وَفى ذا السُرورُ بِتِلكَ الكُرَب

وَفى ذا السُرورُ بِتِلكَ الكُرَب

وَهَذا المَقامُ بِذاكَ التَعَب

وَهَذا المَقامُ بِذاكَ التَعَب

This joy has repaid those afflictions,

That joy has compensated for those troubles,

and this station, that toil.

And this abode for that toil.

قَدِمتَ فَأَطرَقَ صَرفُ الزَمانِ

قَدِمتَ فَأَطرَقَ صَرفُ الزَمانِ

عَناءً وَأَغضَت عُيونُ النُوَب

عَناءً وَأَغضَت عُيونُ النُوَب

You arrived, and Time's vicissitudes bowed their head

You came, so time's vicissitudes turned away

in submission, and the eyes of calamities lowered their gaze.

Vexation, and the eyes of misfortune were shut.

وَمِثلُكَ مَن قَذَفَتهُ الخُطو

وَمِثلُكَ مَن قَذَفَتهُ الخُطو

بُ في صَدرِ كُلِّ خَميسٍ لَجِب

بُ في صَدرِ كُلِّ خَميسٍ لَجِب

And one like you is he whom calamities cast

And none is like you, whom fates hurled

into the breast of every clamorous army.

Into the breast of each formidable Thursday,

قَريبُ المُرادِ بَعيدُ المَرامِ

قَريبُ المُرادِ بَعيدُ المَرامِ

عَظيمُ العَلاءِ جَليلُ الحَسَب

عَظيمُ العَلاءِ جَليلُ الحَسَب

His desires are near at hand, his aims far-reaching,

Of lofty purpose, though of aspirations remote,

great in eminence, noble in ancestral honor.

Great of honor, of lineage sublime.

وَمَن قَلقَلَ البَينُ أَطنابَهُ

وَمَن قَلقَلَ البَينُ أَطنابَهُ

وَنالَ أَقاصي المُنى بِالطَلَب

وَنالَ أَقاصي المُنى بِالطَلَب

And one whose tent-ropes separation shook,

And he whose steps the intervals perturbed

and who attained the utmost hopes through striving.

And who attained the utmost goals in seeking,

غَدَت تَشتَكيكَ كُؤوسُ المُدامِ

غَدَت تَشتَكيكَ كُؤوسُ المُدامِ

وَيُثني عَلَيكَ القَنا وَالقُضُب

وَيُثني عَلَيكَ القَنا وَالقُضُب

The cups of wine have begun to complain of you,

The wine-cups began to complain of you,

while spears and swords praise you.

And reed-pipe and flute to praise you.

وَكُنّا نُصانِعُ فيكَ الهُمومَ

وَكُنّا نُصانِعُ فيكَ الهُمومَ

فَصِرنا تُصانِعُ فيكَ الطَرَب

فَصِرنا تُصانِعُ فيكَ الطَرَب

We used to placate our cares over you;

We were making troubles assail you,

so now, on your account, our dealings are with delight.

But now we make joys waylay you.

إِذا ما الفَتى وَصَلَ الزائِري

إِذا ما الفَتى وَصَلَ الزائِري

نَ أَثنَوا عَلَيهِ نَأى أَو قَرُب

نَ أَثنَوا عَلَيهِ نَأى أَو قَرُب

When a man bestows gifts on his visitors,

When the youth attained the visitors' abode,

they praise him, whether he is far away or near.

Be they far or near, they congratulated him.

وَكَيفَ يُهَنّيكَ لَفظُ اِمرِئٍ

وَكَيفَ يُهَنّيكَ لَفظُ اِمرِئٍ

يُهَنّي بِقُربِكَ أَعلى الرُتَب

يُهَنّي بِقُربِكَ أَعلى الرُتَب

How can a man's words congratulate you,

How should the verse of a man congratulate you,

when he congratulates the highest ranks on your presence?

Who by your nearness attains the loftiest rank?

وَكُنّا بِذِكرِكَ نَشفي الغَليلَ

وَكُنّا بِذِكرِكَ نَشفي الغَليلَ

وَما بَينَنا أَمَدٌ مُنشَعِب

وَما بَينَنا أَمَدٌ مُنشَعِب

We would slake our burning thirst by remembering you,

By mentioning you we were healing our sickness,

while a branching stretch of distance lay between us,

Though between us distance spread wide.

إِلى أَن تَهَلَّلَ وَجهُ الزَمانِ

إِلى أَن تَهَلَّلَ وَجهُ الزَمانِ

وَمَن بانَ مِثلُكَ عَنهُ شَحَب

وَمَن بانَ مِثلُكَ عَنهُ شَحَب

until the face of Time brightened;

Until the visage of time smiled,

and whoever is parted from one like you grows pale.

And for it the aspect of one like you grew pallid.

رَأَينا بِوَجهِكَ نورَ اليَقي

رَأَينا بِوَجهِكَ نورَ اليَقي

نِ حَتّى خَلَعنا ظَلامَ الرِيَب

نِ حَتّى خَلَعنا ظَلامَ الرِيَب

In your face we saw the light of certainty,

We saw by your face the light of certainty,

until we cast off the darkness of doubt.

Till we cast off the darkness of doubt.

وَما زِلتَ تَمسَحُ خَدَّ الصَباحِ

وَما زِلتَ تَمسَحُ خَدَّ الصَباحِ

وَتَرحَمُ قَلبَ الظَلامِ الأَشِب

وَتَرحَمُ قَلبَ الظَلامِ الأَشِب

And you have never ceased stroking the cheek of morning

Still you wipe the cheek of the morning

and taking pity on the heart of tangled darkness,

And pity the heart of the murky night,

بِمَطرورَةِ الصَدرِ خَفّاقَةٍ

بِمَطرورَةِ الصَدرِ خَفّاقَةٍ

تَطيرُ مَجاذيفُها كَالعَذَب

تَطيرُ مَجاذيفُها كَالعَذَب

in a sharp-prowed, fluttering craft

With a breast possessing tumultuous waves

whose oars fly like tassels.

