لا يَفجَعنَّكَ غُصنُ البانِ إن بانا

لا يَفجَعنَّكَ غُصنُ البانِ إن بانا

واخرُج أعوِّضكَ منه اليوم أغصانا

واخرُج أعوِّضكَ منه اليوم أغصانا

Do not let the bān-tree’s branch grieve you if it departs.

Let not the ban tree branch make you sad if it bent,

And come out; today I will give you branches in its stead.

I will replace it for you today with other branches.

هَيهاتَ ذاكَ الَّذي فارَقتَ مُنفَرِداً

هَيهاتَ ذاكَ الَّذي فارَقتَ مُنفَرِداً

من أن تُحسَّ لَه ما عِشتَ أقرانا

من أن تُحسَّ لَه ما عِشتَ أقرانا

That peerless one you parted from is far beyond

Far be it, the one you left alone,

your ever finding him equals, as long as you live.

That as long as I live, I will feel for him like peers.

مركَّبٌ من كَثِيبٍ في نَقىً عَسِرٌ

مركَّبٌ من كَثِيبٍ في نَقىً عَسِرٌ

أن يُرتَقَى خَشِنُ المَسعَى وإن لانا

أن يُرتَقَى خَشِنُ المَسعَى وإن لانا

Fashioned from a sandhill amid fine sand, difficult

A camel to ride on a rugged ascent in soft sand

to climb, rough of approach, though he is soft.

Is hard to climb, however gentle the pace may be.

قد كان مثلَكَ مِن كأسٍ وحامِلها

قد كان مثلَكَ مِن كأسٍ وحامِلها

ما يَمنعُ اللَّيلَ أن يَدجُو ويَغشانا

ما يَمنعُ اللَّيلَ أن يَدجُو ويَغشانا

Once, like you, a cup and its bearer provided

Like you, many a night cupbearer and his cup

what kept the night from darkening and enveloping us.

Did not prevent the night from sinking in darkness.

فإن صَبرتَ على كتمانِ ما فَعَلا

فإن صَبرتَ على كتمانِ ما فَعَلا

وما فَعلتَ تَكُن عِندي كَما كانا

وما فَعلتَ تَكُن عِندي كَما كانا

So if you patiently conceal what those two did,

If you are patient in keeping secret what they did

and what you did, you will be to me as they were.

And what you did, you would be to me as you were before.

فهَل سمِعتُم بمِثلي كانَ مُتَّخِذاً

فهَل سمِعتُم بمِثلي كانَ مُتَّخِذاً

بلَيلِهِ من ضِياءِ الصُّبحِ نَدمانا

بلَيلِهِ من ضِياءِ الصُّبحِ نَدمانا

So have you heard of someone like me, who took

Did you hear of anyone like me who made

dawn’s light as a drinking companion in his night?

Of the dawn's light a regret for his nights?

كأنَّما ابنُ سُرورٍ باتَ يَبعَثُ لي

كأنَّما ابنُ سُرورٍ باتَ يَبعَثُ لي

في سائِر الطُّرقِ أنواراً ونيرانا

في سائِر الطُّرقِ أنواراً ونيرانا

As though Ibn Surur spent the night sending me

As if the son of joy throughout the roads

lights and fires along all the roads.

Kept sending me lights and fires.

وأذكُر ابنَ سُرورٍ في مَكارمِهِ

وأذكُر ابنَ سُرورٍ في مَكارمِهِ

وقُربهِ فأمِنتُ اليومَ نِسيانا

وقُربهِ فأمِنتُ اليومَ نِسيانا

And I remember Ibn Surur in his noble deeds

And I remember the son of joy for his virtues

and his nearness, so today I am safe from forgetting.

And his nearness, I forgot today to forget.

يزيدُهُ الجُودُ حُسناً حِين يَسلبُه

يزيدُهُ الجُودُ حُسناً حِين يَسلبُه

والسَّيفُ أحسَنُ ما تَلقاهُ عُريانا

والسَّيفُ أحسَنُ ما تَلقاهُ عُريانا

Generosity makes him more beautiful as it strips him,

Generosity adds to his beauty when it takes him over,

and a sword is most beautiful when you encounter it bare.

