تنفست الأيام تعلن بالشكر

تنفست الأيام تعلن بالشكر

ووجه التهاني قد تهلل بالبشر

ووجه التهاني قد تهلل بالبشر

The days breathed forth, proclaiming thanks,

The days breathed announcing with gratitude,

and the face of congratulations beamed with joy.

And the face of congratulations beamed with good news.

وهب نسيم القرب بنشرما انطوى

وهب نسيم القرب بنشرما انطوى

وفاح عبيرا وانثنى طيب النشر

وفاح عبيرا وانثنى طيب النشر

And the breeze of nearness blew, unfolding what lay hidden,

The breeze of proximity blew spreading what was folded,

and wafted perfume, returning with sweet fragrance.

And a fragrance wafted, bending the scent of publication.

وقد اشرقت تلك الرياض واصبحت

وقد اشرقت تلك الرياض واصبحت

طرابلس الفيحاء باسمة الثغر

طرابلس الفيحاء باسمة الثغر

And those gardens have shone, and now

And those gardens shone and Tripoli became

spacious Tripoli has a smile upon her lips.

Radiant with its name, the frontier.

وايامها من بعد ما كان اظلمت

وايامها من بعد ما كان اظلمت

بدت غرة تزهو على جبهة الدهر

بدت غرة تزهو على جبهة الدهر

And her days, after they had grown dark,

And its days after what had darkened

appeared as a white blaze, radiant on Time's brow.

Appeared as a new moon, blossoming on the brow of time.

وجاورها بحران بحر من الندى

وجاورها بحران بحر من الندى

وبحر به فلك مسومة تجري

وبحر به فلك مسومة تجري

And two seas lie beside her: a sea of generosity,

And two seas bordered it, a sea of dew

and a sea where marked ships sail.

And a sea in which sailed a ship that flows.

وبالحسن كم ازرت بثغر ربوعها

وبالحسن كم ازرت بثغر ربوعها

وسادت بواديها السعيد على مصر

وسادت بواديها السعيد على مصر

And how often her dwellings have outshone a seaport in beauty,

And with beauty how often I visited the aura of its meadows

and through her blessed valley she has surpassed Egypt.

And settled happily in its valleys on Egypt.

وحازت جمالا بالضياء وبهجة

وحازت جمالا بالضياء وبهجة

محلا رفيعا في العلا سامي القدر

محلا رفيعا في العلا سامي القدر

And she has gained beauty through radiance and splendor,

And it gained beauty with brilliance and delight

and a lofty station in the heights, exalted in worth.

A lofty position in the heights, sublime and precious.

ربيع الندى يحيى به الفضل جوده

ربيع الندى يحيى به الفضل جوده

يقل لديه جعفر خالد الذكر

يقل لديه جعفر خالد الذكر

His generosity is springtime for bounty, through which excellence lives;

The spring rain revives its generosity,

before him, Ja'far of lasting renown seems small.

Little does Jafar Khalid of eternal memory say to it.

رفيع الذرى من نسل اكرم والد

رفيع الذرى من نسل اكرم والد

وبحر وفاه قد تولد من بحر

وبحر وفاه قد تولد من بحر

Lofty of summit, descended from a most noble father,

Of high lineage from the progeny of the most generous father,

and the sea of his loyalty was born of a sea.

And an ocean of loyalty that originated from an ocean.

وساد بما قد شاد ي افق العلا

وساد بما قد شاد ي افق العلا

من المجد والعلياء والفضل والفخر

من المجد والعلياء والفضل والفخر

And he gained preeminence through what he raised on greatness's horizon,

It ruled by what it erected, horizons of glory,

of glory, eminence, excellence, and pride.

Sublimity, nobility, excellence and pride.

ورتبته يعلو السماك محلها

ورتبته يعلو السماك محلها

وطائره الميمون يسمو على النسر

وطائره الميمون يسمو على النسر

And the station of his rank rises above al-Simak,

And its position rises above the planets, its place,

and his auspicious bird soars above the Eagle.

And its auspicious bird soars above the eagle.

له منطق من نحوه الدر يجتلى

له منطق من نحوه الدر يجتلى

ولفظ معانيه البديعة كالسحر

ولفظ معانيه البديعة كالسحر

He has speech whose manner brings pearls to view,

It has a rhetoric whose pearls shine through,

and utterance whose wondrous meanings are like magic.

And its eloquent meanings are like sorcery.

وفاقت على قس فصاحة لفظه

وفاقت على قس فصاحة لفظه

كذاك بسحبان بلاغته تزري

كذاك بسحبان بلاغته تزري

And the eloquence of his words has surpassed Quss;

Its diction surpassed the best of eloquence,

likewise, his eloquence puts Sahban to shame.

Just so, its rhetoric is outstanding.

تطابق مدحي فيه مدحا وصورة

تطابق مدحي فيه مدحا وصورة

فلا غرو ان ابدعت في النظم والنثر

فلا غرو ان ابدعت في النظم والنثر

My praise of him accords in tribute and portrayal,

My praise matches it, praising and depicting,

so no wonder I excelled in verse and prose.

So it’s no wonder I excel in prose and verse.

ولا عيب فيه غير ان يمينه

ولا عيب فيه غير ان يمينه

يجود بما فيها ولم يخش من فقر

يجود بما فيها ولم يخش من فقر

And he has no fault, except that his right hand

No fault in it except that its right hand

gives all it holds, without fearing poverty.

Gives generously what is in it and does not fear poverty.

عطاياه عدا ليس تحصى هباتها

عطاياه عدا ليس تحصى هباتها

لأن عطاياه تجل عن الحصر

لأن عطاياه تجل عن الحصر

His gifts, in all their bounty, cannot be counted,

Its gifts uncounted, its donations manifest,

for his gifts are too great to be numbered.

