إِحسانُ مِثلك محفوظٌ عن الكلفِ

إِحسانُ مِثلك محفوظٌ عن الكلفِ

وَبدرُ سعيكَ لم يُطبع على كلفِ

وَبدرُ سعيكَ لم يُطبع على كلفِ

The kindness of one like you is kept free of burdens;

Your kindness is protected from burden

and the full moon of your endeavor was never marked with spots.

And the full moon of your effort was not imprinted with burden

وَهل يشامُ لِذي سيفٍ وذي قلمٍ

وَهل يشامُ لِذي سيفٍ وذي قلمٍ

فَضلٌ بفضلكَ أَضحى غير ملتحفِ

فَضلٌ بفضلكَ أَضحى غير ملتحفِ

And can there be glimpsed in a wielder of sword and pen

And does one with a sword or a pen

any excellence not now cloaked in your excellence?

Have superiority over your superiority that has become peerless

أَو مُنيةٌ وَهي قد رادتكَ ما نزلت

أَو مُنيةٌ وَهي قد رادتكَ ما نزلت

عَلى الربيع الندي والروضةِ الأنفِ

عَلى الربيع الندي والروضةِ الأنفِ

Or a wish that, having sought you, has not alighted

Or an affliction that has wanted you

upon dewy spring and an untouched meadow?

When it descended upon the soft spring and tender meadow

وَافتكَ عذراءُ فِكري وهي حاسرةٌ

وَافتكَ عذراءُ فِكري وهي حاسرةٌ

فَلتَكسُها بردَ برّ غيرِ منكسفِ

فَلتَكسُها بردَ برّ غيرِ منكسفِ

The maiden of my thought has come to you bareheaded;

And the maiden of my thoughts came to me downcast

so clothe her in a mantle of uneclipsed kindness.

So clothe her with the refreshing cold of your righteousness without being downcast

وَزِد شمائِلَها حسناً بتطريةٍ

وَزِد شمائِلَها حسناً بتطريةٍ

وَعَن شَمائلها أكشف غطا الصدفِ

وَعَن شَمائلها أكشف غطا الصدفِ

And add beauty to her charms through embellishment,

And increase her beauty with a glance

and lift the shells’ covering from her charms,

And uncover from her beauty the covering of bashfulness

حتّى يُغالي ما شاءته ماهرها

حتّى يُغالي ما شاءته ماهرها

وَيَصطفيها بودٍّ غير منصرفِ

وَيَصطفيها بودٍّ غير منصرفِ

so that her suitor bids as high as she desires

Until she dares what her skillful one desired

and chooses her with affection that never turns away.

And chooses her with constant love without turning away

فَغيرُ صدّاء ما سامَت رَكائِبها

فَغيرُ صدّاء ما سامَت رَكائِبها

وَدون سعدان ما شامَت على شظفِ

وَدون سعدان ما شامَت على شظفِ

For what her mounts sought was other than Ṣaddāʾ,

So the one who is not an echoer of what her she-camels climbed

and what she glimpsed amid hardship fell short of saʿdān.

And below Sa'dan what she smelled in pots

يؤمّ أروعَ زاكي النجرِ عادَ بهِ

يؤمّ أروعَ زاكي النجرِ عادَ بهِ

وَالعودُ أحمدُ فخرُ العربِ للخلفِ

وَالعودُ أحمدُ فخرُ العربِ للخلفِ

It seeks a noble man of pure lineage, through whom has returned—

Visits the most beautiful blossoming narcissus brought back

and return is more praiseworthy—the Arabs’ glory to posterity.

And the sweetest perfume Ahmad the pride of Arabs to come

أَبو الضيافي دَياجي الخطوب أبو الض

أَبو الضيافي دَياجي الخطوب أبو الض

ضياء أحمدُ محمودٌ وخيرُ وفي

ضياء أحمدُ محمودٌ وخيرُ وفي

Abū al-Ḍiyāfī, amid calamity’s dark nights, father of—

Abu al-Diyaf the brave of perils, Abu al-

light: Ahmad, praised, and the best of faithful men.

Diya' Ahmad Mahmoud and the best ally

يَجلو اِفتخارَ فريقٍ صارَ يَقدمهم

يَجلو اِفتخارَ فريقٍ صارَ يَقدمهم

مِنهُ أميرُ لواءِ البيض والصحفِ

مِنهُ أميرُ لواءِ البيض والصحفِ

He makes radiant the pride of a company now led

He makes proud the superiority of a group that he makes them precede

by one of its own, commander of the banner of bright swords and pages.

Among them the prince of the regiment of the White Banner and the Parchments

يا شمسَ فضلٍ تَسامَت في تواضُعها

يا شمسَ فضلٍ تَسامَت في تواضُعها

لمّا تَسامى الورى بالتيهِ والصلفِ

لمّا تَسامى الورى بالتيهِ والصلفِ

O sun of excellence, exalted in its humility,

O sun of virtue that towered in its humility

when mortals exalted themselves through conceit and arrogance!

When the people towered with misguidance and recklessness

إن أنسَ لا أنسَ ما بالأمس منك بدا

إن أنسَ لا أنسَ ما بالأمس منك بدا

مِن فرطِ برّك بي المُفضي إلى الشرفِ

مِن فرطِ برّك بي المُفضي إلى الشرفِ

If I forget, I shall not forget what you showed yesterday—

If the intimacy yesterday shown from you was not intimacy

the abundance of your kindness to me, leading to honor.

From the abundance of your righteousness in me leading me to nobility

آليتَ حلفةَ برٍّ لا تُجشّمني

آليتَ حلفةَ برٍّ لا تُجشّمني

لكَ النزولَ الّذي يعلو به شرفي

لكَ النزولَ الّذي يعلو به شرفي

You swore a righteous oath not to burden me

You have resolved a true allegiance that does not make me scowl

with the descent to you through which my honor rises.

Yours is the high rank through which my nobility rises

وَما قَنعتَ بِها لي خطّةً شُرُعاً

وَما قَنعتَ بِها لي خطّةً شُرُعاً

لا بل تنزّلت لي تَسعى بلا أنفِ

لا بل تنزّلت لي تَسعى بلا أنفِ

Nor were you content with that as equal standing for me;

And you were not content with it as a procedure and law for me

no, rather you came down to me, hastening without disdain.

Rather you condescended to strive for me without tiredness

حتّى كأنّ رَجائي في علاك يدٌ

حتّى كأنّ رَجائي في علاك يدٌ

أَوليتها حينَ وافت شكرَ معترفِ

أَوليتها حينَ وافت شكرَ معترفِ

until my hope in your eminence seemed a favor

Until it was as if my hope in your highness is a hand

to which, when it arrived, you gave a grateful man’s thanks.

I have directed when gratitude confessed arrived

نَفسي سياسَتها في جَفنها كحلٌ

نَفسي سياسَتها في جَفنها كحلٌ

لَيسَ التكحّل من قوم لها بكفِ

لَيسَ التكحّل من قوم لها بكفِ

My soul’s governance is natural kohl upon its eyelid;

My soul disciplined it in its eyelid like kohl

kohl applied by others is no match for it.

Applying kohl is not from a people who have it in their palms

دامَت مَحاسِنها شمساً تكلّ بها

دامَت مَحاسِنها شمساً تكلّ بها

عين الكمالِ وتُجلي ظلمةِ السدفِ

عين الكمالِ وتُجلي ظلمةِ السدفِ

May its beauties endure as a sun before which grows weary

May its beauties last as a sun that gives light through it

the eye of perfection, and which dispels the darkness of night.

The eye of perfection and clarifies the darkness of ignorance