مدَّت إليك المعالي طرفَ مبتهجٍ

مدَّت إليك المعالي طرفَ مبتهجٍ

وأعربتْ بلسانِ المادح اللهج

وأعربتْ بلسانِ المادح اللهج

Lofty honors turned a joyful gaze toward you,

You extended to me the heights of glory

And spoke through the ardent praiser's tongue.

And expressed with the tongue of the praiser

وأشرق المنبرُ المسعودُ طالعهُ

وأشرق المنبرُ المسعودُ طالعهُ

بخير بدرٍ بدا في أشرفِ الدّرج

بخير بدرٍ بدا في أشرفِ الدّرج

And the pulpit shone, its ascendant blessed,

The pulpit shone, auspicious its rising

With the finest full moon, appearing on the noblest steps.

With the best full moon that rose to the highest rank

خطبت بالشامِ لما أن خطِبتَ له

خطبت بالشامِ لما أن خطِبتَ له

فاهنأ بمتفق اللفظين مزْدَوِج

فاهنأ بمتفق اللفظين مزْدَوِج

You preached in al-Sham when you were sought for it;

You were betrothed to Damascus when you were sought for it

So rejoice in the concord of those two paired words.

So congratulations for the concurrence of two aligned sayings

يا حبَّذا أفقٌ عطرتَ جانبه

يا حبَّذا أفقٌ عطرتَ جانبه

حتَّى اسْتدلَّ بنو الآمال بالأرَج

حتَّى اسْتدلَّ بنو الآمال بالأرَج

Ah, how lovely a horizon whose side you perfumed,

O excellent horizon, you scented its side

Until the sons of hope found their way by the fragrance.

Until the people of hopes took omens with lamps

صدر العلى فتمكن بالجلوس به

صدر العلى فتمكن بالجلوس به

فقد جلست بصدرٍ غير ذي حرج

فقد جلست بصدرٍ غير ذي حرج

Glory's foremost seat—sit there and settle firmly;

The chest of the lofty where you sat steadfast

For you have sat in a breast free of constriction.

So you sat with an unconstrained chest

وأصدَع برأيك لا لفظ بمحتبسٍ

وأصدَع برأيك لا لفظ بمحتبسٍ

إذا خطبت ولا فكرٌ بمنزعج

إذا خطبت ولا فكرٌ بمنزعج

And proclaim your judgment, no utterance held back

And freely gave your opinion without withheld words

When you preach, nor any thought disturbed.

When you speak and no thoughts constrained

تصبو الورى لسواد قد ظهرت به

تصبو الورى لسواد قد ظهرت به

كأنَّما من حكته أسود المهج

كأنَّما من حكته أسود المهج

Humanity yearns for the black attire in which you appeared,

The people aspire for the blackness that appeared through you

As though you wove it from the blackest depths of hearts.

As if the blackness of indigo dyed your brain

عينُ الزمان تحلى في ملابسه

عينُ الزمان تحلى في ملابسه

وإنَّما تتحلَّى العينُ بالدَّعج

وإنَّما تتحلَّى العينُ بالدَّعج

The eye of Time is adorned in his garments,

The eye of time adorns itself in its clothes

And the eye is adorned only by deep blackness.

And eyes adorn themselves with kohl

أعظم بها من مساعٍ عنك سائرةً

أعظم بها من مساعٍ عنك سائرةً

فقد سلكت طريقاً غير ذي عوج

فقد سلكت طريقاً غير ذي عوج

How great those deeds of yours, whose fame spreads abroad!

Greatest of news about you proliferating

For you have followed a path without crookedness.

For you have tread a path without crookedness

ولَجتَ للعلمِ أبواباً متى خطرت

ولَجتَ للعلمِ أبواباً متى خطرت

بها العزائم أبوابَ العلى تلج

بها العزائم أبوابَ العلى تلج

You entered gates of learning: whenever they are crossed

And you entered doors of knowledge, when ambitions stirred

By firm resolves, those resolves enter the gates of glory.

The resolute enter the doors of the eminent

ودافعت يدك الآمال جائدة

ودافعت يدك الآمال جائدة

تدَافعَ السيل في أثناءِ منعرج

تدَافعَ السيل في أثناءِ منعرج

And your hand, giving freely, swept hopes before it,

Your hand repelled hopes unsheathed

Like a torrent surging through a winding channel.