For its gifts are too abundant to be confined.

فليس له فعله من مضارع

فليس له فعله من مضارع

وفي كل حل لم يزل ماضي الامر

وفي كل حل لم يزل ماضي الامر

His deed, then, has no rival,

It has no peer in its actions,

and at every halt he remains resolute in command.

And in any situation, its affairs have always been decisive.

هو البحر الا ان مورده حلا

هو البحر الا ان مورده حلا

فحدث وقل ما شئت واحك عن البحر

فحدث وقل ما شئت واحك عن البحر

He is the sea, except that his watering-place is sweet.

It is the ocean, but its abundance makes it

So speak, say what you will, and tell of the sea.

A stream, so speak what you will and tell of the ocean.

فقل للذي يشكو من العسر لذ به

فقل للذي يشكو من العسر لذ به

فيمناه في عز يجود وفي يسر

فيمناه في عز يجود وفي يسر

So tell whoever complains of hardship: seek refuge in him,

Say to the one who complains of hardship, find pleasure in it

for his right hand gives in honor and in ease.

In its glory it gives generously, and in ease.

فيا واحد العليا لنحوك في الندى

فيا واحد العليا لنحوك في الندى

جعلت التفاتي لا لزيد ولا عمرو

جعلت التفاتي لا لزيد ولا عمرو

So, O peerless one in greatness, toward you for bounty

O peak of sublimity, towards you in dew

I have turned my attention—not toward Zayd or 'Amr.

I turned my rhymes, not for Zayd or Amr.

ولولاك لي نظم القريض لما حلا

ولولاك لي نظم القريض لما حلا

ولا ظهرت تلك المحاسن من شعري

ولا ظهرت تلك المحاسن من شعري

And without you, composing verse would not be sweet to me,

And were it not for you the stringing of poems would not be sweet

nor would those beauties appear in my poetry.

Nor would those beauties appear in my poetry.

وقلبي كسير صح عندك جبره

وقلبي كسير صح عندك جبره

فلا بدع ان طابقت كسريَ بالجبر

فلا بدع ان طابقت كسريَ بالجبر

And my heart is broken; with you its mending is assured,

And my broken heart was mended by you

so no wonder you matched my brokenness with mending.

So it’s no wonder that my fracture rhymes with mend.

وبيض فودي اسود الحظ مذ دجا

وبيض فودي اسود الحظ مذ دجا

وكفي غدت صفرا من البيض والصفر

وكفي غدت صفرا من البيض والصفر

And my dark fortune has whitened my temples since it grew black,

You made my dark fate’s face bright,

and my palm became empty of white silver and yellow gold.

And my palm that was yellow, white and yellow.

أمولاي عذرا عن تأخر مدحتي

أمولاي عذرا عن تأخر مدحتي

فاني مغرى بالهوى والهوى عذري

فاني مغرى بالهوى والهوى عذري

O my lord, pardon the delay in my praise,

My lord, excuse the lateness of my praise

for I am enthralled by love, and love is my excuse.

For I am tempted by passion, and passion is my excuse.

فدونكها مني اليك حديقة

فدونكها مني اليك حديقة

موشعة الالفاظ يانعة الزهر

موشعة الالفاظ يانعة الزهر

So take it, from me to you: a garden,

Apart from it, from me to you is a garden

ornamented with words, its flowers in full bloom.

Full of eloquent words, flowering speech.

هي الزرد الصافي عليك ولفظها

هي الزرد الصافي عليك ولفظها

على عنق الحسناء عقد من الدر

على عنق الحسناء عقد من الدر

It is bright chainmail upon you, and its wording

It is polished jewels about you, and its words

is a necklace of pearls upon a beauty's neck.

Are a necklace of pearls around a beautiful neck.

حروف معانيها الحسان بديعة

حروف معانيها الحسان بديعة

بدت في سماء المجد كالانجم الزهر

بدت في سماء المجد كالانجم الزهر

The letters of its lovely meanings are wondrous;

Its meanings’ letters are fine creations

they appeared in the sky of glory like radiant stars.

That appeared in the sky of glory like shining stars.

فخذها عروسا ذات حسن يتيمة

فخذها عروسا ذات حسن يتيمة

وقد برزت تسعى اليك من الخدر

وقد برزت تسعى اليك من الخدر

So take her as a bride of peerless beauty,

Take it as an orphan of beauty

and she has emerged, hastening toward you from the secluded chamber.

That emerged from seclusion seeking you.

فلا زلت بحرا بالعطا متداركاً

فلا زلت بحرا بالعطا متداركاً

بسيط الايادي وافر الجود بالبر

بسيط الايادي وافر الجود بالبر

So may you ever remain a sea, coming to aid with gifts,

You remain an ocean, compensating with gifts,

with hands outspread, abundant in generosity and kindness.

Vast of hands and abundant in generosity and righteousness.

ودمت مدى الايام ما هبت الصبا

ودمت مدى الايام ما هبت الصبا

وما حركت عودا على نغم القمري

وما حركت عودا على نغم القمري

And may you endure through all the days, as long as the east wind blows

Remain throughout the days however long the breeze blows

and as long as it stirs a branch to the ringdove's tune.

And stirs a lute to the melody of the moon.

وفاقت على قس فصاحة لفظه

وفاقت على قس فصاحة لفظه

كذاك بسحبان بلاغته تزري

كذاك بسحبان بلاغته تزري

And the eloquence of his words has surpassed Quss;

Its diction surpassed the best of eloquence,

likewise, his eloquence puts Sahban to shame.

Just so, its rhetoric is outstanding.