تَنفّس الرّوضُ وهْو بُشراهُ

تَنفّس الرّوضُ وهْو بُشراهُ

وأقمرَ اللّيلُ وهْو مَسْراهُ

وأقمرَ اللّيلُ وهْو مَسْراهُ

The garden breathed forth, bearing glad tidings of him.

The garden breathed, and it was his glad tidings.

The night turned moon-bright—the course of his night journey.

And the night grew moonlit, and it was his path.

واجتمعَتْ في الظّلامِ فاتّحدَتْ

واجتمعَتْ في الظّلامِ فاتّحدَتْ

ثلاثةٌ لَيْلُه وصَدْغاه

ثلاثةٌ لَيْلُه وصَدْغاه

In the darkness they gathered and became one—

And in the darkness they gathered, then became one:

three things: his night and his two temple-locks.

Three—his night and his two sidelocks.

كما التقتْ في الظّلام وافترقَتْ

كما التقتْ في الظّلام وافترقَتْ

ثلاثةٌ نَجمُه وقُرْطاه

ثلاثةٌ نَجمُه وقُرْطاه

Just as, in the darkness, they met and then stood apart—

Just as in the darkness they met, yet stood apart:

three things: his star and his two earrings.

Three—his star and his two earrings.

وليس ذاك النِّظامُ مُنقطِعاً

وليس ذاك النِّظامُ مُنقطِعاً

وأنت للمُلْكِ من بقاياه

وأنت للمُلْكِ من بقاياه

Nor is that ordered chain severed,

And that string is not broken,

while you, for sovereignty, are among what survives of it.

And you are one of its remnants for kingship.

الدّهرُ لَغْوٌ والمجدُ أجمعُهُ

الدّهرُ لَغْوٌ والمجدُ أجمعُهُ

منك بدا لَفْظُه ومَعْناه

منك بدا لَفْظُه ومَعْناه

Time is but play; glory, all of it—

Time is idle talk, and glory, all of it—

from you its expression and its meaning arose.

From you emerged its wording and its meaning.

خُلقْتَ في العِقْدِ منه واسطةٍ

خُلقْتَ في العِقْدِ منه واسطةٍ

إخوتُك الأكرمون عِطْفاه

إخوتُك الأكرمون عِطْفاه

In glory’s necklace you were fashioned as the central jewel;

You were created as the central jewel in its necklace;

your most noble brothers are its two flanks:

Your most noble brothers are its two sides.

جواهرٌ بينهنّ جَوهرةٌ

جواهرٌ بينهنّ جَوهرةٌ

تَزينُ سِلْكَ العُلا وتَزْهاه

تَزينُ سِلْكَ العُلا وتَزْهاه

jewels—with one jewel among them—

Jewels, with a jewel in their midst,

that adorns high glory’s strand and makes it radiant.

That adorns the strand of eminence and lends it splendor.

كُلٌّ نفيسٌ وفرقُ بَينكُما

كُلٌّ نفيسٌ وفرقُ بَينكُما

أنّك فَرْدٌ وتلك أشْباه

أنّك فَرْدٌ وتلك أشْباه

Each is precious; but the difference between you and them

Each is precious; the difference between you and them

is that you stand peerless, while they have their peers.

Is that you are unique, while those are alike.