ما أشبه العرفَ والإحسان بالحَسَنِ

ما أشبه العرفَ والإحسان بالحَسَنِ

أبي محمدٍ المحمود ذي المِنَنِ

أبي محمدٍ المحمود ذي المِنَنِ

How closely beneficence and kindness resemble al-Ḥasan—

How like al-Hasan are kindness and beneficence,

Abū Muḥammad, the praised one, possessor of bounties!

Abu Muhammad, the praised one, bestower of favors.

ذاك الذي لا يقي مالاً بصفحتِه

ذاك الذي لا يقي مالاً بصفحتِه

بل يَلبسُ المالَ دون الذم كالجُنَنِ

بل يَلبسُ المالَ دون الذم كالجُنَنِ

He is the man who will not preserve wealth at the cost of his health;

He is the one who does not shield his wealth with his face,

rather, he arrays wealth against reproach like shields.

but wears his wealth like shields against reproach.

خِرْقٌ تعرضتِ الدنيا له فصَبا

خِرْقٌ تعرضتِ الدنيا له فصَبا

إلى المكارم منها لا إلى الفتَنِ

إلى المكارم منها لا إلى الفتَنِ

Guileless: when the world presented herself to him, he yearned

A capable, generous man—the world offered itself to him, and he inclined

for the noble qualities she offered, not for her temptations;

toward its noble deeds, not toward its temptations.

وخصَّنا بجَناها لا بشوكتها

وخصَّنا بجَناها لا بشوكتها

فنحن في نِعَمٍ منها بلا محنِ

فنحن في نِعَمٍ منها بلا محنِ

and he allotted us her fruit, not her thorns.

And he singled us out for its fruit, not its thorn,

Thus through her we dwell amid blessings, untouched by affliction.

so we enjoy its blessings without afflictions.

أذال في العُرف وجهاً غير مبتذَلٍ

أذال في العُرف وجهاً غير مبتذَلٍ

وأخدم المجدَ جسماً غير مُمْتَهَنِ

وأخدم المجدَ جسماً غير مُمْتَهَنِ

In generosity he made his face familiar, yet never vulgar,

He humbled for kindness a face untouched by abasement,

and placed his body in glory’s service, yet never demeaned.

and put a body untouched by indignity at glory's service.

له حريمٌ إذا ما الجارُ حلَّ به

له حريمٌ إذا ما الجارُ حلَّ به

أضحى الزمانُ عليه جدَّ مؤتمنِ

أضحى الزمانُ عليه جدَّ مؤتمنِ

He has a sanctuary: whenever a neighbor takes refuge within it,

He has a sanctuary: whenever a neighbor settles there,

Time itself becomes utterly trustworthy toward him.

time becomes utterly trustworthy toward him.

كأنه جنةُ الفردوس قد أَمِنَتْ

كأنه جنةُ الفردوس قد أَمِنَتْ

فيها النفوس من الروعات والحَزن

فيها النفوس من الروعات والحَزن

It is as though the Garden of Paradise had been secured:

It is like the Garden of Paradise, a haven of safety,

within it souls are safe from terrors and sorrow.

where souls are free from terrors and sorrow.

كم قد وقفنا على أيام دولتهِ

كم قد وقفنا على أيام دولتهِ

فما وقفنا بأطلالٍ ولا دِمَنِ

فما وقفنا بأطلالٍ ولا دِمَنِ

How often we have stood amid the days of his prosperity,

How often we have lingered over the days of his ascendancy,

yet never stood among ruins or blackened traces;

yet we have not stood among ruins or traces of abandoned camps.

وكم عكفنا على الظن الجميل به

وكم عكفنا على الظن الجميل به

فما عكفنا بطاغوتٍ ولا وثن

فما عكفنا بطاغوتٍ ولا وثن

how often we have entrusted ourselves to a fair expectation of him,

And how often we have remained devoted to our good opinion of him,

yet never devoted ourselves to a tyrant or an idol.

yet we have not devoted ourselves to a false god or an idol.

فتىً أبى الله إلا أن يكمِّله

فتىً أبى الله إلا أن يكمِّله

قولاً وفعلاً فلم يَبخس ولم يخُن

قولاً وفعلاً فلم يَبخس ولم يخُن

A noble youth whom God willed only to perfect,

A young man whom God insisted on perfecting,

in word and deed—so he neither stinted nor betrayed.

in word and deed, so he neither shortchanged nor betrayed.

إذا جرى في فَعالٍ لم يقف سأماً

إذا جرى في فَعالٍ لم يقف سأماً

دون القواصي ولم ينكبْ عن السَّنَن

دون القواصي ولم ينكبْ عن السَّنَن

When he races in noble deeds, weariness does not halt him

When he races in noble deeds, he does not halt out of weariness

short of the farthest goals, nor does he stray from the right paths.

short of the farthest reaches, nor does he stray from the straight path.

وإن تكلم لم يَخْبِط مسالكه

وإن تكلم لم يَخْبِط مسالكه

بل قال عن لقنٍ يُمْلى على لَسنِ

بل قال عن لقنٍ يُمْلى على لَسنِ

And when he speaks, he does not blunder blindly down the paths of speech,

And when he speaks, he does not blunder along his paths;

but speaks from ready wit, delivered upon an eloquent tongue.

rather, he speaks words from a quick mind, dictated to an eloquent tongue.

أضحى وحظ يديه من ثرائهما

أضحى وحظ يديه من ثرائهما

كحظ عينيهِ من وجهٍ له حسن

كحظ عينيهِ من وجهٍ له حسن

The trace drawn by his two hands, rich with their bounty, has become

Now his hands' share in their wealth

like the lines of his eyes in a face endowed with beauty.

is like his eyes' share in his own handsome face.

