ماذا اقول اذا اردت مديح من

ماذا اقول اذا اردت مديح من

تعلو على كل الثنا معلاته

تعلو على كل الثنا معلاته

What shall I say when I wish to praise one

What can I say if I wanted praise from

Whose eminence rises above all praise,

One whose virtues rise above all glory?

كيلا اكون به المسيئ وانما

كيلا اكون به المسيئ وانما

عن سيئاتي كفرت حسناته

عن سيئاتي كفرت حسناته

Lest I wrong him by it, when in truth

Lest I become an evildoer through it,

His good deeds have atoned for my misdeeds?

His virtues atone for my misdeeds.

ما كنت اجسر ان افوه بمدحه

ما كنت اجسر ان افوه بمدحه

وجلاه لولا حلمه واناته

وجلاه لولا حلمه واناته

I would not have dared to utter his praise,

I would not dare sing his praises,

In dread, but for his forbearance and patience.

Were it not for his clemency and gentleness.

لكنما شان الحليم العفو عن

لكنما شان الحليم العفو عن

زلات معترف طغت زلاته

زلات معترف طغت زلاته

Yet it is the forbearing man's way to forgive

But the forbearance of the gentle is to forgive

The lapses of one who admits them, though they have exceeded bounds.

The stumbles of one whose stumbles exceeded.

ان كنت اهديه اللفا عن جوهر

ان كنت اهديه اللفا عن جوهر

فبكفه يغلو وذي عاداته

فبكفه يغلو وذي عاداته

If I offer him dross in place of a jewel,

If I present to him words not matching his essence,

It grows precious in his palm; such are his ways.

With his palm he raises them, such is his habit.

بحر خضم لا تزال على الورى

بحر خضم لا تزال على الورى

تطفو جواهر لفظه وهباته

تطفو جواهر لفظه وهباته

He is a vast ocean; ever over humankind

A deep sea, still bestowing upon the world

Float the jewels of his speech and his gifts.

The pearls of his words and his gifts.

حتى كأن الاولين به حيوا

حتى كأن الاولين به حيوا

اذ قد حوت كل المحامد ذاته

اذ قد حوت كل المحامد ذاته

Till it seems the ancients have come to life in him,

As if the ancients live through him,

For his being has gathered every praiseworthy quality.

For he encompasses all praise.

قمر الكمال عن المحاق منزه

قمر الكمال عن المحاق منزه

حالاته اني بدت هالاته

حالاته اني بدت هالاته

A moon of perfection, untouched by the dark of the moon,

The full moon of perfection, far from defect,

In all his phases, wherever his halos appear.

When his splendor appeared, so did his halo.

شرف النقابد فيه زاد ترفعا

شرف النقابد فيه زاد ترفعا

وعلت بمجد فعاله راياته

وعلت بمجد فعاله راياته

The honor of the naqib's office rose still higher in him,

The honor of leadership in him grew loftier,

And his banners rose through the glory of his deeds.

His glorious deeds raised his banners.

الفضل شيمته وسيماه التقى

الفضل شيمته وسيماه التقى

والمكرمات شعاره وسماته

والمكرمات شعاره وسماته

Excellence is his nature, and piety his distinguishing mark,

Virtue is his trait, and piety his mark,

And noble deeds are his emblem and his hallmarks.

Benevolence his emblem and his attributes.

يفتى شيةخ العلم فيما فاتهم

يفتى شيةخ العلم فيما فاتهم

من مشكلات والشباب لداته

من مشكلات والشباب لداته

He gives learned elders rulings on what has eluded them

He issues rulings that elude even the wise elders,

Of difficult questions, though the young are his peers.

With his sharp mind and youthful vigor.

والله يؤتى الفضل من يختصه

والله يؤتى الفضل من يختصه

وبذا التفاضل قد جرت مرضاته

وبذا التفاضل قد جرت مرضاته

And God grants excellence to whomever He singles out,

And God grants privilege to whom He chooses,

And these differences in merit accord with His good pleasure.

And by this distinction His approval shone.

ان تدرك السباق شأوا واحدا

ان تدرك السباق شأوا واحدا

من فضله فاتتهم غاياته

من فضله فاتتهم غاياته

If the frontrunners reach a single stage

If you wish to attain precedence in one

Of his excellence, his furthest limits still elude them.

Of his virtues, you will fall short of his limits.

اقلامه للدين ركن ثابت

اقلامه للدين ركن ثابت

وهي القنا عزت بها شرفاته

وهي القنا عزت بها شرفاته

His pens are a firm pillar of religion,

His pens are a pillar of faith,

And they are lances that give its battlements strength.

