لَنا بِكَ خَيرُ تهنئَةٍ وَبشرِ

لَنا بِكَ خَيرُ تهنئَةٍ وَبشرِ

بما قد نلتَ من شَرَفٍ وَفَخرِ

بما قد نلتَ من شَرَفٍ وَفَخرِ

Through you, the finest congratulations and joy are ours,

We congratulate you with the best wishes and good news

for the honor and glory you have attained.

For what you have attained of honor and pride

وَلَو قلنا الهنا لكَ ما اصبنا

وَلَو قلنا الهنا لكَ ما اصبنا

فَذَلِكَ لم يزدك سُموَّ قدرِ

فَذَلِكَ لم يزدك سُموَّ قدرِ

Were we to say, “Joy to you,” we would miss the mark,

And if we said you are our pride, we would not be wrong

for that added nothing to your lofty standing.

For that would not increase your high status

رايتُك بين اهل العَصرِ فَرداً

رايتُك بين اهل العَصرِ فَرداً

سما بل مفرداً في كل عصرِ

سما بل مفرداً في كل عصرِ

I saw you peerless among the people of this age,

I saw your flag among the people of the time alone

exalted—nay, unique in every age.

Soaring not just rising in every time

لانك كامل الاوصاف حتىّ

لانك كامل الاوصاف حتىّ

يصحُّ القول انك مثل بدرِ

يصحُّ القول انك مثل بدرِ

For you are perfect in your qualities, so that

Because you are perfect in attributes to the extent

it may rightly be said that you are like a full moon.

That it is right to say you are like a full moon

جَليل الذات والاوصاف شَهمٌ

جَليل الذات والاوصاف شَهمٌ

حوى من كل فضلٍ كلَّ سرِّ

حوى من كل فضلٍ كلَّ سرِّ

Majestic in person and qualities, a noble-hearted man

Of glorious essence and noble traits, a valiant one

who possesses every secret of every excellence.

Who has embodied all kindness and mysteries

صفاتك تُعجِزُ الشعرآءَ نظماً

صفاتك تُعجِزُ الشعرآءَ نظماً

فَما يَقضي ثنآءك غيرُ نَثرِ

فَما يَقضي ثنآءك غيرُ نَثرِ

Your qualities defy the poets’ verse,

Your traits make poets incapable in composing poems

so only prose can do your praise justice.

So nothing but prose can pay you tribute

وَبحر الشعر نَدعوهُ ببَحرٍ

وَبحر الشعر نَدعوهُ ببَحرٍ

ولكن فيك نَدعوهُ بنهرِ

ولكن فيك نَدعوهُ بنهرِ

And poetry’s sea we call a sea,

And we call the sea of poetry a sea

but when it comes to you, we call it a river.

But for you we call it a river

لَهُ مَدٌّ بغير ثناك لكن

لَهُ مَدٌّ بغير ثناك لكن

بوصفك ما لديهِ غير جزرِ

بوصفك ما لديهِ غير جزرِ

Its tide rises in anything but praise of you, yet

It has an expanse without your praise but

in describing you, it has nothing but ebb.

When describing you it only has islands

وانك روضَةٌ من كلِّ زهرٍ

وانك روضَةٌ من كلِّ زهرٍ

حوت حتىّ أَفاحَت كلَّ نشرِ

حوت حتىّ أَفاحَت كلَّ نشرِ

And you are a garden of every kind of flower,

You are a meadow of every flower

holding them all, till it breathes every fragrance.

That contained until it spread all fragrance

ونِعم الزَهرُ زَهرُ الفضل يُزري

ونِعم الزَهرُ زَهرُ الفضل يُزري

بزَهر الروض بل بالزُهر يُزري

بزَهر الروض بل بالزُهر يُزري

And how fine are virtue’s flowers! They put to shame

And the best flower is the flower of kindness that adorns

the garden’s flowers—nay, they put the bright stars to shame.

