ألا أيها المُطري العلاءَ بن صاعدٍ

ألا أيها المُطري العلاءَ بن صاعدٍ

وشاكِرهُ في نيّةٍ وثَناءِ

وشاكِرهُ في نيّةٍ وثَناءِ

Hear, you who lavish praise on al-ʿAlāʾ ibn Ṣāʿid,

O you who rains blessings from on high, Ala'a son of Sa'id

and thank him in intention and in praise:

And who thanks with good intention and praise

شكرتَ امرأً ينْمِي على الشكر عُرْفُهُ

شكرتَ امرأً ينْمِي على الشكر عُرْفُهُ

ويأبى على الكفران غيرَ نماءِ

ويأبى على الكفران غيرَ نماءِ

you have thanked a man whose bounty grows with gratitude,

You have thanked a man whose goodness increases through gratitude

and, even faced with ingratitude, refuses anything but growth.

And who refuses any growth except through loyalty

فتى نال غايات الكهولِ وجازها

فتى نال غايات الكهولِ وجازها

على جِدّةٍ من سِنِّه وفَتاءِ

على جِدّةٍ من سِنِّه وفَتاءِ

A youth who reached mature men's highest attainments and surpassed them,

A young man who attained the heights of elders and surpassed them

despite the freshness of his years and youth;

Through his own youthful vigor and excellence

كما بهر البَدرُ النجومَ لأربعٍ

كما بهر البَدرُ النجومَ لأربعٍ

وعشر فأمستْ غيرَ ذاتِ ضياءِ

وعشر فأمستْ غيرَ ذاتِ ضياءِ

as the full moon outshines the stars when four nights

As the full moon outshone the stars on the fourteenth night

and ten have passed, leaving them without radiance.

And they lost their brilliance

وحَسْبُ أبي عيسى العلاءِ بأنه

وحَسْبُ أبي عيسى العلاءِ بأنه

يُعَدُّ بديئاً سيّدَ الحكماءِ

يُعَدُّ بديئاً سيّدَ الحكماءِ

And it is enough for Abū ʿĪsā, al-ʿAlāʾ, that he

It is enough for Abu Isa Ala'a that he

is reckoned, from the outset, the foremost of sages;

Is considered the foremost of the wise

وأن أباه الخيرَ طال بقاؤه

وأن أباه الخيرَ طال بقاؤه

يعد بديئاً سيّدَ الوزراءِ

يعد بديئاً سيّدَ الوزراءِ

and that his good father—long may he live—

And that his father's goodness is of long duration

is reckoned, from the outset, the foremost of viziers;

He is considered the foremost of the viziers

وأن الأمير المُستنيم إليهما

وأن الأمير المُستنيم إليهما

يعد بديئاً سيّدَ الأمراءِ

يعد بديئاً سيّدَ الأمراءِ

and that the prince who puts his trust in them both

And that the prince who seeks refuge in them

is reckoned, from the outset, the foremost of princes;

Is considered the foremost of the princes

وأن الخطيب الصادقَ القَولِ فيهما

وأن الخطيب الصادقَ القَولِ فيهما

يعد بديئاً سيّدَ الخطباء

يعد بديئاً سيّدَ الخطباء

and that the orator whose words about them both are true

And that the truthful orator about them

is reckoned, from the outset, the foremost of orators.

Is considered the foremost of the orators

خطيبٌ عَصاه الرمحُ والسيفُ لم يزل

خطيبٌ عَصاه الرمحُ والسيفُ لم يزل

وآباؤُه يُبْلُون خيرَ بلاءِ

وآباؤُه يُبْلُون خيرَ بلاءِ

An orator whose staff is spear and sword: he has always,

An orator whom spear and sword could not bend

together with his forefathers, rendered the finest service.

While his fathers faced the best of trials

كنوزُ غِنىً للمُقْتِرين وإنْ دُعوا

كنوزُ غِنىً للمُقْتِرين وإنْ دُعوا

لنائرةٍ كانوا كنوزَ غَناء

لنائرةٍ كانوا كنوزَ غَناء

Treasuries of wealth for the needy; and if summoned

Treasures of wealth for the needy, and if called

to a blaze of war, they are treasuries of prowess.

To the fire, they were treasures of song

وهذي أمورٌ وُفِّقتْ لابن صاعد

وهذي أمورٌ وُفِّقتْ لابن صاعد

أماراتُ جَدٍّ صاعدٍ وبقاءِ

أماراتُ جَدٍّ صاعدٍ وبقاءِ

And these are circumstances favorably arranged for Ibn Ṣāʿid—

These are signs aligned for the son of Sa'id

signs of rising fortune and longevity.

Tokens of the rising and enduring fame of Sa'id

وما زال ممدوحاً بحقٍّ معظَّماً

وما زال ممدوحاً بحقٍّ معظَّماً

على ألسن الأشرافِ والعظماءِ

على ألسن الأشرافِ والعظماءِ

And he has always been rightly praised and revered

And he remains praised in truth, glorified

on the tongues of the noble and the great.

On the tongues of nobles and chieftains

وما يَضع المرءَ الشرِيفَ امتداحُهُ

وما يَضع المرءَ الشرِيفَ امتداحُهُ

علاءً ولا يُحذيه غيرُ علاءِ

علاءً ولا يُحذيه غيرُ علاءِ

And a noble man is not lowered by his praise

And the praise of a noble man does not diminish him

of ʿAlāʾ, nor rewarded with anything but elevation.

Nor does any equal Ala'a in nobility

وهل يضعُ الطودَ المُنيفَ اعترافُه

وهل يضعُ الطودَ المُنيفَ اعترافُه

لناصبِه بالعدلِ تحتَ سماءِ

لناصبِه بالعدلِ تحتَ سماءِ

And is a towering mountain lowered by its acknowledgment

And can the acknowledgment of his rival beneath the sky

of the justice of the one who raised it beneath the sky?

Demean the towering mountain?