إذا ذكر المجدون يوما لفضلهم

إذا ذكر المجدون يوما لفضلهم

فقل إن إسماعيل أول مفضل

فقل إن إسماعيل أول مفضل

When benefactors are remembered one day for their bounty,

If the virtuous are mentioned one day for their merit,

then say: Ismail is the foremost benefactor.

Say that Ismail is the foremost meritorious one.

أمير إذا لم يلبس التاج عادة

أمير إذا لم يلبس التاج عادة

فان عليه تاج محل مؤثل

فان عليه تاج محل مؤثل

A prince who, though he does not customarily wear a crown,

A prince, even if he does not wear a crown by custom,

yet bears the crown of a firmly rooted station.

Upon him is the crown of a splendid seat.

قد اعتدل الدهر السقيم بعدله

قد اعتدل الدهر السقيم بعدله

ولم يحنه الا مفاسد جهل

ولم يحنه الا مفاسد جهل

The ailing age has been set right by his justice;

The sickly fate has been set right by his justice,

and nothing had bent it but the ravages of ignorance.

And none have tired him except the evils of ignorance.

فكان حييا منهم ان يراهم

فكان حييا منهم ان يراهم

فيطرق عند الخطو خطو المكبل

فيطرق عند الخطو خطو المكبل

So it was too ashamed before them to look upon them,

So it was life for them to see him,

then lowered its head as it walked with a fettered man's gait.

That he turns away at the pace of the shackled pace.

سرى له بين الانام على سرت

سرى له بين الانام على سرت

مدائحها الريا عل كل محفل

مدائحها الريا عل كل محفل

A noble man, with glories among humankind; abroad have spread

Good fortune has come to him among the people in his leadership,

their fragrant praises through every gathering.

Its praises recited at every gathering.

بطلعته الغراء زالت كروبنا

بطلعته الغراء زالت كروبنا

وزادت اماني كل عان مومل

وزادت اماني كل عان مومل

At his radiant appearance, our sorrows vanished,

With his brilliant rising, our sorrows disappeared,

and the hopes of every hopeful captive grew.

And the hopes of every hard-pressed hopeful increased.

يمد على كل البرية فضله

يمد على كل البرية فضله

فسيان فيه من تباعد او ولى

فسيان فيه من تباعد او ولى

He extends his bounty over all creation;

His merit extends over the entire land,

so those far away and those near are equal in it.

Equally whether one is far or near.

وهل يقصدن الناس الا امانه

وهل يقصدن الناس الا امانه

اذا نابهم صرف الزمان بمعضل

اذا نابهم صرف الزمان بمعضل

And do people seek anything but his protection

And do people intend anything but his security,

when a turn of fortune assails them with a grievous difficulty?

When the turning of fate perplexes them?

تشيد الوف في فورق بمدحه

تشيد الوف في فورق بمدحه

وتدعو له الدنيا بقول مفصل

وتدعو له الدنيا بقول مفصل

Thousands in throngs proclaim his praise,

Loyalty is built up in his leaves with praise of him,

and the world prays for him in clearly expressed words:

And the world invokes blessings for him in detailed words.

معيل اليتامى منهل للمؤمل

معيل اليتامى منهل للمؤمل

معين الايامي موئل للمعول

معين الايامي موئل للمعول

Sustainer of orphans, a watering-place for the hopeful,

The shelterer of orphans, the source of the hopeful,

helper of the widowed and unmarried, a refuge for the dependent.

The supporter of the destitute, the place of refuge of the helpless.

نعد صروف الدهر وهي كثيرة

نعد صروف الدهر وهي كثيرة

واكثر منها جود راحته الولى

واكثر منها جود راحته الولى

We count the vicissitudes of time, and they are many;

We count the turns of fate and they are many,

yet more abundant is his palm's ever-renewing rain of bounty.

But more than them is the generosity of his first shelter.

فيأمن يروم العز يمم جنابه

فيأمن يروم العز يمم جنابه

وفي ذلك الركن المصمد فانزل

وفي ذلك الركن المصمد فانزل

So, you who seek glory, make for his presence,

So one who aspires to honor feels safe in his company,

and alight at that pillar to which all turn.

And in that steadfast pillar, so alight.

فهذا معز الدين شيمته التقى

فهذا معز الدين شيمته التقى

فكن كابن هاني في المديح وطول

فكن كابن هاني في المديح وطول

For this is Mu'izz al-Din, whose nature is piety;

For this is Mu'izz al-Din, piety is his nature,

so be like Ibn Hani in praise, and prolong it.

