أخا اللوم لا تتعب لساناً ولا ذهنا

أخا اللوم لا تتعب لساناً ولا ذهنا

ملامك لا لفظٌ لديه ولا معنى

ملامك لا لفظٌ لديه ولا معنى

Brother of blame, do not weary tongue or mind.

O brother, do not blame a tongue or mind,

To him your reproach is neither word nor meaning.

Your reproach has neither words nor meaning,

بروحيَ وضَّاح المحاسن أغيد

بروحيَ وضَّاح المحاسن أغيد

رشيق أغار البدر والظبي والغصنا

رشيق أغار البدر والظبي والغصنا

My soul would ransom that radiant, graceful beauty,

With a soul that makes beauty clear I sing,

Slender, making the full moon, gazelle, and bough jealous.

Slender, more shy than the moon, gazelle or branch.

من الترك في خدَّيه للحسن روضة

من الترك في خدَّيه للحسن روضة

ولكنَّها تجني علينا ولا تجنى

ولكنَّها تجني علينا ولا تجنى

A Turk, with a garden of beauty upon his cheeks,

On his cheeks beauty has a garden from the Turks,

Yet it wrongs us and is not harvested.

But it wrongs us without being wronged.

وللحظ منه سنّةٌ عربيَّة

وللحظ منه سنّةٌ عربيَّة

ألم تره في الحربِ قد كسَّر الجفنا

ألم تره في الحربِ قد كسَّر الجفنا

And his gaze has an Arab custom:

And for a glance from him an Arab tradition

Have you not seen it shatter the scabbard in battle?

Did you not see him in war how he broke the eyelids?

إذا قام يروي حاجباه وطرفه

إذا قام يروي حاجباه وطرفه

ترى السحر منه قاب قوسين أو أدنى

ترى السحر منه قاب قوسين أو أدنى

When he stands, his eyebrows and his gaze tell their tale:

When he stands reciting his eyebrows and his gaze,

You see his magic two bow-lengths away, or nearer.

You see magic in him an arm's length or nearer.

تحجبه عنا الأسنَّة والظبا

تحجبه عنا الأسنَّة والظبا

وأفتك منها لحظ من حجبت عنَّا

وأفتك منها لحظ من حجبت عنَّا

Spearheads and sword blades conceal him from us,

The white flowers and gazelles veil him from us

Yet the gaze of him they conceal is deadlier than they.

And the glance they hid from us slips out from them.

وتمنع رمحاً بينها من قوامه

وتمنع رمحاً بينها من قوامه

ولكنَّه لا جرحَ فيها ولا طعنا

ولكنَّه لا جرحَ فيها ولا طعنا

They guard among them a spear made of his stature,

And they prevent a spear among them from his figure,

Yet among them it makes no wound, no thrust.

But it has no wound or stab in them.

فتى الحسن هلاّ أنت للصبّ عاطف

فتى الحسن هلاّ أنت للصبّ عاطف

فتجمع ما بين المحاسن والحُسنى

فتجمع ما بين المحاسن والحُسنى

Youth of beauty, will you not be kind to the lovelorn,

O youth of beauty, be kind to lovers

And thus unite beautiful features with goodness?

And bring together beauty and the beautiful!

غلا الجوهر الأعلى بثغرك فلتَفُضْ

غلا الجوهر الأعلى بثغرك فلتَفُضْ

مدامع لا تكون على العرض الأدنى

مدامع لا تكون على العرض الأدنى

The finest jewel has grown dear in your mouth; let flow

The sublime essence overflowed in your mouth, so pour

Tears not shed over the baser goods of this world.

Tears that would not be for the lowest cause.

حكى الخلق من قاضي القضاة بخلقِه

حكى الخلق من قاضي القضاة بخلقِه

فهذا حوى حسناً وهذا حوى حسنى

فهذا حوى حسناً وهذا حوى حسنى

In his outward form he mirrored the Chief Judge's character:

Creation related from the Judge of Judges in his making

This one possessed beauty, and that one goodness.

