وعذب المقبَّل والمبتسمْ

وعذب المقبَّل والمبتسمْ

لذيذ المراشف والملتَثَمْ

لذيذ المراشف والملتَثَمْ

And one whose mouth and smile are sweet,

The sweetly kissing and smiling one

whose lips and kissing-place are delicious;

Is delicious to caress and to glimpse

فتىً هو في حُسنه أُمَّةٌ

فتىً هو في حُسنه أُمَّةٌ

تحكِّمه في جميع الأمَم

تحكِّمه في جميع الأمَم

a youth who in beauty is a nation unto himself,

A youth whose beauty is a nation

one that makes him sovereign over all nations.

That makes him master of all peoples

فأحسب عُبّاد أصنامهم

فأحسب عُبّاد أصنامهم

رأوها بصورة هذا الصنم

رأوها بصورة هذا الصنم

I reckon the worshippers of their idols

So I reckon the idol-worshippers

saw them in the image of this idol.

Saw their idols in the form of this idol

بطرفٍ يصحُّ له سحرُه

بطرفٍ يصحُّ له سحرُه

إذا كان صحَّتُهُ من سقم

إذا كان صحَّتُهُ من سقم

With a gaze whose magic is sound,

With a glance whose magic is legitimate

when its soundness comes from sickness;

When its legitimacy is from sickness

وخصرٍ تظلُّمُه يُشتَهى

وخصرٍ تظلُّمُه يُشتَهى

وردفٍ يُحَبُّ لما قد ظلم

وردفٍ يُحَبُّ لما قد ظلم

and a waist whose plaint is desired,

And a waist whose darkness is desired

and a rump loved for the wrong it has done.

And a backside which is loved for its unfairness

مصون تجنَّبتُ في حُبِّه

مصون تجنَّبتُ في حُبِّه

جميعَ الفواحش إلا اللمم

جميعَ الفواحش إلا اللمم

He is kept chaste: in loving him I have shunned

I have avoided in my love of him

all indecencies except the lesser sins.

All abominations except gatherings

تقاضيتُه الوصلَ في خلسةٍ

تقاضيتُه الوصلَ في خلسةٍ

بلطف الإشارات لا بالكلم

بلطف الإشارات لا بالكلم

I pressed him for union in a stolen moment,

I sued him for union secretly

through subtle gestures, not through words.

With the subtlety of signals, not words

فتقطيبُ حاجبه قال لا

فتقطيبُ حاجبه قال لا

وفترة أجفانه إي نعم

وفترة أجفانه إي نعم

The knitting of his brow said, 'No,'

So the frowning of his eyebrows said no

and his languid eyelids, 'Indeed, yes.'

And the blink of his eyelids said yes

فلم أرَ أحسنَ من لحظةٍ

فلم أرَ أحسنَ من لحظةٍ

تطعَّمتُ فيها سرورَ النِّعَم

تطعَّمتُ فيها سرورَ النِّعَم

I have seen nothing lovelier than a glance

I have never seen anything more beautiful

in which I tasted the joy of blessings.

Than the moment I reveled in the joy of bliss

وأحلى المنى عممان الهوى

وأحلى المنى عممان الهوى

إذا ما اختُلسنَ خلال البُهم

إذا ما اختُلسنَ خلال البُهم

And the sweetest wishes are [unclear word] of love,

And the sweetest purpose is communing with passion

when stolen amid the darkness.

When it is stolen during times of distress

ونحن معاشر أهل الهوى

ونحن معاشر أهل الهوى

جوارحه كطراف الخدم

جوارحه كطراف الخدم

And we, the company of lovers,

We lovers are like servants

are its limbs, like newly acquired servants [sense uncertain].

Whose limbs act according to the eyes' orders

فمن دام بالعهد دُمنا له

فمن دام بالعهد دُمنا له

ونستودع الله مَن لم يَدم

ونستودع الله مَن لم يَدم

So whoever keeps the covenant, we remain true to him;

Whoever keeps true to the pact, we'll be true to

and whoever does not, we entrust to God.

And we commend to God whoever does not last

رأيت غنى النفس خيرَ الغنى

رأيت غنى النفس خيرَ الغنى

كذا عدم الصبر شر العَدَم

كذا عدم الصبر شر العَدَم

I have found wealth of soul the best of riches,

I have seen the soul's riches are the best riches

and likewise, lack of patience the worst privation.

And lack of patience is the worst of destitutions

وخير الأخلاء مَن إن رأى

وخير الأخلاء مَن إن رأى

جميلاً أشاعَ وعيباً كتم

جميلاً أشاعَ وعيباً كتم

And the best of friends is one who, if he sees

The best of comrades is one who, if he sees

something good, proclaims it, and conceals a fault.

Beauty, shares it; and ugliness, hides it

أرى ابنَ عتيقٍ عتيقَ النِّجارِ

أرى ابنَ عتيقٍ عتيقَ النِّجارِ

كريمَ الطِّباع حميد الشِّيَم

كريمَ الطِّباع حميد الشِّيَم

I find Ibn Atiq noble of stock,

I see the son of Atiq the carpenter

generous in nature, praiseworthy in character.

