ودارِ عَلاً لم يكن غيرُها

ودارِ عَلاً لم يكن غيرُها

لدائرة الفخر من مركزِ

لدائرة الفخر من مركزِ

And a house of eminence—no other has been

A house of lofty heights, none other like it

the center of the circle of pride.

For the circle of pride from its center

بها قد تضمَّن صدرُ النديّ

بها قد تضمَّن صدرُ النديّ

فتىً ليديه الندى يَعتزي

فتىً ليديه الندى يَعتزي

Within it, the assembly’s bosom has embraced

In it the chest of the eminent contained

a youth to whose hands generosity traces its lineage.

A youth, his hands adorned with bounty

صليبُ الصفاة صليبُ القناةِ

صليبُ الصفاة صليبُ القناةِ

عودُ معاليه لم يُغمَزِ

عودُ معاليه لم يُغمَزِ

Hard as rock, firm as a spear-shaft;

The cross of purity, the cross of canal

the stem of his lofty virtues has never yielded to pressure.

The standard of his greatness, unbent

أرى المدحَ يقصُرُ عن شأوهِ

أرى المدحَ يقصُرُ عن شأوهِ

فأَطنب إذا شئت أو أوجز

فأَطنب إذا شئت أو أوجز

I see praise fall short of his stature;

I see praise falls short of his merit

so speak at length if you wish, or be brief.

So elaborate if you wish, or make concise

فلستَ تحيطُ بوصف امرءٍ

فلستَ تحيطُ بوصف امرءٍ

نشا هو والمجدُ في حيِّز

نشا هو والمجدُ في حيِّز

For you cannot fully describe a man

You cannot encompass describing a man

who grew up with glory in the selfsame sphere.

Who arose, he and glory in one place

ربيبُ المكارمِ تِرب السماح

ربيبُ المكارمِ تِرب السماح

قِرى المعتفي ثروةُ المُعوِز

قِرى المعتفي ثروةُ المُعوِز

The fosterling of noble virtues, generosity’s age-mate,

Nurtured in generosity, bred in leniency

the bounty-seeker’s feast, the needy man’s wealth.

The refuge of the protected, wealth of the deprived

فأيَّ العوارفِ لم يبتدئ

فأيَّ العوارفِ لم يبتدئ

وأيّ المواعيد لم يُنجِز

وأيّ المواعيد لم يُنجِز

So what kindness has he not initiated,

Which of the wise did not start with him

and what promise has he not fulfilled?

And which of the promises he did not fulfill

فتىً في صريح العُلى ليس فيه

فتىً في صريح العُلى ليس فيه

لكاشحِ علياهُ من مغمز

لكاشحِ علياهُ من مغمز

A youth of unalloyed eminence, in whom there is no

A youth in the palace of the exalted, none in it

weak spot for a hater of his eminence to exploit.

Of climbers to his heights with a critic

وذو هاجسٍ أينما رجَّه

وذو هاجسٍ أينما رجَّه

فما طلبُ الغيبِ بالمعجز

فما طلبُ الغيبِ بالمعجز

And a man of intuition—wherever he stirs it,

And one anxious, wherever it took him

the search for the unseen is not beyond him.

The unseen was not sought with miracles

تراه خبيراً بلحنِ المقالِ

تراه خبيراً بلحنِ المقالِ

بصيراً بتعميةِ المُلغَز

بصيراً بتعميةِ المُلغَز

You see him versed in the subtleties of speech,

You see him skilled in the melody of speech

clear-sighted through a riddle’s obscurity.

Insightful in the riddles of the obscure

نسجنَ المكارمُ أبرادَهُ

نسجنَ المكارمُ أبرادَهُ

وقلنَ لأيدي الثنا طرِّزي

وقلنَ لأيدي الثنا طرِّزي

The noble virtues wove his mantles,

Generosity wove his cloak

and said to the hands of praise: “Embroider!”

And said to the hands of praise, embroider

ترى الدهر يحلبُ من كفِّه

ترى الدهر يحلبُ من كفِّه

لبونَ ندىً قطُّ لم تعزز

لبونَ ندىً قطُّ لم تعزز

You see Time milking from his palm

You see time milk from his palm

a milch-camel of bounty, never hard to milk.

A gentleness of dew, never parched