أحسنَ اللَهُ في البريَّةِ صَنعا

أحسنَ اللَهُ في البريَّةِ صَنعا

يمنحُ المرءَ ما يَرَى فيهِ نفعا

يمنحُ المرءَ ما يَرَى فيهِ نفعا

How beautifully God has fashioned His creation!

God has wrought well among His creatures;

He grants a person whatever He sees will benefit him.

He grants a person what He sees will benefit them.

كلُّ ما يفعلُ الالهُ جميلٌ

كلُّ ما يفعلُ الالهُ جميلٌ

لا تَرُم لاقتضاءِ ربّك دفعا

لا تَرُم لاقتضاءِ ربّك دفعا

Everything God does is beautiful;

All that God does is beautiful;

do not seek to repel your Lord’s decree.

do not seek to resist your Lord's decree.

كُنتَ وِتراً فريدَ عِلَّةِ جِسمٍ

كُنتَ وِتراً فريدَ عِلَّةِ جِسمٍ

فلهُ الحمدُ صار وِترُكَ شِفعا

فلهُ الحمدُ صار وِترُكَ شِفعا

You were a solitary odd one, clinging to my body;

You were odd, with a single bodily ailment;

praise be to Him—your oddness became a pair.

praise be to Him—your odd has become even.

مُفرَداً كُنتَ ثُمَّ ثُنِيتَ ايضاً

مُفرَداً كُنتَ ثُمَّ ثُنِيتَ ايضاً

فعن الجمع لا أرى فيك منعا

فعن الجمع لا أرى فيك منعا

Single you were, and then you were doubled too;

You were singular, then made dual as well;

as for becoming many, I see nothing in you to prevent it.

so I see no bar in you to becoming plural.

أَتُرَى صاحِ عنكمُ قيل إِنَّا قد

أَتُرَى صاحِ عنكمُ قيل إِنَّا قد

جمعناكمُ ايا قومُ جمعا

جمعناكمُ ايا قومُ جمعا

Do you think, my friend, that it was said of you all that we have

Do you think, friend, it was of you they said, “We have indeed

gathered you, O people, all together?

gathered you, O people, together”?

اذ نرى جمعكم غدا جمع كسرٍ

اذ نرى جمعكم غدا جمع كسرٍ

وسِواهُ نَراهُ غرواً وبِدعا

وسِواهُ نَراهُ غرواً وبِدعا

For tomorrow we may see your company become Khosrow’s host,

For we see your plural has become a broken plural,

and deem all else delusion and unheard-of folly.

and anything else we deem strange and unprecedented.

رَحِمَ اللَه والداً ما تعدَّى

رَحِمَ اللَه والداً ما تعدَّى

في الوَرَى عادةَ الطبيعة قطعا

في الوَرَى عادةَ الطبيعة قطعا

May God have mercy on a father who never departed

May God have mercy on a father who never departed

from nature’s firmly established custom among humankind:

at all from nature's ways among mankind,

اذ بَنُوهُ تشابهوا فيهِ طبعا

اذ بَنُوهُ تشابهوا فيهِ طبعا

وكذا من قد اوجب الطبع يرعى

وكذا من قد اوجب الطبع يرعى

for his children resembled him in this by their very nature,

for his sons naturally took after him,

as anyone upon whom nature has laid an obligation duly observes it.

and thus he who has ordained nature is heeded.

فابوكم لما بكم كان اصلاً

فابوكم لما بكم كان اصلاً

ولهذا عليهِ صرتُمُ فرعا

ولهذا عليهِ صرتُمُ فرعا

Your father was the root of what is in you,

For your father was the root of what afflicts you,

and thus from him you became branches.

and thus you became a branch growing upon him.

انما الإِبنُ وارثٌ لأَبيهِ

انما الإِبنُ وارثٌ لأَبيهِ

وَهوَ فيهِ احقُّ وضعاً وشرعا

وَهوَ فيهِ احقُّ وضعاً وشرعا

The son is but his father’s heir,

A son is but the heir of his father,

and has the strongest claim to this by custom and law.

and has the greater claim to it by convention and sacred law.

