غَمَرَتني لَكَ الأَيادي البيضُ

غَمَرَتني لَكَ الأَيادي البيضُ

نَشَبٌ وافِرٌ وَجاهُ عَريضُ

نَشَبٌ وافِرٌ وَجاهُ عَريضُ

Your white hands of bounty have overwhelmed me:

The white hands are immersed in generosity for you

ample wealth and far-reaching prestige.

Abundant rain and a wide open valley

كُلَّ يَومٍ يَجِدُّ مِنكَ اِهتِبالٌ

كُلَّ يَومٍ يَجِدُّ مِنكَ اِهتِبالٌ

عَهدُ شُكري عَلَيهِ غَضُّ غَريضُ

عَهدُ شُكري عَلَيهِ غَضُّ غَريضُ

Each day brings fresh care from you,

Every day, you receive constant care from it

and my pledge of thanks for it stays tender and fresh.

My covenant of gratitude for it is firm and binding

بَوَّأَتني نُعماكَ جَنَةَ عَدنٍ

بَوَّأَتني نُعماكَ جَنَةَ عَدنٍ

جالَ في وَصفِها فَضَلَّ القَريضُ

جالَ في وَصفِها فَضَلَّ القَريضُ

Your bounty has lodged me in a Garden of Eden;

Its blessings have made for me a garden of Eden

verse wandered through its description and lost its way.

Whose virtues the eloquent poets have described

مُجتَنىً مُدِّنٍ وَظِلٌّ بَرودٌ

مُجتَنىً مُدِّنٍ وَظِلٌّ بَرودٌ

وَنَسيمٌ يَشفي النُفوسَ مَريضُ

وَنَسيمٌ يَشفي النُفوسَ مَريضُ

Fruit within reach, and cooling shade,

A shaded, civilized retreat and cool shade

and a languid breeze that heals souls;

And a breeze that heals troubled souls

وَمِياهٌ قَد أَخجَلَ الوَردَ أَن عا

وَمِياهٌ قَد أَخجَلَ الوَردَ أَن عا

رَضَ تَذهيبَهُ لَها تَفضيضُ

رَضَ تَذهيبَهُ لَها تَفضيضُ

and waters that shamed the roses, for

Waters that have shamed the roses, so much

their silver sheen rivaled the roses' gilding.

That their gilding seems to them excessive finesse

كُلَّما غَنَّت الحَمائِمُ قُلنا

كُلَّما غَنَّت الحَمائِمُ قُلنا

مَعبَدٌ إِذ شَدا أَجابَ الغَريضُ

مَعبَدٌ إِذ شَدا أَجابَ الغَريضُ

Whenever the doves sang, we said:

Whenever the doves coo, we say

"When Maʿbad sang, al-Gharid answered."

It is a temple whose prayer niche echoes with calls to prayer

جاوَرَت حَمَّةً مُشَيَّدَةَ المَب

جاوَرَت حَمَّةً مُشَيَّدَةَ المَب

نى لِبَرقِ الرُخامِ فيهِ وَميضُ

نى لِبَرقِ الرُخامِ فيهِ وَميضُ

It adjoined a thermal bath of lofty

Adjacent, a well-built dome flashes

construction; the marble's gleam flashed within.

With the radiance of its marble

مَرمَرٌ أَوفَدَ الفِرِندَ عَلَيهِ

مَرمَرٌ أَوفَدَ الفِرِندَ عَلَيهِ

سَلسَلٌ بَحرُهُ الزُلالُ يَفيضُ

سَلسَلٌ بَحرُهُ الزُلالُ يَفيضُ

Marble, upon which a damask shimmer was cast

A marble that dispatched its sculptor to it

by limpid water, whose clear sea overflows.

A chain whose sea of pearls overflows

وَسطَها دُميَةٌ يَروقُ اِجتِلاءُ ال

وَسطَها دُميَةٌ يَروقُ اِجتِلاءُ ال

كُلِّ مِنها وَيَفتِنُ التَبعيضُ

كُلِّ مِنها وَيَفتِنُ التَبعيضُ

In its midst, a statue-like beauty: beholding the

In its midst, a statue whose graceful posture

whole of her delights, and her separate parts enchant.

