أحاط جودُك بالدُّنيا فليس له

أحاط جودُك بالدُّنيا فليس له

إلا المُحيطُ مثالٌ حين يُعتَبرُ

إلا المُحيطُ مثالٌ حين يُعتَبرُ

Your generosity has encompassed the world; it has no

Your generosity has encompassed the world; it has no

likeness, when considered, except the encircling ocean.

likeness but the encircling Ocean, when considered.

وما حسبتُ بأن الكلَّ يحمُله

وما حسبتُ بأن الكلَّ يحمُله

بعضٌ ولا كاملاً يَحويه مُختصَر

بعضٌ ولا كاملاً يَحويه مُختصَر

Never had I imagined that the whole could be borne by

And I never thought that the whole could be borne

a part, or the complete contained within an abridgment.

by a part, nor that something complete could be contained in an abridgment.

لم تَثْنِ عنك يداً أرجاءُ ضفَّته

لم تَثْنِ عنك يداً أرجاءُ ضفَّته

إلا ومَّدت يداً أرجاؤُه الأَخر

إلا ومَّدت يداً أرجاؤُه الأَخر

No reaches of one shore ever turned a hand away from you

The reaches of its shore never drew back a hand from you

without the reaches of the other stretching forth a hand.

without its other reaches stretching out a hand.

كأنّما البحرُ عينٌ أنت ناظرُها

كأنّما البحرُ عينٌ أنت ناظرُها

وكل شَطٍّ بأشخاص الوَرى شُفُر

وكل شَطٍّ بأشخاص الوَرى شُفُر

It is as though the sea were an eye, and you its pupil,

It is as though the sea were an eye, and you its pupil,

and every shore, lined with humankind, a fringe of lashes.

and every shore, with its human figures, an eyelid's rim.

تأتي البلادَ فتَنْدَى منك أوجهُها

تأتي البلادَ فتَنْدَى منك أوجهُها

حتى يقول ثَراها هل هَمَي المطر

حتى يقول ثَراها هل هَمَي المطر

You come to the lands, and their faces grow dewy from you,

You come to the lands, and their faces grow moist from you,

until their soil asks, “Has the rain poured down?”

until their soil asks, 'Has the rain poured down?'

ما القَفْر إلا مكانٌ لا تَحُلُّ به

ما القَفْر إلا مكانٌ لا تَحُلُّ به

وحيثُما سرْتَ سار البدوُ والحَضَر

وحيثُما سرْتَ سار البدوُ والحَضَر

The wilderness is nothing but a place where you do not alight;

A wilderness is only a place where you do not dwell,

wherever you journey, nomadic and settled people journey too.

and wherever you go, nomads and townsfolk go.

الأرضُ داركُ فاسْلُك حيثُ شئتَ بها

الأرضُ داركُ فاسْلُك حيثُ شئتَ بها

هو المُقام وإن قالوا هو السّفَر

هو المُقام وإن قالوا هو السّفَر

The earth is your home, so go wherever you wish upon it:

The earth is your home; so travel wherever you wish upon it.

that is abiding—even if they call it travel.

It is staying home, though they say it is travel.