مولايَ يا ذا المنظرِ الزاهرِ

مولايَ يا ذا المنظرِ الزاهرِ

والمنطقِ المنتظمِ الباهرِ

والمنطقِ المنتظمِ الباهرِ

My lord, O you of radiant appearance

My master, O you with the radiant appearance

and well-ordered, dazzling speech,

and the eloquent, well-organized speech

يا حاكماً شاهدُهُ عاملٌ

يا حاكماً شاهدُهُ عاملٌ

على العُلى نفديكَ بالناظرِ

على العُلى نفديكَ بالناظرِ

O judge whose witness labors

O you ruler whose deeds we witness

for eminence—we would ransom you with our eyes.

We sacrifice our sight for your sublime self

أبدعت نثراً قلتُ لَما بدا

أبدعت نثراً قلتُ لَما بدا

كم تركَ الأولُ للآخرِ

كم تركَ الأولُ للآخرِ

You fashioned wondrous prose; when it appeared, I said,

You have created such excellent prose that I said

How much the predecessor has left for the successor!

How much the first left for the next!

وقلتَ شعراً محكماً مثلُهُ

وقلتَ شعراً محكماً مثلُهُ

في الدهر لم يخطرْ على خاطِرِ

في الدهر لم يخطرْ على خاطِرِ

And you composed finely wrought verse, the like of which

And you have composed firm poetry the likes of which

in all time has never occurred to any mind.

Has never occurred in the minds of others in history

فيا سريعَ النظمِ لا زلتَ في

فيا سريعَ النظمِ لا زلتَ في

خيرٍ مديدٍ كاملٍ وافرِ

خيرٍ مديدٍ كاملٍ وافرِ

So, O swift composer of verse, may you ever dwell in

O you quick to compose poetry, you still enjoy

lasting, perfect, abundant well-being.

Enduring, complete, abundant goodness

جَمَّلْتَ مصراً أنتَ مِنْ أهلِهِ

جَمَّلْتَ مصراً أنتَ مِنْ أهلِهِ

وسُدْتَ في البادي وفي الحاضرِ

وسُدْتَ في البادي وفي الحاضرِ

You adorned a city of whose people you are one,

You have beautified Egypt, you who are one of its people

and became preeminent among nomads and townspeople.

And you have excelled among nomads and city dwellers alike

فأنتَ نورُ الدينِ عدلاً ومَنْ

فأنتَ نورُ الدينِ عدلاً ومَنْ

يُسْمى به غيرُكَ كالجائرِ

يُسْمى به غيرُكَ كالجائرِ

So you are rightly Nur al-Din, the Light of the Faith; and whoever

For you are the light of religion and justice and none

else bears that name is like a tyrant.

Other than you deserves to be named as such without injustice

وإنما كلفتني خطةً

وإنما كلفتني خطةً

تُوهي قوى المستأسدِ الخادِرِ

تُوهي قوى المستأسدِ الخادِرِ

Yet you have charged me with a task

You have burdened me with a plan

that saps the strength of a lion in its lair.

That will distract the powers of the roaring lion

قلتَ أجزني وأنا قطرةٌ

قلتَ أجزني وأنا قطرةٌ

واحدةٌ من بحرِكَ الزاخرِ

واحدةٌ من بحرِكَ الزاخرِ

You said, “Answer me in verse,” while I am a drop,

You said "Permit me" and I am but a single drop

a single one from your surging sea.

From your abundant, streaming sea

يوسفُ أعرِضْ ما الذي تبتغي

يوسفُ أعرِضْ ما الذي تبتغي

مِنْ عمرَ المعدولِ مِنْ عامِرِ

مِنْ عمرَ المعدولِ مِنْ عامِرِ

Yusuf, turn away! What is it you seek

Turn away, O Yusuf! What is it you seek

from Umar, the altered form of Amir?

From a life short of years and bereft of prosperity?

أمرتني ما أنتَ أولى به

أمرتني ما أنتَ أولى به

فشرِّف المأمورُ بالآمرِ

فشرِّف المأمورُ بالآمرِ

You commanded me to do what you are better suited to,

You have commanded me what you are more worthy of

thus the commanded was honored by the commander.

