أَمَواهِبٌ هاتيكَ أَم أَنواءُ

أَمَواهِبٌ هاتيكَ أَم أَنواءُ

هُطُلٌ وَأَخذٌ ذاكَ أَم إِعطاءُ

هُطُلٌ وَأَخذٌ ذاكَ أَم إِعطاءُ

Are those gifts, or rainstorms

Are these gifts of yours or merely loans,

Pouring down? And is that taking, or giving?

A downpour and taking, or giving and donations?

إِن دامَ ذا أَو بَعضُ ذا مِن فِعلِ ذا

إِن دامَ ذا أَو بَعضُ ذا مِن فِعلِ ذا

فَنِيَ السَخاءُ فَلا يُحَسُّ سَخاءُ

فَنِيَ السَخاءُ فَلا يُحَسُّ سَخاءُ

If this, or some of this, endures as this man's doing,

If this or some of this is of your doing,

Generosity will be exhausted, so no generosity will be felt.

Then generosity has perished, its spirit of giving unsung.

لَيسَ الَّتي ضَلَّت تَميمٌ وَسطَها ال

لَيسَ الَّتي ضَلَّت تَميمٌ وَسطَها ال

دَهناءَ لا بَل صَدرُكَ الدَهناءُ

دَهناءَ لا بَل صَدرُكَ الدَهناءُ

The land in whose midst Tamim went astray is not

The one who went astray was not Tameem amidst them,

al-Dahna—no, rather your breast is al-Dahna.

Rather, your chest so plentiful and bounteous.

مَلِكٌ أَغَرُّ لِآلِ طَلحَةَ فَخرُهُ

مَلِكٌ أَغَرُّ لِآلِ طَلحَةَ فَخرُهُ

كَفّاهُ أَرضٌ سَمحَةٌ وَسَماءُ

كَفّاهُ أَرضٌ سَمحَةٌ وَسَماءُ

A radiant king, whose glory belongs to the house of Talha;

A king noblest of the clan of Talha, his pride

His two palms are a bountiful earth and a sky.

Suffices him a generous earth and heaven.

وَشَريفُ أَشرافٍ إِذا اِحتَكَّت بِهِم

وَشَريفُ أَشرافٍ إِذا اِحتَكَّت بِهِم

جُربُ القَبائِلِ أَحسَنوا وَأَساؤوا

جُربُ القَبائِلِ أَحسَنوا وَأَساؤوا

And a noble among nobles: when they are rubbed against

And the noblest of nobles, when tested by them

By the tribes' mangy ones, they do good and ill.

The lineages’ mettle, were best in fortune and misfortune.

لَهُمُ الفِناءُ الرَحبُ وَالبَيتُ الَّذي

لَهُمُ الفِناءُ الرَحبُ وَالبَيتُ الَّذي

أُدَدٌ أَواخٍ حَولَهُ وَفِناءُ

أُدَدٌ أَواخٍ حَولَهُ وَفِناءُ

Theirs are the spacious courtyard and the house whose

Theirs are the spacious courtyard and abode which

Surrounding tethers and courtyard are Udad.

Mourning women surround with their lamentation.

وَخُؤولَةٌ في هاشِمٍ وَدَّ العِدى

وَخُؤولَةٌ في هاشِمٍ وَدَّ العِدى

أَن لَم تَكُن وَلَهُم بِها ما شاؤوا

أَن لَم تَكُن وَلَهُم بِها ما شاؤوا

And maternal kinship in Hashim, which the foes wish

And protection in Hashim even for the enemies’ sake

Did not exist; through it, all they wish is theirs.

That they have not with them except what they desired.

بَينَ العَواتِكِ وَالفَواطِمِ مُنتَمىً

بَينَ العَواتِكِ وَالفَواطِمِ مُنتَمىً

يَزكو بِهِ الأَخوالُ وَالآباءُ

يَزكو بِهِ الأَخوالُ وَالآباءُ

A lineage among the Atikas and the Fatimas,

Related through lineage to the virtuous ladies

Through which maternal uncles and fathers flourish.

Who make fathers and uncles proud through him.

أَمُحَمَّدَ بنَ عَلِيٍّ اِسمَع عِذرَةً

أَمُحَمَّدَ بنَ عَلِيٍّ اِسمَع عِذرَةً

فيها دَواءٌ لِلمُسيءِ وَداءُ

فيها دَواءٌ لِلمُسيءِ وَداءُ

O Muhammad son of Ali, hear an apology:

O Muhammad son of Ali, hear a plea

In it are a cure for the wrongdoer and an ailment.

