1. تَأَمَّلْ نُجومَ الأفقِ لَيلاً وَإِذ تسري

    تَنالُ سُرورَ القَلبِ وَالشّرح للصدرِ

    Contemplate the horizon's stars at night, and as you journey;

    You will find joy in your heart and ease in your breast.

  2. وَشاهِد جَمالَ البدرِ في اللّيل طالعاً

    فَإِنَّ سَنِيَّ الحُسنِ في طَلعَةِ البدرِ

    And behold the beauty of the full moon rising in the night;

    For resplendent beauty lies in the full moon's face.

  3. وَحَدِّق إِلى زُهرِ السّماءِ فَإِنّها

    بِجنحِ الدّجى تَزهو إِلى مَطلعِ الفَجرِ

    And gaze intently at the sky's bright stars, for they

    Shine under night's dark wing until the break of dawn.

  4. وَما هِيَ إِلّا البدرُ حَيثُ تَجمّعت

    وَما كَوكب مِنها سِوى الكوكب الدّرّي

    And they are nothing but the full moon when gathered together,

    And no star among them is other than the pearl-bright star.

  5. فَمَن قالَ زُهر الأفق لَيسَت بِبَدرهِ

    فَدَعهُ فَإنّ البدرَ لَيسَ سِوى الزُّهرِ

    So whoever says the horizon's stars are not its full moon,

    Leave him be, for the full moon is nothing but the bright stars.

  6. أَخو العِلم صِنو الفَضل خدن مَعارفٍ

    يَموجُ بِهِ العرفانُ وَالفضل كالبحرِ

    A brother of learning, virtue's twin, a close companion of knowledge,

    In him, knowledge and virtue surge like the sea.

  7. بِحُسنِ كَمالٍ في جَمالٍ بِهيبةٍ

    بِحُسنِ طِباعٍ فَوقه لُطفها يجري

    With the beauty of perfection, in loveliness and majesty,

    With fine dispositions, their gentleness flowing over him,

  8. بِرقّةِ آدابٍ بِمَجد مُوطّدٍ

    بِسُؤدد أَصلٍ زانَه حلية الفخرِ

    With refined manners and firmly established glory,

    With noble lineage adorned by pride's ornament,

  9. بِحلّة أَوصافٍ تَجلّ حميدة

    بِحُسنِ خِصالٍ صاحبت رفعة القدرِ

    In a robe of exalted, praiseworthy qualities,

    With fine traits joined to exalted rank,

  10. بِثَوب تَقيّ لَيس يَبلى جَديدهُ

    وَحيكَ مِنَ الإِخلاصِ في السرِّ وَالجهرِ

    In a robe of piety whose freshness never wears away,

    And woven of sincerity, in secret and in the open;

  11. وَقَد طيَّبَ الأَسحارَ في عِطر وَدّه

    وَعَطَّرَ في أَذكارِهِ حَلَقَ الذّكرِ

    And he has perfumed the predawn hours with the fragrance of his affection,

    And with his invocations perfumed the circles of remembrance.

  12. هُوَ الفاضِل الفَخم اللّبيبُ أَخو الذّكا

    يُزيحُ قِناعَ الخدرِ عَن غادَةِ الفكرِ

    He is virtuous, majestic, discerning, a man of intelligence;

    He lifts the veil of seclusion from the maiden of thought.

  13. هُوَ الكامِلُ الفذُّ الّذي في كَمالِهِ

    يَفوقُ كَمالَ البدرِ في لَيلةِ البدرِ

    He is the perfect, peerless one, who in his perfection

    Surpasses the full moon's perfection on the night of the full moon.

  14. مُحمّدٌ المَحمود في الدّهرِ دَيدنا

    هُوَ الجَهبذُ اليافيّ وَالخلوَتي البكري

    Muhammad, ever praised throughout time,

    He is the master scholar, al-Yafi, al-Khalwati, al-Bakri.