The meadow’s flower or rather adorns flowers themselves

عُلى وَمَكارِمٌ وكمال ذاتٍ

عُلى وَمَكارِمٌ وكمال ذاتٍ

وَفَضلٌ رائِعٌ وَجَميلُ ذكرِ

وَفَضلٌ رائِعٌ وَجَميلُ ذكرِ

Lofty distinction, noble virtues, and personal perfection,

Sublimity, virtues and perfect essence

splendid excellence and fair renown,

Outstanding grace and beautiful mention

وَعِلمٌ باهِرٌ وَذَكاءُ فكرٍ

وَعِلمٌ باهِرٌ وَذَكاءُ فكرٍ

اليهِ قد نُسِبت فقيل فكري

اليهِ قد نُسِبت فقيل فكري

dazzling knowledge and keenness of thought,

And brilliant knowledge and sharpness of thought

to which you were ascribed, and thus called Fikri.

To which thinking itself has been ascribed

وَحسنُ مآثِرٍ واثيلُ مجدٍ

وَحسنُ مآثِرٍ واثيلُ مجدٍ

وَلطفٌ كالنَسيم غداةَ يَسري

وَلطفٌ كالنَسيم غداةَ يَسري

And fine noble deeds and deep-rooted glory,

And good legacy and pillars of glory

and gentleness like the breeze as it drifts at dawn,

And gentleness like the morning breeze drifting

وَصدقُ طويَّةٍ وَعَفافُ قَلبٍ

وَصدقُ طويَّةٍ وَعَفافُ قَلبٍ

نقيٍّ قد حواهُ رَحيبُ صَدرِ

نقيٍّ قد حواهُ رَحيبُ صَدرِ

and sincerity of soul, and chastity of a heart

And true kindness and chaste heart

pure, held within a spacious breast;

Pure, contained in the vastness of the chest

وَجودٌ مثل ماءِ المزن لكن

وَجودٌ مثل ماءِ المزن لكن

يُعُمُّ فَلَيسَ مَخصوصاً بقُطرِ

يُعُمُّ فَلَيسَ مَخصوصاً بقُطرِ

and generosity like the water of rainclouds, yet

And generosity like the water of downpour but

it reaches all, and is not confined to one region.

It covers universally, not confined to mere drops

وإِنَّك شاعِرٌ تغدو لديهِ

وإِنَّك شاعِرٌ تغدو لديهِ

بحار الشعرِ غارقةً ببحرِ

بحار الشعرِ غارقةً ببحرِ

And indeed you are a poet before whom

You are a poet, before whom seas of poetry

the seas of poetry drown in a single sea.

Are drowned in an ocean

لَقَدرُمنا الثناءَ عليك لكن

لَقَدرُمنا الثناءَ عليك لكن

لعمري ما صِفاتُك تحتَ حصرِ

لعمري ما صِفاتُك تحتَ حصرِ

We have indeed sought to praise you, but

We wished to praise you but by my life

by my life, your qualities defy enumeration.

Your traits cannot be confined

صِفاتٌ كيف شئتَ يُقال فيها

صِفاتٌ كيف شئتَ يُقال فيها

من الاحسان والحسن الأغَرِّ

من الاحسان والحسن الأغَرِّ

Qualities—whatever you wish may be said of them,

Traits, as you wish, are said about them

of goodness and radiant beauty.

Of benevolence and beauty the most wondrous

سأَلنا المَجدَ لما إِن رأَينا

سأَلنا المَجدَ لما إِن رأَينا

لَهُ شُغلاً كمفتَكرٍ بامرِ

لَهُ شُغلاً كمفتَكرٍ بامرِ

We asked Glory, when we saw

We asked glory when we saw it busy

him occupied, like one pondering a matter:

As if thinking about something

بمن يا مجدُ فكرك في اِشتغالٍ

بمن يا مجدُ فكرك في اِشتغالٍ

فَقالَ لنا بعبدِ اللَه فكري

فَقالَ لنا بعبدِ اللَه فكري

“With whom, O Glory, is your thought occupied?”

With whom, oh glory, are you busy thinking?

He said to us, “My thought is with Abd Allah.”

It said to us, with Abdullah are my thoughts