أَغُرَّتُكَ الشِّهابُ أَمِ النَّهارُ

أَغُرَّتُكَ الشِّهابُ أَمِ النَّهارُ

وراحتُكَ السَّحابُ أَمِ البِحارُ

وراحتُكَ السَّحابُ أَمِ البِحارُ

Is your brow a meteor, or daylight?

Have the meteors or the daylight fascinated you?

And is your palm the clouds, or the seas?

And have the clouds or the seas given you comfort?

خُلِقْتَ مَنِيَّةً ومُنىً فأضحَتْ

خُلِقْتَ مَنِيَّةً ومُنىً فأضحَتْ

تَمورُ بك البسيطةُ أو تُمارُ

تَمورُ بك البسيطةُ أو تُمارُ

You were created as death and hope, and thus

You were created to be a wish and a hope, so

The earth now quakes through you, or is nourished.

The sands flutter around you, or circle.

تُحَلِّي الدينَ أو تَحمي حِماه

تُحَلِّي الدينَ أو تَحمي حِماه

فأنتَ عليه سُورٌ أو سِوارُ

فأنتَ عليه سُورٌ أو سِوارُ

You adorn the faith, or guard its sanctuary;

You adorn religion or protect its sanctuary,

Thus you are its rampart, or its bracelet.

So you are for it armor or bracelets.

سيوفُكَ من شَكاةِ الثَّغرِ بُرءٌ

سيوفُكَ من شَكاةِ الثَّغرِ بُرءٌ

ولكن للعِدا فيها بَوارُ

ولكن للعِدا فيها بَوارُ

Your swords are a cure for the frontier's affliction,

Your swords from the sheaths of frowns are innocent,

But for the foes, they hold destruction.

But for the enemies in them is destruction.

وكفَّاكَ الغَمامُ الجَوْدُ يَسْري

وكفَّاكَ الغَمامُ الجَوْدُ يَسْري

وفي أحشائِه ماءٌ ونارُ

وفي أحشائِه ماءٌ ونارُ

And your two palms are a bountiful raincloud, drifting by night,

The clouds have sufficed you generous, flowing

And in its belly are water and fire.

With inside them water and fire.

يَسارٌ من سجيِّتِها المَنايا

يَسارٌ من سجيِّتِها المَنايا

ويُمنى ن عَطيَّتهِا اليَسارُ

ويُمنى ن عَطيَّتهِا اليَسارُ

A left hand whose nature is death,

A facility from its nature disasters,

And a right hand whose gift is wealth.

And prosperity from its gifts the facility.

عَصَفْتَ بحاتمٍ كَرَماً فأضحَى

عَصَفْتَ بحاتمٍ كَرَماً فأضحَى

وجُلُّ فَعالِه المشهورِ عارُ

وجُلُّ فَعالِه المشهورِ عارُ

You swept Hatim away in generosity; he was left

You have eclipsed Hatim in generosity so

With most of his celebrated deeds a disgrace.

The most famous of his great deeds became disgrace.

فقد شَهِدَتْ وما حابَتْكِ طيٌّ

فقد شَهِدَتْ وما حابَتْكِ طيٌّ

بِأنَّ الجُودَ مَعدِنُه نِزارُ

بِأنَّ الجُودَ مَعدِنُه نِزارُ

For Tayy has testified, without favoring you,

For loyalty has witnessed and not been biased for you

That generosity's mine is Nizar.

That generosity has you as its source.

يَحُفُّ الوَفْدُ منك بأَرْيَحيٍّ

يَحُفُّ الوَفْدُ منك بأَرْيَحيٍّ

تَحُفُّ به السَّكينَةُ والوَقارُ

تَحُفُّ به السَّكينَةُ والوَقارُ

The delegation gathers around you, an openhanded man,

Delegations come to you perfumed

Whom serenity and dignity surround;

With tranquility and dignity perfuming them.

وسيفٌ من سيوفِ اللهِ مُغرىً

وسيفٌ من سيوفِ اللهِ مُغرىً

بسَفْكِ دِما العِدا منه الغِرارُ

بسَفْكِ دِما العِدا منه الغِرارُ

And a sword among God's swords, eager

A sword from God's swords enticing

To spill the foes' blood with its cutting edge;

To shed the blood of enemies from it gushing.

