ما في شجاعة ذى السخا من شك

ما في شجاعة ذى السخا من شك

البخل جبن عن زوال الملك

البخل جبن عن زوال الملك

There is no doubt of the generous man's courage.

There is no courage in the stingy despite their doubts,

Stinginess is cowardice before the loss of wealth.

Stinginess is cowardice against the fall of the kingdom,

لو جاد بالأموال فأحذر قربه

لو جاد بالأموال فأحذر قربه

يوم النزال فإنه ذو فتك

يوم النزال فإنه ذو فتك

If he gives his wealth freely, beware of coming near him

If he is generous with money, beware of his nearness,

on the day of combat, for his assault is deadly.

On the day of battle he is surely deceitful,

إن الشجاعة من يقين كالسخا

إن الشجاعة من يقين كالسخا

والذل والبخل نتيجا الشك

والذل والبخل نتيجا الشك

Courage springs from certainty, like generosity,

Courage is certainty like generosity,

while abasement and stinginess are the twin fruits of doubt.

And humiliation and stinginess are the result of doubt,

ولقد علمت بأن رزقا قد قضي

ولقد علمت بأن رزقا قد قضي

للمرء ما هو عنه بالمنفك

للمرء ما هو عنه بالمنفك

You know full well that sustenance decreed

I knew that provision is already decreed,

for a man can never be parted from him.

For man whatever is inseparable from him,

لم تخش إقلالا بما أنفقته

لم تخش إقلالا بما أنفقته

لما قطعت الشك قطع الشك

لما قطعت الشك قطع الشك

You feared no poverty from what you spent,

You did not fear scarcity with what you spent,

when you severed doubt, cutting it clean away.

When you cut off doubt you cut off doubt itself,

من قال إن كجود يحيى قد جرى

من قال إن كجود يحيى قد جرى

في الناس كذبناه فيما يحكى

في الناس كذبناه فيما يحكى

Whoever claims that generosity like Yahya's has appeared

Who said generosity flows,

among people—we call him a liar in what he tells.

In people we denied him in what is narrated,

لو أبصروك مؤرخوا كرمائهم

لو أبصروك مؤرخوا كرمائهم

ندموا وقالوا من لنا بالترك

ندموا وقالوا من لنا بالترك

Had the chroniclers of their generous men seen you,

If your chroniclers saw your generosity,

they would have regretted it and said, 'Who will help us leave all that aside?'

They would regret and say who can surpass us?

ضحك الملوك وحق من عاصرته

ضحك الملوك وحق من عاصرته

ورأى حقارة قدره أن يبكي

ورأى حقارة قدره أن يبكي

Kings laugh, yet anyone whose age you share

The kings laughed in truth whoever lived with him,

and who sees his own paltry worth ought to weep.

And saw the lowness of his worth should weep,

أبناء آدم كلهم من طينة

أبناء آدم كلهم من طينة

لكن يحيى طينه من مسك

لكن يحيى طينه من مسك

All Adam's children are made of clay,

All the sons of Adam are from clay,

but Yahya's clay is made of musk.

But Yahya’s clay is made from musk,

شهم فول سبك الرجال جميعهم

شهم فول سبك الرجال جميعهم

رجلا لما كافوه بعد السبك

رجلا لما كافوه بعد السبك

A noble soul: if all men were cast together

Generous, pure metal, the best of all men,

as one man, they would not equal him after the casting.

A man, though they matched him after refining,

الطاره ابن الأشرف الملك الذي

الطاره ابن الأشرف الملك الذي

بالجود أصبح آية في الملك

بالجود أصبح آية في الملك

Al-Tarah, son of al-Ashraf, the king who

Al-Tare son of Al-Ashraf the king who,

through generosity has become a marvel of kingship.

Became a sign in the kingdom through his generosity,

الشح في أبناء آدم شيمة

الشح في أبناء آدم شيمة

والجود تكليف كمثل النسك

والجود تكليف كمثل النسك

Miserliness is a natural trait in Adam's children,

Stinginess is a trait among the sons of Adam,

and generosity an imposed duty, like religious observance.

While generosity is an obligation like fasting,

وطباع يحيى الجود لو لاطفته

وطباع يحيى الجود لو لاطفته

ليشح خاف الشح خوف الشرك

ليشح خاف الشح خوف الشرك

Yet generosity is Yahya's nature: if you coaxed him

And Yahya's nature is generosity, if it were refined,

to be miserly, he would fear miserliness as he fears idolatry.

He would fear stinginess like the fear of idolatry,

جمع المحاسن فيه من أطرافها

جمع المحاسن فيه من أطرافها

منظومة فكأنها في سلك

منظومة فكأنها في سلك

Virtues have been gathered in him from every quarter,

He combines all virtues from their edges,

strung together as though upon a thread.

Arranged as if threaded on a string,

يعطي وأن تشكر يزدك فتستحي

يعطي وأن تشكر يزدك فتستحي

من شكره والحك داعي الحك

من شكره والحك داعي الحك

He gives; and if you thank him, he gives you more, so you feel ashamed

He gives and if you thank him he gives you more,

to thank him—and scratching invites more scratching.

So you are shy to thank him, though gratitude calls for gratitude,

راع المعالي منه جود لم يزل

راع المعالي منه جود لم يزل

يمرى دما أمواله بالسفك

يمرى دما أمواله بالسفك

His generosity has awed the heights of honor; it never ceases

The guardian of glory, his generosity never,

to milk blood from his wealth by shedding it.

Ceased to flow, shedding his wealth in outpouring,

كثرت عطاياه على أمواله

كثرت عطاياه على أمواله

فوجمت مما نالها من هتك

فوجمت مما نالها من هتك

His gifts exceeded his wealth,

His gifts increased over his money,

so I stood speechless at the ravaging it suffered.

So I was silent about what reached them of disclosure,

وهممت أترك بعضها لكنه

وهممت أترك بعضها لكنه

يعطي سواى فلم يفدني تركى

يعطي سواى فلم يفدني تركى

I meant to forgo some of them, but he

And I thought to leave some of it but he,

gives to others, so my forgoing brought me no benefit.

Gives independently so my leaving did not benefit me,

يا رب يحيى قد علمت بأنه

يا رب يحيى قد علمت بأنه

بعطاه وسع كل عيش ضنك

بعطاه وسع كل عيش ضنك

O Lord of Yahya, You know full well that he

O Lord, I knew that Yahya,

through his gifts has eased every straitened life.

With his gifts, eased every straitened life,

يارب أنت بحب من هو دونه

يارب أنت بحب من هو دونه

في الجود فاضمنه ضمان الدرك

في الجود فاضمنه ضمان الدرك

O Lord, by Your love for one who is beneath him

O Lord, you love those below him,

in generosity, stand surety for him against liability.

In generosity, so guarantee him the security of paradise,

وأدم له منك البقا في نعمة

وأدم له منك البقا في نعمة

وأبد عداه وعمهم بالهلك

وأبد عداه وعمهم بالهلك

And grant him lasting life in blessing from You,

And perpetuate his blessings and expand them,

and annihilate his foes, overwhelming them all with ruin.

And destroy his enemies with perdition,

وانصره وانصر كل جيش جره

وانصره وانصر كل جيش جره

واكشف به داجي الخطوب الحلك

واكشف به داجي الخطوب الحلك

Grant him victory, and victory to every army he leads,

And aid him, and aid every army he marched,

and through him dispel the pitch-dark gloom of calamities.

And repel with him the darkened afflictions,