أكوكبُ بِشرٍ من جَبينكَ لائحُ

أكوكبُ بِشرٍ من جَبينكَ لائحُ

وصيّبُ يُسْرٍ من يمينكَ سائحُ

وصيّبُ يُسْرٍ من يمينكَ سائحُ

Is a star of gladness shining from your brow,

A star of good omen gleams on your serene brow,

and a downpour of prosperity streaming from your right hand?

And a youthful fortune-teller roams freely at your right hand.

وإلا فما ذا البرقُ والغيمُ مقشِعٌ

وإلا فما ذا البرقُ والغيمُ مقشِعٌ

وهذا النّوالُ السّكْبُ والجوّ واضحُ

وهذا النّوالُ السّكْبُ والجوّ واضحُ

And if not, what is this lightning, with the clouds dispersing,

Else, why does the lightning flash and the clouds pour down rain?

and this pouring bounty, with the sky clear?

This abundance of rain, the atmosphere, and the sky are all so clear.

لقد علمَ الأقوامُ شرقاً ومغرِباً

لقد علمَ الأقوامُ شرقاً ومغرِباً

سواءٌ قريبُ الدارِ منهم ونازح

سواءٌ قريبُ الدارِ منهم ونازح

Peoples east and west have surely learned,

The people in East and West have realized,

alike those among them whose homes are near and those far away,

Whether near or far from your abode,

بأنك أهلٌ للسؤالِ مهذّبُ ال

بأنك أهلٌ للسؤالِ مهذّبُ ال

فِعالِ مُبيدٌ للنوال مُسامِحُ

فِعالِ مُبيدٌ للنوال مُسامِحُ

that you are worthy of petition, refined in

That you deserve to be asked for favors, as you are refined,

deeds, lavish with bounty, generous.

A doer of deeds that abolish scarcity and forgive freely.

فما انتسبتْ إلا إليك مفاخرٌ

فما انتسبتْ إلا إليك مفاخرٌ

ولا حسُنَتْ إلا عليك مدائحُ

ولا حسُنَتْ إلا عليك مدائحُ

For no glories have claimed kinship with anyone but you,

None can boast but you of glorious virtues,

nor have praises been beautiful except in your honor.

And none receives beautiful praises but you.

لك الله ما أنداكَ والغيثُ باخِلٌ

لك الله ما أنداكَ والغيثُ باخِلٌ

وأبهاكَ مرأىً والوجوهُ كوالِحُ

وأبهاكَ مرأىً والوجوهُ كوالِحُ

God be with you—how generous you are, while the rain is miserly;

May God grant you all you wish, though the rain holds back,

and how splendid to behold, while faces are grim;

And may He show you favor, though faces frown.

وأوفاك عهداً والحُقوق مُضاعةٌ

وأوفاك عهداً والحُقوق مُضاعةٌ

وأمضاكَ عزماً والخُطوبُ فوادِحُ

وأمضاكَ عزماً والخُطوبُ فوادِحُ

and how faithful to your pledge, while rights are neglected;

May He keep His covenant with you, though rights are neglected,

and how firm in resolve, while calamities are crushing!

And may He affirm your resolve, though calamities abound.

رعاك الذي أرعاكَ كلَّ فضيلةٍ

رعاك الذي أرعاكَ كلَّ فضيلةٍ

تغنّتْ بها وُرْقُ القريضِ الصّوادِحُ

تغنّتْ بها وُرْقُ القريضِ الصّوادِحُ

May He who entrusted you with every virtue watch over you,

May He who has granted you every merit

of which the melodious gray doves of poetry have sung.

Which the leaves of fluent poetry have sung, watch over you.

شددْتَ يدي بالجاهِ فهي قويّةٌ

شددْتَ يدي بالجاهِ فهي قويّةٌ

وشدْتَ مَناري بالعطا فهو طامِحُ

وشدْتَ مَناري بالعطا فهو طامِحُ

You strengthened my hand with your influence, so it is strong,

You have strengthened my hand with your support, so it is powerful,

and raised my beacon with gifts, so it soars high.

