بك المناصب في العلياء تفتخر

بك المناصب في العلياء تفتخر

وذكر مجدك في الآفاق منتشر

وذكر مجدك في الآفاق منتشر

High offices take pride in you in the heights,

You take pride in high offices,

And the fame of your glory spreads across the horizons.

And the mention of your glory spreads in horizons.

وحزت في فلك العلياء منزلة

وحزت في فلك العلياء منزلة

من دونها المشتري والأنجم الزهر

من دونها المشتري والأنجم الزهر

You have attained a station in the sphere of the heights,

You have attained a lofty position in the circle of the eminent,

Beneath which stand Jupiter and the shining stars.

Below it are Venus and the shining stars.

نعم وطابت بك الأيام واعتدلت

نعم وطابت بك الأيام واعتدلت

والدهر مما جنى قد جاء يعتذر

والدهر مما جنى قد جاء يعتذر

Yes, through you the days grew pleasant and harmonious,

Yes, the days have been blessed by you and set right,

And Time has come apologizing for the wrong it wrought.

And time has come to apologize for what it had yielded.

وما برحت يحمد الله منتصرا

وما برحت يحمد الله منتصرا

ولم يخب من بحمد الله ينتصر

ولم يخب من بحمد الله ينتصر

And you have ever remained victorious—God be praised.

You have not ceased thanking God victorious,

And none who seeks victory by praising God has failed.

And those who thank God are never disappointed.

يكفيك أن العدا من مكرهم رجعوا

يكفيك أن العدا من مكرهم رجعوا

بغيظهم وبهم قد حاق ما مكروا

بغيظهم وبهم قد حاق ما مكروا

It is enough for you that your foes returned from their plotting

It suffices you that the enemies in their cunning went back,

In rage, while their own plots recoiled upon them.

Out of rage and frustration over their failed plots.

ابشر فسعدك وافى بيت عاشره

ابشر فسعدك وافى بيت عاشره

والعز حل به والنصر والظفر

والعز حل به والنصر والظفر

Rejoice: your lucky star has reached its tenth house,

Receive good news, your fortune is perfect

And honor has settled there, with victory and triumph.

And glory, victory and triumph have descended upon it.

فقل لمن في العلا اضحى بناظره

فقل لمن في العلا اضحى بناظره

أقصر فعنديَ فيما قلته نظر

أقصر فعنديَ فيما قلته نظر

So tell whoever has set his gaze on the heights:

So say to those looking down from the heights,

'Desist, for I have reservations about what you have said.'

"Make it brief, for in what you have said, I see no merit."

هذا سماء أياديه تفيض لنا

هذا سماء أياديه تفيض لنا

منها النوال وسحب الجود تتهمر

منها النوال وسحب الجود تتهمر

He is a sky whose favors overflow for us;

This is a sky whose hands rain down on us

From it comes bounty, and clouds of generosity pour down.

Grants and clouds of generosity pouring forth.

بحر حلا موردا طابت مصادره

بحر حلا موردا طابت مصادره

والعذب يحمد منه الورد والصدر

والعذب يحمد منه الورد والصدر

A sea sweet to drink from, delightful to depart from;

A sea whose streams are sweet,

And with sweet water, both approach and departure are praised.

Roses and breasts praise its fresh water.

بالقول والفعل قد ابدى مطالعة

بالقول والفعل قد ابدى مطالعة

فاللفظ منتظم والدر منتثر

فاللفظ منتظم والدر منتثر

In word and deed he has offered a presentation:

In words and deeds, it has shown noble character,

His words are strung together, his pearls scattered.

Speech adorned, and pearls scattered about.

قالوا فمن ذا الذي تعنى فقلت لهم

قالوا فمن ذا الذي تعنى فقلت لهم

مولى هو الروح وهو السمع والبصر

مولى هو الروح وهو السمع والبصر

They asked, 'Who is this you mean?' I told them:

They asked: “Who is it you speak of?” I said to them:

A lord who is the soul, who is hearing and sight:

“The Spirit itself, the Hearing and Sight.”

قاضي القضاة ولي الدين من شهدت

قاضي القضاة ولي الدين من شهدت

بفضله وعلاه البدو الحضر

بفضله وعلاه البدو الحضر

The chief of judges, Wali al-Din, whose witnesses

The judge of judges and guardian of faith, witnessed by

To his virtue and high rank are nomads and townsfolk.

Nomad and settled as sublime and virtuous.

بحر الوفا روضة العليا وبهجتها

بحر الوفا روضة العليا وبهجتها

حاوي رياض المعاني روضها النضر

حاوي رياض المعاني روضها النضر

A sea of fidelity, the garden of eminence and its delight,

The sea of loyalty, the garden of the exalted, and their delight,

Embracing the gardens of meaning, their verdant meadow.

Containing the meadows of meanings, their freshest garden.

قطب المعالي بديع في محاسنه

قطب المعالي بديع في محاسنه

مطول المدح في معناه مختصر

مطول المدح في معناه مختصر

The axis of high virtues, peerless in his excellences;

Pinnacle of glories, excellent in his virtues,

Even lengthy praise of him is but an abridgment.

Laudable in meaning, though succinct in praise.

كهف الندى من اليه تهرع الشعرا

كهف الندى من اليه تهرع الشعرا

في العسر كالنمل احزابا وهم زمر

في العسر كالنمل احزابا وهم زمر

A refuge of generosity, to whom the poets rush

Cave of dew, to which the poetry swarms

In hardship, like ants, in bands and throngs.

In times of need, like ants in droves.

