ومسرى ركاب للصَّبا قد ونَتْ به

ومسرى ركاب للصَّبا قد ونَتْ به

نجائب سحب للتراب نزوعُها

نجائب سحب للتراب نزوعُها

And on the night-journey of the east wind's caravan have grown weary

And a path for the riders of youth that the clouds’ descending rainclouds have veiled

noble cloud-camels, whose yearning is for the earth.

The swords of lightning unsheathe their sharp blades

تسلُّ سيوف البرق أيدي حُداتها

تسلُّ سيوف البرق أيدي حُداتها

فتنهلُّ خوفاً من سطاها دموعُها

فتنهلُّ خوفاً من سطاها دموعُها

Their camel-drivers' hands draw the swords of lightning,

So their tears pour down in fear of its tyranny

so their tears pour down in fear of their onslaught.

Heading westward seeking refuge

تعرَّضْنَ غرباً يَبْتَغين مُعَرَّساً

تعرَّضْنَ غرباً يَبْتَغين مُعَرَّساً

فقلتُ لها مراكشٌ وربوعُها

فقلتُ لها مراكشٌ وربوعُها

They turned westward, seeking a night's resting place;

So I said to it, “Marrakesh and its meadows

so I told them, "Marrakesh and its dwellings,"

To water barren lands and plateaus”

لتسقيَ أجداثاً بها وضرائحا

لتسقيَ أجداثاً بها وضرائحا

عياضٌ إلى يوم المعادِ ضجيعُها

عياضٌ إلى يوم المعادِ ضجيعُها

to water graves there and tombs

More deserving to cry for are the pages of parchment and the weeping pen

whose bedfellow is Iyad until the Day of Resurrection.

So many hands have given generously in religion to please the Messenger of God with their deeds

وأَجدرُ من تبكي عليه يراعةٌ

وأَجدرُ من تبكي عليه يراعةٌ

بصفحة طِرسٍ والمدادُ نجيعُها

بصفحة طِرسٍ والمدادُ نجيعُها

And he is the worthiest of those a reed pen mourns

And nothing compares to properly honoring the rights of Shifa’

upon a parchment page, with ink for its blood.

For in it the minds altogether see clearly

فكم من يدٍ في الدين قد سَلَفّتْ له

فكم من يدٍ في الدين قد سَلَفّتْ له

يُرَضِّي رسولَ الله عنه صَنيعُها

يُرَضِّي رسولَ الله عنه صَنيعُها

For many a service to the faith stands already to his credit,

In the mirror of beauty, polished by the hand of prohibition

its good work winning him God's Messenger's approval.

So its attributes generously manifest their splendor

ولا مثل تعريف الشفاء حقوقه

ولا مثل تعريف الشفاء حقوقه

فقد بان فيه للعقول جميعُها

فقد بان فيه للعقول جميعُها

And nothing equals al-Shifa's exposition of his rights;

Stars of guidance and the ink humbly serves them

for in it they have all become clear to minds,

Secrets of the unseen and the pen spreads them

بمرآة حسن قد جَلَتْها يدُ النهى

بمرآة حسن قد جَلَتْها يدُ النهى

فأوصافه يلتاحُ فيه بديعُها

فأوصافه يلتاحُ فيه بديعُها

in a mirror of beauty polished by reason's hand.

You have gained, O Abu Al-Fadl, all-encompassing virtue

And in it the wonders of his attributes shine forth:

So the Advocate of the righteous will reward you for advising them

نجوم اهتداء والمداد يجنُّها

نجوم اهتداء والمداد يجنُّها

وأسرار غيب واليراعُ تذيعُها

وأسرار غيب واليراعُ تذيعُها

stars of guidance, while the ink conceals them,

And to God belongs praise for undertaking its interpretation

and secrets of the unseen, which reed pens reveal.

And so excellently yielding to the meanings’ obedience

لقد حزتَ فضلاً يا أبا الفضل شاملاً

لقد حزتَ فضلاً يا أبا الفضل شاملاً

فيجزيك عن نصح البرايا شفيعُها

فيجزيك عن نصح البرايا شفيعُها

You have indeed attained all-encompassing excellence, O Abu al-Fadl;

How you’ve explained much ambiguity and resolved many an obscure point

so may their intercessor reward you for your sincere counsel to humankind.