And you have raised my aspirations with your gifts, so they are lofty.

وأنقذَتَني من حبسِ فقرٍ تجرّدَتْ

وأنقذَتَني من حبسِ فقرٍ تجرّدَتْ

على عاتِقي منه رِقاقٌ صفائحُ

على عاتِقي منه رِقاقٌ صفائحُ

And you rescued me from poverty's prison; unsheathed

You have saved me from the prison of utter poverty—

against my shoulder were its slender sword-blades.

Its shackles have slipped from my shoulders.

ولي حاجةٌ حلّتْ وضامنُ نُجْحِها

ولي حاجةٌ حلّتْ وضامنُ نُجْحِها

لقلبي برقٌ من مُحيّاكَ لامِحُ

لقلبي برقٌ من مُحيّاكَ لامِحُ

And a need has arisen for me; the guarantor of its fulfillment

I have a need which, I am confident, will be fulfilled,

to my heart is a lightning-flash gleaming from your face.

For my heart glimpses in your smile a flash of lightning.

دعاني إليها أني أكتسي بها

دعاني إليها أني أكتسي بها

سناً عمِيَتْ منه الغوادي الرّوائحُ

سناً عمِيَتْ منه الغوادي الرّوائحُ

What drew me to it was that through it I would clothe myself

It invites me to don it, though the valleys have been

in radiance that blinded those who go forth morning and evening.

Stripped of plants by the winds.

وما أنا ممّنْ يرتضي الشِّعرَ مكسباً

وما أنا ممّنْ يرتضي الشِّعرَ مكسباً

فخاسِرُه لا شك من هو رابِحُ

فخاسِرُه لا شك من هو رابِحُ

And I am not one who accepts poetry as a livelihood,

I am not one who considers poetry a livelihood—

for its loser is, without doubt, the one who profits.

Surely he who loses is not the winner.

ولي ماءُ وجهٍ صُنْتُه بقناعةٍ

ولي ماءُ وجهٍ صُنْتُه بقناعةٍ

تُجاهِدُ عنه جُهدَها وتُكافحُ

تُجاهِدُ عنه جُهدَها وتُكافحُ

And I have my face's luster, which I have guarded with contentment,

I have the water of a face veiled in contentment

which strives its utmost to defend it and fights for it.

Which exerts itself to protect it and struggles.

ولكن رأيتُ النّظْمَ منك فريضةً

ولكن رأيتُ النّظْمَ منك فريضةً

فقامتْ به خوفَ العِتابِ القرائحُ

فقامتْ به خوفَ العِتابِ القرائحُ

But I regarded verse as an obligation from you,

Yet I saw that composing verse for you is a duty,

so poetic faculties undertook it for fear of reproach.

So my heart hastened to fulfill it, fearing blame.

إذا لم يصُغْ في مُرتقى المُلكِ خاطري

إذا لم يصُغْ في مُرتقى المُلكِ خاطري

مديحاً فلا ضُمّتْ عليه الجوارحُ

مديحاً فلا ضُمّتْ عليه الجوارحُ

If my mind does not fashion, at the summit of kingship,

If my mind does not rise to praise you, O Exalted King,

a panegyric, then may my limbs never be gathered around it!

The bodily parts will not be composed.

فعِشْ يا جمالَ المُلكِ في ظلِّ نعمةٍ

فعِشْ يا جمالَ المُلكِ في ظلِّ نعمةٍ

به غُصَّ ما دامت عدوٌ وكاشحُ

به غُصَّ ما دامت عدوٌ وكاشحُ

So live, O Jamal al-Mulk, in the shade of a blessing,

So live long, O essence of kingship, in the shade of a blessing

may foe and spiteful hater be choked by it as long as the blessing lasts.

With which, as long as there is a hostile aggressor, you have filled the cups!