Charms all who look on it and captivates with its proportion

بَشَرٌ ناصِعٌ وَخَدٌّ أَسيلٌ

بَشَرٌ ناصِعٌ وَخَدٌّ أَسيلٌ

وَمُحَيّاً طَلقٌ وَطَرفٌ غَضيضُ

وَمُحَيّاً طَلقٌ وَطَرفٌ غَضيضُ

Pure, radiant skin, and a smooth cheek,

A radiant face, soft cheek, charming smile

and a beaming face, and a downcast gaze;

Lively eyes, and delicate glances

وَقَوامٌ كَما اِستَقامَ قَضيبُ ال

وَقَوامٌ كَما اِستَقامَ قَضيبُ ال

بانِ إِذ عَلَّهُ ثَراهُ الأَريضُ

بانِ إِذ عَلَّهُ ثَراهُ الأَريضُ

and a figure straight as the bough of the

A figure erect as a firmly planted spear

ban tree, when its fertile soil has watered it anew;

When its notch steadied it in loose ground

وَاِبتِسامٌ لَو أَنَّها اِستَغرَبَت في

وَاِبتِسامٌ لَو أَنَّها اِستَغرَبَت في

هِ أَراكَ اِتِّساقَهُ الإِغريضُ

هِ أَراكَ اِتِّساقَهُ الإِغريضُ

and a smile—were she to burst into laughter within

A smile that were it to express wonder,

it, white palm blossom would show you its symmetry;

Its conformity would be wondrous amusing

وَاِلتِفاتٌ كَأَنَّما هُوَ بِالإي

وَاِلتِفاتٌ كَأَنَّما هُوَ بِالإي

حاءِ مِن فَرطِ لُطفِهِ تَعريضُ

حاءِ مِن فَرطِ لُطفِهِ تَعريضُ

and a turn of the head, as though, through

A glance as if, out of the excess of its charm,

suggestion, it were, in its utmost delicacy, a veiled allusion.

It were with coquetry making an allusion

لُمَعٌ طَلَّةٌ مِنَ العَيشِ ما إِن

لُمَعٌ طَلَّةٌ مِنَ العَيشِ ما إِن

لِلهَوى عَن مَحَلَّها تَعويضُ

لِلهَوى عَن مَحَلَّها تَعويضُ

Dew-fresh gleams of life, with no

Brilliance of life that, were desires to swerve

substitute to satisfy desire in their stead.

From it, there would be no compensation

سَوَّغَتني نَعيمَها نَفَحاتٌ

سَوَّغَتني نَعيمَها نَفَحاتٌ

لِلمُنى مِن سَحابِها تَرويضُ

لِلمُنى مِن سَحابِها تَرويضُ

Wafts of bounty have let me savor their bliss;

The breezes of its pleasures have made me taste it

from their clouds comes the taming of wishes.

With the wishes from its clouds being gently guided

تابَعَتها يَدُ الهُمامِ أَبي عَم

تابَعَتها يَدُ الهُمامِ أَبي عَم

رٍو فَما غَمرُها لَدَيَّ مَغيضُ

رٍو فَما غَمرُها لَدَيَّ مَغيضُ

These were kept coming by the hand of the noble Abu

It was followed by the hand of the illustrious Abu Amr

Amr; its flood never ebbs for me.

And so being immersed in it is no cause for aversion to me

مَلِكٌ ذادَ عَن حِمى الدينِ مِنهُ

مَلِكٌ ذادَ عَن حِمى الدينِ مِنهُ

مَن إِلَيهِ في نَصرِهِ التَفويضُ

مَن إِلَيهِ في نَصرِهِ التَفويضُ

A king: in him, the sanctuary of faith was defended

A king who defended the sanctuary of religion

by the one entrusted with its support.

To whom its victory was entrusted

وَسَما ناظِرٌ مِنَ المَجدِ في دُنيا

وَسَما ناظِرٌ مِنَ المَجدِ في دُنيا

هُ قَد كانَ كَفَّهُ التَغميضُ

هُ قَد كانَ كَفَّهُ التَغميضُ

And glory's eye rose high in his world,

And took care, from the glory of this world

though being shut had once held it back.