So this one contained beauty, and that one contained more beauty.

كريمٌ لنا في فعله ومقاله

كريمٌ لنا في فعله ومقاله

سحاب الغِنى المنهل والروضة الغنَّا

سحاب الغِنى المنهل والروضة الغنَّا

To us he is generous in both deed and word,

Noble to us in his actions and speech,

A rain-pouring cloud of wealth and a luxuriant garden.

Clouds of bounty pouring, a meadow and singing garden.

يقاسمنا في كلِّ يومٍ جميله

يقاسمنا في كلِّ يومٍ جميله

فنثر العطا منه ونثر الثنا منَّا

فنثر العطا منه ونثر الثنا منَّا

Each day he shares his kindness with us:

He shares with us in every beautiful day

He scatters gifts, and we scatter praise.

His gifts spread and our praise of him spreads.

أخو صدقاتٍ يحبس المنّ جودا

أخو صدقاتٍ يحبس المنّ جودا

على أنَّها في الجودِ لا تحسن المنَّا

على أنَّها في الجودِ لا تحسن المنَّا

A giver of alms, he generously withholds reminders of favors,

A brother sincerely good who keeps away gifts

Though in their bounty his gifts know nothing of the mann's measure.

Deeming that in generosity they do not make praise good.

رأى الفكر إعراب الثنا فيهِ كلَّما

رأى الفكر إعراب الثنا فيهِ كلَّما

بناه إلى أن صارَ في معربٍ يبنى

بناه إلى أن صارَ في معربٍ يبنى

Thought saw praise of him take inflected form whenever

Reason saw the declension of praise in him whenever

It built it, until it came to be fixed within a declinable expression.

He built it, until it was in a constructed declension.

وأقسم أن لا شيء كالغيث في الندى

وأقسم أن لا شيء كالغيث في الندى

فلمَّا رأى جدوى أنامله اسْتثنى

فلمَّا رأى جدوى أنامله اسْتثنى

And it swore that nothing rivals rain in bounty,

And he swore nothing is like rain in freshness

But seeing what his fingertips bestowed, it made an exception.

But when he saw his fingers' avail he made exception.

وما فيه من عيب سوى أنَّ عنده

وما فيه من عيب سوى أنَّ عنده

أيادٍ تعيد الحرّ في يده قنَّا

أيادٍ تعيد الحرّ في يده قنَّا

He has no fault, except that he possesses

His only fault is that in his possession

Favors that turn a free man into a bondslave in his hand.

Are hands that make the free man needy through him.

دعاني على بعد المنازل جوده

دعاني على بعد المنازل جوده

وجدَّد لي نعمى وأنجح لي ظنَّا

وجدَّد لي نعمى وأنجح لي ظنَّا

His generosity summoned me despite the distance of our dwellings,

His generosity called me from far dwellings

Renewed blessing for me, and fulfilled my hope;

And renewed my blessings and brought my hopes to fruition.

ومجد يردّ السائدين به سدًى

ومجد يردّ السائدين به سدًى

وعلم يردّ المفصحين به لكنَا

وعلم يردّ المفصحين به لكنَا

And glory through which the eminent are reduced to nothing,

Glory that turns back the mighty vainly

And knowledge through which the eloquent are left tongue-tied.

And knowledge that turns back the eloquent dumbfounded.

لياليَ وَدَّعت المؤيد والثنا

لياليَ وَدَّعت المؤيد والثنا

وفارقت أوقات الغِنى منه والمغنا

وفارقت أوقات الغِنى منه والمغنا

In the nights when I bade farewell to al-Mu'ayyad and praise,

Nights where I bid farewell to the aide and praise

And left his days of wealth and his dwelling behind,

And parted from times of plenty from him and song.

