علي سدّت صفاتك الطرقا

علي سدّت صفاتك الطرقا

فما يقول اللسان لو نطقا

فما يقول اللسان لو نطقا

Ali, your qualities have barred every path;

Your virtues have blocked all paths,

what, then, could the tongue say if it spoke?

So what can the tongue say if it spoke?

وصلتني بالوفا تفصل لي

وصلتني بالوفا تفصل لي

يا خازن الدر لؤلؤا نسقا

يا خازن الدر لؤلؤا نسقا

You reached out to me in loyalty, arranging for me,

You have reached me with loyalty though you separate from me,

O keeper of pearls, pearls in ordered sequence.

O keeper of pearls, strung evenly.

قلدت مني وكنت مجتهدا

قلدت مني وكنت مجتهدا

بمثله ان تقلد العنقا

بمثله ان تقلد العنقا

You adorned my neck, while I strove

You have imitated me while striving

to have yours adorned with its like.

To imitate the necklace with its like.

وقد شرعت الكمال في كلم

وقد شرعت الكمال في كلم

حق به كل باطل محقا

حق به كل باطل محقا

And you laid down perfection in words

You have set out perfection in every word,

of truth, by which every falsehood was effaced.

With which every falsehood is made true.

ارسلت آياته تكلمني

ارسلت آياته تكلمني

فخرّ قلبي لذكرها صعقا

فخرّ قلبي لذكرها صعقا

You sent its verses to speak to me,

You have sent its signs speaking to me,

and my heart fell thunderstruck at their recital.

So my heart leapt at the mention - shocked.

قواقياً كالرياض مونقة

قواقياً كالرياض مونقة

أرعيت منها أحداقي الورقا

أرعيت منها أحداقي الورقا

Rhymes, lovely as gardens,

Canal banks like gardens, flourishing,

I let my eyes graze upon their leaves.

From which I have grazed my leafy eyes.

وجئتني بالبديع موئتنقا

وجئتني بالبديع موئتنقا

طرازه والبيان متسقا

طرازه والبيان متسقا

And you brought me verbal artistry, resplendent

And you have come to me with eloquence, woven seamlessly,

in its embroidery, and eloquence in harmony,

Its composition and rhetoric composed.

وبالمعاني التي إذا مدحوا

وبالمعاني التي إذا مدحوا

معنى فمنها نراه مسترقا

معنى فمنها نراه مسترقا

and with ideas such that, whenever people praise

With meanings, which if they praise

an idea, we see it stolen from yours.

A meaning, we see it stolen from them.

لابدع يا مطلق المقال إذا

لابدع يا مطلق المقال إذا

قيدت فكري وكان منطلقا

قيدت فكري وكان منطلقا

No wonder, O liberator of speech, if

No eloquence, O you who speaks freely, if

you fettered my thought, which had been free,

My thoughts were restricted though unconfined.

باحرف فيا الطروس مسكها

باحرف فيا الطروس مسكها

طيبك حتى احالها عبقا

طيبك حتى احالها عبقا

with letters on the pages, scented with musk

With letters - so gently handle them -

by your fragrance, till it turned them into perfume;

Until your sweetness has scented them.

وفطنة يبرق الذكاء بها

وفطنة يبرق الذكاء بها

فلو بها البرق مرّ لاحترقا

فلو بها البرق مرّ لاحترقا

and with discernment through which intelligence flashes—

And wit which intelligence flashes through,

so if lightning passed through it, it would burn up;

If lightning possessed it, it would have burned.

ومقول لا تزال شفرته

ومقول لا تزال شفرته

تستل في القيل صارماً ذلقا

تستل في القيل صارماً ذلقا

and a tongue whose blade is forever

And speech whose blade

unsheathed in speech—a keen-edged sword.

Continually strips bare folly, sharp and smooth.

كل ملوك الكلام خاضعة

كل ملوك الكلام خاضعة

منك لملك يعدّها سوقا

منك لملك يعدّها سوقا

All the kings of speech bow down

All the kings of speech are subjected

to a king in you, who counts them commoners.

By you to a king who marshals them as troops.

قد جهد البرق ان بياريه

قد جهد البرق ان بياريه

على أناة الحجى فما لحقا

على أناة الحجى فما لحقا

Lightning strove its utmost to rival him;

The lightning has striven though its flashes

despite reason's measured pace, it never caught up.

Against the patience of the clouds, but could not reach it.

وقائل هكذا تخلقه

وقائل هكذا تخلقه

قدماً له قلت هكذا خلقا

قدماً له قلت هكذا خلقا

And to one who said, “Thus you invent him,”

And I said thus has He created

I said long ago, “Thus he was created.”

A speaker, I said "Thus has He created."