هل تعلمان طريقة لم تطرق

هل تعلمان طريقة لم تطرق

أو مورداً للشكر غير مرنق

أو مورداً للشكر غير مرنق

Do you two know a path not yet trodden,

Do you know a way not yet trodden,

or a wellspring of gratitude unclouded,

Or a spring of gratitude not yet tapped?

فأقابل الكرم الذي سبق المنى

فأقابل الكرم الذي سبق المنى

نحوي بشكر نحوه لم يسبق

نحوي بشكر نحوه لم يسبق

so I may answer the generosity that outran my wishes

So I'll repay the bounty that came before my wish

in reaching me, with thanks to him never offered before?

With gratitude towards it never before expressed.

من كل ناطقة المحاسن حرة

من كل ناطقة المحاسن حرة

أجرى عليها الرزق حر المنطق

أجرى عليها الرزق حر المنطق

From every freeborn verse whose beauties speak,

Of every eloquent beauty now free,

to which noble eloquence has granted sustenance,

Upon her fortune’s bread freely feeds.

راحت شرود الذكر ينشر طيها

راحت شرود الذكر ينشر طيها

كرم يقيد بالثناء المطلق

كرم يقيد بالثناء المطلق

it went forth, far-ranging in renown, its folds unfurled

Reverie wanders spreading its wings,

by generosity that binds with unfettered praise.

Generosity that the absolute praise binds.

واخترتها شكراً لمنة منعم

واخترتها شكراً لمنة منعم

يختار للمنن الرجال وينتقي

يختار للمنن الرجال وينتقي

And I chose it in gratitude for a benefactor's favor,

And I chose it in gratitude for the blessing of a benefactor

who chooses men for his favors, and selects them.

Who selects for favors the men, and carefully picks.

تستعبد الأحرار منه صنائع

تستعبد الأحرار منه صنائع

الحقن منهم عاطلاً بمطوق

الحقن منهم عاطلاً بمطوق

His benefactions enslave free men;

The freemen among them his skills enslave,

they joined the unadorned among them to the collared.

The deserving among them, jobless, in shackles.

نعم أقرتهم على طبقاتهم

نعم أقرتهم على طبقاتهم

وسقت جميعهم بنوء مطبق

وسقت جميعهم بنوء مطبق

Bounties that kept them in their ranks,

Yes, I acknowledged them according to their ranks,

and watered them all with an all-covering rainstorm,

And I quenched them all with pouring rain.

من خاطب صلت المعاني مصقع

من خاطب صلت المعاني مصقع

أو شاعر ثبت المباني مفلق

أو شاعر ثبت المباني مفلق

whether an orator, lucid in meaning and masterful in speech,

One who woos, the meanings connect,

or a poet, firm in structure and brilliant in invention.

Or a poet affirms the sturdy structure.

ملك إذا أسدى يداً حلت به ال

ملك إذا أسدى يداً حلت به ال

أيدي الجسام محل تاج المفرق

أيدي الجسام محل تاج المفرق

A king who, when he bestows a favor, wears the

A king when he lends a hand, hands

mighty favors like a crown upon his head.

Of noblemen take the place of the crown of separation.

تحتل من غسان حيث تجمعت

تحتل من غسان حيث تجمعت

شعب تفرق في الفخار لتلتقي

شعب تفرق في الفخار لتلتقي

You dwell among Ghassan where branches gathered—

It seizes from Ghassan wherever gathered

branches scattered in glory, only to meet.

A people dispersed in the dust to converge.

تقرأ المدائح من صحائف مجده

تقرأ المدائح من صحائف مجده

كرم الأصول من الفروع البسق

كرم الأصول من الفروع البسق

Praises read, from the pages of his glory,

You read the eulogies from scrolls of his glory,

the nobility of the roots in the towering branches.

Bounty of origins from branches intertwined.

لما سعى نحو العلى فات المدى

لما سعى نحو العلى فات المدى

عفواً وصفحة خده لم تعرق

عفواً وصفحة خده لم تعرق

When he strove toward the heights, he passed the farthest limit

When he strove for the most high, he surpassed range,

effortlessly, with no sweat upon his cheek.

With forgiveness, and his cheek never broke a sweat.

مسحت بنو رزيك غيرة لاحق

مسحت بنو رزيك غيرة لاحق

ما أملوه بسابق لم يلحق

ما أملوه بسابق لم يلحق

The sons of Ruzzik wiped away a pursuer's envy:

The jealousy of Banu Razeik he wiped out,

they gave him no hope against a forerunner never overtaken.

What they blamed with precedent did not catch up.

ونضت يمين الله منه صارماً

ونضت يمين الله منه صارماً

عاداته تفليق هام الفيلق

عاداته تفليق هام الفيلق

And God's right hand drew from him a keen sword,

And God’s right hand sharpened against him a blade,

whose wont is cleaving the heads of the host.

His ways to shred the war elephants' armor.

