بكلِّ يَمينٍ للوَرى وشِمالِ

بكلِّ يَمينٍ للوَرى وشِمالِ

يَداكَ إذا ما ارتاحَتا لنَوالِ

يَداكَ إذا ما ارتاحَتا لنَوالِ

Worth every right and left hand of humankind

With every oath to mankind and the left

are your two hands, whenever they delight in giving.

Your hands when they rest for bliss

غَمامانِ لا يَستَمْسكانِ منَ النَّدَى

غَمامانِ لا يَستَمْسكانِ منَ النَّدَى

سِجالاً على العافينَ أيَّ سِجال

سِجالاً على العافينَ أيَّ سِجال

Two clouds that never hold back their bounty,

Two clouds that do not withhold the dew

pouring torrents upon the seekers—what torrents!

Quarrelling over the fortunate, what quarrel is it

وما الغَيثُ أدنَى منك غَوْثاً لآملٍ

وما الغَيثُ أدنَى منك غَوْثاً لآملٍ

وأسخَى بماءٍ من يَدَيْكَ بِمال

وأسخَى بماءٍ من يَدَيْكَ بِمال

Nor is rain readier than you to aid the hopeful,

And the rain is not closer than you to one hopeful

nor more generous with water than your hands with wealth.

And more generous with water than your hands with wealth

وليستْ عطايا وَحْدَها ما تُنيلُه

وليستْ عطايا وَحْدَها ما تُنيلُه

ولكنْ عَطايا حَشْوَهُنّ مَعال

ولكنْ عَطايا حَشْوَهُنّ مَعال

And what you bestow is not gifts alone,

And it is not only gifts you grant

but gifts filled with noble virtues.

But gifts stuffed with bounties

لأهَلْتَني للمَدْحِ ثُمّ أَثَبْتَني

لأهَلْتَني للمَدْحِ ثُمّ أَثَبْتَني

فعُدْتُ بتشْريفَيْنِ قد جُمِعا لي

فعُدْتُ بتشْريفَيْنِ قد جُمِعا لي

You deemed me worthy to praise you, then rewarded me;

You qualified me for praise then affirmed me

so I returned with two honors combined for me.

So I returned with two honors combined for me

ووالَيْتَ إحساناً فوالَيتُ شُكْرَه

ووالَيْتَ إحساناً فوالَيتُ شُكْرَه

كِلانا مُوالٍ مُتحَفٌ بِمُوال

كِلانا مُوالٍ مُتحَفٌ بِمُوال

You kept bestowing kindness, and I kept giving thanks for it;

And you granted kindness so I promised thankfulness

each of us a constant giver, graced with a constant giver.

We both swore allegiance, dressed in allegiance

وما أنا إلاّ رَوْضُ حَمْدٍ فكلّما

وما أنا إلاّ رَوْضُ حَمْدٍ فكلّما

سَقاها فَعالٌ أزهرَتْ بِمَقال

سَقاها فَعالٌ أزهرَتْ بِمَقال

And I am nothing but a garden of praise: whenever

And I am but a meadow of praise so whenever

noble deeds water it, it blossoms with words.

An act watered it, it blossomed with poetry

بدائعُ يُزْهَى الطِّرسُ فيها كما زهَتْ

بدائعُ يُزْهَى الطِّرسُ فيها كما زهَتْ

خُدودُ غَوانٍ من خُطوطِ غَوال

خُدودُ غَوانٍ من خُطوطِ غَوال

Marvels in which the parchment glories, just as

Masterpieces adorned with embroidery like the cheeks

beauties' cheeks glow with streaks of ghaliya perfume.

Of beauties adorned with the lines of kohl

وتَظْهرُ في زِيِّ السّوادِ حُروفُها

وتَظْهرُ في زِيِّ السّوادِ حُروفُها

شِعاراً وإلاّ فهْي بيضُ لآل

شِعاراً وإلاّ فهْي بيضُ لآل

And their letters appear in a garb of black,

And its letters appear in black attire

as their livery; otherwise, they are white pearls.

As crests, else they are white pearls

وإن نحن لم نَهزُزْكَ حُسنَ مقالةٍ

وإن نحن لم نَهزُزْكَ حُسنَ مقالةٍ

أبَيْتَ ابتداءً غيرَ حُسْنِ فِعال

أبَيْتَ ابتداءً غيرَ حُسْنِ فِعال

And even if we have not stirred you with fine speech,

And if we did not move you with fine speech

you refuse, unprompted, anything but fine deeds.

You refused to start except with fine deeds

وما الشَّمسُ يَغْشَى ضَوؤها بوسيلةٍ

وما الشَّمسُ يَغْشَى ضَوؤها بوسيلةٍ

ولا السُّحْبُ تُعطي دَرَّها بسُؤال

ولا السُّحْبُ تُعطي دَرَّها بسُؤال

The sun's light spreads without intercession,

And the sun, its light is not veiled by any means

nor do the clouds need asking to yield their milk.

