يا شريفاً به يُزانُ المديحُ

يا شريفاً به يُزانُ المديحُ

ويراضُ الزمانُ وهو جموحُ

ويراضُ الزمانُ وهو جموحُ

O noble one, through whom panegyric is adorned,

O noble one through whom praise is adorned,

and Time is tamed, though it runs wild;

And Time is tamed, though it is headstrong.

وإلى بابِ فضلهِ ينتهي القص

وإلى بابِ فضلهِ ينتهي القص

دُ وفي ربعهِ الرجاءُ يريحُ

دُ وفي ربعهِ الرجاءُ يريحُ

at the gate of his bounty every purpose reaches its end,

And at the gate of his bounty the quest ends;

and in his court hope finds rest.

And in his abode hope finds rest.

صالحاً للسماحِ جئت بعصرٍ

صالحاً للسماحِ جئت بعصرٍ

فيه حتَّى الحيا المُرجّى شحيح

فيه حتَّى الحيا المُرجّى شحيح

Worthy of munificence, you came in an age

Fit for generosity, you came in an age

in which even the longed-for rain is miserly.

In which even the hoped-for rain is miserly.

ومسحتَ السماحَ ميتاً بكفٍّ

ومسحتَ السماحَ ميتاً بكفٍّ

عادَ حيٍّا بها فأنت المسيح

عادَ حيٍّا بها فأنت المسيح

You touched generosity, lying dead, with a hand;

And you stroked generosity, lying dead, with a hand;

through that hand it came alive again—thus you are the Messiah.

It lived again through that hand—so you are the Messiah.

لك لاحت مناقبٌ زاهراتٍ

لك لاحت مناقبٌ زاهراتٍ

مثلُها ليس في السماء يَلوح

مثلُها ليس في السماء يَلوح

For you radiant virtues shone forth,

Your radiant virtues shone forth;

whose like does not gleam even in the sky;

Their like does not shine in the sky.

ويدٌ بالندى تحلَّبُ طبعاً

ويدٌ بالندى تحلَّبُ طبعاً

لا كما تحلبَ الغمائمَ ريحُ

لا كما تحلبَ الغمائمَ ريحُ

and a hand that naturally streams with bounty—

And a hand that naturally flows with bounty,

unlike the rainclouds that a wind must milk.

Not as a wind milks the clouds.

فالحيا لا يُميحنا ما يُميح

فالحيا لا يُميحنا ما يُميح

وهو دأباً من درِّها يستميح

وهو دأباً من درِّها يستميح

For the rain does not bestow on us what that hand bestows,

For rain does not give us what he gives,

though ceaselessly it begs bounty from the clouds’ rich flow.

And it constantly begs bounty from that hand's milk.

غبت يا مُنهضي وأقعدني الده

غبت يا مُنهضي وأقعدني الده

ر وعندي من صَرفِه تبريح

ر وعندي من صَرفِه تبريح

You are gone, O you who raised me; Time has laid me low—

You went away, O you who raise me up, and Time laid me low;

—and its vicissitudes have left me in torment.

And I suffer anguish from its vicissitudes.

فبعثتُ الرجاءَ نحوك وفداً

فبعثتُ الرجاءَ نحوك وفداً

واثقاً أنَّه رجاءٌ نجيح

واثقاً أنَّه رجاءٌ نجيح

So I sent hope toward you as an envoy,

So I sent hope toward you as a delegation,

confident that it is a hope destined to succeed.

Confident that this hope would find fulfillment.

فأنلني على تباعدِ وادينا

فأنلني على تباعدِ وادينا

يداً أغتدي بها وأروح

يداً أغتدي بها وأروح

Then grant me, though our two valleys lie far apart,

So grant me, despite our valley's remoteness,

a helping hand by which I may go morning and evening.

A helping hand with which I may go forth in the morning and return in the evening.

فأقم للضُراح مجدُك سامٍ

فأقم للضُراح مجدُك سامٍ

ولحسّادِ مُفخريك الضريح

ولحسّادِ مُفخريك الضريح

Then raise your glory, soaring, toward al-Ḍurāḥ,

So abide, your glory soaring toward al-Durah,

and for those who envy your eulogists, raise the tomb.

And let the grave be for the enviers of your praisers.

صدرُ نادي العُلى له أنتَ قلبٌ

صدرُ نادي العُلى له أنتَ قلبٌ

ولجسم الزمانِ شخْصُك روح

ولجسم الزمانِ شخْصُك روح

The bosom of Glory’s council—you are its heart;

You are the heart in the breast of glory's assembly,

and to the body of Time, your person is a soul.

And your person is the soul of Time's body.