لم يلق نازلة بقلب خافق

لم يلق نازلة بقلب خافق

أبداً ولم يرجع بسعي مخفق

أبداً ولم يرجع بسعي مخفق

He faced no calamity with a fluttering heart,

He never faced a crisis with a pounding heart,

ever, nor returned with his efforts thwarted.

Never turned back with faltering effort.

داحي مجال الصبر أوسع ما ترى

داحي مجال الصبر أوسع ما ترى

صبراً وصدراً في المجال الضيق

صبراً وصدراً في المجال الضيق

He widens patience's field, the most expansive you will see

Rider of the expanse of patience - wider than you see -

in patience and heart when the field is narrow.

Patience and chest on the narrow path.

تدري مواقفه الحميدة أنه

تدري مواقفه الحميدة أنه

خرق له فيهن جرأة أخرق

خرق له فيهن جرأة أخرق

His praiseworthy stands know that he is

You know his praiseworthy positions, that he

a generous man, with a reckless man's daring in them.

Tore through them with a daring unlike any other.

تنهل في الأزمات حمة مشفق

تنهل في الأزمات حمة مشفق

منه وفي العزمات صولة محنق

منه وفي العزمات صولة محنق

In crises, a compassionate man's wellspring flows

In crises you draw protecting zeal from him

from him; in resolute deeds, an enraged man's onslaught.

And in resolves, an enraged assault.

كفل الجواد المستقل بسرجه

كفل الجواد المستقل بسرجه

محراب عسكره وحصن المتقي

محراب عسكره وحصن المتقي

The croup of the noble steed that bears his saddle

The self-sufficient steed of his army he secured

is his army's prayer niche and the fortress of those seeking shelter.

As the sanctuary for his troops and fortress of the righteous.

قد قلت للآمال وهي مسرة

قد قلت للآمال وهي مسرة

عزاً يخاف مذلة المسترزق

عزاً يخاف مذلة المسترزق

I have said to my hopes, as they secretly harbored

I said to hopes - and they are cheerful -

a pride that fears the humiliation of seeking sustenance:

“Honor fears the humiliation of the mercenary.”

الغاية القصوى أمامك فاحضري

الغاية القصوى أمامك فاحضري

جيش المنى واستوعبي واسترزقي

جيش المنى واستوعبي واسترزقي

The ultimate goal lies before you, so summon

The highest goal lies ahead of you so prepare

the army of wishes, embrace them all, and seek provision.

The army of wishes, and comprehend and earn.

وتيقني أن قد وقعت بموقف

وتيقني أن قد وقعت بموقف

أدنى مراتبه العلى وتحققي

أدنى مراتبه العلى وتحققي

And be certain you have reached a station

And be sure that you have come upon a station

whose lowest rank is loftiness; be sure of it.

Whose lowest of ranks is still lofty. Verify!

أعزيز مصر دعوة من واثق

أعزيز مصر دعوة من واثق

نفست عنه خناق حظ موثق

نفست عنه خناق حظ موثق

O Aziz of Egypt, a plea from one who trusts you,

Dear one of Egypt, call of a confident one

for whom you loosened the chokehold of a fettered fortune:

Who sighed relief from the suffocating luck of the destined.

أعتقه من رق الزمان وخله

أعتقه من رق الزمان وخله

وقف الثناء على ولاء المعتق

وقف الثناء على ولاء المعتق

free him from time's bondage, and leave him

Free him from the servitude of time and let him -

with his praise pledged in loyalty to his liberator.

Praise of loyalty - stand for the emancipated.

واسمع محاسن لفظه لا حسنه

واسمع محاسن لفظه لا حسنه

كالدر بل أنقى من الدر النقي

كالدر بل أنقى من الدر النقي

And hear the beauties of his wording: its beauty is not

And listen to the eloquence of his utterance, not its beauty,

like pearls, but purer than pure pearls.

Like a pearl, but purer than untainted pearl.

ما شأن عقد نظامها ضيق ولا

ما شأن عقد نظامها ضيق ولا

أزرت عليها عقدة من منطق

أزرت عليها عقدة من منطق

No constraint marred the necklace of its composition, nor

Why is the string of its order narrow, and why

did any knot of speech detract from it.

Has a knot of logic burdened upon it?

إن أحسنت فلأجل إحسان سرت

إن أحسنت فلأجل إحسان سرت

آمالها في صورة المتألق

آمالها في صورة المتألق

If it has excelled, it is thanks to beneficence; forth coursed

If it did good, it was for the sake of the good. Go gently,

its hopes in radiant form.

Its hopes in the image of the shining one.

لولا ندى ماء السماحة ما غدا

لولا ندى ماء السماحة ما غدا

ماء الفصاحة مهرقاً في مهرق

ماء الفصاحة مهرقاً في مهرق

But for the dew of generosity's water, there would be no

Had it not been for the dew of generosity, the water

water of eloquence poured upon a sheet.

Of eloquence would not have poured in torrents.