مُقامُك مَجدٌ والمَسيرُ مَعالِ

مُقامُك مَجدٌ والمَسيرُ مَعالِ

ويَوماكَ يوما رِفعةٍ وجَلالِ

ويَوماكَ يوما رِفعةٍ وجَلالِ

Your staying is glory, and your journeying is exaltation;

Your abode is glory, and traveling with you is the highest honor,

And your two days are days of elevation and majesty.

Your days are days of elevation and majesty,

تُقيمُ كبحرٍ أو تَسيرُ كمُزْنَةٍ

تُقيمُ كبحرٍ أو تَسيرُ كمُزْنَةٍ

فما المَرءُ يوماً من نَداكُ بخال

فما المَرءُ يوماً من نَداكُ بخال

You stay like a sea, or journey like a raincloud;

You stand like an ocean or walk like a graceful gazelle,

So no one is ever without your bounty.

Never is a person, even for a day, bereft of your generosity,

سَماءُ سُمُوٍّ أنت تَعْلو على الورَى

سَماءُ سُمُوٍّ أنت تَعْلو على الورَى

وقد طلَعتْ فيها نُجومُ خِصال

وقد طلَعتْ فيها نُجومُ خِصال

A heaven of loftiness, you rise above humankind,

You are a heaven, lofty above all creation,

And stars of virtue have risen within it.

In it shone the stars of your virtues,

أيا ماجِداً يُحْيي كريمُ طِباعِه

أيا ماجِداً يُحْيي كريمُ طِباعِه

وقد ملأَ الدُّنيا جَميلَ فَعال

وقد ملأَ الدُّنيا جَميلَ فَعال

O noble one, whose noble nature gives life,

O noble one whose generous nature enlivens,

And who has filled the world with beautiful deeds.

And whose beautiful deeds have filled the world,

وسارَ ولم تَخْلُ الدِّيارُ جَلالةً

وسارَ ولم تَخْلُ الدِّيارُ جَلالةً

وكم مَن تَراهُ والدِّيارُ خَوال

وكم مَن تَراهُ والدِّيارُ خَوال

He departed, yet the dwellings were not emptied of majesty;

You went forth while the lands were not devoid of grandeur,

And how many a man you see, yet his dwellings are empty!

Though many you see while the lands are empty,

له شَرَفا نَفْسٍ وأَصْلٍ تَقارنَا

له شَرَفا نَفْسٍ وأَصْلٍ تَقارنَا

فما اكتحلَتْ عَيْنٌ له بمِثال

فما اكتحلَتْ عَيْنٌ له بمِثال

In him, two honors—of soul and lineage—are joined;

You have the nobility of soul and origin that we aspire to,

So no eye has ever worn the sight of his equal as kohl.

No eye has ever seen your equal,

يَزينُ فَضاءً بيتُه بعِمارةٍ

يَزينُ فَضاءً بيتُه بعِمارةٍ

وكلُّ يمينٍ حُسْنُها بشِمال

وكلُّ يمينٍ حُسْنُها بشِمال

His house adorns an open expanse with its structure;

You adorn the atmosphere, your house with construction,

And every right hand owes its beauty to good character.

And every oath, its beauty with fulfilment,

وما نِعمةُ الأقوامِ إلاّ مُناخةٌ

وما نِعمةُ الأقوامِ إلاّ مُناخةٌ

وما الشُّكْرُ إلاّ شَدُّها بِعِقال

وما الشُّكْرُ إلاّ شَدُّها بِعِقال

And people's good fortune is but a kneeling camel,

The people's blessings are but a loan,

And gratitude is but securing it with a hobble.

Gratitude is but binding them with reason,

فشَا عَدْلُ والٍ لم يدَعْ ظُلْمَ ظالمٍ

فشَا عَدْلُ والٍ لم يدَعْ ظُلْمَ ظالمٍ

وسُحْبُ ربيعٍ قَطْرُها مُتَوال

وسُحْبُ ربيعٍ قَطْرُها مُتَوال

A governor's justice has spread; he let no oppressor's wrong remain,

Your justice spreads, leaving no injustice of an oppressor,

And spring clouds pour their raindrops without cease:

And the clouds of your spring rain continually pour,

حَياً وحياةٌ للخلائقِ شامِلٌ

حَياً وحياةٌ للخلائقِ شامِلٌ

كما لَذَّ بعدَ الهَجْرِ طَعْمُ وِصال

كما لَذَّ بعدَ الهَجْرِ طَعْمُ وِصال

Life-giving rain and life, embracing all creatures,

Alive are you, and your life embraces all creation,

As sweet as the taste of reunion after estrangement.