Nor do the clouds give its pearls by asking

لئنْ ردَّ أيّامي قِصاراً فإنّني

لئنْ ردَّ أيّامي قِصاراً فإنّني

سَموْتُ بآمالٍ إليهِ طِوال

سَموْتُ بآمالٍ إليهِ طِوال

Even if he has made my days short, I have indeed

If my days return short, I have soared

soared toward him with long-reaching hopes,

With hopes to it extended

إلى مَلِكٍ يَغْدو الملوكُ بهامِهمْ

إلى مَلِكٍ يَغْدو الملوكُ بهامِهمْ

مُثولاً لديه عندَ كُلِّ مِثال

مُثولاً لديه عندَ كُلِّ مِثال

toward a king to whom kings come with bowed heads,

To a king before whom other kings stand

standing before him at every command.

Humbled before him at every example

جَناحُ علاءٍ كلّما طارَ صاعداً

جَناحُ علاءٍ كلّما طارَ صاعداً

وحَلّق مَجداً زادَ مَدَّ ظِلال

وحَلّق مَجداً زادَ مَدَّ ظِلال

A wing of eminence: whenever it flies upward

The wing of glory, whenever it rises ascending

and soars in glory, it stretches its shadows farther.

And circles glory, increases the span of its shadows

يُرجّي سَنا الأقمارِ جُودَ يَمينه

يُرجّي سَنا الأقمارِ جُودَ يَمينه

فَينْمى رَجاءً ضَوءُ كُلِّ هلال

فَينْمى رَجاءً ضَوءُ كُلِّ هلال

The moons' radiance hopes for his right hand's bounty,

It makes the crescents hopeful of his generosity

so every crescent's light waxes in hope.

So the light of each crescent grows hopeful

ويَحْسُدُ مهما تَمّ غُرّةَ وجهه

ويَحْسُدُ مهما تَمّ غُرّةَ وجهه

فيُدرِكُه النُّقْصانُ بعدَ كَمال

فيُدرِكُه النُّقْصانُ بعدَ كَمال

And whenever full, it envies the radiance of his face,

And however full its disk becomes

so waning overtakes it after fullness.

Incompletion seizes it after perfection

فَمنْ يكُ هذا بالبُدورِ فعالُه

فَمنْ يكُ هذا بالبُدورِ فعالُه

فأنَّى بكَيْدِ الحاسدِينَ يُبالي

فأنَّى بكَيْدِ الحاسدِينَ يُبالي

So one whose dealings with full moons are thus—

So who is this among the celestial bodies whose deeds

how could he care about the schemes of the envious?

Are concerned by the schemes of envious ones

فشِمْ للعدا حَدَّ الحُسامِ فإنّما

فشِمْ للعدا حَدَّ الحُسامِ فإنّما

عَدُوُّك مَقْتولٌ بغَيْرِ قتال

عَدُوُّك مَقْتولٌ بغَيْرِ قتال

So sheathe the sword's edge before your foes, for

Unsheathe to the enemy the edge of the swords for your

your enemy is slain without a battle.

Enemy is killed without fighting

رأيتُ قياسي شَعْرةً منك بالورَى

رأيتُ قياسي شَعْرةً منك بالورَى

قياسَ امرئٍ بَحْراً بكاذِب آل

قياسَ امرئٍ بَحْراً بكاذِب آل

I found my comparison of one hair of yours with mankind

I saw my measly self compared to you in the world

like a man's comparison of an ocean with a deceptive mirage.

The measure of one measuring an ocean with a cup

إذا ما جَوادُ الفِكْرِ زاد تأَمُّلاً

إذا ما جَوادُ الفِكْرِ زاد تأَمُّلاً

صفاتِك زادَتْه اتّساعَ مَجال

صفاتِك زادَتْه اتّساعَ مَجال

Whenever the steed of thought deepens its contemplation

When the steed of thought increased in contemplation

of your qualities, they give it a wider field to roam.

Your attributes increased its range

لَياليكَ أيّامٌ على النّاسِ بَهْجةً

لَياليكَ أيّامٌ على النّاسِ بَهْجةً

وأيّامُ قومٍ آخَرينَ لَيال

وأيّامُ قومٍ آخَرينَ لَيال

Your nights are days in the joy they bring people,

Your nights are days of bliss for the people

while other people's days are nights.

And other people's days are nights

فأصبحَ من دونِ الخِلافةِ صارماً

فأصبحَ من دونِ الخِلافةِ صارماً

ليومِ جلادٍ أو ليَوم جدال

ليومِ جلادٍ أو ليَوم جدال

Thus he became a keen sword defending the caliphate,

So one without the caliphate became in the morning

for a day of combat or a day of debate.

A sword for a day of execution or dispute