فيا نيّر الدنيا الذي بضيائه

فيا نيّر الدنيا الذي بضيائه

جلا عن محيَّاها ظلامَ الغياهبِ

جلا عن محيَّاها ظلامَ الغياهبِ

So, O luminary of the world, whose radiance

O light of the world, with your brilliance

has swept the darkness of deep gloom from its face.

You have illuminated her from the darkness of obscurities

عجبتُ لمن يبغي عُلاكَ بسعيه

عجبتُ لمن يبغي عُلاكَ بسعيه

وما هو من أبناء هذي المطالبِ

وما هو من أبناء هذي المطالبِ

I marveled at one who seeks your lofty rank through his striving,

I wonder at him who seeks your eminence with his efforts

yet is not one of those born for these pursuits.

Yet he is not from the sons of these aspirations

وما هو إلاَّ كالمناسم لو سعتْ

وما هو إلاَّ كالمناسم لو سعتْ

مدى الدهر لا تسمو سموَّ الغواربِ

مدى الدهر لا تسمو سموَّ الغواربِ

And he is but like camel footpads: even if they traveled

He is but like a minaret, if time

for all eternity, they would never rise to the height of the withers.

Stretched to eternity, cannot attain the loftiness of highlands

وأعجب منه من يجاريك في الندى

وأعجب منه من يجاريك في الندى

وعندك يُلفى باسطاً كفَّ طالبِ

وعندك يُلفى باسطاً كفَّ طالبِ

More astonishing than him is one who rivals you in generosity,

And more wondrous than him is he who competes with you in bounty

yet is found before you, extending a petitioner's hand.

While with you he finds stretched the palm of a seeker

يهابك إذ تبدو مِرجل ضِغنه

يهابك إذ تبدو مِرجل ضِغنه

من الغيظ يغلي منه خلف الترائب

من الغيظ يغلي منه خلف الترائب

He fears you when you appear; the cauldron of his rancor

He fears you when you appear angry

boils with rage within him, behind his breastbones.

From rage boiling behind the curtains

ويطرق إجلالاً بحيث تظنّه

ويطرق إجلالاً بحيث تظنّه

قد انعقدت أهدابه بالحواجب

قد انعقدت أهدابه بالحواجب

And he lowers his head in reverence, so that you think

And he bows in reverence so you'd think

his eyelashes have become knotted to his eyebrows.

His eyelids clasped with eyebrows

فحسبك فخراً أنَّ فرعك ينتمي

فحسبك فخراً أنَّ فرعك ينتمي

لعرق علًى في طينة المجد ضارب

لعرق علًى في طينة المجد ضارب

So it is honor enough for you that your branch traces its descent

So pride yourself that your branch belongs

to a root of eminence, sunk deep in the clay of glory.

To a lofty root striking in the clay of glory

ولو بنداك البحر يُقرَنُ لم يكنْ

ولو بنداك البحر يُقرَنُ لم يكنْ

بجنب نداك البحر نهلةَ شارب

بجنب نداك البحر نهلةَ شارب

And were the sea compared with your generosity, never would

And if the sea were to rival you, it wouldn't be

the sea beside your generosity be even a drinker's draught.

Beside your bounty a drinker's palmful of water