جَمَعوا شَملَهُم بخصب وَماء

جَمَعوا شَملَهُم بخصب وَماء

بَعد فرط النَوى وَطول التَنائي

بَعد فرط النَوى وَطول التَنائي

His qualities combined fertility and water

They reunited amid plenty and water,

after the rain-star’s long excess and long estrangement.

After great separation and long estrangement.

نَظموا في الحمى كَعقد جمان

نَظموا في الحمى كَعقد جمان

أَو ثُرَيا تَلألأت في سَماء

أَو ثُرَيا تَلألأت في سَماء

They flourished in the preserve like a strand of pearls,

They arrayed themselves in the sanctuary like a necklace of pearls,

or the Pleiades glittering in the sky.

Or the Pleiades sparkling in the sky.

وَبِهم طابَت الرِحاب وَكانَت

وَبِهم طابَت الرِحاب وَكانَت

قَبلهم في دجنة ظَلماء

قَبلهم في دجنة ظَلماء

Through him the spacious grounds grew pleasant, though

And through them the grounds grew pleasant; they had been

before them they had lain in pitch-black gloom.

Before them in pitch-black gloom.

فَتَرى الطَير عاكِفاً في حِماها

فَتَرى الطَير عاكِفاً في حِماها

مِن هزار يصيح أَو وَرقاء

مِن هزار يصيح أَو وَرقاء

Thus you see birds lingering in its sanctuary—

So you see birds lingering in their sanctuary,

among them a nightingale crying, or a ringdove—

Whether a calling nightingale or a gray dove.

وَصُفوف البزاة مِن كُل دان

وَصُفوف البزاة مِن كُل دان

مِن قُطوف النَقا وَإِن كانَ نائي

مِن قُطوف النَقا وَإِن كانَ نائي

and rows of falcons from every nearby tract,

And ranks of falcons, from every low-hanging

from reaches of the dune, even those far away,

Fruit cluster of the sand-hill, even if far away.

يتواثبن في غُصون نضار

يتواثبن في غُصون نضار

صفَّقت في خَميلة صَفراء

صفَّقت في خَميلة صَفراء

leaping among verdant boughs

They leap among boughs of gold

that rustle in a yellow-blossomed grove,

That clapped within a yellow thicket,

بَينَ رَوض يَخاله الطرف تبراً

بَينَ رَوض يَخاله الطرف تبراً

قائِماً في سبيكة خضراء

قائِماً في سبيكة خضراء

amid a meadow the eye takes for pure gold,

Amid a garden the eye takes for raw gold,

standing upright in an ingot of green.

Standing within a green ingot.

وعبيق البشام يعبق عطراً

وعبيق البشام يعبق عطراً

كَعَبير مفتت في إِناء

كَعَبير مفتت في إِناء

The balsam’s fragrance wafts its perfume,

And the balsam's scent breathes out perfume,

like crushed aromatics in a vessel.

Like perfume crumbled in a vessel.

أَطرق الياسمين فيها خشوعاً

أَطرق الياسمين فيها خشوعاً

كَخُشوع الكِرام لِلسراء

كَخُشوع الكِرام لِلسراء

The jasmine bows its head there in humility,

The jasmine bowed its head there in humility,

as noble men bow humbly before captives.

Like the humility of the noble in prosperity.

وَبَكى النَرجس الكَئيب بطرف

وَبَكى النَرجس الكَئيب بطرف

عَسجدي في فضة بَيضاء

عَسجدي في فضة بَيضاء

And the melancholy narcissus weeps from an eye

And the mournful narcissus wept with an eye

of gold set in white silver.

Of gold within white silver.

وَالرَياحين للجَداول مالَت

وَالرَياحين للجَداول مالَت

ميلة العاشق القَليل الرجاء

ميلة العاشق القَليل الرجاء

The fragrant herbs lean toward the rivulets

And the fragrant plants leaned toward the streams,

with the lean of a lover whose hope is slight.

With the leaning of a lover with scant hope.

وَجُنود الورود مِن كُل نَوع

وَجُنود الورود مِن كُل نَوع

كَخُدود تَوردت مِن حياء

كَخُدود تَوردت مِن حياء

And hosts of roses of every kind

And troops of roses of every kind,

are like cheeks flushed red with modesty.

Like cheeks that flushed with modesty.

كتب الطل في صَحايفها الخُض

كتب الطل في صَحايفها الخُض

رِ كِتاباً بِأَمر رَب السَماء

رِ كِتاباً بِأَمر رَب السَماء

The dew wrote upon their leaves of green—

The dew wrote on their green pages

—in red, an inscription from the Lord of heaven.

