تَباشَرَتِ المَدائحُ والقَوافِي

تَباشَرَتِ المَدائحُ والقَوافِي

مُذِ اتَّصلتْ بمولانا العَوافِي

مُذِ اتَّصلتْ بمولانا العَوافِي

The praise poems and rhymes rejoiced together,

The poems and rhymes flourished

Since good health came to our lord.

Since they were connected to our Master Al-Awafi

وهَذَّبتِ الخواطرُ كلَّ معنىً

وهَذَّبتِ الخواطرُ كلَّ معنىً

كما راقتْ مُعَتَّقةُ السُّلاف

كما راقتْ مُعَتَّقةُ السُّلاف

And thoughts refined every meaning,

And the ideas were refined into every meaning

As aged, choice wine grew clear.

As the necklaces were pleasing when uncovered

وبَرَّدتِ المَسرَّةُ كلَّ قلبٍ

وبَرَّدتِ المَسرَّةُ كلَّ قلبٍ

يُحرِّق بالأسى حُللَ الشَّغاف

يُحرِّق بالأسى حُللَ الشَّغاف

And joy cooled every heart

And happiness cooled every heart

That sets the robes of its sheath ablaze with sorrow.

Burning with sorrow from wearing veils

ومُهِّدتِ المَضاجعُ بعد فكرٍ

ومُهِّدتِ المَضاجعُ بعد فكرٍ

حَشاها بالأسنة والأشافي

حَشاها بالأسنة والأشافي

And beds were smoothed after brooding

And the beds were prepared after thinking

Had filled them with spearheads and awls.

That filled them with tongues and lips

ورَوَّى جودُ كفِّك كلَّ حالٍ

ورَوَّى جودُ كفِّك كلَّ حالٍ

تَلظَّتْ فيه هاجِرةُ الجَفاف

تَلظَّتْ فيه هاجِرةُ الجَفاف

And your hand's bounty watered every circumstance

And your generosity quenched every condition

Where drought's noonday heat had blazed.

In which the emigrant of drought was parched

وأشرقَ نورُ وجهك عند خوفٍ

وأشرقَ نورُ وجهك عند خوفٍ

بَهيمٍ مثلِ خافيةِ الغُداف

بَهيمٍ مثلِ خافيةِ الغُداف

And your face's light shone amid a fear

And the light of your face shone in fear

Pitch-dark, like a raven's inner flight-feather.

Like the hidden predawn darkness

فراقَ العيشُ واحْلَوْلَى وكنا

فراقَ العيشُ واحْلَوْلَى وكنا

نُجَرَّعه أُجاجا غيرَ صاف

نُجَرَّعه أُجاجا غيرَ صاف

So life grew pleasant and sweet; we had been

The bitterness of life and homesickness

Made to swallow it, bitterly salty and turbid.

We were made to drink violently, not pure

أَلاَ يا كعبةَ الجود التي لم

أَلاَ يا كعبةَ الجود التي لم

يَخلَّ بها رجاءٌ مِن طواف

يَخلَّ بها رجاءٌ مِن طواف

Ah, O Kaaba of generosity, around which

Oh Kaaba of generosity in which

No hope has ever failed to make its circuit:

No hope was absent from circling

إذا الآمالُ أَمْرَضها إياسٌ

إذا الآمالُ أَمْرَضها إياسٌ

فأَمستْ ذات أنفاسٍ ضِعاف

فأَمستْ ذات أنفاسٍ ضِعاف

When despair has sickened hopes,

When hopes were made sick by despair

And they are left with feeble breaths,

And became of faint breaths

فجَدْوى راحتَيْك لها طبيبٌ

فجَدْوى راحتَيْك لها طبيبٌ

يُعافى بالعطايا غيرَ عاف

يُعافى بالعطايا غيرَ عاف

The bounty of your two palms is their physician,

So your comfort is their healer

Who heals with gifts, not asking for them.

