رجاؤكَ في نيلِ السعادةِ بابُ

رجاؤكَ في نيلِ السعادةِ بابُ

وما دونَ من يَبْغِى نَداك حِجابُ

وما دونَ من يَبْغِى نَداك حِجابُ

Hope in you is a gateway to attaining happiness.

Your hope for attaining happiness is a door,

And no barrier stands before one who seeks your bounty.

And none below who seek your friendship have a veil.

إذا أملٌ ناجاك وهْما ففَوْزُه

إذا أملٌ ناجاك وهْما ففَوْزُه

بجملةِ ما يرجوه منك جَواب

بجملةِ ما يرجوه منك جَواب

If a hope confides in you in thought, its attainment

If a hopeful thought whispers to you, its triumph

Of all it hopes for from you is the answer.

Is to obtain from you the entirety of what it desires in response.

يَمينُك للعافِين بحرٌ وجَنَّة

يَمينُك للعافِين بحرٌ وجَنَّة

لها ثَمرٌ لا ينقِضي وعُباب

لها ثَمرٌ لا ينقِضي وعُباب

Your right hand is a sea and a garden for supplicants.

Your right hand is for the prosperous an ocean and paradise,

It has fruit that never ends, and surging waters.

Bearing fruit that never exhausts and clouds that pour.

رَعَى بك فَضْلُ الأفضلِ الملكِ الوَرَى

رَعَى بك فَضْلُ الأفضلِ الملكِ الوَرَى

فنائِلُه غيثٌ وأنت سحاب

فنائِلُه غيثٌ وأنت سحاب

Through you, the bounty of King al-Afḍal has cared for mankind.

With you the excellence of the Most Excellent King is shepherded,

So his largesse is rain, and you are the cloud.

So its obtainer is rain and you are the clouds.

هو البحرُ والأنهار والنِّيل والحَيا

هو البحرُ والأنهار والنِّيل والحَيا

وسائر أَملاكِ الأَنامِ سَراب

وسائر أَملاكِ الأَنامِ سَراب

He is the sea, the rivers, the Nile, and the rain.

He is the sea, the rivers, the Nile and life,

And all other kings of mankind are a mirage.

And the rest of mankind's possessions are a mirage.

أَحَّلك من إجلاله في مَحلَّة

أَحَّلك من إجلاله في مَحلَّة

لهاَ زُحَلٌ والنَّيِّرات تُراب

لهاَ زُحَلٌ والنَّيِّرات تُراب

Out of his esteem for you, he has placed you in a station

From his veneration he has placed you in an exalted position,

Beside which Saturn and the luminaries are dust.

It has Saturn, and the stars are but dust.

فيا نعمةَ اللهِ التي عَمَّت الوَرَى

فيا نعمةَ اللهِ التي عَمَّت الوَرَى

فإنعامُها لم يُغْنِ عنه مَناب

فإنعامُها لم يُغْنِ عنه مَناب

O blessing of God that has embraced all mankind,

O God's blessing that has spread through the world,

For no substitute has sufficed in place of its bounty.

His beneficence did not suffice to provide an alternative.

لِعَبْدِك في ميسورِ فضِلك حاجةٌ

لِعَبْدِك في ميسورِ فضِلك حاجةٌ

نَتيجتُها منه ثَناً وَثَواب

نَتيجتُها منه ثَناً وَثَواب

Your servant has a need easily met by your bounty.

Your servant has some needs within your abundant favor,

Its outcome, through that bounty, is praise and reward.

The fruits of which for him are praise and reward.

وقد حثَّني في قَصْدِكَ الْحَزْمُ والحِجَا

وقد حثَّني في قَصْدِكَ الْحَزْمُ والحِجَا

ومَنْ رأيُه فيما يُشِيرُ صَواب

ومَنْ رأيُه فيما يُشِيرُ صَواب

And prudence and reason have urged me to seek you,

Vigor and zeal have urged me to seek you,

As has one whose judgment is sound in what he advises.

And he whose view indicates what is right.

فحَسْبُ الليالي ما لها فيَّ مَطْمعٌ

فحَسْبُ الليالي ما لها فيَّ مَطْمعٌ

فقد ضَمَّني للقائِدَين جَناب

فقد ضَمَّني للقائِدَين جَناب

So let the nights desist: they have no hope of harming me,

The extent of my ambition for the nights

For the shelter of the two commanders has enfolded me.