That its seeking would be merely a slight glancing

إِن أَساءَ الزَمانُ أَحسَنَ دَأباً

إِن أَساءَ الزَمانُ أَحسَنَ دَأباً

مِثلَما بايَنَ النَقيضَ النَقيضُ

مِثلَما بايَنَ النَقيضَ النَقيضُ

If time did harm, he unfailingly did good,

However much the times turned foul, he acted well

just as one opposite differs from the other.

Just as opposites are made clear by opposites

يا مُعِزُّ الهُدى الَّذي ما لِمَسعا

يا مُعِزُّ الهُدى الَّذي ما لِمَسعا

هُ إِلى غَيرِ سَمتِهِ تَغريضُ

هُ إِلى غَيرِ سَمتِهِ تَغريضُ

O you who exalt guidance, whose striving

O pillar of guidance, whom no hearing

never turns toward any course but its own!

Turns aside from its path or deflects

يا مُحِلّي يَفاعَ حالٍ مَكانُ النَ

يا مُحِلّي يَفاعَ حالٍ مَكانُ النَ

جمِ مَهما يُقَس إِلَيهِ حَضيضُ

جمِ مَهما يُقَس إِلَيهِ حَضيضُ

O you who lodge me on a height of fortune—the place of the

O you who replace the positions of stars, no matter

star, whenever measured against it, is low ground!

How low they go, with sublime celestial bodies

إِن أَنَل أَيسَرَ الرَغائِبِ فيهِ

إِن أَنَل أَيسَرَ الرَغائِبِ فيهِ

يَرضَ فَوزَ القِداحِ مِنّي مُفيضُ

يَرضَ فَوزَ القِداحِ مِنّي مُفيضُ

If I attain the least of my wishes there,

If I gain the easiest of wishes through it

the caster of lots would be content with my arrows' winning.

I will be satisfied with the cream of the bowls from me overflowing

لَو يَفاعُ المَجَرَّةِ اِعتَضَت مِنهُ

لَو يَفاعُ المَجَرَّةِ اِعتَضَت مِنهُ

راحَ يَدعو ثُبورَهُ المُستَعيضُ

راحَ يَدعو ثُبورَهُ المُستَعيضُ

If I exchanged it for the height of the Milky Way,

Were the orbit of its stars to be blocked, it would be lit

the exchanger would go lamenting his own ruin.

By its moon whose rising its disappearance would compensate for

حَظُّ سِنُّ اِمرِئٍ نَأى مِنكَ قَرعٌ

حَظُّ سِنُّ اِمرِئٍ نَأى مِنكَ قَرعٌ

وَقُصارى بَنانِهِ تَعضيضُ

وَقُصارى بَنانِهِ تَعضيضُ

The lot of the teeth of a man far from you is gnashing,

The luck of one who turns from you is misfortune

and all his fingertips can expect is biting.

And the pinnacle of his success is abasement

حَسبِيَ النَصحُ وَالوِدادُ وَشُكرٌ

حَسبِيَ النَصحُ وَالوِدادُ وَشُكرٌ

عَطَّرَ الدَهرَ مِنهُ مِسكٌ فَضيضُ

عَطَّرَ الدَهرَ مِنهُ مِسكٌ فَضيضُ

Loyalty, affection, and gratitude suffice me;

My sincerity, affection, and gratitude are enough

its freshly unsealed musk has perfumed time.

From it musk has perfumed existence and been abundant

دُم مُوَقّىً وَلِيُّكَ الدَهرَ مَجبو

دُم مُوَقّىً وَلِيُّكَ الدَهرَ مَجبو

رٌ مَساعيكَ وَالعَدُوُّ مَهيضُ

رٌ مَساعيكَ وَالعَدُوُّ مَهيضُ

Remain safeguarded—your ally forever restored—

May your protector live as long as the world lasts

in your endeavors, and the enemy broken.

As your deeds last and the enemy becomes broken

فَاِعتِرافُ المُلوكِ أَنَّكَ مَولا

فَاِعتِرافُ المُلوكِ أَنَّكَ مَولا

هُم حَديثٌ ما بَينَهُم مُستَفيضُ

هُم حَديثٌ ما بَينَهُم مُستَفيضُ

For the kings' acknowledgment that you are lord

So the kings' admission that you are their master

over them is news widely spread among them.

Is a constantly reiterated story between them