ولقد عجبتُ لقائلٍ لي مرّةً

ولقد عجبتُ لقائلٍ لي مرّةً

عَلاّمَةٌ فَهْمٌ من الفُهَماءِ

عَلاّمَةٌ فَهْمٌ من الفُهَماءِ

And indeed, I marveled at one who once said to me—

I was astounded by someone who once said to me

a learned, discerning man among the discerning:

A scholar of great wisdom and understanding

أَهَجَرْتَ قومَك طاعِناً في دينِهم

أَهَجَرْتَ قومَك طاعِناً في دينِهم

وسلكتَ غيرَ مسالكِ الفُقَهاء

وسلكتَ غيرَ مسالكِ الفُقَهاء

Have you forsaken your people, assailing their faith,

You abandoned your people, faulting their religion

and followed paths other than those of the jurists?

Yet you did not follow the path of the jurists

هلا فَرَجْتَ بِحُبِّ آل محمد

هلا فَرَجْتَ بِحُبِّ آل محمد

حبَّ الجميعِ فكنتَ أهلَ وفاء

حبَّ الجميعِ فكنتَ أهلَ وفاء

Why not make room, through love for Muhammad's family,

Why did you not gain closeness through loving Muhammad's family?

for love of everyone, and thus prove faithful?

Loving all would have made you a man of loyalty

فأجبتُه بجوابِ غيرِ مباعدٍ

فأجبتُه بجوابِ غيرِ مباعدٍ

لِلحقِّ مَلبوس عليه غَطائي

لِلحقِّ مَلبوس عليه غَطائي

So I answered him with a reply not far

I answered him with a response that was not harsh

from the truth, with my covering draped over it:

The truth I wear has a cloak over it

أهلُ الكساءِ أحَبَّتي فهمُ الذينَ

أهلُ الكساءِ أحَبَّتي فهمُ الذينَ

فرضَ الإلُه لَهم عليَّ وَلائي

فرضَ الإلُه لَهم عليَّ وَلائي

The People of the Cloak are my beloved; they are those

The people of the cloak are my beloved, as they

to whom God has commanded me to give allegiance.

Are whom God has decreed for me loyalty

ولِمَنْ أَحَبَّهُمُ ووالى دينَهم

ولِمَنْ أَحَبَّهُمُ ووالى دينَهم

فَلَهمْ عليَّ مودّةٌ بِصفاء

فَلَهمْ عليَّ مودّةٌ بِصفاء

And for those who love them and uphold their faith,

And whoever loves them and follows their faith

I owe them pure affection.

To them I have sincere affection

والعاندونُ لهم عليهمْ لَعنتي

والعاندونُ لهم عليهمْ لَعنتي

واخصُّهمُ مِنّي بقصدِ هِجاء

واخصُّهمُ مِنّي بقصدِ هِجاء

And those who stubbornly oppose them bear my curse,

As for the dissenters, my curse is upon them

and I single them out for my deliberate satire.

And I single them out with the aim of censure

ولقد عَجِبُت لقائلٍ لي مَرّةً

ولقد عَجِبُت لقائلٍ لي مَرّةً

علامةٍ فَهْمٍ من الفقهاء

علامةٍ فَهْمٍ من الفقهاء

And indeed, I marveled at one who once said to me—

I was amazed by someone who once said to me

a learned, discerning man among the jurists:

A sign of wisdom from the jurists

سمَّاك قومُك سيّداً صدقوا بهِ

سمَّاك قومُك سيّداً صدقوا بهِ

أنت الموفقُ سيدُ الشعراءِ

أنت الموفقُ سيدُ الشعراءِ

Your people called you Sayyid, and spoke truly in doing so;

Your people called you master, speaking truly

you are blessed with success, the master of poets.

You are the successful one, master of poets

ما أنت حينَ تخصُّ آلَ محمدٍ

ما أنت حينَ تخصُّ آلَ محمدٍ

بالمدحِ منكَ وشاعرٌ بِسواء

بالمدحِ منكَ وشاعرٌ بِسواء

You are not, when you single out Muhammad's family

When you specifically praise Muhammad's family

for your praise, on a par with a poet

With your praise, you are unmatched by any poet

مدَح الملوكَ ذوي الغِنى لِعطائِهمْ

مدَح الملوكَ ذوي الغِنى لِعطائِهمْ

والمدحُ منك لهم لغيرِ عَطاءِ

والمدحُ منك لهم لغيرِ عَطاءِ

who praised wealthy kings for their gifts;

Praising wealthy kings for their gifts

whereas your praise of them is for no gift.

While praising them though they gave no gift

فابشِرْ فإِنّك فائزٌ في حُبِّهمْ

فابشِرْ فإِنّك فائزٌ في حُبِّهمْ

لو قد غدوتَ عليهِم بجزاءِ

لو قد غدوتَ عليهِم بجزاءِ

So rejoice, for you are triumphant in loving them,

So rejoice, for you have won their love

should you come before them for recompense.

Even if you came to them with repayment

ما تعدِلُ الدنيا جميعاً كُلُّها

ما تعدِلُ الدنيا جميعاً كُلُّها

من حوضِ أحمدَ شربةً من ماءِ

من حوضِ أحمدَ شربةً من ماءِ

The whole world, all of it, is not worth

The whole world does not equal

one draught of water from Ahmad's pool.

A sip of Ahmad's basin of water