In it a cure for the sinner and the diseased.

ما لي إِذا ذُكِرَ الوَفاءُ رَأَيتُني

ما لي إِذا ذُكِرَ الوَفاءُ رَأَيتُني

ما لي مَعَ النَفَرِ الكِرامِ وَفاءُ

ما لي مَعَ النَفَرِ الكِرامِ وَفاءُ

Why, when faithfulness is mentioned, do I find myself

When loyalty is mentioned, I see myself

Without faithfulness toward the noble company?

Loyal amongst the noble company.

يَضفو عَلَيَّ العَذلُ وَهوَ مُقارِبٌ

يَضفو عَلَيَّ العَذلُ وَهوَ مُقارِبٌ

وَيَضيقُ عَنّي العُذرُ وَهوَ فَضاءُ

وَيَضيقُ عَنّي العُذرُ وَهوَ فَضاءُ

Reproach covers me amply, though it is close-fitting;

Slanders impose on me though being close,

And excuse is too tight for me, though it is a vast expanse.

While excuses are too narrow though being ample.

إِنّي هَجَرتُكَ إِذ هَجَرتُكَ وَحشَةً

إِنّي هَجَرتُكَ إِذ هَجَرتُكَ وَحشَةً

لا العَودُ يُذهِبُها وَلا الإِبداءُ

لا العَودُ يُذهِبُها وَلا الإِبداءُ

Indeed, I shunned you, when I shunned you, out of unease,

I shunned you when I shunned you in desolation,

Which neither repetition nor a fresh start can dispel.

Neither returning nor expressing could erase it.

أَحشَمتَني بِنَدى يَدَيكَ فَسَوَّدَت

أَحشَمتَني بِنَدى يَدَيكَ فَسَوَّدَت

ما بَينَنا تِلكَ اليَدُ البَيضاءُ

ما بَينَنا تِلكَ اليَدُ البَيضاءُ

You abashed me with your hands' bounty, and it blackened

You have shamed me with the glow of your hands which have blackened

What lay between us—that white hand.

What is between us, those fair hands.

وَقَطَعتَني بِالجودِ حَتّى إِنَّني

وَقَطَعتَني بِالجودِ حَتّى إِنَّني

مُتَخَوِّفٌ أَلّا يَكونَ لِقاءُ

مُتَخَوِّفٌ أَلّا يَكونَ لِقاءُ

And you cut me off with generosity, so that I

And you cut me off with your generosity that I

Am afraid there will be no meeting.

Now fear lest we shall never meet.

صِلَةٌ غَدَت في الناسِ وَهيَ قَطيعَةٌ

صِلَةٌ غَدَت في الناسِ وَهيَ قَطيعَةٌ

عَجَباً وَبِرٌّ راحَ وَهوَ جَفاءُ

عَجَباً وَبِرٌّ راحَ وَهوَ جَفاءُ

A gift has become, among people, a severing of ties—

A connection amongst people which has become estrangement,

How strange! And kindness has turned into estrangement.

Strange indeed, and righteousness gone while it was grace!

لَيُواصِلَنَّكَ رَكبُ شِعرٍ سائِرٍ

لَيُواصِلَنَّكَ رَكبُ شِعرٍ سائِرٍ

يَرويهِ فيكَ لِحُسنِهِ الأَعداءُ

يَرويهِ فيكَ لِحُسنِهِ الأَعداءُ

A traveling caravan of verse will surely keep ties with you,

The caravan of successive poetry shall join you,

Which enemies recite about you for its beauty,

Watered by its beauty even the enemies.

حَتّى يَتِمَّ لَكَ الثَناءُ مُخَلَّداً

حَتّى يَتِمَّ لَكَ الثَناءُ مُخَلَّداً

أَبَداً كَما تَمَّت لِيَ النَعماءُ

أَبَداً كَما تَمَّت لِيَ النَعماءُ

Until your praise is made complete, immortalized

Until eternal praise is perfected for you,

Forever, as the bounty bestowed on me was made complete.

Forever, just as bounty was perfected for me.

فَتَظَلُّ تَحسُدُكَ المُلوكُ الصيدُ بي

فَتَظَلُّ تَحسُدُكَ المُلوكُ الصيدُ بي

وَأَظَلُّ يَحسُدُني بِكَ الشُعَراءُ

وَأَظَلُّ يَحسُدُني بِكَ الشُعَراءُ

So the proud kings will keep envying you because of me,

So kings will envy you - the hunt is yours,

And poets will keep envying me because of you.

While poets envy me through you.