وَلِلَّهِ عِندي في الإِسارِ وَغَيرِهِ

وَلِلَّهِ عِندي في الإِسارِ وَغَيرِهِ

مَواهِبُ لَم يُخصَص بِها أَحَدٌ قَبلي

مَواهِبُ لَم يُخصَص بِها أَحَدٌ قَبلي

By God, in captivity and beyond it, I possess

And God has bestowed on me, in captivity and otherwise,

Gifts with which no one before me was specially endowed.

Gifts with which no one before me was specially favored.

حَلَلتُ عُقوداً أَعجَزَ الناسَ حَلُّها

حَلَلتُ عُقوداً أَعجَزَ الناسَ حَلُّها

وَما زالَ عَقدي لايُذَمُّ وَلا حَلّي

وَما زالَ عَقدي لايُذَمُّ وَلا حَلّي

I have untied knots whose untying defeated all people,

I untied knots whose undoing had baffled others;

And neither my tying nor my untying has ever been faulted.

And neither my tying nor my untying has ever been faulted.

إِذا عايَنَتني الرومُ كَفَّرَ صَيدُها

إِذا عايَنَتني الرومُ كَفَّرَ صَيدُها

كَأَنَّهُمُ أَسرى لَدَيَّ وَفي كَبلي

كَأَنَّهُمُ أَسرى لَدَيَّ وَفي كَبلي

When the Romans behold me, their proud men bow low,

When the Byzantines behold me, their proud lords bow in homage,

As though they were captives before me, bound in my chains.

As though they were captives in my keeping, held in my fetters.

وَأَوسَعُ أَيّاً ماحَلَلتُ كَرامَةً

وَأَوسَعُ أَيّاً ماحَلَلتُ كَرامَةً

كَأَنِّيَ مِن أَهلي نُقِلتُ إِلى أَهلي

كَأَنِّيَ مِن أَهلي نُقِلتُ إِلى أَهلي

Wherever I alight, I am lavished with honor,

And wherever I lodge, I am lavished with honor,

As though I had been borne from my own family to my own.

As though I had been moved from my family to my family.

فَقُل لِبَني عَمّي وَأَبلِغ بَني أَبي

فَقُل لِبَني عَمّي وَأَبلِغ بَني أَبي

بِأَنِّيَ في نَعماءَ يَشكُرُها مِثلي

بِأَنِّيَ في نَعماءَ يَشكُرُها مِثلي

So tell my cousins, and carry word to my father’s sons,

So tell my paternal cousins, and inform my brothers,

That I dwell amid blessings for which even one like me gives thanks.

That I enjoy blessed ease, for which one like me gives thanks.

وَماشاءَ رَبّي غَيرَ نَشرِ مَحاسِني

وَماشاءَ رَبّي غَيرَ نَشرِ مَحاسِني

وَأَن يَعرِفوا ماقَد عَرَفتُ مِنَ الفَضلِ

وَأَن يَعرِفوا ماقَد عَرَفتُ مِنَ الفَضلِ

My Lord has willed nothing but to spread abroad my virtues,

And my Lord wished only for my virtues to be made known,

And that they should know the favor I myself have known.

And for them to know what I have already known of excellence.