Is that the two dear ones have included me in their company.

وأنزلتُ حاجاتي بفضلِ بني أبي ال

وأنزلتُ حاجاتي بفضلِ بني أبي ال

شجاعِ فهم لي ملجأ ومَآب

شجاعِ فهم لي ملجأ ومَآب

And I have entrusted my needs to the bounty of the sons of Abū al-

And I have entrusted my needs through the favor of the children of Abu Al-

Shujāʿ, for they are my refuge and place of return.

Shujaa', for they are my refuge and destination.

فقد أَنْجَحَ اللهُ المَساعي ببابِهم

فقد أَنْجَحَ اللهُ المَساعي ببابِهم

وأَتْعب قوما جانبوه فخابوا

وأَتْعب قوما جانبوه فخابوا

For God has made endeavors succeed at their gate,

Indeed God has made successful the efforts at their door,

And wearied those who shunned it, so they failed.

And a people turned away from it, so they failed.

مَسارح جودٍ للأماني خصيبَةٌ

مَسارح جودٍ للأماني خصيبَةٌ

مَواردُ فضلٍ للعُفاةِ عِذاب

مَواردُ فضلٍ للعُفاةِ عِذاب

Fertile pastures of generosity for wishes,

Fields of generosity for hopes are fertile,

Sweet watering places of bounty for supplicants.

Sources of favor for the destitute are torment.

إليك الْتَجا مَنْ ضامَه الدهرُ واعتدتْ

إليك الْتَجا مَنْ ضامَه الدهرُ واعتدتْ

عليه خُطوب لا تُطاق صِعاب

عليه خُطوب لا تُطاق صِعاب

One whom time oppressed sought refuge with you, beset

He turns to you who has been wronged by fate, and

By grievous calamities beyond endurance.

Insurmountable tribulations have oppressed him.

وكم حائن أَوْدَى به ضَنْك عيشِه

وكم حائن أَوْدَى به ضَنْك عيشِه

وللدهرِ فيه مِخْلَبان وناب

وللدهرِ فيه مِخْلَبان وناب

And many a doomed man was brought to ruin by his straitened life,

And how often ruinous adversity has destroyed a person,

With time's two claws and a fang sunk in him.

And fate has claws and fangs against him.

فنادى أبا عبد الإله على النَّوَى

فنادى أبا عبد الإله على النَّوَى

فنَفَّس ذاك الخطبَ منه خِطاب

فنَفَّس ذاك الخطبَ منه خِطاب

So he called to Abū ʿAbd al-Ilāh from afar,

So he called upon Abu Abdillah in distress,

And a message relieved him of that calamity.

And that dispelled those tribulations from him.

وقد بشرَتْني بالنجاح دَلائلٌ

وقد بشرَتْني بالنجاح دَلائلٌ

وظَنٌّ صَفا سِرّا فليس يُشاب

وظَنٌّ صَفا سِرّا فليس يُشاب

And signs have already brought me glad tidings of success,

And good omens have given me the glad tidings of success,

And an expectation pure within, untouched by taint.

An unadulterated assumption, a secret that cannot be faulted.

فجاهُك موقوف لمن يَسْتَميحَه

فجاهُك موقوف لمن يَسْتَميحَه

وذلك عُرْفٌ لا يُخِلُّ ودَاب

وذلك عُرْفٌ لا يُخِلُّ ودَاب

For your influence is at the service of whoever seeks its aid,

So may your favor attend to whoever seeks it humbly,

And that is unfailing kindness and a constant custom.

For that is a custom that does not fail or pass away.

فعِشْ في حياةِ الأفضل المنعش الوَرَى

فعِشْ في حياةِ الأفضل المنعش الوَرَى

بغامرِ فضلٍ يُرْتَجَى ويُهاب

بغامرِ فضلٍ يُرْتَجَى ويُهاب

So live throughout the life of al-Afḍal, who revives mankind

Then live in the life of the Most Gracious, who revives the world

With overflowing bounty—he is looked to with hope and held in awe.

With abundant favor that is hoped for and revered.