شيمٌ يلوحُ عَلى مَكارِمها الشَّرف

شيمٌ يلوحُ عَلى مَكارِمها الشَّرف

كمُلَت فلَيسَ تُعابُ إِلا بالسَّرَف

كمُلَت فلَيسَ تُعابُ إِلا بالسَّرَف

Virtues upon whose noble qualities honor gleams;

Nobility gleams through his noble traits

they are perfected, faulted only for extravagance.

Flawless, so none can reproach save the envious

يَبدو أَبو الفَضلِ الشَّريفُ لخَصمِها

يَبدو أَبو الفَضلِ الشَّريفُ لخَصمِها

فإذا تَناكرَها وأبصرَهُ اعتَرَف

فإذا تَناكرَها وأبصرَهُ اعتَرَف

The noble Abu al-Fadl appears before their detractor;

Abu al-Fadl's nobility appears to his foe

then, if he denies them and sees him, he acknowledges them.

Who, seeing him, knows him though denying before

ولَو استَقامَ عَلى الجحودِ لأَعرَبَت

ولَو استَقامَ عَلى الجحودِ لأَعرَبَت

عَنه شهاداتُ الشهودِ بِما اقتَرَف

عَنه شهاداتُ الشهودِ بِما اقتَرَف

And even if he persisted in denial, they would reveal—

Had he persisted in false rejection

the witnesses’ testimonies about him—what he had done.

Witnesses' testimony would reveal his deeds

لمَّا عَلَت سِنِّي عَلَت سنُّ النَّدى

لمَّا عَلَت سِنِّي عَلَت سنُّ النَّدى

فخشِيتُ يَشمَلُني وإِيَّاهُ الخَرَف

فخشِيتُ يَشمَلُني وإِيَّاهُ الخَرَف

When my age advanced, generosity’s age advanced;

As my years advanced, so did the years of grace

so I feared senility would overtake both me and it,

I feared senility would overtake us both

حتَّى رأَيتُك عانِياً بمكانِه

حتَّى رأَيتُك عانِياً بمكانِه

فعَلقتُ من تِلكَ العِنايَة بالطَّرَف

فعَلقتُ من تِلكَ العِنايَة بالطَّرَف

until I saw you caring for its standing;

Until I saw you shouldering his place

so I caught hold of the fringe of that care.

So I clung to that care as to a rope

فكأنَّني لمَّا اعترَضتُكَ حائِمٌ

فكأنَّني لمَّا اعترَضتُكَ حائِمٌ

ظمآن مرَّ بِسَيلِ وادٍ فاغتَرَف

ظمآن مرَّ بِسَيلِ وادٍ فاغتَرَف

When I crossed your path, I was like one circling for water,

As if, seeking you, a thirsty man

thirsty, who passed a valley’s torrent and scooped up water.

Passing a valley stream stopped to drink deep

وأَرَى النَّوائِبَ قَد تمكَّنَ صَرفُها

وأَرَى النَّوائِبَ قَد تمكَّنَ صَرفُها

وإِذا صَرفتُ إِليكَ همَّتها انصَرَف

وإِذا صَرفتُ إِليكَ همَّتها انصَرَف

And I see calamities whose onslaught has taken hold;

I see reversals have established their course

yet when I turn their aim toward you, it turns away.

But tuning my cares to you, they retreat