وَعَدتَ وَأَخلَفتَني المَوعِدا

وَعَدتَ وَأَخلَفتَني المَوعِدا

وَخالفتَ بِالمُنتهى المُبتَدا

وَخالفتَ بِالمُنتهى المُبتَدا

You promised, then broke your promise to me,

You promised and failed me the promise

and made the ending contradict the beginning.

And contradicted the end with the beginning

وَأطمَعتَني ثُمَّ أَيأستَني

وَأطمَعتَني ثُمَّ أَيأستَني

وَيمنَعُني الودّ أَن أَحقِدا

وَيمنَعُني الودّ أَن أَحقِدا

You raised my hopes, then made me despair,

You gave me hope then made me despair

yet affection keeps me from bearing a grudge.

And affection prevents me from resenting

وَأَضعَفتَ بالمطلِ حَبلَ الرَجا

وَأَضعَفتَ بالمطلِ حَبلَ الرَجا

ء فرثّ وَأعهدُهُ مُحصَدا

ء فرثّ وَأعهدُهُ مُحصَدا

Through delay you weakened the cord of hope;

You weakened with delay the rope of hope

it frayed, though I remember it tightly twisted.

So it became worn out and harvested

وَعادَ ضِياءُ اِرتِقابي ظَلاما

وَعادَ ضِياءُ اِرتِقابي ظَلاما

وَأَصبَحَ مصباحُه أَرمَدا

وَأَصبَحَ مصباحُه أَرمَدا

The light of my expectation turned to darkness,

The light of my expectation turned to darkness

and its lamp became ashen.

And its lamp became blind

وَكانَ فِعالُكَ قَبلَ المَقال

وَكانَ فِعالُكَ قَبلَ المَقال

فَماذا عَدا الآن فيما بَدا

فَماذا عَدا الآن فيما بَدا

Your deeds once came before your words;

Your actions preceded your words

so what has now changed in what first appeared?

So what now after what appeared?

وَقَد كانَ ظَنّي فيما رَأَيتُ

وَقَد كانَ ظَنّي فيما رَأَيتُ

بِهِ أَنَّ الشحّ غَلّ اليَدا

بِهِ أَنَّ الشحّ غَلّ اليَدا

Indeed, from what I saw, my thought

My assumption in what I saw

of him was that miserliness had shackled the hand.

Was that stinginess tied the hand

وَكَم قَد توكفتُها رَوضَةً

وَكَم قَد توكفتُها رَوضَةً

تُقَرّب لي الأَمَلَ الأَبعَدا

تُقَرّب لي الأَمَلَ الأَبعَدا

And how often I awaited it as a garden

How often I wished it a garden

bringing the most distant hope close to me.

To bring closer the most distant hope

يُنَوِّر عِلمُكَ أَرجاءَها

يُنَوِّر عِلمُكَ أَرجاءَها

وَيَقطُرُ طَبعُك فيها نَدى

وَيَقطُرُ طَبعُك فيها نَدى

Your knowledge brightens its reaches,

Your knowledge illuminates its corners

and your nature drips dew into it.

And your nature drops dew in it

تَوكّفها زَمنا ناظِري

تَوكّفها زَمنا ناظِري

إِذا مَرّ يَومٌ تَمادى غَدا

إِذا مَرّ يَومٌ تَمادى غَدا

My gaze awaited it for a time;

Wish it for a time my watcher

whenever a day passed, it kept waiting the next.

When a day passes, tomorrow comes

عَلى ذاكَ أَفديك مِن ماجِدٍ

عَلى ذاكَ أَفديك مِن ماجِدٍ

تَشّبتثَ بِالظَرف فيهِ الهُدى

تَشّبتثَ بِالظَرف فيهِ الهُدى

For all that, I would ransom you, noble man,

For that I ransom you from a glorious one

in whom guidance clings to refinement.

Who held on to the circumstance in it is guidance

فَحِيناً أَزور بِهِ رَوضَةً

فَحِيناً أَزور بِهِ رَوضَةً

وَحيناً أَحيّي بِهِ مَسجِدا

وَحيناً أَحيّي بِهِ مَسجِدا

So at times I visit a garden in him,

So sometimes I visit with it a garden

and at times I greet a mosque in him.

And sometimes I cheer up with it a mosque

لَكَ العِلم مَهما أَرِد بحرَهُ

لَكَ العِلم مَهما أَرِد بحرَهُ

لأروى بِهِ أَحمَدُ المَورِدا

لأروى بِهِ أَحمَدُ المَورِدا

Knowledge is yours: whenever I reach its sea

You have the knowledge whatever of its sea I want

to slake my thirst from it, I praise the watering place.

To quench with it Ahmad the frequented watering place

وَفيكَ تَجمعت المأثُرا

وَفيكَ تَجمعت المأثُرا

تُ طرا فصرت بِها مُفرَدا

تُ طرا فصرت بِها مُفرَدا

And in you the noble virtues have gathered,

And in you the glories gathered

all together; so through them you became peerless.

Dispersed, so I became with them singular

شَمائِلُ تَنثرُ شَملَ الهُمو

شَمائِلُ تَنثرُ شَملَ الهُمو

م نثرَكَ بِالرأي شملَ العِدى

م نثرَكَ بِالرأي شملَ العِدى

Qualities that scatter the gathering of cares,

Traits that scatter the worries' group

as you scatter the gathering of foes through judgment.

Your strewing with opinion scattered the enemies

فَمَتَّعَني اللَهُ بالحَظّ مِنك

فَمَتَّعَني اللَهُ بالحَظّ مِنك

وَلا زِلتَ لي مؤنِساً سَرمَدا

وَلا زِلتَ لي مؤنِساً سَرمَدا

So may God let me enjoy my good fortune in you,

So God let me enjoy from you

and may you remain my companion forever.

And you still are to me an eternal companion

وَدُمت وَدُمنا عَلى حالِنا

وَدُمت وَدُمنا عَلى حالِنا

كَما يَصحَبُ الفرقدُ الفَرقَدا

كَما يَصحَبُ الفرقدُ الفَرقَدا

May you endure, and may we endure as we are,

Remain, and we remain in our state

as one Farqad star keeps company with the other.

As the Pleiades accompany Aldebaran

فَلولاك كانَت رُبوع السرو

فَلولاك كانَت رُبوع السرو

ر مِنّي تَجاوَبَ فيها الصَدا

ر مِنّي تَجاوَبَ فيها الصَدا

But for you, the dwellings of joy

Without you the gardens' expanses

within me would have resounded with owls answering one another.

Would echo my call in them