A writing at the command of the Lord of heaven.

وَعُيون المِياه تَضحك حَتّى

وَعُيون المِياه تَضحك حَتّى

فاقَ حصباؤها عَلى اللألاء

فاقَ حصباؤها عَلى اللألاء

The eyes of the waters laugh until

And the springs of water laugh, until

their pebbles outshine pearls.

Their pebbles outshine glitter itself.

وَالوُجوه الملاح تَسطع نوراً

وَالوُجوه الملاح تَسطع نوراً

تَحتَ فسطاطها وَفي الخَيماء

تَحتَ فسطاطها وَفي الخَيماء

And the faces of the beauties radiate light

And the lovely faces shine with light

beneath their pavilion and within the great tent.

Beneath its pavilion and within the tents.

فيهم السَيد العَظيم المَعالي

فيهم السَيد العَظيم المَعالي

واحد العَصر مِن قَريب وَنائي

واحد العَصر مِن قَريب وَنائي

Among them is the lord of sublime eminence,

Among them is the lord of lofty attainments,

the age’s peerless man, known to near and far alike:

Peerless in his age, among those near and far.

نير الذهن واسع الصَدر بَحر

نير الذهن واسع الصَدر بَحر

مِن عَطايا الوُفود لا بَحر ماء

مِن عَطايا الوُفود لا بَحر ماء

bright of mind, broad of heart, an ocean

Bright of mind, broad of heart, a sea

of gifts for delegations—not an ocean of water.

Of gifts to visiting delegations, not a sea of water.

مص ثَدي الفخار وَهوَ رَضيع

مص ثَدي الفخار وَهوَ رَضيع

فَتردى بِخَير كُل رِداء

فَتردى بِخَير كُل رِداء

He sucked at glory’s breast while still an infant,

He suckled at the breast of glory while still an infant,

and so was clothed in the finest of all robes.

So he donned the finest of all cloaks.

وَتَرقى إِلى ذرى الفَضل فاعجب

وَتَرقى إِلى ذرى الفَضل فاعجب

لِصَغير سَما عَلى الجَوزاء

لِصَغير سَما عَلى الجَوزاء

He rose to the summits of excellence—marvel, then,

And he ascended to the summits of excellence—marvel, then,

at one so young who soared above Gemini!

At a youth who rose above al-Jawza.

أَحمَد الفَضل نَجل عُثمان مَولى

أَحمَد الفَضل نَجل عُثمان مَولى

قَد بَدا مَجده بِغَير خفاء

قَد بَدا مَجده بِغَير خفاء

I praise al-Faḍl, son of ʿUthmān, as a lord

Ahmad al-Fadl, son of Uthman, a lord

whose glory has appeared without concealment;

Whose glory has appeared without concealment.

مَن تَباهى بِمدحه كُل طرس

مَن تَباهى بِمدحه كُل طرس

وَتَحلى بِوَصفه كُل رائي

وَتَحلى بِوَصفه كُل رائي

he in whose praise every written page takes pride,

He in whose praise every page took pride,

and by describing whom every beholder is adorned.

And with whose description every beholder adorned himself.

وَتَلاشى لَدَيه كُل فَصيح

وَتَلاشى لَدَيه كُل فَصيح

وَبَليغ سَما عَلى البلغاء

وَبَليغ سَما عَلى البلغاء

Before him every eloquent speaker fades away,

And before him every fluent speaker faded away,

even one who rose above the masters of eloquence.

And every eloquent man who rose above the eloquent.

سَيد مدحه لَقَد صارَ وَردي

سَيد مدحه لَقَد صارَ وَردي

وَثَناه يعد من كيميائي

وَثَناه يعد من كيميائي

A lord whose praise has indeed become my daily litany,

A lord whose praise has indeed become my daily litany,

and extolling him is counted among my alchemy.

And praise of him is reckoned part of my alchemy.

هاكَ مني مَديحة كَبرود

هاكَ مني مَديحة كَبرود

حَملتها الوَرى إِلى صَنعاء

حَملتها الوَرى إِلى صَنعاء

Here—take from me a panegyric like striped robes

Take from me a panegyric, like striped cloaks

which mankind has carried to Sana‘a—

That people have carried to Sanaa;

أَو كَمُستبضع لِيَثرب تمراً

أَو كَمُستبضع لِيَثرب تمراً

أَو نَسيماً لِمَوضع ذي هَواء

أَو نَسيماً لِمَوضع ذي هَواء

or like one taking dates as merchandise to Yathrib,

Or like one sending dates to Yathrib,

or a breeze brought to a place already endowed with air.

Or a breeze to an airy place.