Which ellipses had concealed, you elucidated

وللهِ ممن قد تصدّى لشرحه

وللهِ ممن قد تصدّى لشرحه

فلبّاه من غُرِّ المعاني مُطيعُها

فلبّاه من غُرِّ المعاني مُطيعُها

And, by God, admirable is he who undertook its commentary,

Virtues appear through it, and benevolence manifests

and the willing ones among the finest meanings answered his call.

As the spring has uncovered the desert flowers

فكمْ مُجملٍ فَصَّلْتَ منه وحمةٍ

فكمْ مُجملٍ فَصَّلْتَ منه وحمةٍ

إذا كتم الإدماج منه تُشيعُها

إذا كتم الإدماج منه تُشيعُها

How many condensed passages you have unfolded in it, and springs [reading uncertain],

When you look upon it, it seems like stars

which you make known when compression conceals them within it.

Rising on the horizons of the Pleiades

محاسن والإحسان يبدو خلالها

محاسن والإحسان يبدو خلالها

كما افترَّ عن زهر البطاح ربيعُها

كما افترَّ عن زهر البطاح ربيعُها

Beauties, with excellence shining through them,

Its meanings are like the ringing water’s clarity

as the plains' spring smiles, revealing their flowers.

And its words smoothly string together like pearls

إذا ما أجَلْتَ العين فيها تخالها

إذا ما أجَلْتَ العين فيها تخالها

نجوماً بآفاق الطروس طلوعُها

نجوماً بآفاق الطروس طلوعُها

When you let your eye roam among them, you imagine them

Gardens the intellect has watered with its acumen

stars rising on the horizons of the parchment pages.

Bearing plentiful fruit for the visitors

معانيه كالماء الزلال لذي صدّى

معانيه كالماء الزلال لذي صدّى

وأَلْفاظه دُرَّيُروِّي نصيعُها

وأَلْفاظه دُرَّيُروِّي نصيعُها

Its meanings are like limpid water for one athirst,

Bubbling from the spring of certainty is its purity

and its words are pearls whose pure brilliance quenches thirst.

Delighting those pure of heart with its drink

رياض سقاها الفكرُ صوبَ ذكائه

رياض سقاها الفكرُ صوبَ ذكائه

فأخصبَ للورَّاد منها مَريعُها

فأخصبَ للورَّاد منها مَريعُها

Gardens that thought has watered with the downpour of its keen insight,

O son of God's neighbor, O son of his saint

so their lush ground grew fruitful for those coming to drink.

You are the most noble when the noble are counted

تفجّر عن عين اليقين زلالها

تفجّر عن عين اليقين زلالها

فلذَّ لأَرباب الخلوص شُروعُها

فلذَّ لأَرباب الخلوص شُروعُها

Their limpid water gushed from the spring of certainty,

If a man’s roots are good stock

so drinking from them was sweet to those of pure devotion.

It's no wonder his branches resemble them

ألا يا ابن جار الله يا ابن وليِّهِ

ألا يا ابن جار الله يا ابن وليِّهِ

لأنتَ إذا عُدَّ الكرامُ رفيعُها

لأنتَ إذا عُدَّ الكرامُ رفيعُها

Hearken, O son of Jar Allah, O son of His friend!

You remain granting guidance to the era’s luminaries

You are indeed exalted among the noble when they are counted.

And alarming the trying times’ calamities

إذا ما أُصولُ المرء طابت أرومةً

إذا ما أُصولُ المرء طابت أرومةً

فلا عجبٌ أَنْ أَشبهتها فروعُها

فلا عجبٌ أَنْ أَشبهتها فروعُها

When a man's roots are of noble stock,

it is no wonder that their branches resemble them.

بقيتَ لأعلام الزمان تُنيلها

بقيتَ لأعلام الزمان تُنيلها

هُدّى ولأحداث الخطوب تروعُها

هُدّى ولأحداث الخطوب تروعُها

May you live on, bestowing on the age's luminaries

guidance, and striking terror into newly arising calamities.