فيكُمُ عِلَّتانِ ليسَ هما من

فيكُمُ عِلَّتانِ ليسَ هما من

اصلِ تِسعٍ بل قد تَفرَّعنَ تِسعا

اصلِ تِسعٍ بل قد تَفرَّعنَ تِسعا

Within you are two afflictions, neither arising from

In you are two ailments—not descended from

a spreading root—yet they have branched out ninefold.

an original nine; rather, they have branched into nine.

يا لحَى اللَهُ عِلَّةً لزَمانٍ

يا لحَى اللَهُ عِلَّةً لزَمانٍ

وافقت لا محالةَ اسماً وطبعا

وافقت لا محالةَ اسماً وطبعا

Oh, may God curse an affliction upon this age

Ah, may God curse an ailment of the age,

that unfailingly matches it in name and nature.

one that surely matches it in name and nature.

عِلَّةٌ اذ تَدِبُّ في كُلّ عُضوٍ

عِلَّةٌ اذ تَدِبُّ في كُلّ عُضوٍ

شِبهَ صِلٍّ يخالُها العقلُ تَسعَى

شِبهَ صِلٍّ يخالُها العقلُ تَسعَى

My ailment, as it creeps through every limb,

An ailment—when it creeps through every limb,

is like a viper the mind imagines slithering.

the mind imagines it slithering like an asp.

كيفَ أُوليتَ منهما الجرَّ والكسرَ

كيفَ أُوليتَ منهما الجرَّ والكسرَ

ولم تواليك نَصباً ورَفعا

ولم تواليك نَصباً ورَفعا

How were you accorded, by those two, the genitive and the kasra,

How have those two granted you dragging and breaking,

while the accusative and nominative did not follow you?

yet never favored you with standing upright and rising?

فاحمَدِ اللَه يا منائيَ واحذَر

فاحمَدِ اللَه يا منائيَ واحذَر

في البِلَى ان تَضِيقَ صَدراً وذَرعا

في البِلَى ان تَضِيقَ صَدراً وذَرعا

Then praise God, O object of my longing, and beware

So praise God, O Manāʾī, and beware,

lest affliction leave you straitened in heart and endurance.

amid affliction, lest your breast grow tight and your endurance fail.

وتَذَكَّر متيَّماً ومُحِباً

وتَذَكَّر متيَّماً ومُحِباً

لم يُصخِ قَطُّ للعواذلِ سَمعا

لم يُصخِ قَطُّ للعواذلِ سَمعا

Remember one enslaved and enamored by love,

And remember a love-stricken, devoted lover,

who never lent the censurers an ear—

who never lent an ear to reproaching women,

مُغرَماً ذاب حُرقةً واشتِياقاً

مُغرَماً ذاب حُرقةً واشتِياقاً

وَهوَ في الحُبّ ليسَ يَقبَلُ ردعا

وَهوَ في الحُبّ ليسَ يَقبَلُ ردعا

an infatuated lover, melted by burning anguish and longing,

an enamored man who melted in burning anguish and longing,

who in love will accept no restraint.

and who in love accepts no restraint.

قد كسا جِسمَهُ البِعادُ نُحولاً

قد كسا جِسمَهُ البِعادُ نُحولاً

وذُبولاً واكسبَ القلب صدعا

وذُبولاً واكسبَ القلب صدعا

Separation has clothed his body in gauntness

Separation has clothed his body in leanness

and wasting, and has rent his heart asunder.

and withering, and has cracked his heart.

ان تَكُن غِبتَ عن لَحاظيَ يوماً

ان تَكُن غِبتَ عن لَحاظيَ يوماً

فلك القلب والحشاشةُ مَرعى

فلك القلب والحشاشةُ مَرعى

Though you be absent from my gaze one day,

If you have been absent from my gaze for a day,

my heart and its innermost core remain your pasture.

then my heart and life's last spark are your pasture.

قَسَماً سَيَّدي بان فُؤَادي

قَسَماً سَيَّدي بان فُؤَادي

ابداً منك ليس يَألَفُ قنعا

ابداً منك ليس يَألَفُ قنعا

I swear, my master, that my heart

I swear, my master, that my heart

will never have its fill of you.

will never grow accustomed to having enough of you.

يا رَعَى اللَه سالفاتِ ليالٍ

يا رَعَى اللَه سالفاتِ ليالٍ

سُرِقَت والجفونُ لم تُلفِ هَجعا

سُرِقَت والجفونُ لم تُلفِ هَجعا

Ah, may God preserve those bygone nights,

Ah, may God preserve those bygone nights,

stolen away while eyelids were never found asleep.

stolen away while eyelids found no slumber.

