تُقَلِّدُ أَعناقُ اللَيالي جَواهِرا

تُقَلِّدُ أَعناقُ اللَيالي جَواهِرا

أَظَلُّ لَها مِن بَحرِ جودِكَ جاهِرا

أَظَلُّ لَها مِن بَحرِ جودِكَ جاهِرا

You garland the necks of the nights with jewels;

The nights adorn themselves with jewels

I keep drawing them from the sea of your generosity.

While I shelter them with your boundless sea of generosity

فَلا زِلتَ ذا رَبعٍ مِنَ المَجدِ عامِرٍ

فَلا زِلتَ ذا رَبعٍ مِنَ المَجدِ عامِرٍ

وَإِن لَم تَدَع بَيتاً مِنَ المالِ عامِرا

وَإِن لَم تَدَع بَيتاً مِنَ المالِ عامِرا

So may you always have a flourishing abode of glory,

You still possess a reputation filled with glory

even if you have left no house of wealth well stocked.

Even if you left no wealth-filled homes behind

تَقولُ اللَيالي فيكَ بِالمَدحِ قَولَها

تَقولُ اللَيالي فيكَ بِالمَدحِ قَولَها

فَلم يَنفَرِد بِالفَضلِ مَن كانَ شاعِرا

فَلم يَنفَرِد بِالفَضلِ مَن كانَ شاعِرا

The nights speak their words in your praise,

The nights speak in your praise

so merit is not the poet’s alone.

No eloquent poet could match your merit alone

وَما قُلتُ إِنَّ النَجمَ باتَ مُسَمَّراً

وَما قُلتُ إِنَّ النَجمَ باتَ مُسَمَّراً

بَلى باتَ مِن تِلكَ المَعالي مُسامِرا

بَلى باتَ مِن تِلكَ المَعالي مُسامِرا

And I did not say that the star spent the night nailed in place;

And I did not say the star remained fixed in place

rather, those lofty deeds kept it conversing through the night.

Rather it stays fastened by those lofty heights

نَصَبتَ لَهُ سوقاً مِنَ المَجدِ نافِقاً

نَصَبتَ لَهُ سوقاً مِنَ المَجدِ نافِقاً

وَيَجبي إِلَيهِ الحَمدَ مَن كانَ تاجِرا

وَيَجبي إِلَيهِ الحَمدَ مَن كانَ تاجِرا

You set up for it a thriving market of glory,

You built a thriving market of glory for it

and every merchant brings it a tribute of praise.

And whoever is a merchant collects praise leading to you

وَأَحيَيتَ حَمداً كانَ بِالأَمسِ بائِداً

وَأَحيَيتَ حَمداً كانَ بِالأَمسِ بائِداً

وَأَغلَيتَ شِعراً كانَ قَبلَكَ بائِرا

وَأَغلَيتَ شِعراً كانَ قَبلَكَ بائِرا

And you revived praise that had perished yesterday,

You revived forgotten praise

and raised the price of verse that had gone unsold before you.

And stirred poetry that had diminished before you

وَما كُنتَ إِلّا لِلمَكارِمِ رابِحاً

وَما كُنتَ إِلّا لِلمَكارِمِ رابِحاً

وَإِن كُنتَ فيهِ لِلذَخائِرِ خاسِرا

وَإِن كُنتَ فيهِ لِلذَخائِرِ خاسِرا

And you have profited only in noble deeds,

You were not but profiting through noble deeds

even though, in doing so, you have lost your treasures.

Even if losing treasures in the process