فتاةٌ برَبْعي رَحْلُها سَحَراً حُطّا

وللّيْلِ فَوْدٌ بالصّباحِ قدِ اشْمَطّا

A girl with a charming gait like magic at dawn

And the night has love for the morn it adorned

فلوْ جِئْتُها بالبَدْرِ تاجاً مُكَلَّلاً

بِدُرِّ الدّرارِي أو بجَوْزائِهِ قُرْطا

If I brought her the full moon as a crowned diadem

With a pearl necklace or earrings of gold

وأهْديْتُها وُشْحاً منَ البَرقِ مُذْهَباً

ونظّمْتُ من زُهْرِ النّجومِ لها سِمْطا

And gifted her lightning's glow made of gold

And strung together a necklace of star flowers

لَما كنتُ قدْ وفّيتُ بعضَ حُقوقِها

ولا كان عدْلاً ما وهَبْتُ ولا قِسْطا

Though I had fulfilled some of her rights

It wouldn't be justice what I gave, nor equal

وإنّ أباها في ذَوي النّظمِ أوْحَدٌ

فلوْ نُظِموا عِقْداً لكانَ لهُ وُسْطَى

Her father in poetry is most eminent

If composed as a necklace, he'd be its center

ولو أنصَفَ الدّهْرُ الأبيُّ قِيادُهُ

وعوّضَتِ الأيامُ من قَبضِها بَسْطا

If time was just, its guide her eminent father

And days compensated what they took away

ورامَتْ بالاسْتِحْقاقِ إعْلاءَ قدْرِه

لما كان عن أعْلى المراتِبِ مُنْحَطّا

If merits raised his worth to highest ranks

He wouldn't have fallen from the highest place

أما هذهِ أبْكارُ أفكارِه التي

تجلّتْ فلمْ ترْضَ النجومَ لها رَهْطا

These virgin ideas of his that shone through

The stars weren't good enough company for them

ترامَتْ بدُرّ اللفْظِ أبْحُرُ فِكْرِهِ

وحلّتْ لدَيْهِ الطّرْسَ تحسِبُهُ شطّا

The sea of his words aspired to the full moon's light

And planets visited him thinking it a shore

فدونَكَ زُهْرَ الأفْقِ فاسْتَجلِ نورَها

ودونَكَ زهْرَ الروضِ فلتجنِهِ لَقْطا

Before you is dawn's flower, so admire its light

And before you is the garden's flower, so pick it

أبا الفضْلِ لا تسْتَبْط حَظّاً من العُلَى

ستَبْلُغُ ما أمّلتَ منهُ وإن أبْطا

Abu al-Fadl, don't miss out on great heights

You will attain what you hope for even if delayed

فَفي حُكْمِك الآدابُ مُلّكْتَ رِقَّها

وهلْ مانِعٌ من ذاكَ واللهُ قد أعْطى

For you are literature's master, you tamed it

What prevents that when God has given you support?

ودونكَها من خالص الوُدّ قلبُهُ

لميثاقِهِ قد أحْكَمَ العَقْدَ والرَّبْطا

With sincere love his heart is bound to his promise

Tying firm the knot and bond between you