With them the banners of glory fluttered.

ولسانه بالحق يصدع كل ذي

ولسانه بالحق يصدع كل ذي

غي كذاك بلاغه وعظاته

غي كذاك بلاغه وعظاته

And his tongue, with truth, confounds all those

His tongue strikes with truth all who stray,

In error; so do his message and admonitions.

Such is his eloquence and preaching.

ما بعد ان وضح الصباح لمبصر

ما بعد ان وضح الصباح لمبصر

عذرب بان ظلامه مغواته

عذرب بان ظلامه مغواته

Once morning shines, the seeing man has no

When the morning has shone, the bleary-eyed

Excuse on the grounds that his darkness led him astray.

Cannot blame its prior darkness.

حسبي على دين النبي بصبرة

حسبي على دين النبي بصبرة

قرآن وحي فصلت آياته

قرآن وحي فصلت آياته

For insight into the Prophet's faith, sufficient for me is

My faith in the Prophet's religion suffices me,

A revealed Qur'an whose verses are clearly set forth,

The Quran whose verses detail.

وبيان حبر لو تجلى في الدجى

وبيان حبر لو تجلى في الدجى

في شكل شي لانمحت ظلماته

في شكل شي لانمحت ظلماته

And a scholar's exposition which, were it to shine in the night

And the elucidation of a scholar, if it shone in darkness

In tangible form, would erase the night's darkness;

Would erase its shadows.

وكماله وجماله وفعاله

وكماله وجماله وفعاله

وخصاله وخلاله وصفاته

وخصاله وخلاله وصفاته

And his perfection, his beauty, and his deeds,

His perfection, beauty, deeds,

And his qualities, his virtues, and his attributes.

Traits, subtleties, and attributes.

يا سيدا من يوم حان فراقه

يا سيدا من يوم حان فراقه

هجر الكرى طرفى فطار سباته

هجر الكرى طرفى فطار سباته

O master, since the day your departure came,

O Master, since the day we parted,

Sleep forsook my eye, and its slumber took flight.

My eyes deserted Habeeb and slumber escaped him.

كان التلاقي بيننا واحسرتي

كان التلاقي بيننا واحسرتي

كجريعة العصفور بان بزاته

كجريعة العصفور بان بزاته

Our meeting—alas for my sorrow!—was

Our meetings were like the gulps of a bird

Like a sparrow's tiny sip when its hawks appeared.

That found its eggs stolen.

لم يشف مني لوعة الشوق الذي

لم يشف مني لوعة الشوق الذي

بين الجوانح قد ذكت جمراته

بين الجوانح قد ذكت جمراته

It did not heal my burning ache of longing,

He did not cure the burning longing

Whose embers have flared between my ribs.

That kindled embers in my chest.

فمتى يعود وبيننا دهر طغا

فمتى يعود وبيننا دهر طغا

ومتى يهل على الشجي ميقاته

ومتى يهل على الشجي ميقاته

When, then, will it return, with a tyrannous age between us?

So when will he return, and between us lies

And when will its appointed hour rise upon the sorrowing one?

A tyrannous lifetime? When will his appointed time come?

يا طيبها من ساعة لو انها

يا طيبها من ساعة لو انها

تأتي وقد هنأ العليل حياته

تأتي وقد هنأ العليل حياته

O how sweet an hour it would be, if only it

O blessed is that hour, if only

Would come, with the ailing man finding life sweet!

It would come and the ailing man regained his life!

اني بوعدك لم ازل متشبثا

اني بوعدك لم ازل متشبثا

واذا يريث فلا يخاف فواته

واذا يريث فلا يخاف فواته

Indeed, I have never ceased to cling to your promise,

I still cling to your promise,

And if it tarries, there is no fear of losing it.

And if it tarries, fear not its loss.

ان الجوائب منك ترجو نجدة

ان الجوائب منك ترجو نجدة

كيلا يحقق للعدو شماته

كيلا يحقق للعدو شماته

Al-Jawa'ib looks to you for aid,

Answers from you are hoped for as aid,

Lest the enemy be given cause to gloat.

Lest the enemy realize his gloating.

فالغوث عندك للوداد زكاته

فالغوث عندك للوداد زكاته

والحق عندك تستعز حماته

والحق عندك تستعز حماته

For, in your eyes, aid is the alms due from affection,

For you, help for a lover is charity,

And with you, truth's defenders gain strength.

And truth with you bolsters its pillars.