يا شاعراً أودعت أنامله

يا شاعراً أودعت أنامله

در القوافي كتابه النبوي

در القوافي كتابه النبوي

O poet whose fingertips have set

O poet, your fingers deposited

pearls of rhyme in his prophetic letter,

In metrics, his prophetic book

دعوة عبدٍ صحت مودته

دعوة عبدٍ صحت مودته

لا رافضي غثٌ ولا أموي

لا رافضي غثٌ ولا أموي

a plea from a servant whose affection is sincere,

A servant's prayer of sincere love

neither a paltry Rafidite nor an Umayyad.

Not for a worthless Abbasid or Umayyad

يهواك من ذاته أخو كلفٍ

يهواك من ذاته أخو كلفٍ

مثلك من حب مثله وهوي

مثلك من حب مثله وهوي

A man of ardent love loves you from his very being,

Your brother of pure heart loves you

like you, one who loved his like and was enamored.

As you love the like of him in passion and desire

وفتية جاءهم كتابك وقد

وفتية جاءهم كتابك وقد

أشبع من معجزاته وروي

أشبع من معجزاته وروي

And your letter reached young men, and indeed

And youths came to you, their book filled

sated them and quenched their thirst with its miracles.

With its miracles, satisfied and sated

ما نشرت طيه الأكف فدتك

ما نشرت طيه الأكف فدتك

النفس إلا كف الأسي وطوي

النفس إلا كف الأسي وطوي

Hands never unfolded its folds—may you be ransomed by

I would sacrifice my soul for you

my soul—without sorrow being checked and folded away.

Except for the palms stretched in prayer

فبت فيهم عين الصفي كما أص

فبت فيهم عين الصفي كما أص

بحت حلف التيمي والعدوي

بحت حلف التيمي والعدوي

So among them you spent the night as the very chosen friend, just as you

You have become rooted in them as the intimate friend became

greeted dawn as the sworn ally of al-Taymi and al-Adawi.

The oath of Taym and 'Adwan became fulfilled

ونلت فوق الذي تشاء وقد

ونلت فوق الذي تشاء وقد

دوفع كلٌ عن حقه ولوي

دوفع كلٌ عن حقه ولوي

And you attained more than you desire, while

And you attained what you wished though

everyone was kept from his due and put off.

All were diverted from their right and twisted

ولو كشفناك لم تكن حلبياً

ولو كشفناك لم تكن حلبياً

قط في مذهبٍ ولا حموي

قط في مذهبٍ ولا حموي

Were we to lay you bare, you would not be an Aleppine

If we unveiled you, you would never be

in any creed at all, nor a Hamawi.

A partisan of any doctrine or Hamawee

لو كان إبليس قبل لاح له

لو كان إبليس قبل لاح له

آدم من نقش فصك الغروي

آدم من نقش فصك الغروي

Had Iblis earlier glimpsed

If Iblees had submitted to Adam's

Adam in the engraving of your Gharawi signet,

Glowing creation seal's inscription

لخر ما شئت ساجداً وعنا

لخر ما شئت ساجداً وعنا

لله طوعاً وكان غير غوي

لله طوعاً وكان غير غوي

he would have fallen prostrate as you wished, and bowed

He would have freely and willingly bowed down

willingly to God, and would not have gone astray.

To God in submission without conceit

فأي وجهٍ رآك ناظره

فأي وجهٍ رآك ناظره

فازور لا مقبل به وزوي

فازور لا مقبل به وزوي

So what face, whose eye has seen you,

So which face that saw you did not win

has turned aside rather than toward you, and drawn away?

In visiting you, not refusing and bending away

والدهر قد مات منك حادثه

والدهر قد مات منك حادثه

خوفاً فأنى تكون غير سوي

خوفاً فأنى تكون غير سوي

And Time’s calamity has died because of you,

And time has died from your events

from fear—so how could you be anything but sound?

In fear, so how can you not be balanced?

باكٍ على ما عراك من سغبٍ

باكٍ على ما عراك من سغبٍ

فعل امرءٍ جاع برهةً وطوي

فعل امرءٍ جاع برهةً وطوي

Weeping over the hunger that befell you,

Crying over the hunger that afflicted you

as does a man who hungered a while and went unfed.

The deed of a man who starved a while and twisted

وكدت جوعاً تموت في حلبٍ

وكدت جوعاً تموت في حلبٍ

لولا صفايات المطبخ الصفوي

لولا صفايات المطبخ الصفوي

And you nearly died of hunger in Aleppo,

You almost died of hunger in Aleppo

but for the choice fare of the Safawi kitchen.

If not for the Sufi kitchen's platters

وفي ابن يحي مكارم كسفت

وفي ابن يحي مكارم كسفت

كل شريفٍ بفخرها علوي

كل شريفٍ بفخرها علوي

And in Ibn Yahya are noble deeds that have eclipsed

And in Ibn Yaḥyā are generous traits that

every Alid sharif with their glory.

Have shamed every noble with their glory

الحاتمي الندي الذي نشرت

الحاتمي الندي الذي نشرت

يمينه بالعطاء كل تو

يمينه بالعطاء كل تو

The bountiful Hatimi, whose

Al-Ḥātimi, the generous, who spread

right hand has revived every perishing soul with gifts.

His hand in giving every fold

لولاه شاد العلي تكرمةً

لولاه شاد العلي تكرمةً

لانهد بخلاً بنيانها وهوي

لانهد بخلاً بنيانها وهوي

Had he not built the heights of glory as an act of honor,

If not for him, the Exalted One would have collapsed

their edifice would have crumbled through avarice and fallen.

In miserliness, its structure fallen and demolished

وما عسى أن تقول في رجلٍ

وما عسى أن تقول في رجلٍ

داءٌ يديه بالمكرمات دو

داءٌ يديه بالمكرمات دو

And what could you possibly say of a man

What can be said about a man whose hands

whose hands are incurably afflicted with noble deeds?

Flow with generosity abundantly?

ريان من علمه ونائله صبٌ

ريان من علمه ونائله صبٌ

بما قيل عن نداه جو

بما قيل عن نداه جو

Quenched by his knowledge and bounty, passionately enamored,

Quenching with his knowledge and fulfilling the thirsty with

lovesick for what is told of his generosity.

What is said of his open-handedness

عجبت منه كيف احتوى قصب

عجبت منه كيف احتوى قصب

السيف وفيه الكمال كيف حوي

السيف وفيه الكمال كيف حوي

I marveled at him: how he encompassed the reed

I am amazed by him, how the stalk of

of the sword, and how perfection was encompassed within him.

Swords contained him and his perfection contained it

وغير مستحسنٍ إذا نقل الإحسان

وغير مستحسنٍ إذا نقل الإحسان

يوماً عن غيره وروي

يوماً عن غيره وروي

And it is unseemly when deeds of kindness are reported

It is not praiseworthy, if benevolence

at any time of anyone but him, and recounted.

Is ever diverted from another and sated