أَترى بريدي بالِغاً يا جوجا

أَترى بريدي بالِغاً يا جوجا

أَم غالَهُ أَمرٌ يَكونُ مَريجا

أَم غالَهُ أَمرٌ يَكونُ مَريجا

Do you think my messenger will reach you, O Jūjā?

Do you think my courier will arrive, O Juja,

Or has some bewildering calamity overtaken him?

Or has some tangled affair waylaid him?

عَمِيَت عَلَينا إِذ نَأَى أَخبارُهُ

عَمِيَت عَلَينا إِذ نَأَى أَخبارُهُ

لَكَأنَّه سَلَك السَماءَ وُلوجا

لَكَأنَّه سَلَك السَماءَ وُلوجا

News of him has been hidden from us since he went far away,

News of him has grown obscure to us since he went far away,

as though he had entered upon a path through the sky,

As though he had passed into the sky,

أَو أَنَّهُ خَسَفت بِهِ يَهمَاؤُهُ

أَو أَنَّهُ خَسَفت بِهِ يَهمَاؤُهُ

وَهَوى إِلى بَهموتِها تَعريجا

وَهَوى إِلى بَهموتِها تَعريجا

or his trackless desert had swallowed him up

Or his trackless desert had swallowed him,

and he had fallen, twisting, down to its Bahamūt.

And, turning aside, he plunged toward its Bahamut.

يا مَن بِهِ علِقَت حَبائِلُ هِمَّتي

يا مَن بِهِ علِقَت حَبائِلُ هِمَّتي

وَغَدا إِلى الزَمَنِ الكَريهِ بَهيجا

وَغَدا إِلى الزَمَنِ الكَريهِ بَهيجا

O you upon whom the cords of my aspiration have fastened,

O you to whom the cords of my ambition have clung,

who has become a joy to this hateful age,

And the hateful age became delightful to me,

وَوَردتُ مِنهُ بَحرَ فَضلٍ زاخِرٍ

وَوَردتُ مِنهُ بَحرَ فَضلٍ زاخِرٍ

فَغنيتُ عَن وِردي سِواه خَليجا

فَغنيتُ عَن وِردي سِواه خَليجا

From him I came to a brimming sea of bounty,

And I came to drink from his overflowing sea of bounty,

so I needed no other gulf for my watering place.

So I had no need to draw from any other inlet.

وَرفلتُ مِن عزّي بِهِ في حُلَّةٍ

وَرفلتُ مِن عزّي بِهِ في حُلَّةٍ

شرُفَت يَداً وَأَرومَةً وَنَسِيجا

شرُفَت يَداً وَأَرومَةً وَنَسِيجا

Through him I swept proudly in the robe of my glory,

And, honored through him, I walked proudly in a robe,

ennobled in beneficence, lineage, and weave.

Noble in hand, in origin, and in weave.

فَخرت بِهِ الشُهبُ الدَراري وَاعتَلَت

فَخرت بِهِ الشُهبُ الدَراري وَاعتَلَت

حَتّى حَلَلنَ مِن السَماءِ بُروجا

حَتّى حَلَلنَ مِن السَماءِ بُروجا

The radiant stars took pride in him and rose

The pearl-bright stars took pride in him and rose aloft,

until they occupied constellations in heaven.

Until they dwelt in the mansions of the sky.

يَكسو الطُروسَ مفوَّفا وَمدبَّجا

يَكسو الطُروسَ مفوَّفا وَمدبَّجا

يَتَجنَّب التَقعيرَ وَالتَثبيجا

يَتَجنَّب التَقعيرَ وَالتَثبيجا

He clothes the pages in figured, brocaded speech,

He clothes the pages in striped and brocaded finery,

avoiding strained obscurity and turgid prolixity.

Avoiding strained diction and clumsy composition.

فَترى البَلاغَةَ قَد بَدَت أَنوارها

فَترى البَلاغَةَ قَد بَدَت أَنوارها

حَتّى بَهَرنَ مَهارقاًوَدُروجا

حَتّى بَهَرنَ مَهارقاًوَدُروجا

And you see eloquence, its lights now manifest,

Thus you see eloquence's lights shine forth,

so dazzling that they outshine parchments and scrolls.

Until they dazzle writing sheets and scrolls.

إِنَّ ابنَ فَضلِ اللَهِ فَضلٌ كُله

إِنَّ ابنَ فَضلِ اللَهِ فَضلٌ كُله

يَسعى ذَميلاً لِلنَدى وَوسيجا

يَسعى ذَميلاً لِلنَدى وَوسيجا

Indeed, the son of Faḍl Allāh is excellence entire;

Indeed, Ibn Fadl Allah is bounty through and through,

he hastens with easy, rapid stride toward munificence.

He hastens toward generosity, trotting and striding swiftly.

مِن نَبعةٍ قَرشيَّةٍ عَدويَّةٍ

مِن نَبعةٍ قَرشيَّةٍ عَدويَّةٍ

عُمريَّةٍ عَبِقَت شَذاً وَأَريجا

عُمريَّةٍ عَبِقَت شَذاً وَأَريجا

From Qurashī, ʿAdawī stock,

From a Qurashi, Adawi tree,

ʿUmarī—fragrant with scent and perfume.

Umari, fragrant with scent and perfume.

خَطَبَتهُ أَبكارُ المَعالي رُغَّباً

خَطَبَتهُ أَبكارُ المَعالي رُغَّباً

إِذ كُنَّ عجَّت مِن سِواهُ عَجيجا

إِذ كُنَّ عجَّت مِن سِواهُ عَجيجا

The virgin heights of glory courted him eagerly,

The virgins of lofty honor courted him eagerly,

for they had loudly rejected every other suitor.

For they had cried out loudly against anyone but him.

وَسَمَت إِلى عَلياه أَوَّلَ نَشئِهِ

وَسَمَت إِلى عَلياه أَوَّلَ نَشئِهِ

وَسِواه يَسمو لِلعُلا تَدريجا

وَسِواه يَسمو لِلعُلا تَدريجا

They aspired to his loftiness from his earliest youth,

And rose toward his eminence in his earliest youth,

while others climb toward the heights by degrees.

While others rise toward glory step by step.

لَجَّت وَرامَت مِنهُ وَصلاً إِنَّما

لَجَّت وَرامَت مِنهُ وَصلاً إِنَّما

شَرَف المُحبِّ بِأَن يَكون لَجوجا

شَرَف المُحبِّ بِأَن يَكون لَجوجا

They persisted, seeking union with him; indeed,

They persisted and sought union with him; only

a lover’s honor lies in being importunate.

By being persistent does a lover gain honor.

فَأَجابَها مِن بَعدِ لأي راغِباً

فَأَجابَها مِن بَعدِ لأي راغِباً

عَنها وَهيَّج شَوقَها تَهييجا

عَنها وَهيَّج شَوقَها تَهييجا

At last, after delay, he answered them, turning away

So he answered them after much effort, turning away

from them—and fiercely inflamed their longing.

From them, and stirred their longing still more.