قُلْ لِمَنْ يُرْجِعُ الحَوَائجَ لِلْخَلْ

قُلْ لِمَنْ يُرْجِعُ الحَوَائجَ لِلْخَلْ

قِ ويَرْجُو نَوَافِلَ المَعْرُوفِ

قِ ويَرْجُو نَوَافِلَ المَعْرُوفِ

Say to whoever directs his needs to created

Tell those who fulfill wishes for all creatures,

beings, and hopes for gifts of kindness:

And hope for supererogatory kind acts -

إنَّ لِي حَاجَةً إلى خَالِقِ الخَلْ

إنَّ لِي حَاجَةً إلى خَالِقِ الخَلْ

قِ ومَوْلَى الشَّرِيفِ والمشْرُوفِ

قِ ومَوْلَى الشَّرِيفِ والمشْرُوفِ

Indeed, I have a request for the Creator of created

I have a need from the Creator of creatures

beings, and Lord of the noble and the less noble.

And the Patron of the noble and eminent -

حَاجَتِي أن يَمُدَّ سُبْحَانُهُ لِي

حَاجَتِي أن يَمُدَّ سُبْحَانُهُ لِي

في بَقَاءِ الشَّرِيفِ عَبدالرَّءُوفِ

في بَقَاءِ الشَّرِيفِ عَبدالرَّءُوفِ

My request is that He—glory be to Him—prolong for me

My need is that He - Glory be to Him - extend for me

the life of the Sharif, ʿAbd al-Raʾūf.

In the survival of the noble Abdurra'oof -

فَبَقَاءُ الشَّرِيفِ خَيْرٌ لِمثْلِي

فَبَقَاءُ الشَّرِيفِ خَيْرٌ لِمثْلِي

من مِئِينٍ أَنَالُهَا وأُلُوفِ

من مِئِينٍ أَنَالُهَا وأُلُوفِ

For the Sharif’s continued life is better for one like me

For the survival of the noble is better for the likes of me

than hundreds I gain, and thousands.

Than a hundred I might attain and thousands -

عِنْدَهُ مُجْتَنَى النَّدَى ولَدَيهِ

عِنْدَهُ مُجْتَنَى النَّدَى ولَدَيهِ

شَجَرُ المَكْرمَاتِ دَانِي القُطُوفِ

شَجَرُ المَكْرمَاتِ دَانِي القُطُوفِ

With him is the harvest of bounty, and beside him

With him is the choicest of dew, and with him

stand trees of noble deeds, their fruit within reach.

Is the tree of favors, near to plucking -

فَلَئِنْ قُلْتُ فِيهِ ما قُلْتُ بالأَمْ

فَلَئِنْ قُلْتُ فِيهِ ما قُلْتُ بالأَمْ

سِ فَهذِي الأَيَّامُ ذَاتُ صُرُوفِ

سِ فَهذِي الأَيَّامُ ذَاتُ صُرُوفِ

So if I said of him what I said yester-

So if I spoke of him as I spoke in the evening, then these are days

day, these days are full of reversals.

Of fickleness -

ولَئِنْ سَاءَهُ هِجَايَ فَهَذَا الْ

ولَئِنْ سَاءَهُ هِجَايَ فَهَذَا الْ

بَدْرُ يُرْمَى في تَمِّهِ بالخُسُوفِ

بَدْرُ يُرْمَى في تَمِّهِ بالخُسُوفِ

And if my satire offended him, this is the

And if my satire displeased him, then this

full moon, struck by eclipse at its fullness.

Full moon is pelted in its darkness with eclipse -

ثمَّ يَستَقْبِلُ الضِّيَاءَ كَمَا كَا

ثمَّ يَستَقْبِلُ الضِّيَاءَ كَمَا كَا

نَ ويَنْجَابُ عَنْهُ ثَوْبُ الكُسُوفِ

نَ ويَنْجَابُ عَنْهُ ثَوْبُ الكُسُوفِ

Then it welcomes the light as it once

Then it meets light again as it was

did, and the cloak of eclipse is drawn away from it.

