أَخٌ كَذَوب الشَهد طَعمُ إِخائِهِ

إِذا اختلفت بيض اللَيالي وَسودُها

A brother whose brotherhood is as sweet as honey

A brother whose friendship tastes like the purest melting honey,

When the nights alternate between white and black

Whenever the white nights and the black ones alternate.

كأُمنية المَلهوف حَزماً وَنائِلاً

وَعَوناً عَلى عَمياءِ أَمرٍ يُكيدها

Like the wish of one yearning, hopeful and attained

He is like the wish of the distressed for resolve and generosity,

And aid against a scheming, blind affair

And an aid against a blinding plight that plots against him.

له نِعمٌ عِندي ضَعُفتُ بشكرها

عَلى أَنَّه في كُلِّ يَوم يَزيدها

For him I have blessings I was too weak to thank

He has bestowed favors upon me I am too weak to repay with thanks,

Yet he increases them daily in every way

Even as he increases them every single day.

تحمّل عَنّي شُكرَها فَأَراحَني

وَللشكرِ مِرقاةٌ كؤود صُعودها

He relieved me of thanking him, and gave me rest

He shouldered the burden of gratitude for me, giving me ease,

For gratitude has steps hard for climbing

For gratitude is a ladder arduous to climb.

كَأَنَّ عليهِ الشُكرَ في كُلِّ نِعمَةٍ

يقلِّدُنيها بادياً وَيُعيدُها

As if for every blessing he makes me wear

As if the debt of thanks falls upon him for every bounty

Necklaces, presenting them again and again

With which he adorns me, beginning anew and repeating the gift.