1. ثناؤكَ ما هبَّ للناسِمِ

    ضُحىً أم شَذى الزّهَرِ الباسِمِ

    Is it praise of you that wafts to one breathing it

    at midmorning, or the fragrance of smiling flowers?

  2. ومَدْحُكَ ما قدْ بَدا بالطُّروسِ

    أمِ الدُرُّ في راحةِ النّاظِمِ

    And is it praise of you that has appeared on the pages,

    or pearls in the palm of their stringer?

  3. وهَدْيُكَ ما قدْ بَدا للورَى

    دُجىً أم سَنا الكوكبِ العاتمِ

    And is it your guidance that has appeared to humankind

    in darkness, or the radiance of the late-rising star?

  4. وعزْمك ما قد بَدا في الأمورِ

    لنا أم شَبا صفحَة الصّارِمِ

    And is it your resolve that has appeared in affairs

    to us, or the sharp edge of a keen sword's blade?

  5. وَجُودُكَ ما قد هَمى جَوْدُهُ

    أمِ السّحْبُ في غَيْثِها السّاجمِ

    And is it your bounty whose downpour has streamed,

    or the clouds with their pouring rain?

  6. فإنّ أحاديثَ بذْل النّدى

    لمرْويّةٌ عنْكَ عنْ حاتمِ

    For accounts of bestowing bounty

    are indeed handed down through you from Hatim.

  7. كتائبُ جودِكَ أرسَلْتَها

    لدى عبْدِكَ الكاتِبِ النّاظِمِ

    The battalions of your bounty—you sent them

    to your servant, the writer and poet.

  8. ملابِسُ رِفْدِكَ لمّا أتَتْ

    كَلِفْتُ بها كلَفَ الهائِمِ

    When the garments of your bounty arrived,

    I became enamored of them with a lovestruck lover's passion.

  9. إذا اللوْنُ أشرَقَ منْ ثوْبِها

    حَكى الورْدَ في روضهِ النّاعِمِ

    Whenever color shone from their fabric,

    it resembled the rose in its luxuriant garden.

  10. وفيها الذي حُسْنُ ألوانِه

    كزَهْرِ الرّبى الرّائِقِ الباسِمِ

    And among them is one whose beautiful colors

    are like the lovely, smiling blossoms of the hills.

  11. قدِمْتُ على مدحِ مَوْلى الوَرى

    فهيّأ لي تُحفَةَ القادِمِ

    I came to praise the lord of humankind,

    so he prepared for me a gift for one newly arrived,

  12. ألذّ من الماءِ بعْدَ الصّدى

    وأحْلى من الطّيْفِ للحالِمِ

    more delightful than water after thirst,

    and sweeter than a dream-vision to a dreamer.

  13. فأوْرَدتَني للمُنى سَلْسَلاً

    يُرَوّي ظَما غُلّةِ الحائِمِ

    So you led me to a sweet-flowing stream of wishes,

    that slakes the burning thirst of one circling the water.

  14. وجاهُكَ مازالَ سيفاً بكفّي

    وليسَ لهُ الدّهْرَ من ثالِمِ

    And your influence has ever been a sword in my hand,

    and through all time none can notch its edge.

  15. يكُفُّ الخُطوبَ وهل غيرُهُ

    لجَمْعِ الحوادِثِ من هازِمِ

    It wards off calamities; is there any other

    vanquisher of the gathered host of misfortunes?

  16. ألا يا إمامَ الهُدَى هل يُرَى

    سواكَ على الدّهْرِ منْ حاكِمِ

    Behold, O imam of guidance, can there be seen

    throughout time any ruler other than you?

  17. إمامٍ مُوالٍ لبَذْلِ النّدى

    وعالٍ بدين الهُدَى عالِمِ

    An imam constant in bestowing bounty,

    and exalted through the faith of guidance, learned;

  18. جوادٍ إذا سُئِلَ الرّفْدُ منهُ

    لهُ شيمَةُ المُشْفِقِ الرّاحِمِ

    a generous giver who, when bounty is asked of him,

    has the nature of the compassionate and merciful.

  19. ويوْمَ الوغَى سيفُهُ في العِدَى

    لهُ سُطْوةُ الظّافِرِ الغانِمِ

    And on the day of battle, his sword among his foes

    has the might of a victor who wins the spoils.

  20. وإنّي أتيْتُ فقبّلْتُ منهُ

    يَميناً هيَ اليُمْنُ للَّاثِمِ

    And indeed I came, then kissed his

    right hand, which is good fortune to the one who kisses it.

  21. بمَدْحِك شُرِّفْتُ بينَ الوَرَى

    على رغْمِ كل امْرئٍ راغِمِ

    By praising you I was honored among humankind,

    despite every man humbled against his will.

  22. أقرّتْ بفضْلِكَ أمْلاكُها

    وهلْ لِسَنا الشمْسِ منْ كاتِمِ

    The kings of humankind have attested to your excellence;

    and can anyone conceal the sun's radiance?

  23. فدُمْتَ ودهْرُكَ ما إن يُرى

    لفِعْلِ نوالِكَ بالجازِمِ

    So may you endure, and may your lifetime never be seen

    cutting short the act of your giving.