And its robe of eclipse is stripped from it -

وحُدُودُ السُّيُوفِ تُمْهَى لِتَمْضِي

وحُدُودُ السُّيُوفِ تُمْهَى لِتَمْضِي

حَيثُ ما وُجِّهَتْ حُدُودُ السُّيُوفِ

حَيثُ ما وُجِّهَتْ حُدُودُ السُّيُوفِ

And sword edges are sharpened so they may cut

And the edges of swords are blunted that they might go

wherever the edges of swords are directed.

Wherever the edges of swords are directed -

والقَنَا اللُّدْنُ لا تُسَدَّدُ للطَّعْ

والقَنَا اللُّدْنُ لا تُسَدَّدُ للطَّعْ

نِ بِغَيرِ التَّقْوِيمِ والتَّثْقيفِ

نِ بِغَيرِ التَّقْوِيمِ والتَّثْقيفِ

And supple spears are not aimed for

And crooked spears are not straightened for stabbing

thrusting without straightening and truing.

Except by calibration and training -

وكَذَاكَ الأقْلامُ يُرْهِفُهَا الكَا

وكَذَاكَ الأقْلامُ يُرْهِفُهَا الكَا

تِبُ حَتَّى تُجيدَ وَضْعَ الحُرُوفِ

تِبُ حَتَّى تُجيدَ وَضْعَ الحُرُوفِ

And likewise the pens are sharpened by the

And so too pens, the writer hones them

writer, so they may form the letters well.

Until they excel in placing letters -

هَكَذَا تُوقَظُ الكِرَامُ بِوَخْزِ ال

هَكَذَا تُوقَظُ الكِرَامُ بِوَخْزِ ال

قَوْلِ من نَوْمِهِمْ عن المَعْرُوفِ

قَوْلِ من نَوْمِهِمْ عن المَعْرُوفِ

Thus the noble are roused by the sting of

Thus are the generous roused from their sleep of kind acts

words from their slumbering neglect of kindness.

By the prick of words -

يا أَخَا هَاشِمَ بنِ عبد مَنَافٍ

يا أَخَا هَاشِمَ بنِ عبد مَنَافٍ

أنْتَ دِفْءُ الشِّتَاءِ بَرْدُ المَصِيفِ

أنْتَ دِفْءُ الشِّتَاءِ بَرْدُ المَصِيفِ

O kinsman of Hāshim ibn ʿAbd Manāf,

O brother of Hashim son of Abd Manaf -

you are winter’s warmth and summer’s coolness.

You are the warmth of winter, the coolness of summer -

لا تَكلْنِي إلى ثَنَائِي فَمَا عِنْ

لا تَكلْنِي إلى ثَنَائِي فَمَا عِنْ

دَكَ مُوفٍ علَى الثَّنَاءِ الموفِي

دَكَ مُوفٍ علَى الثَّنَاءِ الموفِي

Do not leave me to my praise; for what is with

Do not leave me to my own praise, for with you

you surpasses even the fullest praise.

There is no lack in praising the fulfiller -

يا فَدَينَاكَ بالنُفُوسِ وبالأَمْ

يا فَدَينَاكَ بالنُفُوسِ وبالأَمْ

وَالِ مِنْ تَالدٍ لَنَا وطَريفِ

وَالِ مِنْ تَالدٍ لَنَا وطَريفِ

Ah, may we ransom you with our lives and with

O you who ransom us with souls and wealth

wealth, both our long-held possessions and our new gains.

From a lineage abounding and delightful -

خَلِّنَا من خَلاَئِقٍ سَبَقَتْ مِنْ

خَلِّنَا من خَلاَئِقٍ سَبَقَتْ مِنْ

كَ دَعَتْنَا للَّومِ والتَعْنِيفِ

كَ دَعَتْنَا للَّومِ والتَعْنِيفِ

Spare us those former ways of

Free us from dispositions that preceded you

yours that prompted us to blame and rebuke.

And called us to blame and rebuke -

واقْتَبِلْ ودَّنَا وخُذْ من ثَنَانَا

واقْتَبِلْ ودَّنَا وخُذْ من ثَنَانَا

حِبَراً كالبُرُودِ في التَّفْوِيفِ

حِبَراً كالبُرُودِ في التَّفْوِيفِ

And accept our affection, and take from our praise

And accept our love and take from our intimacy

patterned cloths, like mantles in their striping.

Ink like brochures in binding -