  15. بَليغُ بَيانٍ في بَديعِ بَلاغةٍ

    بِها تاهَ ما يَحوي البيان مِنَ السّحرِ

    Eloquent in expression, with wondrous eloquence,

    In which all the magic contained in expression takes pride.

  16. فَلَو شامَ سَحبان جواهرَ لَفظهِ

    لَظَلَّ أَخَا عِيٍّ عَنِ النّظمِ وَالنّثرِ

    So, were Sahban to behold the jewels of his speech,

    He would remain tongue-tied in both verse and prose,

  17. وَدامَ عَلى تِلكَ الجَواهِرِ تالِياً

    بِحُسنِ اِحتِرامٍ سورَةَ الحَمدِ وَالشّكرِ

    And would keep reciting over those jewels,

    With fitting reverence, the chapter of praise and thanksgiving.

  18. لَهُ اللَّه مِن شَهمٍ همامِ مهذّبٍ

    غَدا رَجلَ الدّنيا غَدا واحِدَ الدّهرِ

    May God favor him—what a noble, high-minded, refined man!

    He became the world's foremost man, became the age's peerless one.

  19. فَيا أَيّها المَولى الّذي طابَ صيتهُ

    وَمَن قَد حَوى طيبَ السّريرةِ وَالسرِّ

    So, O master whose renown is sweet,

    And who possesses goodness of heart and innermost self,

  20. وَحَلَّ مِنَ العَلياءِ مَوضِعَ رأسِها

    وَبَين صُدور النّاس في مَوضِعِ الصدرِ

    And has taken his place at the summit of eminence,

    And among the leaders of men has taken the foremost place,

  21. إِلَيكَ لَقَد أَهديت غَيداءَ غادَة

    وَبِكراً مِنَ الأَبكارِ ناهيكَ مِن بكرِ

    To you I have indeed presented a graceful, lovely maiden,

    And a virgin among virgins—what a virgin she is!

  22. فَريدَةُ عقدٍ وَهيَ عقدُ نَظيمة

    لَقَد أَرخَصت قدرَ الثّمينِ مِنَ الدرِّ

    A necklace's matchless pearl, herself a necklace of verse,

    She has indeed cheapened the worth of precious pearls.

  23. مُخدّرة في الفِكرِ وَالفكرُ خِدرها

    وَما ظَهَرَت إِلّا عَلَيك مِنَ الخدرِ

    Secluded in thought, and thought is her private chamber,

    And she has appeared from her chamber to you alone.

  24. فَأَقبِل عَلَيها بِالقَبولِ أَخا النّدى

    فَتِلكَ إِلى الإِقبالِ في غايَةِ الفقرِ

    So turn to her with acceptance, O brother of generosity,

    For she is in the utmost need of a welcome.

  25. وَفي مثلك الإِقبال يا حرُّ شيمةٌ

    وَأَنتَ تَرى الإِقبالَ مِن شِيَمِ الحرِّ

    And in one like you, O noble man, welcoming is a natural trait,

    And you regard welcoming as one of a noble man's traits.

  26. وَدُم في حِفاظِ اللَّهِ ما لاحَ كَوكَبٌ

    وَما فَوقَ غُصنِ الرّوضِ قَد صدحَ القمري

    And remain in God's protection as long as a star gleams,

    And as long as the turtledove sings upon a garden bough,

  27. وَما بِلسانِ الطيبِ أَبدَت ثَناءها

    بِعطر عَلى رَوضِ الرّبى نفحةَ الزّهرِ

    And as long as its praise is voiced in the tongue of fragrance,

    By a perfumed breath of flowers over the hillside garden,

  28. وَما الفَتحُ فَتحُ اللَّه أَنشد قائلاً

    تَأمّلْ نُجومَ الأفقِ لَيلاً وإذْ تسري

    And as long as al-Fath—Fath Allah—recites, saying:

    Contemplate the horizon's stars at night, and as you journey;