لو كُنتَ مجبولَ السما

لو كُنتَ مجبولَ السما

حِ لكنت كالشيء المسخَّرْ

حِ لكنت كالشيء المسخَّرْ

Had you been innately fashioned for generos—

If you were innately disposed to generosity,

—ity, you would be like wormwood, compelled by its nature;

you would be like a thing compelled to serve;

أو كنت تبتاعُ الثنا

أو كنت تبتاعُ الثنا

ءَ لكان جُودُك جودَ مَتْجَرْ

ءَ لكان جُودُك جودَ مَتْجَرْ

or had you been purchasing prai—

or if you were buying praise,

—se, your generosity would have been mere trade.

your generosity would be commercial generosity.

لكنْ رأيتَ الجودَ أح

لكنْ رأيتَ الجودَ أح

سن ما رآهُ الناس منظر

سن ما رآهُ الناس منظر

But you deemed generosity the most beau—

But you saw generosity as the most

—tiful sight that human eyes have ever seen.

beautiful sight that people have beheld:

لا يستعيرُ حُليَّهُ

لا يستعيرُ حُليَّهُ

من غيره بل فيه يظهر

من غيره بل فيه يظهر

It borrows no adornment

it does not borrow its adornment

from elsewhere; rather, its beauty shines from within.

from another; rather, that adornment appears within it.

ففعلتَهُ لا للثنا

ففعلتَهُ لا للثنا

ءِ ولا لطبعٍ فيك مُجبَر

ءِ ولا لطبعٍ فيك مُجبَر

So you practiced it not for prai—

So you practiced it, not for praise,

—se, nor from a nature within you that compels;

nor from a disposition forced upon you,

لكنْ لأن محاسنَ ال

لكنْ لأن محاسنَ ال

إحسانِ في الإحسان جوهر

إحسانِ في الإحسان جوهر

but because the beauties of bene—

but because the beauties of

—ficence are the very essence of beneficence.

beneficence are intrinsic to beneficence.

والعرفُ معروفٌ لذا

والعرفُ معروفٌ لذا

تِ طباعه والنكرُ مُنكر

تِ طباعه والنكرُ مُنكر

Kindness is known as good by its very na—

And kindness is recognized as good by its very

—ture, and wrongdoing is known as wrong.

nature, and wrongdoing is condemned.

تُعطي وتمنعُ ما منع

تُعطي وتمنعُ ما منع

تَ وأنتَ مقتدرٌ مخيَّر

تَ وأنتَ مقتدرٌ مخيَّر

You give, and whatever you with—

You give, and withhold whatever you withhold,

—hold, you do so in full power, free to choose.

while you are able and free to choose.