضيَّعْتُ ذاكَ الدّرَّ في ذَلكَ النحرِ

20. And I know that I increased my sin with the evil
Of gifting this genuine prose with poetry

٢٠. وَكُنتَ كَمَن حلّى العجوزَ بِجَوهَرٍ
وَمَن خَلَطَ الشّهدَ المُنقَّحَ بِالخَمرِ

21. But I hope for forgiveness as I was an offender
It is the quality of the noble to pardon the seeker of forgiveness

٢١. وَأَعلَمُ أَنّي زِدْتُ ذَنبي إِساءةً
بِإِهداءِ ذا النظمِ الحَقيقي بِالنثرِ

22. O my Master to you I raised it fluttering, moaning
Struck with sickness, a child of thought I could not find a suitor for it but you

٢٢. وَلَكنّني أَرجوهُ إِذ كُنتُ جانِياً
وَشَأنُ الكريمِ العفوُ عن طالب الغُفرِ

23. And she came to you rushing, so receive her with welcome
And do not expose her faults, for hiding faults is the trait of the noble one

٢٣. فَيا أَيّها المَولَى إِلَيكَ رفَعتُها
مهفهفةً غيداءَ مضروبةَ الخِدْرِ

24. It flowed in the safety of Allah wherever spring clouds gathered
And branches dance when the bright full moon bands together

٢٤. وَليدَةُ فِكرٍ لَم أجِدْ خاطباً لها
سِواكَ وقد جاءتكَ جاريةً تجري

25. The scent of your praise's perfume has diffused
And the son of Fathallah has been sweetened by that fragrance

٢٥. فَخُذها بِإِقبالٍ وَلا تُبدِ عَيبَها
فَإِنّ خَفاءَ العَيبِ من شيمةِ الحرِّ

٢٦. وَدُم في أَمانِ اللَّهِ ما هَبَّ شَمألٌ
وَما تَرقصُ الأغصانُ إِذْ تسجَع القُمري

٢٧. وَما فاحَ عَرفُ الطّيبِ مِن عطرِ مَدحِكُم
وطابَ ابنُ فتحِ اللَّهِ مِن ذَلِكَ العِطرِ