قل ما بدا لك تلق السمع صاغيه

قل ما بدا لك تلق السمع صاغيه

للّه شعرك ما أحلى قوافيه

للّه شعرك ما أحلى قوافيه

Say whatever comes to you; you will find an ear attentive to it.

Say what comes to mind; you will find an ear attentive to it.

By God, your poetry—how sweet its rhymes!

God bless your poetry—how sweet its rhymes!

لو حل في الخمر حلت في شريعتنا

لو حل في الخمر حلت في شريعتنا

لكنما الخمر حلت في معانيه

لكنما الخمر حلت في معانيه

Were it to enter wine, wine would become lawful in our Law;

Had it dwelt in wine, wine would have been lawful under our sacred law;

but rather, wine has entered and dwelt within its meanings.

But wine has settled within its meanings.

سحر حلال تردى اللطف نافثه

سحر حلال تردى اللطف نافثه

حتى اقتفى أثر المسحور راقيه

حتى اقتفى أثر المسحور راقيه

Lawful magic: its spell-caster clothed himself in grace,

Lawful magic: its spell-breather has robed himself in grace,

until even the bewitched man’s healer followed his trail.

Until even the spellbound one's healer followed his trail.

كم كنت آنس نورا من مقابسه

كم كنت آنس نورا من مقابسه

كالبدر تبدو المرائي في دياجيه

كالبدر تبدو المرائي في دياجيه

How often I discerned a light among its firebrands,

How often I perceived light from its firebrands,

like the full moon, with visions appearing through its darkness.

Like the full moon, with scenes appearing amid its dark nights.

كم كنت أحمل من عقد لناصرنا

كم كنت أحمل من عقد لناصرنا

مما تصوغه شعرا في تهانيه

مما تصوغه شعرا في تهانيه

How many a necklace for our patron I used to bear,

How many a necklace I carried to our Nasir,

fashioned from the verse you wove to congratulate him.

From what you fashioned as verse to congratulate him.

أحكمته فاستحق التاج مالكه

أحكمته فاستحق التاج مالكه

فيه توازي معاليه لآليه

فيه توازي معاليه لآليه

You made it flawless, and its owner thus deserved the crown;

You perfected it, so its owner deserved the crown;

within it, his lofty virtues matched its pearls.

Within it, its pearls match his lofty virtues.

في أي بيت ترى الإبداع دعمه

في أي بيت ترى الإبداع دعمه

ما كان أشرفه بيتا لبانيه

ما كان أشرفه بيتا لبانيه

In what verse do you see creative genius standing as its pillar?

In any verse where you see creativity as its support,

What a noble house of verse it was for its builder!

How noble a house it was for its builder!

تصبو لك النفس عطفا كلما ادكرت

تصبو لك النفس عطفا كلما ادكرت

أيام أنت لهذا العبد ثانيه

أيام أنت لهذا العبد ثانيه

The soul yearns for you affectionately whenever it remembers

The soul longs tenderly for you whenever it recalls

the days when you were this servant’s companion.

The days when you were this servant's companion,

أيام كنا وكان الشعر ثالثنا

أيام كنا وكان الشعر ثالثنا

ندنو فتدنو لأيدينا مجانيه

ندنو فتدنو لأيدينا مجانيه

The days when we were together and poetry was our third,

Days when we were together, and poetry was the third among us.

we would draw near, and its ripe fruits draw near to our hands.

We drew near, and its fruits drew near to our hands.

نستنشد الحي عن حي نسمعه

نستنشد الحي عن حي نسمعه

ما ترقص الطلل البالي مغانيه

ما ترقص الطلل البالي مغانيه

We would ask one tribe to sing of another, and hear it sing

We asked the living poet for verse about a clan, and let him hear

what set the weathered campsite’s old haunts dancing.

Verses whose melodies make the timeworn ruins dance.

تلك الليالي وأنت البدر مشرقها

تلك الليالي وأنت البدر مشرقها

لله بدري فما أحلى لياليه

لله بدري فما أحلى لياليه

Those nights, when you were the full moon that illumined them—

Those nights—you were the full moon that lit them.

by God, my moon, how sweet his nights were!

God bless my full moon—how sweet its nights!

ضمت لبعضهما ضوين في نسق

ضمت لبعضهما ضوين في نسق

كل مسددة فيه مراميه

كل مسددة فيه مراميه

They brought two lights together, each for the other, in harmonious array,

They brought two peers together in harmony;

each with its aims unerringly directed toward the other.

Each one's aims were well-directed within it.

لولاك ما رسخت في أفقه قدمي

لولاك ما رسخت في أفقه قدمي

ولا دعاني إلى الإنشاد داعيه

ولا دعاني إلى الإنشاد داعيه

Were it not for you, my foot would never have stood firm on poetry’s horizon,

But for you, my foot would not have stood firm within its horizon,

nor would its herald have summoned me to recite.

Nor would its caller have summoned me to recitation.

آنست فيك الذي أحيي له أملي

آنست فيك الذي أحيي له أملي

فأصبح الشعر يرقى في مراقيه

فأصبح الشعر يرقى في مراقيه

In you I found the one for whom I keep my hope alive,

I discerned in you that for which I revive my hope,

and poetry began to climb its stairways of ascent.

So poetry began to ascend its stairways.

هذا زميلك بل هذي شهادته

هذا زميلك بل هذي شهادته

عاطاك إلفك فيها ما تعاطيه

عاطاك إلفك فيها ما تعاطيه

Here is your companion—rather, here is his testimony;

This is your companion—rather, this is his testimony.

in it, your intimate friend has shared with you what you share with him.

In it, your close friend has offered you what you yourself practise.

عش أيها المصطفى آغا إلى أدب

عش أيها المصطفى آغا إلى أدب

يحيي النفسو بما تمليه راويه

يحيي النفسو بما تمليه راويه

Live long, O Chosen One! I aspire to an art

Live, O Mustafa Agha, for literature,

that gives life to souls through what its reciter imparts.

Whose reciter revives souls with what you dictate.