Thus the commanded one is ennobled by the commander

فإن أُخالفْ لم يلقَ بي وإنْ

فإن أُخالفْ لم يلقَ بي وإنْ

أطعتُ أخشى هزأةَ الناظرِ

أطعتُ أخشى هزأةَ الناظرِ

If I disobey, it ill befits me; and if

If I were to disobey, none would blame me, yet if

I obey, I fear the onlooker’s mockery.

I obeyed, I would fear people's ridicule

وطاعتي أمرَكَ ألفيْتُها

وطاعتي أمرَكَ ألفيْتُها

أولى وإن شقَّتْ على خاطري

أولى وإن شقَّتْ على خاطري

And I found obedience to your command

But obeying your command I have found

more fitting, though it burdened my mind.

Best, even if it weighs heavily on my mind

أجزتُ مولايَ كما جوّزوا

أجزتُ مولايَ كما جوّزوا

صرفَ سوى المصروفِ للشاعرِ

صرفَ سوى المصروفِ للشاعرِ

I answered my lord in verse, just as they have allowed

So I have permitted, my lord, as others permit

a poet to fully decline nouns normally denied full declension,

Diverting money away from where the poet intends it

ضرورةً إذ لست أهلاً لما

ضرورةً إذ لست أهلاً لما

ظننتَ يا طائلُ بالقاصرِ

ظننتَ يا طائلُ بالقاصرِ

out of necessity, for I am not worthy of what

Out of necessity, since I do not deserve what

you thought, O man of great merit, of one so deficient.

You supposed, O you whose expectations exceed my capacity

إجازةً لو أنني منصف

إجازةً لو أنني منصف

سألتُها من فضلِكَ الغامرِ

سألتُها من فضلِكَ الغامرِ

A poetic response which, were I fair,

A permission which, had I been equitable,

I would have sought from your overflowing bounty.

I would have sought from your abundant grace

مثلُكَ لا يُجهلُ مقدارُهُ

مثلُكَ لا يُجهلُ مقدارُهُ

ولا سجايا بيتكِ الطاهرِ

ولا سجايا بيتكِ الطاهرِ

The worth of one like you is not unknown,

One like you, his worth is not ignored

nor are the virtues of your pure household.

Nor the agreeable qualities of your pure home

حكمتَ في الشهباءِ فرعاً عن ال

حكمتَ في الشهباءِ فرعاً عن ال

شرعِ وعن طَشْتمرَ الناصري

شرعِ وعن طَشْتمرَ الناصري

You judged in al-Shahba as a deputy for the

You have ruled regarding al-Shahba diverting from

sacred law, and for Tashtamur al-Nasiri.

Religious and secular law, like al-Nasiri in Tishtimur

فما رأينا منكَ إلاّ الذي

فما رأينا منكَ إلاّ الذي

يَسرُّ في الباطنِ والظاهرِ

يَسرُّ في الباطنِ والظاهرِ

And we have seen from you nothing but what

We have seen none from you but that

delights, inwardly and outwardly:

Which pleases openly and secretly

حكْمٌ عفيفٌ نَزِهٌ محسنٌ

حكْمٌ عفيفٌ نَزِهٌ محسنٌ

بَرٌّ مقيلٌ عثرةَ العاثرِ

بَرٌّ مقيلٌ عثرةَ العاثرِ

upright, untainted, beneficent judgment,

A discreet, clean, beautiful, righteous judgment

benevolent, pardoning the stumbler’s lapse,

Removing stumbling blocks from the stumbler's path

مسدَّد الأحكامِ حتى غدا

مسدَّد الأحكامِ حتى غدا

حكمُكَ مثلَ المثلِ السائر

حكمُكَ مثلَ المثلِ السائر

rightly guided in its rulings, until

With rulings made firm such that your judgment

your judgment became like a widely circulating proverb.

Has become proverbial

فاللهُ لا يجعلُهُ آخرَ ال

فاللهُ لا يجعلُهُ آخرَ ال

عهدِ لنا من وجهكَ الناضرِ

عهدِ لنا من وجهكَ الناضرِ

So may God not make this the last

So may God never make this the last

time we behold your radiant face.

We see of your radiant face

ودمتَ في عزٍّ وفي رفعةٍ

ودمتَ في عزٍّ وفي رفعةٍ

يا قدوةَ الناظمِ والناثرِ

يا قدوةَ الناظمِ والناثرِ

And may you endure in honor and high station,

And may you remain in glory and loftiness

O exemplar for poets and prose-writers.

O exemplar of poet and prose writer alike!