كما يرى الناس في يومٍ محاسنَهُ

كما يرى الناس في يومٍ محاسنَهُ

أضعاف ما هو رائيهن في زمنِ

أضعاف ما هو رائيهن في زمنِ

Just as people behold, in a single day, his benefactions—

Just as people behold his fine features in one day

many times what he himself might behold of them in an age.

many times more than he beholds them over a long span,

تنال سُؤَّالُهُ من مالهِ أبداً

تنال سُؤَّالُهُ من مالهِ أبداً

أضعافَ ما يقتني للروح والبدنِ

أضعافَ ما يقتني للروح والبدنِ

His petitioners continually obtain from his wealth

his petitioners always receive from his wealth

many times what he keeps for spirit and body.

many times what he keeps for soul and body.

لقد أوى الجودُ من بعد ابن مامته

لقد أوى الجودُ من بعد ابن مامته

وبعد حاتمه منه إلى سكن

وبعد حاتمه منه إلى سكن

Generosity indeed found refuge after Ibn Māmata,

Indeed, generosity has taken refuge, after its Ibn Mamah,

and after its Ḥātim, it found in him a home.

and after its Hatim, in a home provided by him.

رِدْهُ بلا شَطن إن كنتَ واردَهُ

رِدْهُ بلا شَطن إن كنتَ واردَهُ

أغنَى الفراتُ يد الساقي عن الشَّطَنِ

أغنَى الفراتُ يد الساقي عن الشَّطَنِ

Come to his watering place without a well-rope, if you would drink from him:

Come to him without a rope, if you mean to draw water from him;

the Euphrates spares the water-drawer’s hand any need of rope.

the Euphrates has spared the water-bearer's hand the need for a rope.

هذا لذاك وإن لم نوف سيدنا

هذا لذاك وإن لم نوف سيدنا

حقَّ الثناء وكان الحقُّ ذا ثمَن

حقَّ الثناء وكان الحقُّ ذا ثمَن

This praise is in return for that bounty, though we have not rendered our master

This is in return for that, though we have not paid our master

his rightful due of praise—and so precious a right has its price.

his due of praise—and that due has its price.

واسمع أبا جعفر إن كنت مستمعاً

واسمع أبا جعفر إن كنت مستمعاً

فلم تزل ماجد الإصغاء والأذن

فلم تزل ماجد الإصغاء والأذن

And listen, Abū Jaʿfar, if indeed you are listening,

And listen, Abu Ja'far, if you will listen;

for you have ever been noble in attentiveness and ear.

for your listening and your ear have always been noble.

يا من حكى حاتماً في كل مكرُمة

يا من حكى حاتماً في كل مكرُمة

ومن يُعنْ ذا فعالٍ صالح يُعَن

ومن يُعنْ ذا فعالٍ صالح يُعَن

O you who matched Ḥātim in every noble deed:

O you who resemble Hatim in every noble deed,

whoever aids a man of righteous deeds shall himself be aided.

and whoever helps a man of righteous deeds is helped.

خلفتَ وابنُ وزير الصدق حاتمكم

خلفتَ وابنُ وزير الصدق حاتمكم

جوداً فأَصبح منشوراً من الكفن

جوداً فأَصبح منشوراً من الكفن

You and the son of the truthful vizier succeeded your Ḥātim

You and the son of the upright minister have succeeded your Hatim

in generosity, so he rose again, unwrapped from his shroud.

in generosity, so he has been raised from his shroud.

ونحن في هذه الدنيا عيالكمُ

ونحن في هذه الدنيا عيالكمُ

والناسجون برود الحمد بالفِطن

والناسجون برود الحمد بالفِطن

And in this world we are your dependents,

And we are your dependents in this world,

weavers, through our wit, of the robes of praise.

and with our wits we weave the cloaks of praise.

ولم تزل لك في أمثالنا سُننٌ

ولم تزل لك في أمثالنا سُننٌ

يرْضى بها الله في سرٍّ وفي علن

يرْضى بها الله في سرٍّ وفي علن

Toward the likes of us you have always had customary ways

And you have always had ways of treating people like us

that please God, both in secret and in public.

that please God in secret and in public.

ونحن نرجو رجاءً جُلُّه ثقةٌ

ونحن نرجو رجاءً جُلُّه ثقةٌ

ألا يخالف فينا صالح السُّننِ

ألا يخالف فينا صالح السُّننِ

And we cherish a hope—a hope enveloped in confidence:

And we hope with a hope that is chiefly trust,

that your righteous custom toward us will not change.

that good practices will not be violated in our case.

آمالُنا فيك أموالٌ محَصَّلةٌ

آمالُنا فيك أموالٌ محَصَّلةٌ

وظننا فيك مرفوع عن الظِّنن

وظننا فيك مرفوع عن الظِّنن

Our hopes in you are hopes assured,

Our hopes in you are wealth already secured,

and our trust in you is raised above all doubts.

and our opinion of you is raised above suspicion.

وقد تضمنتَ أرزاقاً نعيش بها

وقد تضمنتَ أرزاقاً نعيش بها

وكان وعدك والإنجازُ في قَرَن

وكان وعدك والإنجازُ في قَرَن

They already encompass provisions by which we live,

And you have guaranteed provisions on which we live,

for your promise and fulfillment have always been yoked together.

and your promise and fulfillment have been tied with one cord.

فعجِّل الغوثَ إنا منك نأمله

فعجِّل الغوثَ إنا منك نأمله

يا سيدَ الغوث بل يا سيد اليمن

يا سيدَ الغوث بل يا سيد اليمن

So hasten the rescue—we hope for it from you,

So hasten relief: we hope for it from you,

O lord of rescue—indeed, O lord of good fortune.

O master of relief—nay, O master of good fortune!