حَمدpraised الركبُthe caravan فيin حماكyour sanctuary مناخَهits resting-place
حَمد الركبُ في حماك مناخَه
حيثُwhere ربّىreared طيرُbirds الرجاhope أفراخَهits chicks
حيثُ ربّى طيرُ الرجا أفراخَه
The caravan praised its resting-place in your sanctuary,
The caravan praised its rest in your protection,
where the birds of hope reared their chicks.
Where the birds of hope raised their chicks.
ياO أخاbrother of المكرماتِnoble deeds كمhow many منof صريخٍone crying for help
يا أخا المكرماتِ كم من صريخٍ
لبنيfor the sons of الدهرِtime قدindeed أغثتَyou aided صُراخهhis cry for help
لبني الدهرِ قد أغثتَ صُراخه
O brother of noble deeds, how many a suppliant
O brother of generosity, how many cries
among time’s sons has had his cry answered by you!
Of the children of time you have answered their screams.
وبكِّمand with the sleeve of العطاءgiving كمhow often مسحتَwiped كفُّhand
وبكِّم العطاء كم مسحتَ كفُّ
كَyour عيناًan eye بدمعِهاwith its tears نضّاخهgushing
كَ عيناً بدمعِها نضّاخه
And with the sleeve of giving, how often has your hand wiped
With your abundant giving, how many palms
an eye gushing with tears.
Have you wiped, like an eye with its flowing tears.
ماnot دعاكcalled on you الأنامُhumankind للخطبِagainst calamity إلاَّexcept
ما دعاك الأنامُ للخطبِ إلاَّ
وبنعليكand with your two sandals قدindeed وطأتَyou trod upon صِماخهits ear-hole
وبنعليك قد وطأتَ صِماخه
Never did humankind call on you against calamity
People only called on you for help,
but you trampled its ear-hole beneath your two sandals.
And with your shoes you stepped on its threshold.
كمhow often حمدناwe praised نقاءَpurity كفِّكyour hand جوداًgenerosity
كم حمدنا نقاءَ كفِّك جوداً
عندbeside كفٍّa hand بُخلاًstinginess ذَممناwe condemned اتساخهits filth
عند كفٍّ بُخلاً ذَممنا اتساخه
How often we praised your hand’s purity for its generosity,
How we praised the purity of your generous palm,
beside a hand whose filth we condemned for its stinginess.
While we blamed a stingy palm for its filth.
ونسخناand we annulled فضلَmerit الكرامِthe noble ومِنand from قرQur- (first part of Qur’an)
ونسخنا فضلَ الكرامِ ومِن قر
آنِ’an (completing Qur’an) علياكyour eminence قدindeed عَرفناwe learned انتساخهits abrogation
آنِ علياك قد عَرفنا انتساخه
We have annulled the merit of the noble, and from the Qur’an
And we copied the superiority of the generous,
of your eminence we have learned its abrogation.
And from the glorious Quran we knew its transcribing.
قمتyou rose فيin ريِّقthe first bloom of الشبيبةِyouth حتَّىuntil
قمت في ريِّق الشبيبةِ حتَّى
سُدتyou became lord over فيin الدهرِthe age بالنُهىthrough wisdom أشياخهits elders
سُدت في الدهرِ بالنُهى أشياخه
You rose in the first bloom of youth, until
You stood among the youth until
through wisdom you became lord over the elders of the age.
You closed in time with prohibitions its old.
غاضَreceded ماءُthe water of الندىbounty عنaway from الوَفدِthe visiting delegations إلاَّexcept
غاضَ ماءُ الندى عن الوَفدِ إلاَّ
منfrom يديكمyour two hands فماso never تغبُّis intermittent نقاخهits pure water
من يديكم فما تغبُّ نقاخه
The water of bounty receded from the visiting delegations, except
The water of dew does not run out on the delegates,
from your two hands—its pure water never ceases.
Except from your hands, so its flowing does not cease.
إنَّindeed بينbetween الندىbounty وبينكand between you عَقداًa covenant
إنَّ بين الندى وبينك عَقداً
أمِنَتfelt safe from وفدُthe visitors راحتيكyour two palms انفساخهits dissolution
أمِنَت وفدُ راحتيك انفساخه
Indeed, between bounty and you there is a covenant
Between the dew and you is a contract,
whose breaking the visitors to your two palms need never fear.
The delegates of your rest are secured from its breach.
إنَّماonly أنتمyou فروعُbranches of فخارٍglory
إنَّما أنتم فروعُ فخارٍ
كانَwere قِدماًof old آباؤُكمyour fathers أسناخهits roots
كانَ قِدماً آباؤُكم أسناخه
You are but branches of glory,
You are but branches of pride,
whose roots your fathers were of old.
Your forefathers were its firm roots.
حيثُwhere ثوبُthe garment of الرجاءِhope ماnot رثَّgrew threadbare إلاَّexcept
حيثُ ثوبُ الرجاءِ ما رثَّ إلاَّ
وإليكمand toward you منهُfrom it أجدَّwas renewed انسلاخهits shedding
وإليكم منهُ أجدَّ انسلاخه
Where hope’s garment never grew threadbare
Where the garment of hope was not worn out except
without hope shedding it anew on its way to you.
From you its most perfect form was derived.
هاكtake this ياO بنson of الكرامِthe noble بنتَa daughter of قريضٍverse
هاك يا بن الكرامِ بنتَ قريضٍ
شَمختwas too lofty أنto يُنيلهاbestow her شمّاخهits Shammakh
شَمخت أن يُنيلها شمّاخه
Take, O son of the noble, a daughter of verse,
That disdained to be touched by a critic.
too lofty for verse’s Shammakh to offer her.
Partial English translation: 23 of 24 Arabic lines translated.
Sol 6.1