Who cures without wellness with grants

لأمر الآمرِ انتهتِ الليالي

لأمر الآمرِ انتهتِ الليالي

على حالَيْ وفاقٍ واختلاف

على حالَيْ وفاقٍ واختلاف

To al-Amir's command the nights have yielded,

By the command of the Commander, the nights ended

In both their states of accord and discord.

In my state of concord and disagreement

فهن لِحزْبِه الشهد لكنْ

فهن لِحزْبِه الشهد لكنْ

لمن عاداه كالسُّم الذُّعاف

لمن عاداه كالسُّم الذُّعاف

So to his followers they are honey in the comb, but

For they are his party’s honey but

To whoever opposes him, like deadly poison.

To his enemies like lethal poison

فيا ابنَ الطائرين إلى المعالي

فيا ابنَ الطائرين إلى المعالي

بوافرةِ القَوادمِ والخَوافي

بوافرةِ القَوادمِ والخَوافي

So, O son of those who soar to the heights of glory

Oh son of the two birds to the heights

With abundant outer and inner flight-feathers,

With abundant arrivals and departures

مدحتك واختصرت وذاك معنى

مدحتك واختصرت وذاك معنى

أُشير به أفهامٍ لِطاف

أُشير به أفهامٍ لِطاف

I praised you and kept it brief; that holds a meaning

I praised you and summarized, and that is the meaning

By which I offer a hint to discerning minds.

I hint with perceptions subtle

لأني إنْ أطلتُ المدحَ جهدي

لأني إنْ أطلتُ المدحَ جهدي

فبالتَّقْصيرِ آخرُه اعْترافِي

فبالتَّقْصيرِ آخرُه اعْترافِي

For if I prolonged my praise with all my might,

For if I prolonged praise, my effort

It would end in my confession of falling short.

Would end with admitting my shortcoming

ومدحُك في كتابِ الله نَصٌّ

ومدحُك في كتابِ الله نَصٌّ

وحَسْبُك منه كافٍ أَيُّ كاف

وحَسْبُك منه كافٍ أَيُّ كاف

And praise of you is explicit in God's Book,

And your praise in God's book is a text

And from it you have enough—more than enough.

And your sufficiency from it is enough, whatever enough

بقيتَ مُمتَّعا بالعيشِ تُفْدَى

بقيتَ مُمتَّعا بالعيشِ تُفْدَى

بمهجةِ كلِّ مُتنِعلٍ وحاف

بمهجةِ كلِّ مُتنِعلٍ وحاف

May you continue to enjoy life, ransomed

You remain enjoying life ransomed

With the lifeblood of everyone shod or barefoot.

With the delight of each inaccessible and present

مُهَنُّى ما حَييتَ بكلِّ عامٍ

مُهَنُّى ما حَييتَ بكلِّ عامٍ

يَسرُّك في قدومٍ وانصراف

يَسرُّك في قدومٍ وانصراف

May you be blessed throughout your life with every year

Congratulated every year you live

That delights you in its coming and its passing.

Happy with arrival and departure

تُودِّع كلَّ مُرتحِل مُوَلٍّ

تُودِّع كلَّ مُرتحِل مُوَلٍّ

وتَلْقَي كلَّ مُقْتَبِلٍ مُواف

وتَلْقَي كلَّ مُقْتَبِلٍ مُواف

You bid farewell to every traveler turning away,

Farewelling each traveler friend

And meet every approaching one as it arrives.

And meeting each newcomer ally

مَخوفَ البطشِ مَرْجُوَّ العطايا

مَخوفَ البطشِ مَرْجُوَّ العطايا

فسُخْطُك مُهْلِك ورِضاك شاف

فسُخْطُك مُهْلِك ورِضاك شاف

Feared for your might, looked to for your gifts—

Fearsome of might, hopeful of gifts

For your wrath is deadly, and your favor heals.

So your displeasure destroys, and your approval heals