وبدرٌ ما استسرَّ البدرُ إلا

وبدرٌ ما استسرَّ البدرُ إلا

تعالَى أن يُحيطَ به السِّرارُ

تعالَى أن يُحيطَ به السِّرارُ

And a full moon: whenever the moon hides itself,

A full moon not content until the full moon

He is too exalted for moon-darkness to surround him.

Is too exalted for shadows to envelop it.

حضَرْنا والملوكُ به قِيامٌ

حضَرْنا والملوكُ به قِيامٌ

تَغُضُّ نواظراً فيها انكسارُ

تَغُضُّ نواظراً فيها انكسارُ

We were present, while kings stood beside him,

We came while kings stand for it

Lowering eyes filled with submission.

Lowering their gazes in which is humiliation.

وزُرْنا منه ليثَ الغابِ طَلْقاً

وزُرْنا منه ليثَ الغابِ طَلْقاً

ولم نرَ قبلَه ليثاً يُزارُ

ولم نرَ قبلَه ليثاً يُزارُ

And we visited him, a smiling lion of the forest;

We sought from it the lion of the jungle freely

Nor, before him, had we seen a lion one could visit.

And we never before sought a lion to match it.

فكانَ لجوهرِ المَجدِ انتظامٌ

فكانَ لجوهرِ المَجدِ انتظامٌ

وكان لجوهرِ الحَمدِ انتثارُ

وكان لجوهرِ الحَمدِ انتثارُ

Thus the jewels of glory were strung together,

So the essence of glory was harmonious

And the jewels of praise were scattered.

And the essence of praise scattered about.

بعثْتَ إلى الثُّغورِ سحابَ عدلٍ

بعثْتَ إلى الثُّغورِ سحابَ عدلٍ

وبَذلٍ لا يَغُبُّ له انهمارُ

وبَذلٍ لا يَغُبُّ له انهمارُ

You sent to the frontiers a cloud of justice

You sent to the borders clouds of justice

And bounty, whose downpour never ceases.

And generosity whose downpour does not cease.

وأسكنْتَ السكينةَ ساحتَيها

وأسكنْتَ السكينةَ ساحتَيها

فقرَّتْ بعدَما امتنعَ القَرارُ

فقرَّتْ بعدَما امتنعَ القَرارُ

And you made serenity dwell in their two precincts;

You made tranquility reside in its plains

So it settled, after rest had been unattainable.

So it settled after stability was unattainable.

وعلَّمْتَ النَّفيرَ بها رجالاً

وعلَّمْتَ النَّفيرَ بها رجالاً

عَداهُم عن عدوِّهمُ نِفارُ

عَداهُم عن عدوِّهمُ نِفارُ

And there you taught the call to arms to men

You taught its mobilized men, whom

Whose aversion had kept them away from their foe.

Their enemies' aversion from them made shun.

وفِضْتَ على عدوِّهمُ فقُلنا

وفِضْتَ على عدوِّهمُ فقُلنا

أفاضَ البحرُ أم سحَّ القُطارُ

أفاضَ البحرُ أم سحَّ القُطارُ

And you flooded over their foe, so we said:

You bestowed upon their enemies, so we said:

Has the sea overflowed, or has the rain poured down?

Did the sea pour down or the rain pour?

مكارمُ يَعجَزُ المُدَّاحُ عنها

مكارمُ يَعجَزُ المُدَّاحُ عنها

فجُلُّ مديحِهم فيها اختصارُ

فجُلُّ مديحِهم فيها اختصارُ

Noble deeds beyond the panegyrists' power;

Virtues that the eulogizer cannot match,

So most of their praise of them is mere abridgment.

So most of their praise is to summarize.

فعِشتَ مخيَّراً أعلى الأماني

فعِشتَ مخيَّراً أعلى الأماني

وكان على العدوِّ لك الخِيارُ

وكان على العدوِّ لك الخِيارُ

So may you live, free to choose among the loftiest wishes,

You have lived with the highest wishes fulfilled,

And may the choice in dealing with the foe be yours.

And over the enemy you had the choices.

وضيفُكَ للحَيا المنهلِّ ضَيفٌ

وضيفُكَ للحَيا المنهلِّ ضَيفٌ

وجارُكَ للرَّبيعِ الطَّلْقِ جارُ

وجارُكَ للرَّبيعِ الطَّلْقِ جارُ

And your guest is a guest of the pouring rain,

Your hospitality for the plentiful life is hospitality,

And your neighbor is a neighbor of cheerful spring.

And your neighborhood for the open spring is neighborhood.