And the sword looks the best when bare.

والجارُ يَأوي إلى رُكنٍ وأنتَ فَقَد

والجارُ يَأوي إلى رُكنٍ وأنتَ فَقَد

نَصبتَ أبنِيةً حَولي وأَركانا

نَصبتَ أبنِيةً حَولي وأَركانا

A neighbor takes shelter against a pillar, while you have already

While the neighbor sought shelter in a corner, you

erected buildings and pillars around me.

Erected buildings around me and pillars.

وأذكُر ابنَ سُرورٍ بالسُّرورِ بِه

وأذكُر ابنَ سُرورٍ بالسُّرورِ بِه

إذا انتَشَيتُ وراحَ الهمُّ سَكرانا

إذا انتَشَيتُ وراحَ الهمُّ سَكرانا

And I remember Ibn Surur through my joy in him,

And I remember the son of joy with joy in him

when I grow tipsy and care departs drunk.

When I sobered up and worry left drunk.

وصرتُ ليسَ أرَى إلا مَكارمَهُ

وصرتُ ليسَ أرَى إلا مَكارمَهُ

حَولي قِياماً يَراها النَّاسُ أعيانا

حَولي قِياماً يَراها النَّاسُ أعيانا

And I have come to see nothing but his noble deeds

I saw none but his virtues around me

standing around me; people see them as tangible forms.

Standing, seen by people as clear as the sun.

حيثُ التَفتُّ وجَدتُ الجُود مُعتَرِضاً

حيثُ التَفتُّ وجَدتُ الجُود مُعتَرِضاً

مشمِّراً لانتِظارِ الأمرِ يَقظانا

مشمِّراً لانتِظارِ الأمرِ يَقظانا

Wherever I turned, I found generosity standing in my path,

Wherever I turned, I found generosity blocking the way

girded to await the command, wide awake.

Rolling up his sleeves, awake, expecting command.

إِن قُلتُ صدَّقَني فيكَ النَّدى وأَتى

إِن قُلتُ صدَّقَني فيكَ النَّدى وأَتى

بِمِثل قَولي وآلى فيه أَيمانا

بِمِثل قَولي وآلى فيه أَيمانا

If I speak of you, bounty bears me out and offers

If I said, "Confirm me," the dew confirmed me in you

words like mine, and swears oaths to them.

And he swore alike and swore oaths.

سُبحانَ من نَسخَ الجَفنِيَّ مِن كَرَمٍ

سُبحانَ من نَسخَ الجَفنِيَّ مِن كَرَمٍ

في واحدٍ من بَنِيهِ اليومَ سُبحانا

في واحدٍ من بَنِيهِ اليومَ سُبحانا

Glory to Him who reproduced al-Jafni in generosity

Glory to Him who copied generosity

today in one of his sons—glory to Him!

In one of His sons today, glory to Him.

ويَعجبُ الناسُ مِن أنِّي انفَرَدتُ به

ويَعجبُ الناسُ مِن أنِّي انفَرَدتُ به

واللَّهُ أفرَدَهُ جُوداً وإحسانا

واللَّهُ أفرَدَهُ جُوداً وإحسانا

And people marvel that I have him to myself,

And people wonder that I singled him out

while God has made him peerless in generosity and kindness.

While God singled him out in generosity and benevolence.

وإنَّما أنا مَوقُوفُ الثَّناءِ فمَن

وإنَّما أنا مَوقُوفُ الثَّناءِ فمَن

كانَ ابنُ جَفنَةَ مِنهم كنتُ حَسَّانا

كانَ ابنُ جَفنَةَ مِنهم كنتُ حَسَّانا

And I am only one whose praise is pledged; so whoever

I am but praising what is to be praised, so who

among them is an Ibn Jafna, I will be his Hassan.

Was Jafnah's son among them, I would have lauded.