Noble natured and praiseworthy traits

تقدَّم في أمر طُلابه

تقدَّم في أمر طُلابه

تَقَدُّمَ آبائه في القِدَم

تَقَدُّمَ آبائه في القِدَم

He has taken the lead in his petitioners' affairs,

Taking precedence in serving his students

as his forefathers did in ancient times.

Like his forefathers took precedence in aging

عليه يُعَوَّل عند الخطوب

عليه يُعَوَّل عند الخطوب

وفي النائبات به يُعتَصَم

وفي النائبات به يُعتَصَم

He is relied upon when calamities strike,

When faced with engagements he is relied on

and in adversities refuge is sought with him.

And in adversities through him deliverance is sought

وفي المُشكِلات قريب الخُطا

وفي المُشكِلات قريب الخُطا

وفي المكرمات بعيد الهِمَم

وفي المكرمات بعيد الهِمَم

And in difficulties his steps are close at hand,

In problematic issues he readily opines

and in noble deeds his aspirations reach far.

And in acts of generosity he has endless ambition

أبا عُمَرٍ عمرت ساحَتاكَ

أبا عُمَرٍ عمرت ساحَتاكَ

بغوث اللَّهيف ورعي الذِّمَم

بغوث اللَّهيف ورعي الذِّمَم

O Abu Umar, your two courtyards flourish

O father Umar, your plaza flourished

through aiding the distressed and honoring pledges.

With rescues for the needy and protection of tenets

ولي حاجة لم أُطِق بَثَّها

ولي حاجة لم أُطِق بَثَّها

حياءً وقد أخذت بالكَظَم

حياءً وقد أخذت بالكَظَم

And I have a need I could not bring myself to disclose

And I have a need that I have not been able

out of shyness, though it has seized me by the throat.

Out of shyness to express, though I suppress it

أهابك فيها لأن الكريم

أهابك فيها لأن الكريم

يُهاب وإن كان لا يُحتَشَم

يُهاب وإن كان لا يُحتَشَم

I stand in awe of you in this, for the noble

I fear you regarding it though the generous

inspires awe, though one feels no reserve before him.

Are to be feared even if they cannot be slighted

لساني تلجلج عن حاجتي

لساني تلجلج عن حاجتي

فترجمتُها بلسان القلم

فترجمتُها بلسان القلم

My tongue faltered in voicing my need,

My tongue stammers regarding my need

so I translated it with the tongue of the pen.

So I have translated it by my pen's tongue

وبِشركَ بشرّني بالمنى

وبِشركَ بشرّني بالمنى

وحُسنُ اللقاء افتتاحُ الكرَم

وحُسنُ اللقاء افتتاحُ الكرَم

And your cheerfulness heralded my wishes' fulfillment;

And give you the glad tiding and good responding

and a gracious welcome is the beginning of generosity.

Which are the inaugurations of generosity

وقد جَدَّ عزمي على رحلةٍ

وقد جَدَّ عزمي على رحلةٍ

أُجدِّد فيها صلات الرَّحِم

أُجدِّد فيها صلات الرَّحِم

And my resolve for a journey has become firm,

For I am newly resolved to take a journey

on which I will renew the bonds of kinship.

Where I renew connecting bonds of family ties

فأتمِم أياديك في رحلتي

فأتمِم أياديك في رحلتي

فحقُّ أياديك أن تستتمّ

فحقُّ أياديك أن تستتمّ

So complete your favors in my journey,

So complete your support in my travels

for your favors deserve to be brought to completion.

For your hands rightly should perfect

فرفدُك جارٍ على مَن أقامَ

فرفدُك جارٍ على مَن أقامَ

وبرُّك زادٌ لمَن لم يُقِم

وبرُّك زادٌ لمَن لم يُقِم

For your bounty flows to whoever stays,

Your graciousness flows to those staying

and your kindness is provision for whoever does not stay.

And your righteousness is provision for those not staying

وفي ابنك جودٌ وتوفيقُه

وفي ابنك جودٌ وتوفيقُه

ليتلو أباه على ما رسم

ليتلو أباه على ما رسم

And your son has generosity and the good fortune

And in your son Munificence and his success

to follow his father along the course he laid down.

Follows his father in whatever was mapped

إذا كان بدرُ الدجى مشرقاً

إذا كان بدرُ الدجى مشرقاً

فلن يُستضاء بنجمٍ نجم

فلن يُستضاء بنجمٍ نجم

If the full moon of night is shining,

If the full moon of nightfall is shining

then no risen star will be sought for light.

No star, however bright, needs to be lit

وحُسناك تكسوك حُسنَ الثنا

وحُسناك تكسوك حُسنَ الثنا

ونُعماك تُبقي عليك النِّعَم

ونُعماك تُبقي عليك النِّعَم

And your goodness clothes you in beautiful praise,

And your beauty adorns you with fairness of praise

and your bounty keeps blessings upon you.

And your boons maintain blessings upon you