بعيشك دع ما قد مضى يا ابن يوسفا

بعيشك دع ما قد مضى يا ابن يوسفا

فما فات لن يؤسى عليه ويوسفا

فما فات لن يؤسى عليه ويوسفا

By your life, leave what has passed, O son of Yusuf.

Live your life and let go of what has passed, O Ibn Yusuf

For what is gone will not be mourned or regretted.

What is gone will not be grieved over, not even Yusuf

وعد بصلات من نداك على الذي

وعد بصلات من نداك على الذي

من البعد والاملاق امسى على شفا

من البعد والاملاق امسى على شفا

And bestow gifts from your bounty upon one

Promise with prayers from the one who calls you, the One

Whom separation and poverty have brought to the brink.

Who from afar and hopes has drawn near and recovered

واني الى لقياك زدت تشوقا

واني الى لقياك زدت تشوقا

واني الى جدوا زدت تشوقا

واني الى جدوا زدت تشوقا

And I have grown more eager to meet you,

To seeing you again I grew eager

And I have grown more eager for bounty.

To your generosity I grew eager

وما طال ذاك البعد الا لشقوتي

وما طال ذاك البعد الا لشقوتي

وحاشاك من هذا التباعد والجفا

وحاشاك من هذا التباعد والجفا

That separation has lasted so long only because of my misfortune;

That long absence was only for my misery

Far be it from you to show such estrangement and coldness.

Far be from you this estrangement and disdain

وها قد وهى حيلي وعز تجلدي

وها قد وهى حيلي وعز تجلدي

ومني عفى صبري ودهر ما عفا

ومني عفى صبري ودهر ما عفا

And behold, my strength has weakened, and my fortitude is hard to muster.

My stratagems failed me, and my patience and endurance waned

My patience has faded away, while time has shown no mercy.

My forbearance gave out, and fate never spared

وامسيت لا خلا اراه موافيا

وامسيت لا خلا اراه موافيا

ولا سيدا القاه في المدح منصفا

ولا سيدا القاه في المدح منصفا

And now I see no friend coming to visit,

I have come to have no companion or friend

Nor a lord I meet who gives my praise its fair due.

Or master whom I praise fairly

ويكفيك من حالي باني امروؤٌ أخو

ويكفيك من حالي باني امروؤٌ أخو

كفاف واحلى العيش ما بعضه كفى

كفاف واحلى العيش ما بعضه كفى

This suffices to tell you my condition: I am a man of

It is enough of my state that I am a man whose

Bare subsistence; the sweetest life is one where a little suffices.

Sustenance suffices, and the sweetest life is partly enough

وها قصة الشكوى اليك رفعتها

وها قصة الشكوى اليك رفعتها

وبعض الذي القى ابنت وما خفى

وبعض الذي القى ابنت وما خفى

And here is my tale of complaint, which I have laid before you.

This is the tale of woe I have raised to you

I have made plain some of what I suffer, and what lay hidden.

Some of what I faced, though more remains obscured

لعل عسى لي ان تجود بخادم

لعل عسى لي ان تجود بخادم

يعين على البلوى المعنى المعناف

يعين على البلوى المعنى المعناف

Perhaps, I hope, you will grant me a servant

Perhaps, hopefully, you may generously grant me a servant

Who helps the afflicted, harshly treated man through his trials.

To aid me against calamities, sincere and true

فان سمحت يوما به النفس فالمنى

فان سمحت يوما به النفس فالمنى

والا فإني واثق منك بالوفا

والا فإني واثق منك بالوفا

If one day your soul willingly grants him, my wishes are fulfilled;

If someday you allow it, then my wish is fulfilled

And if not, I remain confident of your faithfulness.

Otherwise, I'm confident in you and your loyalty

لعلمي ان الجود فيك سجية

لعلمي ان الجود فيك سجية

وما زال طبعا فيكم لا تكلفا

وما زال طبعا فيكم لا تكلفا

For I know that generosity is innate in you,

I know generosity is your nature

And has always been your nature, never an affectation.

And it remains your way without pretense

وانك لي كنز وما ثم مانع

وانك لي كنز وما ثم مانع

وتسعى على نفعي ولن تتوقفا

وتسعى على نفعي ولن تتوقفا

And you are a treasure to me, with no hindrance;

You are a treasure to me, with no obstacle

You strive for my good and will never hold back.

You strive for my benefit and will not halt

وما زلت لي في سالف الدهر مسعدا

وما زلت لي في سالف الدهر مسعدا

وعونا على صرف الزمان ومسعفا

وعونا على صرف الزمان ومسعفا

In bygone days you have always been my supporter,

You have always brought me good fortune

A help against time's vicissitudes, and one who comes to my aid.

And aided me in fate's turning, a true ally

وحاشاك ان تصغى لقول مفند

وحاشاك ان تصغى لقول مفند

وعذل عذول لام جهلا وعنفا

وعذل عذول لام جهلا وعنفا

Far be it from you to heed a detractor's words,

Far be it from you to heed slander

And the rebuke of a censurer who laid blame ignorantly and harshly.

And the rebuke of a blamer in ignorance and violence

ينمق قول الزور فينا تعمدا

ينمق قول الزور فينا تعمدا

ومن حسد يلقي الحديث المزخرفا

ومن حسد يلقي الحديث المزخرفا

He deliberately embellishes falsehoods about us,

Who deliberately utters false words about us

And out of envy utters embellished talk.

And out of envy casts adorned tales

فلا زلت برا بالعفاة ومحسنا

فلا زلت برا بالعفاة ومحسنا

تجود عليهم منة وتعطفا

تجود عليهم منة وتعطفا

So may you always be kind to supplicants and do good,

You remain righteous, gracious to the weak

Bestowing favors and compassion upon them.

Bestowing kindness and sympathy on them

ولا زال مدحي فيك مسكا ختامه

ولا زال مدحي فيك مسكا ختامه

يضمخ رباه به من تعرفا

يضمخ رباه به من تعرفا

And may my praise of you ever have musk as its seal,

My praise of you remains sealed with musk

With which whoever comes to know it perfumes its heights.

Scenting those who know you with its perfume

ودمت قرير العين لشمل جامعا

ودمت قرير العين لشمل جامعا

وأيامكم أوقاتها كلها صفا

وأيامكم أوقاتها كلها صفا

And may you remain glad of eye, keeping loved ones united,

Remain the delight of my eye, gathering all

And may your days, through all their hours, be serene,

With your days wholly clear and serene

مدى الدهر ما هب النسيم بحاجر

مدى الدهر ما هب النسيم بحاجر

وغنت على بان النقا الورق هتفا

وغنت على بان النقا الورق هتفا

For all time, as long as the breeze blows at Hajir,

As long as the wind blows through the stones

And gray doves sing aloud on the dune's ban-trees.

And the leaves of the branches sing out