مَضى الجودُ حى لَقد صار يُنكر

مَضى الجودُ حى لَقد صار يُنكر

وأصبحَ يُنسى كما كانَ يُذكر

وأصبحَ يُنسى كما كانَ يُذكر

Generosity has vanished, so that now, indeed, it goes unrecognized.

Generosity has passed away to the extent that it has become unrecognizable

And it is now forgotten, as once it was remembered.

And it has come to be forgotten as it used to be remembered

وأخشَى من الأرضِ تُعدي السما

وأخشَى من الأرضِ تُعدي السما

فإن فعلَت خلتُ أن ليسَ تَمطر

فإن فعلَت خلتُ أن ليسَ تَمطر

And I fear the earth may infect the sky;

And I fear the earth will exceed the sky

For if it does, I suppose the sky will not rain.

If it does so, I reckon it will not rain

وأنِّي كأنِّي أرَى المكرُماتِ

وأنِّي كأنِّي أرَى المكرُماتِ

مَناماً ولكنَّه قد تَفَسر

مَناماً ولكنَّه قد تَفَسر

And I seem to see noble deeds

And it seems to me as if I see noble deeds

As a dream—yet that dream has been interpreted,

As a dream, but it may be interpreted

ولاحَت تَباشيرُه من نَدى

ولاحَت تَباشيرُه من نَدى

أبي طالبٍ حمزةَ بن المُطهر

أبي طالبٍ حمزةَ بن المُطهر

And its auspicious signs have shone forth from the bounty

And its signs have appeared from the dew

Of Abu Talib, Hamza ibn al-Mutahhar.

Of Abu Talib, Hamza the son of Al-Mutahhar

سأقطعُ من حيثُ ما أبتَدي

سأقطعُ من حيثُ ما أبتَدي

وأختصرُ القولَ والصمتُ أخصر

وأختصرُ القولَ والصمتُ أخصر

I shall break off right where I begin,

I will stop from where I started

And shorten my words—though silence is shorter.

And summarize the words, and silence is more concise

وذلك أني إذا ما وصفتُ

وذلك أني إذا ما وصفتُ

وأكثرتُ كانَ الذي فيكَ أكثر

وأكثرتُ كانَ الذي فيكَ أكثر

And that is because, whenever I describe you

That is because if I describe

And speak at length, what is in you is greater still.

And elaborate more, that which is in you is more