لم أَخَل انها من العُمرِ مرَّت

لم أَخَل انها من العُمرِ مرَّت

بل لَقد خِلتُ انها العُمرُ جمعا

بل لَقد خِلتُ انها العُمرُ جمعا

I did not think they had passed as part of life;

I did not think they had passed as part of life;

rather, I thought they were the whole of life.

rather, I truly thought they were all of life.

وسقي عهدَنا العِهادُ مليّاً

وسقي عهدَنا العِهادُ مليّاً

هاملاً حافلاً من الحُبِّ ضَرعا

هاملاً حافلاً من الحُبِّ ضَرعا

May the recurring rains water our time together abundantly,

And may the returning rains long water our time together,

pouring down, their udders brimming with love.

pouring down, their udders brimming with love.

عاذِلي لو شَهِدتَ مشهدَ أُنسي

عاذِلي لو شَهِدتَ مشهدَ أُنسي

ما تذكرتَ قَطُّ سُلمَى وسَلعا

ما تذكرتَ قَطُّ سُلمَى وسَلعا

My censurer, had you witnessed the scene of my delight,

My reproacher, had you witnessed my joyful gathering,

you would never again remember Salmā or Mount Salʿ.

you would never have remembered Sulmā and Salʿ.

مع هُمامٍ جنيتُ مرتشفاً من

مع هُمامٍ جنيتُ مرتشفاً من

ثغرِ آدابهِ حُباباً وطَلعا

ثغرِ آدابهِ حُباباً وطَلعا

With my noble beloved I gathered, sipping from

With a noble man, I gathered, sipping from

the smiling mouth of his virtues, bubbles and blossom.

the lips of his learning, bubbles and palm blossom.

لائمي ان تكن حَمامةَ روضٍ

لائمي ان تكن حَمامةَ روضٍ

وتلمني بهِ ظننتك أَفعَى

وتلمني بهِ ظننتك أَفعَى

My blamer, though you be a garden dove,

My reproacher, if you are a garden dove,

if you blame me for him, I take you for a viper.

and reproach me over him, I would take you for a viper.

ما انا نابذٌ رِضاهُ دواماً

ما انا نابذٌ رِضاهُ دواماً

لا ولو ان نبذت اهلاً وربعا

لا ولو ان نبذت اهلاً وربعا

Never shall I cast his favor aside—

Never will I cast aside his favor,

no, even if I cast aside family and home.

no, even were I to forsake family and home.

يا سَماءَ الحِجَى ويا شمسَ فضلٍ عمَّتِ

يا سَماءَ الحِجَى ويا شمسَ فضلٍ عمَّتِ

العالمين نفعاً ولمعا

العالمين نفعاً ولمعا

O heaven of wisdom, O sun of bounty, whose

O heaven of reason, O sun of excellence, which has filled

benefit and radiance encompass all the worlds!

the worlds with benefit and radiance,

ليس بِدعاً اذا ارتقيتَ ذِرَى الافضال

ليس بِدعاً اذا ارتقيتَ ذِرَى الافضال

فالفضلُ فيك طبعاً ووضعا

فالفضلُ فيك طبعاً ووضعا

It is no marvel that you have climbed the peaks of excellence,

it is no marvel if you ascend the heights of beneficence,

for excellence is yours by nature and constitution.

for excellence is in you by nature and convention.

فارقَ أوجَ العُلَى لانك ساعٍ

فارقَ أوجَ العُلَى لانك ساعٍ

في سبيلِ الالهِ افضلَ مَسعَى

في سبيلِ الالهِ افضلَ مَسعَى

Surpass the zenith of glory, for you strive

So ascend the zenith of glory, for you strive

in God’s path with the noblest endeavor.

in the path of God with the noblest endeavor,

ما استسارت رسائل الحب تطوي

ما استسارت رسائل الحب تطوي

في الرُبى والوِهاد جِزعاً فجِزعا

في الرُبى والوِهاد جِزعاً فجِزعا

So long as love’s missives journey on, traversing

as long as messages of love journey, traversing

hills and hollows, mountain pass after mountain pass.

hills and hollows, valley bend after valley bend.