As the taste of reunion was sweet after separation,

أيا مُنْعِماً ما زال يُتْحَفُ سَمعُه

أيا مُنْعِماً ما زال يُتْحَفُ سَمعُه

بقُرطَيْنِ من شُكْرٍ له وسُؤال

بقُرطَيْنِ من شُكْرٍ له وسُؤال

O benefactor, whose hearing is ever graced

O benefactor, your hearing never ceases to be graced,

With two earrings—thanks to him and entreaties.

With a pair of earrings of gratitude and supplication to you,

أَعِنّي على عَيْنٍ قِصارٍ جُفونُها

أَعِنّي على عَيْنٍ قِصارٍ جُفونُها

بحَمْلِ هُمومٍ في الفؤادِ طِوال

بحَمْلِ هُمومٍ في الفؤادِ طِوال

Help me with an eye whose lids are shortened

Help me against an eye whose lids are heavy,

By the burden of long sorrows in the heart.

With burdens of worries weighing on the heart for so long,

غدا زمَني لَيْلاً من الهَمِّ مُظلِماً

غدا زمَني لَيْلاً من الهَمِّ مُظلِماً

ومِن كرَمٍ ما فيه طَيْفُ خَيال

ومِن كرَمٍ ما فيه طَيْفُ خَيال

My life has become a night darkened by grief,

Tomorrow my days will be dark nights of anxiety,

And within it is not even a phantom vision of generosity,

Devoid of any phantom of your generosity,

إلى أن رأيتُ اليومَ بعدَ تَحفُّظٍ

إلى أن رأيتُ اليومَ بعدَ تَحفُّظٍ

خِلالَ الورَى فرداً كريمَ خِلال

خِلالَ الورَى فرداً كريمَ خِلال

Until today, after circumspection, I saw

Until today, after hesitation,

Among humankind a peerless man of noble character.

I saw among the people a singular man of nobility,

لِقَصْدي أبا سَعْدٍ تَفاءلْتُ راحلاً

لِقَصْدي أبا سَعْدٍ تَفاءلْتُ راحلاً

فأصبحَ مَرْآه يُصدِّقُ فالي

فأصبحَ مَرْآه يُصدِّقُ فالي

Setting out to seek Abu Sa'd, I took a good omen;

Seeking my Master Saad, I set out hopeful,

And the sight of him proved my omen true.

Thus his vision came to confirm my divination,

وقد صَدِئَتْ نَفْسي بناشئةِ الورَى

وقد صَدِئَتْ نَفْسي بناشئةِ الورَى

فلمّا رأَتْه حُودِثَتْ بصِقال

فلمّا رأَتْه حُودِثَتْ بصِقال

And my soul had rusted through humankind's rising generation;

My soul calmed upon seeing this youth,

But when it saw him, it was freshly burnished.

When it saw him, it was burnished with polish,

ونَشْرُ ثناءٍ كالرّياضِ إذا غدَتْ

ونَشْرُ ثناءٍ كالرّياضِ إذا غدَتْ

يُنَبِّهُها صُبْحاً نَسيمُ شَمال

يُنَبِّهُها صُبْحاً نَسيمُ شَمال

And the fragrance of praise is like gardens at daybreak,

The spreading of praise is like gardens when

Awakened at dawn by a breeze from the north.

The morning breeze awakens them,

أَراني وِداداً كي يُواليَ أَنعُماً

أَراني وِداداً كي يُواليَ أَنعُماً

كِلانا مُوالٍ دَهْرَه لِمُوال

كِلانا مُوالٍ دَهْرَه لِمُوال

He showed me affection, to bestow favors in succession;

I wish for love that I may befriend the most noble one,

Each of us, all his life, is loyal to a loyal friend.

For we are both enamored of the same beloved for life,

ودونَكَ عِقْداً من ثناءٍ مُنظَّماً

ودونَكَ عِقْداً من ثناءٍ مُنظَّماً

وبعضُ القوافي الشارداتِ لآل

وبعضُ القوافي الشارداتِ لآل

And take this necklace of praise, strung in order;

And here is a string of organized eulogy to you,

And some wandering rhymes are pearls.

With some scattered rhymes as well.