As torrents repel in the midst of a winding path

مناقبٌ يهتدي وفدُ الثنا لها

مناقبٌ يهتدي وفدُ الثنا لها

بواضحٍ من ضياءِ البدر منبلج

بواضحٍ من ضياءِ البدر منبلج

Virtues toward which the delegation of praise finds its way,

Virtues that the delegation of praise is guided to

By a clear, radiant beam of the full moon's light.

With the clear glow of the shining full moon

كأنَّ نغمةَ عافيهِ بمسمعه

كأنَّ نغمةَ عافيهِ بمسمعه

أصواتُ معبدَ في الثاني من الهزج

أصواتُ معبدَ في الثاني من الهزج

As though his petitioner's voice, in his hearing,

As if the voice of his welfare is in his hearing

Were Ma'bad's songs in the second hazaj rhythm.

The voices of a temple during hajj

يا طالباً منه جوداً أو مباحثةً

يا طالباً منه جوداً أو مباحثةً

رد بحرهُ العذب واحْذر سورة اللَّجج

رد بحرهُ العذب واحْذر سورة اللَّجج

O seeker of bounty or learned debate from him,

O you who seek his generosity or discourse

Approach his sweet sea, and beware the deep waters' fury.

Return to his fresh sea but beware the surging waves

بحرُ الندى والهدى إن شمت مورده

بحرُ الندى والهدى إن شمت مورده

شمتَ النجاةَ وإن هيَّجته يهجِ

شمتَ النجاةَ وإن هيَّجته يهجِ

A sea of bounty and guidance: if you glimpse his watering-place,

It is a sea of dew and guidance, if you taste its watering place

You glimpse salvation; and if you rouse him, he rages.

You taste salvation, and if you stir it up it rages

مبصر الرَّأي مأخوذٌ بفطنته

مبصر الرَّأي مأخوذٌ بفطنته

إلى المراشد مدلولٌ على النهج

إلى المراشد مدلولٌ على النهج

Clear-sighted in judgment, led by his discernment

The keen of thought taken by his intellect

To right courses, shown the way along the path.

To guidance, led to the path

هذا دليل الشباب الجون منسدل

هذا دليل الشباب الجون منسدل

فكيف لما يضيء الشيب بالسرج

فكيف لما يضيء الشيب بالسرج

Such a guide, while youth's dark locks hang down—

This guides the youth whose hair cascades

How then, when gray hair shines with lamps?

So what when white hair shines like a lamp

إيهٍ بعيشك بدرَ الدِّين سدْ فلقدْ

إيهٍ بعيشك بدرَ الدِّين سدْ فلقدْ

أدلجت للفضلِ فينا كلّ مدّلج

أدلجت للفضلِ فينا كلّ مدّلج

Go on, by your life, Badr al-Din—reign, for indeed

Bravo your life O Badr al-Din, for you

You have traveled every night-path toward excellence among us.

Lit for merit in us every shining lamp

أنتَ الذي فضلَ الأخبارَ شاهده

أنتَ الذي فضلَ الأخبارَ شاهده

فيممتهُ بنو الآمال بالحجج

فيممتهُ بنو الآمال بالحجج

You are the one whose reality surpassed the reports,

You who preferred reports whose witness is present

So the sons of hope made for him in pilgrimage.

The people of hopes have directed them with proofs

من فيضِ جودك جادَ الفائضون ندى

من فيضِ جودك جادَ الفائضون ندى

كأنَّك البحرُ يُروَى عنه بالخلج

كأنَّك البحرُ يُروَى عنه بالخلج

From your generosity's flood, the lavish givers poured out bounty,

From the overflowing of your generosity the generous ones poured dew

As though you were the sea, whose tale is told through channels.

As if you were the sea that is watered from its estuaries

لا زالَ بابك للمغلوب جانبه

لا زالَ بابك للمغلوب جانبه

وواجد الهمّ باب النصر والفرَج

وواجد الهمّ باب النصر والفرَج

May your door always be, for the one whose side is defeated,

Your door has not ceased to be a refuge for the vanquished

And the sufferer of grief, the gate of victory and relief.

And the distressed, the door of victory and relief