قَرىgathered water فيin حياضpools المجدglory عِدُّan unfailing spring فخارهِhis renown
قَرى في حياض المجد عِدُّ فخارهِ
فروَّىso quenched قُلوباًhearts بالثَّناءِwith praise وألْسُناand tongues
فروَّى قُلوباً بالثَّناءِ وألْسُنا
The unfailing spring of his renown filled glory's pools,
He built villages in the meadows of glory,
and quenched hearts and tongues with praise.
Whose dwellers' hearts sang his praises, their tongues lauding him.
وفاخرهُand vied with him in glory أهلpeople of العُلىeminence فغداso became لهto him
وفاخرهُ أهل العُلى فغدا له
أجَلُّهمُthe greatest of them يومَon the day of التَّفاخرِvying in glory مُذْعِناsubmissive
أجَلُّهمُ يومَ التَّفاخرِ مُذْعِنا
And men of eminence vied with him in glory, so before him
The nobles vied to exalt him, so he became,
their greatest yielded on the day of boasting.
On their day of vying, the most exalted of them.
وعادand became زمانُthe age of الفضلexcellence صُبْحاًdawn بجودهthrough his generosity
وعاد زمانُ الفضل صُبْحاً بجوده
وقدand indeed كانwas لولاbut for جودُهhis generosity العُمرَall life long موْهناdeep night
وقد كان لولا جودُه العُمرَ موْهنا
Through his generosity, the age of excellence became dawn,
The days of virtue returned like morn because of his generosity,
though without his generosity it would have been deep night all life long.
Else a lifetime of meanness would have worn life down.
ولوand if أنَّthat للعلياءِfor lofty honor فيالناسamong people معْدِناًa mine
ولو أنَّ للعلياءِ فيالناس معْدِناً
لكانَthen he would be لهاfor it دونto the exclusion of العشائرِthe clans مَعْدِناa mine
لكانَ لها دون العشائرِ مَعْدِنا
And if lofty honor had a mine among mankind,
Had the noble clans possessed a mine of bounty,
he alone, rather than the clans, would be its mine.
It would have lain with none but them.
يفوقُsurpasses نميرَsweet and pure الماءwater ليناًin softness ورِقَّةًand tenderness
يفوقُ نميرَ الماء ليناً ورِقَّةً
ويفضلُand surpasses فيin البأسbattle الصَّوارمkeen swords والقناand spears
ويفضلُ في البأس الصَّوارم والقنا
He surpasses sweet, pure water in softness and tenderness,
More pliant than soft water, gentler than the palm frond,
and in battle surpasses keen swords and spears.
And in war fiercer than swords and spears,
يهونُis easy عليهfor him فيin العُلىeminence بذلُgiving مالِهِhis wealth
يهونُ عليه في العُلى بذلُ مالِهِ
ويعلمُand knows أنَّthat الحمدpraise لاnot النَّشبpossessions الغِنىwealth
ويعلمُ أنَّ الحمد لا النَّشب الغِنى
Giving his wealth in pursuit of eminence comes easily to him,
Giving his wealth for glory was nothing to him;
and he knows that praise, not possessions, is wealth.
He knew that praise, not greed, was the mark of the noble.
بنىbuilt للوزيرfor the vizier الزَّينبيِّal-Zaynabi جدُودُهhis forebears
بنى للوزير الزَّينبيِّ جدُودُه
ولمand did not يكْفهِsuffice him حتىuntil أنافَtowered علىabove البِناthe edifice
ولم يكْفهِ حتى أنافَ على البِنا
His forebears built glory for the vizier al-Zaynabi,
His ancestors built for the Minister Zainab
yet it did not suffice him until he towered above the edifice.
Palaces, yet he thought them too paltry for him.
Sol 6.1