يقل عند اياديه ونائلها

يقل عند اياديه ونائلها

يوم الندى الاجودان البحر والمطر

يوم الندى الاجودان البحر والمطر

Beside his favors and their bounty dwindle,

It says, at the hands of its grantor:

On a day of giving, those two supreme givers: the sea and rain.

On a rainy day, the most generous are the sea and rain.

تخاله عند بذل المكرمات وقد

تخاله عند بذل المكرمات وقد

تهلل الوجه منه انه التمر

تهلل الوجه منه انه التمر

You would think him, as he bestows noble gifts and

You’d think, when he grants honours, his face

His face beams, to be the moon [conjecture; the text reads 'dates'].

Lights up — yes, he is the fruitful date palm.

بحمد سيرته الامثال قد ضريت

بحمد سيرته الامثال قد ضريت

أهذه سيرٌ في المجد ام سور

أهذه سيرٌ في المجد ام سور

Proverbs have grown accustomed to praising his conduct:

In praise of his conduct the parables have mingled:

Are these accounts of glory, or chapters of scripture?

“Is this a course to glory or a fence?”

ومن جميل عطاياه وسؤدده

ومن جميل عطاياه وسؤدده

يعطي الكثير لراجيه ويعتذر

يعطي الكثير لراجيه ويعتذر

And among the beauties of his gifts and nobility:

Among the beauty of his gifts and habitual generosity,

He gives abundantly to whoever hopes in him, and apologizes.

He gives plenty to the hopeful and apologizes too!

كل المحاسن في اوصافه انحصرت

كل المحاسن في اوصافه انحصرت

لكن سيب عطاه ليس ينحصر

لكن سيب عطاه ليس ينحصر

All virtues are encompassed in his qualities,

All the virtues are confined to his attributes,

But the flood of his giving knows no bounds.

Except his irrepressible, inborn generosity.

لا عيب فيه سوى ان السخاء به

لا عيب فيه سوى ان السخاء به

طبع ويمناه لا تبقي ولا نذر

طبع ويمناه لا تبقي ولا نذر

He has no fault, save that generosity in him

His pens have thrived and blossomed through his munificence,

Is innate; his right hand spares nothing and leaves nothing [text: 'we leave'].

Beautifying and fructifying his gifts.

بالجود أقلامه قد اينعت وزهت

بالجود أقلامه قد اينعت وزهت

محاسنا وعطاياه لها ثمر

محاسنا وعطاياه لها ثمر

Through generosity his pens have ripened and blossomed

His right hand relates the tale of his bounty,

In beauty, and his gifts are their fruit.

And his cheerful face truthfully tells it too.

يمينه في الندى تروي حديث عطا

يمينه في الندى تروي حديث عطا

وبشر مرآه عنه بصدق الخبر

وبشر مرآه عنه بصدق الخبر

His right hand, in generosity, narrates the tale of giving;

My master! O eminent and virtuous one,

And his cheerful appearance bears true report of him.

Through whom the world shines and prides itself.

مولاي يا واحد العليا وفاضلها

مولاي يا واحد العليا وفاضلها

ومن به تشرق الدنيا وتفتخر

ومن به تشرق الدنيا وتفتخر

My lord, O peerless one of the heights, their foremost,

Take them as marvellous, inimitable rhymes,

Through whom the world shines and takes pride,

Glorious in meanings, every single one a gem.

خذها حروف قواف لا نظير لها

خذها حروف قواف لا نظير لها

بديعة في المعاني كلها غرر

بديعة في المعاني كلها غرر

Accept her—letters of rhyme without equal,

Novel congratulations on your blessed year,

Wondrous in meaning, all radiant gems.

Rather, congratulations to all people for your joy.

بكر اليك سعت من خدرها ادبا

بكر اليك سعت من خدرها ادبا

وكل بيت لها معناه مبتكر

وكل بيت لها معناه مبتكر

A virgin, she hastened courteously to you from her bower;

So delight in them and in these fine, fragrant praises,

And every verse of hers has an original meaning.

Whose perfume your renown has spread.

جاءت تهنيك بالعام المبارك بل

جاءت تهنيك بالعام المبارك بل

جاءت سرورا تهنيها بك البشر

جاءت سرورا تهنيها بك البشر

She came to congratulate you on the blessed year—rather,

You remain safeguarded, secure and carefree,

She came rejoicing: humankind congratulates her on you.

Your sweet life pure, unstained by bitterness.

فانعم بها وبامداح موشعة

فانعم بها وبامداح موشعة

روض العبير كساها نشرك العطر

روض العبير كساها نشرك العطر

So delight in her, and in embroidered praises:

And you have not ceased, for days on end, to be gladdened,

Your sweet fragrance has clothed her in a garden of perfume.

With a heart, until the Resurrection, cloven for your foes.

لا زلت بالامن في حفظ وفي دعة

لا زلت بالامن في حفظ وفي دعة

وعيشك الحلو صاف ما به كدر

وعيشك الحلو صاف ما به كدر

May you ever remain safe, protected, and at ease,

The lutes of my meadows were never played, nor

And your sweet life remain clear, with no murk in it.

Did song give joy and rapture like the strings.

ولا برحت مدى الأيام منشرحا

ولا برحت مدى الأيام منشرحا

وقلب ضدك حتى الحشر منفطر

وقلب ضدك حتى الحشر منفطر

And may you remain glad at heart through all your days,

And your enemy's heart be shattered until the Resurrection,

ما حرك العود قمري الرياض وما

ما حرك العود قمري الرياض وما

غنى وأطرب ما لم يطرب الوتر

غنى وأطرب ما لم يطرب الوتر

As long as the gardens' turtledove stirs the bough, and as long as

It sings and delights as no lute-string has.