زعموا لي أنّ نفسي درّةٌ

زعموا لي أنّ نفسي درّةٌ

تُعجِزُ الوصفَ وجسمي صَدَفَه

تُعجِزُ الوصفَ وجسمي صَدَفَه

They claimed to me that my soul is a pearl,

They claimed my soul's a pearl

Defying description, and my body is its shell.

Beyond words, my body a shell

وأنا واللهِ ما أعرفُها

وأنا واللهِ ما أعرفُها

ليس في الأخلاق مثلُ النَّصَفَه

ليس في الأخلاق مثلُ النَّصَفَه

Yet, by God, I do not know it.

By God, I know it not

Among virtues, nothing equals fairness.

In morals there's nothing as vile

إنّما أعرفُ جسمي وحدَه

إنّما أعرفُ جسمي وحدَه

وأرى أعضاءَه المؤتلفَه

وأرى أعضاءَه المؤتلفَه

I know only my body,

I only know my body

And see its limbs joined together.

And see its joined limbs

آه مني أَعمُرُ الحبسَ الذي

آه مني أَعمُرُ الحبسَ الذي

هو لا شكّ لنفسي متَلفَه

هو لا شكّ لنفسي متَلفَه

Alas for me! I inhabit the prison that

Oh me, I inhabit this prison

Is, without doubt, a place of ruin for my soul.

Which no doubt consumes my soul

يا بَني التلميذ لو وافيتُكم

يا بَني التلميذ لو وافيتُكم

لم تكن نفسي بأهلي شَغِفَه

لم تكن نفسي بأهلي شَغِفَه

O sons of al-Tilmidh, were I to come to you,

O students, had I been with you

My soul would not long for my family.

My soul wouldn't yearn for my family

إنما أطلقتُ كرمانَ بكم

إنما أطلقتُ كرمانَ بكم

إنّكم لي عِوضٌ ما أشرفَه

إنّكم لي عِوضٌ ما أشرفَه

I have divorced Kerman only for your sake;

I set free my generosity upon you

You are a recompense to me—how noble it is!

You are to me the noblest substitute

برئيسِ الحُكَماءِ المرتَجى

برئيسِ الحُكَماءِ المرتَجى

إنّه لي جنّة مُختَرفَه

إنّه لي جنّة مُختَرفَه

Through the chief of physicians, in whom hope is placed,

By the chief of wise men hoped for

He is to me a garden whose fruits are harvested.

He is to me a well-adorned paradise

شمسُ مجدٍ لا تَراها أبدا

شمسُ مجدٍ لا تَراها أبدا

عن سماواتِ العُلا منكسِفَه

عن سماواتِ العُلا منكسِفَه

A sun of glory that you will never see

A sun of glory seen never

Eclipsed from the heavens of exaltation.

Eclipsed from the highest heavens

جَلَّ أن يدرك وصف مجدهِ

جَلَّ أن يدرك وصف مجدهِ

إنّه أكثر من كلِّ صفه

إنّه أكثر من كلِّ صفه

He is too exalted for description to encompass his glory;

Too lofty to be described his glory

Indeed, it surpasses every description.

Greater than any attribute

لو تمكّنتُ لكانت جُملَتي

لو تمكّنتُ لكانت جُملَتي

في زوايا دارِه معتكِفَه

في زوايا دارِه معتكِفَه

If I had the means, my whole being would be

Had I been able, my phrases

Secluded in the corners of his house.

In his abode's corners would've lodged

فبه تَفخَرُ الدنيا التي

فبه تَفخَرُ الدنيا التي

أصبحت من غيره مستنكِفَه

أصبحت من غيره مستنكِفَه

Through him the world takes pride, the world that

Through him the world boasts

Has come to disdain everyone but him.

Now spurned without him

إنّما أحبو بني التلميذ بال

إنّما أحبو بني التلميذ بال

مدح إذ كلّهم ذو معرفه

مدح إذ كلّهم ذو معرفه

I honor the sons of al-Tilmidh only with

I love the students without

Praise, for each of them possesses knowledge.

Praise, all being knowledgeable

فابنُ يحيى منهمُ مُحيِي النّدى

فابنُ يحيى منهمُ مُحيِي النّدى

زادِ في الجود على مَن خَلَفَه

زادِ في الجود على مَن خَلَفَه

For Ibn Yahya, one of them, revives generosity;

Among them Ibn Yahya reviver of dew

He has surpassed in bounty the one he succeeded.

Increased in generosity over predecessors

حقّقَ الكنيةَ من والده

حقّقَ الكنيةَ من والده

كرَما فيه وطبعا ألِفَه

كرَما فيه وطبعا ألِفَه

He has borne out the byname inherited from his father,

He realized the nickname from his father

Through generosity within him and a nature he has embraced.

Generosity and congenial nature

وهمُ مِن صاعدٍ عن سادةٍ

وهمُ مِن صاعدٍ عن سادةٍ

بأبي مجدهمُ ما أنطَفَه

بأبي مجدهمُ ما أنطَفَه

And they descend from Ṣāʿid, from a line of lords;

They from ascending from chiefs

My father be the ransom for their glory—how pure it is!

Through their glory unparalleled

لا تَقِسهُم بالورى كلّهمُ

لا تَقِسهُم بالورى كلّهمُ

فَتَقِس لُبَّ السَرِي بالجُعدُفَه

فَتَقِس لُبَّ السَرِي بالجُعدُفَه

Do not compare them with mankind at large,

Do not compare them to all people

Lest you compare a stream's pure essence with froth.

Lest you compare pearl to shell

فإن إبراهيمَ لا هوتُ العُلا

فإن إبراهيمَ لا هوتُ العُلا

من دعاهُ بشَرا ما أنصفَه

من دعاهُ بشَرا ما أنصفَه

For Ibrahim is the divinity of exaltation;

For Ibrahim did not lower the heights

Whoever calls him human has not done him justice.

Who called him mortal, how unjust!

يا رئيسَ الحكماءِ استَجلِها

يا رئيسَ الحكماءِ استَجلِها

من بناتِ الفِكر بِكراً مُترَفَه

من بناتِ الفِكر بِكراً مُترَفَه

O chief of physicians, behold her unveiled:

O chief of wise men, seek from him

A pampered virgin among the daughters of thought.

The choicest unmarried daughter of thought

إنّني أنفذتُ نَجلي قاصدا

إنّني أنفذتُ نَجلي قاصدا

أشتكي دهرا قليلَ النَّصفَه

أشتكي دهرا قليلَ النَّصفَه

Indeed, I have sent my son with a purpose:

I sent my son to complain

I complain of an age so scant in fairness.

Of a time rarely equitable