فحينَ خاضَ الناسُ في ذِكر ما

فحينَ خاضَ الناسُ في ذِكر ما

عندَ أبي الخَيرِ من الخَيرِ

عندَ أبي الخَيرِ من الخَيرِ

So when the people began discussing what

When people spoke of the good deeds

goodness Abu al-Khayr possessed,

Of my father, who was so kind,

سِرتُ وسارَت بي عَصاً أعلمَت

سِرتُ وسارَت بي عَصاً أعلمَت

أن العصا عِندي بلا سَيرِ

أن العصا عِندي بلا سَيرِ

I set out, and a staff bore me along, revealing

I walked away silently, with my staff letting me know

that my staff lacked a leather strap,

That to me, my staff was useless.

حتى لحِقتُ القومَ مستَشعِراً

حتى لحِقتُ القومَ مستَشعِراً

مثل الذي استَشعَرهُ غَيري

مثل الذي استَشعَرهُ غَيري

until I caught up with the company, inwardly feeling

Until I caught up with the group, feeling

the same as others had felt.

Like someone else had lit my fire.

وقد تفاءلتُ بذكر اسمِهِ

وقد تفاءلتُ بذكر اسمِهِ

فامتاز بالنفع عن الضيرِ

فامتاز بالنفع عن الضيرِ

And I had taken a good omen from mention of his name,

And I took comfort in speaking his name,

so he stood out for benefit rather than harm.

As the benefits stood apart from the harm.

وصحَّ زجرُ الفأل لما جَرى

وصحَّ زجرُ الفأل لما جَرى

من عن يَميني سانحُ الطيرِ

من عن يَميني سانحُ الطيرِ

And the omen's prediction proved true when there passed

And the omen proved true, when there flew

from my right a bird of good omen.

From my right, a bird in flight.