يا صاح قل لي على تلك البراعات

يا صاح قل لي على تلك البراعات

ألؤلؤٌ هي في زي العبارات

ألؤلؤٌ هي في زي العبارات

O friend, tell me of those marvels of artistry.

O friend, tell me about those marvels:

Are they pearls arrayed in the garb of phrases?

Are they pearls in the garb of phrases?

أم تلك أقمار حسن قد أحاط بها

أم تلك أقمار حسن قد أحاط بها

من حول نقطتها دارات هالات

من حول نقطتها دارات هالات

Or are they moons of beauty, encircled

Or are those moons of beauty, encircled

Around their central point by rings of halos?

around their center by rings of halos?

أم دوحة صاح فيها الطير وابتسمت

أم دوحة صاح فيها الطير وابتسمت

آقاحها عن ثغورٍ لؤلؤيات

آقاحها عن ثغورٍ لؤلؤيات

Or a spreading tree where birds sang, and whose daisies

Or a spreading tree where birds sang, and there smiled

Smiled from pearly mouths?

its daisies, revealing pearly mouths?

أم الصبا من ربى نجد معطرة

أم الصبا من ربى نجد معطرة

أدت لنا منهمو أسنى التحيات

أدت لنا منهمو أسنى التحيات

Or the east wind, perfumed by the highlands of Najd,

Or the east wind, perfumed from the hills of Najd,

Conveying to us from them the loftiest greetings?

bearing to us from them the most splendid greetings?

أم ذا كتاب لنا ألفاظُه كشفت

أم ذا كتاب لنا ألفاظُه كشفت

عن المحجب من فنِّ الجراحات

عن المحجب من فنِّ الجراحات

Or is this a book whose words have unveiled for us

Or is this a book for us, whose words have unveiled

What had lain hidden in the art of surgery?

what was veiled in the art of surgery?

أبان عن كل ما يعنو الطبيب له

أبان عن كل ما يعنو الطبيب له

وحار في فهمهِ أهل الدرايات

وحار في فهمهِ أهل الدرايات

It made plain all that concerns the physician,

It revealed all before which the physician bows,

Though the learned were baffled in understanding it.

and which the learned were at a loss to understand.

فلو رآه أبقراطٌ وشيعته

فلو رآه أبقراطٌ وشيعته

لقال من مبتدا هذا نهاياتي

لقال من مبتدا هذا نهاياتي

Had Hippocrates and his followers seen it,

Had Hippocrates and his followers seen it,

He would have said, “Where this begins, I reach my limits.”

he would have said, 'My final attainments lie at this book's beginning.'

ولو تبين جالينوسُ موقعَه

ولو تبين جالينوسُ موقعَه

لحار في وصف هذي الابتداعات

لحار في وصف هذي الابتداعات

And had Galen discerned its worth,

And had Galen discerned its standing,

He would have been bewildered trying to describe these innovations.

he would have been at a loss to describe these innovations.

ألفاظه الغرّ يستشفي المريض بها

ألفاظه الغرّ يستشفي المريض بها

بلا معاناةِ كدّ أو مشقات

بلا معاناةِ كدّ أو مشقات

Through its brilliant words the sick seek healing,

Through its radiant words the patient seeks healing,

Without suffering drudgery or hardship.

without enduring toil or hardships.

تالله ما تقدر الحساد تنكر ما

تالله ما تقدر الحساد تنكر ما

في لفظه من بديع أو بلاغات

في لفظه من بديع أو بلاغات

By God, the envious cannot deny what

By God, the envious cannot deny what

Rhetorical beauty or eloquence lies in its wording,

rhetorical artistry or eloquence its wording contains,

ولا جزالة معناه الجليّ ولا

ولا جزالة معناه الجليّ ولا

إنكار ما فيه من لطف الإشارات

إنكار ما فيه من لطف الإشارات

Nor the vigor of its manifest meaning; nor can they

nor the force of its clear meaning, nor

Deny the subtlety of the indications within it.

can they deny the delicacy of its allusions.

هيهات من ذا الذي في الكون يجحد ما

هيهات من ذا الذي في الكون يجحد ما

لأحمدٍ من براهينِ وآيات

لأحمدٍ من براهينِ وآيات

Far from it! Who in all creation could deny what

Far from it! Who in the universe could deny

Ahmad possesses of proofs and signs?

the proofs and signs that belong to Ahmad?

ألس نجلَ الذي عمّت محامده

ألس نجلَ الذي عمّت محامده

شرقاً وغرباً بآصال وبُكْرات

شرقاً وغرباً بآصال وبُكْرات

Indeed, Ahmad is the scion of him whose praises have spread

Is he not the son of one whose praises have spread

East and west, through evenings and mornings.

east and west, in the evenings and early mornings?