Whose oarstrokes dash high.

تُعانِقُكَ الريحُ في صَدرِها

تُعانِقُكَ الريحُ في صَدرِها

وَيَشتاقُكَ الماءُ حَتّى يَثِب

وَيَشتاقُكَ الماءُ حَتّى يَثِب

The wind embraces you within her breast,

The wind embraces you to its breast

and the water yearns for you until it leaps.

And the water yearns for you until it leaps.

تَمُرُّ بِشَخصِكَ مَرَّ الجِيادِ

تَمُرُّ بِشَخصِكَ مَرَّ الجِيادِ

وَتَسري بِرَحلِكَ سَيرَ النُجُب

وَتَسري بِرَحلِكَ سَيرَ النُجُب

She passes with you as fine steeds pass,

You pass by with your person the passing of steeds

and journeys by night with your baggage as noble camels travel.

And travel with your baggage the course of stars.

إِذا اِطَّرَدَت بِكَ خِلتَ القُصو

إِذا اِطَّرَدَت بِكَ خِلتَ القُصو

رَ تُرعَدُ بِالبُعدِ أَو تَحتَجِب

رَ تُرعَدُ بِالبُعدِ أَو تَحتَجِب

When she speeds along with you, you imagine the palaces

When the castles are deserted by you,

trembling in the distance or disappearing from view.

They quake at the distance or draw shy.

يُسَرُّ بِها عاشِقٌ لا يُلَذَّ

يُسَرُّ بِها عاشِقٌ لا يُلَذَّ

ذُ بِالنَأيِ أَو نازِحٌ يَقتَرِب

ذُ بِالنَأيِ أَو نازِحٌ يَقتَرِب

She delights a lover who takes no pleasure

By them a lover is gladdened who is not gratified by remoteness,

in separation, or one far from home drawing near.

Or a fugitive who draws near.

وَقَد بَلَّغَتكَ الَّذي رُمتَهُ

وَقَد بَلَّغَتكَ الَّذي رُمتَهُ

وَحَقُّ المُبَلِّغِ أَن يُصطَحَب

وَحَقُّ المُبَلِّغِ أَن يُصطَحَب

And she has brought you to what you sought,

And you have attained what you were aiming for,

and whoever conveys you has a right to your companionship.

And it is right for him who conveys tidings to be escorted.

أَبا قاسِمٍ كانَ هَذا البِعادُ

أَبا قاسِمٍ كانَ هَذا البِعادُ

إِلى طُرُقِ القُربِ أَقوى سَبَب

إِلى طُرُقِ القُربِ أَقوى سَبَب

Abu Qasim, this separation was

Abu Qasim, that distance was to the paths of nearness

the strongest means toward the paths of nearness.

The strongest cause.

فَما كُنتُ أَوَّلَ بَدرٍ أَتى

فَما كُنتُ أَوَّلَ بَدرٍ أَتى

وَلا كُنتَ أَوَّلَ نَجمٍ غَرَب

وَلا كُنتَ أَوَّلَ نَجمٍ غَرَب

For I was not the first full moon to arrive,

Nor was I the first full moon to rise

nor were you the first star to set.

Nor were you the first star to set.

أَلا إِنَّني حَسرَةُ الحاسِدينَ

أَلا إِنَّني حَسرَةُ الحاسِدينَ

وَما حَسرَةُ العُجمِ إِلّا العَرَب

وَما حَسرَةُ العُجمِ إِلّا العَرَب

Behold, I am the anguish of the envious,

Lo, I am the envy of enviers,

and the non-Arabs' anguish is none but the Arabs.

And the envy of non-Arabs is none but the Arabs.

فَلا لَبِسوا غَيرَ هَذا الشِعارِ

فَلا لَبِسوا غَيرَ هَذا الشِعارِ

وَلا رُزِقوا غَيرَ هَذا اللَقَب

وَلا رُزِقوا غَيرَ هَذا اللَقَب

So may they wear no inner garment but this,

So let them wear no garb but this one

and be granted no title but this.

And obtain no name but this title!

مَنَحتُكَ مِن مَنطِقي تُحفَةً

مَنَحتُكَ مِن مَنطِقي تُحفَةً

رَأَيتُ بِها فُرصَةً تُستَلَب

رَأَيتُ بِها فُرصَةً تُستَلَب

I bestowed on you a gift from my speech,

From my discourse I presented you a gift

in which I saw an opportunity to be seized.

I saw therein an opportunity to be seized.

تُصَفِّقُها بِالنَشيدِ الرُواةُ

تُصَفِّقُها بِالنَشيدِ الرُواةُ

كَما صَفَّقَ الماءُ بِنتَ العِنَب

كَما صَفَّقَ الماءُ بِنتَ العِنَب

Reciters mingle it with chanting,

The orators will clap it with chanting

as water mingles with the daughter of the grape.

As the water clapped the daughter of the vine.

وَأَنتَ تُساهِمُني في العَلا

وَأَنتَ تُساهِمُني في العَلا

ءِ فَخراً وَتَشرَكُني في النَسَب

ءِ فَخراً وَتَشرَكُني في النَسَب

And you share with me in eminence,

While you make me share in the elevation, pride,

in glory, and share with me in lineage.

And partnership in pedigree.