يا ناعماً بسُرورِ عَيشٍ زائلٍ

يا ناعماً بسُرورِ عَيشٍ زائلٍ

ستزولُ عنهُ طائعاً أو كارِها

ستزولُ عنهُ طائعاً أو كارِها

O you basking in the joy of a fleeting life,

O you who live softly in fleeting joy,

you will depart from it, willingly or unwillingly.

Whether willing or not it will fade from you,

إنَّ الحوادِثَ تنقُلُ الأحرارَ عن

إنَّ الحوادِثَ تنقُلُ الأحرارَ عن

أوطانِهِمْ والطَّيْرَ عن أوكارِها

أوطانِهِمْ والطَّيْرَ عن أوكارِها

Indeed, life's vicissitudes move free men from

Events make the free leave

their homelands, and birds from their nests.

Their homelands, and birds their nests,

ما إنْ سمِعْتُ بنُوّارٍ لهُ ثَمرٌ

ما إنْ سمِعْتُ بنُوّارٍ لهُ ثَمرٌ

في الوَقتِ يُمِتعُ سَمْعَ المَرءِ والبَصَرا

في الوَقتِ يُمِتعُ سَمْعَ المَرءِ والبَصَرا

Never had I heard of blossoms bearing fruit

I had not heard of prose which gives

at the same time, delighting a person's hearing and sight,

Pleasure to one's hearing and sight,

حتَّى أتاني كِتابٌ مِنكَ مُبتسِماً

حتَّى أتاني كِتابٌ مِنكَ مُبتسِماً

عن كُلِّ لَفظٍ ومعنىً أشبَهَ الدُّرَرا

عن كُلِّ لَفظٍ ومعنىً أشبَهَ الدُّرَرا

until a letter from you came to me, smiling

Until a letter came from you smiling

to reveal every word and meaning, each resembling pearls.

With every word and meaning like pearls,

فكانَ لفظُكَ في آلائِه زَهَراً

فكانَ لفظُكَ في آلائِه زَهَراً

وكانَ معناكَ في أثنائهِ ثَمَرا

وكانَ معناكَ في أثنائهِ ثَمَرا

So your wording, amid its blessings, was blossom,

Your words were blossoms in their finery

and your meaning, within its folds, was fruit.

And your meaning was fruit in its clusters,

تسابَقا فأصابا القَصْدَ في طَلقٍ

تسابَقا فأصابا القَصْدَ في طَلقٍ

للهِ من ثَمَرٍ قد سابَقَ الزَّهَرا

للهِ من ثَمَرٍ قد سابَقَ الزَّهَرا

The two raced each other and reached the goal in a single run.

Competing until both attained the goal in eloquence,

God be praised for fruit that has raced the blossoms!

By God, from a fruit that outstripped the blossom.