وزايل نظم الجوهر الفضل منطقي

وزايل نظم الجوهر الفضل منطقي

وأعوزني من قوتي العرضَ الأدنى

وأعوزني من قوتي العرضَ الأدنى

The stringing of fine pearls deserted my speech,

I have lost composing jewels, my dignity's adornment,

And I lacked the basest worldly goods for sustenance.

And I lack the strength that sustained my lowest state.

أيا جائداً بالتبرِ في حالِ عسرةٍ

أيا جائداً بالتبرِ في حالِ عسرةٍ

لنا لم نكد من طرفها نجد التّبنا

لنا لم نكد من طرفها نجد التّبنا

O you who gave gold in a time of hardship

O you who blame in harsh circumstance,

To us, when we could scarcely find straw at its edge:

We have scarcely tasted of it before we found the straw.

فعلت فلو وفى تطوّلك الثنا

فعلت فلو وفى تطوّلك الثنا

لقلَّت أفانين الثناء وطوّلنا

لقلَّت أفانين الثناء وطوّلنا

You did this; had praise done justice to your bounty,

You have done so, if only your praise would be prolonged,

The arts of praise would be too few, and we would speak at length.

Praises would diminish and ours would lengthen.

وأفحمتنا في البرّ حتَّى كأنَّنا

وأفحمتنا في البرّ حتَّى كأنَّنا

لدى البرّ ما رمنا المقال فأفصحنا

لدى البرّ ما رمنا المقال فأفصحنا

And your kindness struck us dumb, till it seemed that we

And you would confound us in righteousness until we were

Sought no words before such kindness, yet spoke eloquently.

Before righteousness like those who never composed speech.

إذا نحن قابلنا صلاتك بالثنا

إذا نحن قابلنا صلاتك بالثنا

تكدَّس من هنّا علينا ومن هنّا

تكدَّس من هنّا علينا ومن هنّا

When we answer your gifts with praise,

If we matched your prayers with praise

It heaps upon us from this side and that.

Praise would accumulate here and here from us.

وحقك ما ندري أإجراء ذكرنا

وحقك ما ندري أإجراء ذكرنا

بفكرك أم هذا العطاء لنا أهنا

بفكرك أم هذا العطاء لنا أهنا

By your worth, we cannot tell whether the passing of our name

And your due―we know not if expressing remembrance of you

Through your thoughts, or this gift to us, is sweeter.

With your reason or this giving to us is more fitting.

هو الرفد يتلو الودّ طابَ كلاهما

هو الرفد يتلو الودّ طابَ كلاهما

كما حملت للمحل روحِ الصبا المزنا

كما حملت للمحل روحِ الصبا المزنا

It is bounty following affection; both are sweet,

It is the aid following affection―both are excellent―

As the east wind's breath bore rain clouds to drought.

As you carried to the abode the spirit of radiant youth.

كذا أبداً تزهى العلى بجلالها

كذا أبداً تزهى العلى بجلالها

فلله ما أسرى فخاراً وما أسنا

فلله ما أسرى فخاراً وما أسنا

Thus high honor ever glories in its majesty:

So forever the sublime adorns itself with its majesty,

God be praised—how noble in glory, how radiant!

My pride in it has diminished and my song increased!

فيا ليت شعري كيف ألقى بواحدٍ

فيا ليت شعري كيف ألقى بواحدٍ

من الشكر مثنى من أيادِي الندى مثنى

من الشكر مثنى من أيادِي الندى مثنى

If only I knew how to answer, with a single offering

Would that I knew how to cast with a single one

Of thanks, the favors of bounty coming pair upon pair.

Of all the thanks, a pair from the hands of generosity, a pair,

على ذكرك العالي بنا كلّ معربٍ

على ذكرك العالي بنا كلّ معربٍ

ثناه فيا لله من معربٍ يبنى

ثناه فيا لله من معربٍ يبنى

Upon your exalted renown every eloquent speaker built

For mention of you high among us every one in grammar

His praise—by God, what a declinable word made fixed!

Praises you. By God, what a constructed grammar!