So be like the son of Hani in praise and length.

وهذا الذي احيى القريض بجوده

وهذا الذي احيى القريض بجوده

وعند سواه ميت لم يزمل

وعند سواه ميت لم يزمل

And this is he who revived poetry through his bounty,

And this is the one who revived poetry with his generosity,

while with others it lies dead, not even shrouded.

While with others it is dead, not joined.

وهذا ابن ابراهيم اربى بعزه

وهذا ابن ابراهيم اربى بعزه

على كل ذي عز معم ومخول

على كل ذي عز معم ومخول

And this is Ibrahim's son, whose glory has surpassed

And this son of Ibrahim, he nurtured honor with his glory,

every man of glory with noble paternal and maternal uncles.

Above all the honored, lofty and exalted.

نرى حبه فرضا ومرضاته مني

نرى حبه فرضا ومرضاته مني

ومدحته بيت القصيد المرتل

ومدحته بيت القصيد المرتل

We regard loving him as a duty, and his approval as our aspiration,

We see his love as duty, and his pleasure as purpose,

and praise of him as the finest verse of the recited ode.

And praising him as the rhymed verse of poetry.

تجلت علينا من بديع صفاته

تجلت علينا من بديع صفاته

معان لنظم القول ابهى من الحلى

معان لنظم القول ابهى من الحلى

From his wondrous qualities have appeared to us

The beautiful meanings of his noble qualities appeared to us,

themes for weaving verse, more splendid than jewels.

More brilliant in arranging words than jewelry.

وذكر الفتى للفضل يروى تعلة

وذكر الفتى للفضل يروى تعلة

وللنقص ياتي علة المتعلل

وللنقص ياتي علة المتعلل

And mention of a man's merit is recounted as solace,

And mentioning the youth for merit narrates a cure,

while mention of his faults becomes the excuse-seeker's pretext.

While deficiency comes with the excuse of the excuser.

وكم بين من يسدى ويجدى سجية

وكم بين من يسدى ويجدى سجية

ومن لا ينيل الوعد دون توسل

ومن لا ينيل الوعد دون توسل

And how great the gulf between one who bestows and benefits by nature

And how many between one who bestows and avails nature,

and one who will not grant even a promise without entreaty!

And one who cannot obtain a promise without pleading.

فاين مباريه ببر معجل

فاين مباريه ببر معجل

وبر سواه ضمن ملث مؤجل

وبر سواه ضمن ملث مؤجل

Where, then, is his rival in kindness promptly given,

So where are his equals in pious hastened kindness,

while others' kindness is mired in stalling and delay?

And the kindness of others guaranteed postponed?

معال نرى منها وربك انه

معال نرى منها وربك انه

مجل ومن جاراه فيها كغسكل

مجل ومن جاراه فيها كغسكل

From his lofty deeds we see—by your Lord—that he

We see from it, by your Lord, that he

is the leading racehorse, while whoever rivals him in them is like the last-place horse.

Is glorious, and whoever contends with him in it is like rubble.

فلو ان جوز الليل منتطق بها

فلو ان جوز الليل منتطق بها

لا سفر عن صبح جلا كل مشكل

لا سفر عن صبح جلا كل مشكل

So if the heart of night were girded with them,

If the darkness of night were eloquent with it,

it would reveal a dawn that cleared every obscurity.

It would not conceal the dawn, solving every problem.

اعاضني الرحمن من حرمة الطلا

اعاضني الرحمن من حرمة الطلا

براح حلال من قوافيه سلسل

براح حلال من قوافيه سلسل

The All-Merciful has recompensed me for wine's prohibition

The Merciful has prevented me from the sanctity of seeking,

with lawful, smooth-flowing wine from rhymes about him.

With the comfort of permitted rhymes, chained together.

فما انا في تفجيرها بمؤثم

فما انا في تفجيرها بمؤثم

ولست على تكريرها بمعذل

ولست على تكريرها بمعذل

Thus I incur no sin in making it gush forth,

So I am not sinful in composing them,

nor am I reproached for repeating it.

Nor excused in repeating them.

تقاصر مدحي عند طول علائه

تقاصر مدحي عند طول علائه

فارخت اسماعيل الطف مفضل

فارخت اسماعيل الطف مفضل

My praise falls short beside the height of his eminence;

My praise falls short given his high merits,

so I dated it: 'Ismail, the kindest benefactor.'

So I relax, Ismail the most meritorious.