تَبسّمَ زَهرُ الرّوضِ حينَ بَكى الطّلُّ
وَقَهقَهَ ثَغرُ النّهرِ حين هَمى الوَبْلُ
The garden's flowers smiled when the dew wept;
The garden's flower smiled when the youth wept,
And the river's mouth laughed aloud when the downpour fell.
And the river's lip laughed when the clouds roared,
وَحَلّ عِذار الآسِ وَجنةَ جَدولٍ
فَأَبصرَها مِن نَرجِسٍ أعينٌ نُجْلُ
And the myrtle's cheek-down settled upon a streamlet's cheek,
The oryx came to the streamlet and garden of the valley,
So wide eyes of narcissus beheld it.
Eyes of narcissus saw it from the meadow,
وَحَلّى رَبيعُ الروضِ عاطلَ جِيدهِ
فقلَّده عِقداً من الزّهرِ إذ يحلو
And the garden's spring adorned its bare neck,
The garden's spring adorned its bare neck,
So garlanded it with a necklace of flowers, as it grew lovely.
Stringing it a necklace of flowers as it did beautifully,
وقامَ خطيبُ الطيرُ يسجَعُ بُكرةً
فَكَمْ نُبِّهت أُذنٌ وَأَفئِدةٌ غُفلُ
And the birds' preacher rose, warbling at daybreak;
The songbird, choir master of the birds began trilling at dawn,
And how many an ear and heedless heart were awakened!
How many ears were awakened and heedless hearts roused,
كَأَنّ حمامَ الأَيكِ صُبحاً دَواخلٌ
تَغَنَّت عَلى العيدانِ فَاِنتَعَشَ العقلُ
As though the grove's doves at dawn were thicket-songbirds,
As if the doves of the valley at dawn were singing maidens,
Singing upon the boughs, so that the mind revived.
Trilling on the branches, enlivening reason,
كَأَنَّ قُدودَ الزّهرِ حينَ تَلامَعَت
سُيوفُ هَيجاءٍ مِنَ الغِمْدِ تُستَلُّ
As though the flowers' slender forms, when they gleamed,
As if the buds of the flowers, when they gleamed,
Were battle-swords being drawn from the sheath.
Were swords unsheathed, at hand to be drawn,
كَأَنَّ الشّقيقَ الغَضَّ حينَ تراقص
كُؤوسُ طُلا الأَفراحِ حَيثُ الصّدا تَجلو
As though the fresh anemones, as they danced,
As if the dewdrops, when they danced playfully,
Were cups of festive wine, where thirst is washed away.
Were cups of joy where laughter was unveiled,
كَأَنَّ الصَّبا راحَ لَدى الفجرِ إِذ سَرت
بِهِ روحُ زهرِ الرّوض تَحيا وَتبتلُّ
As though the east wind were wine at dawn, when it drifted,
As if the morning breeze, when it blew at dawn,
Through it the soul of the garden's flowers revives and is moistened.
Carried the spirit of the garden's flower, reviving, getting wet,
صَباً رَوت اللطفَ الَّذي هو طَبعُها
عَنِ الكزبريْ خَلقاً كَما ثَبَتَ النّقلُ
A breeze that transmitted the gentleness that is its nature
A morning breeze that conveyed the kindness that was its nature,
From al-Kuzbari as an innate trait, as the transmission confirms.
From the Creator, as narrated and passed down,
إِمامٌ تَسامَى أَن يُضاهَى بِفَضلِهِ
وَأنّى يضاهَى مَن تَسامَى بِهِ الفضلُ
An imam too exalted to be equaled in his excellence;
A peerless Imam, whose merit cannot be matched,
And how could one be equaled through whom excellence itself is exalted?
And how can one match what surpasses all merit?
أَبو البَذلِ شِبلُ المَجدِ حقّاً أَخو الحِجا
وصِنوُ العُلى لا عقّه الصِنوُ والبذلُ
Father of generosity, glory's lion-cub, truly wisdom's brother,
The epitome of generosity, glory’s lion, truly the bosom friend of glory,
And the twin of loftiness—may his twin and generosity never forsake him.
The maker and protector of the eminent, whom neither protector nor giver can equal,
لَهُ راحَةٌ ما البحرُ إِلّا بِلالُها
فَلا الوَبْلُ يَحكيها إِذِ الجودُ ينهلُّ
His is a palm: the sea is nothing but its moisture;
He has a serenity that only the sea can suggest,
Not even the downpour can match it when generosity pours forth.
So neither clouds nor rain can describe it, as generosity draws from it,
فَلا عَيبَ فيها غَيرَ أَنَّ عَطاءَها
لِكَثرَتِه قَد وَدَّ أَن يُمدَحَ البخلُ
It has no fault except that its bounty,
No fault in it save that his excessive giving,
For its abundance, has wished that miserliness be praised.
Has almost made frugality seem praiseworthy,
مَهيبٌ فَلَو شامَته أُسدُ عَريكَةٍ
لَهَابَتهُ مِن خَوفٍ كَما هابَه الطفلُ
Awe-inspiring: if lions of fierce mettle beheld him,
Awe-inspiring, if a lion of the thickets scented it,
They would fear him in terror, as a child fears him.
It would cower in fear, as a child cowers,
عَزيزٌ بِهِ لِلعِزِّ فَخرٌ وَرِفعَةٌ
فَها كلّ عِزٍّ دونَ عَزَّته ذُلُّ
Exalted: through him, honor gains pride and elevation;
Dear to him is honor, in which there is pride and loftiness,
So behold, all honor beneath his honor is abasement.
Thus all honor below his is lowliness,
تَعَوّدَ حُسنَ الحلمِ مِن وَقتِ مَهدِهِ
فَجاءَ كَما قَد شمتَ يا أَيُّها الخِلُّ
He has practiced gracious forbearance since his cradle,
He was accustomed to excellent manners from the time of his cradle,
And came forth as you have seen, O dear friend,
So he came, as you have sensed, O vinegar,
بِخُلقٍ وَخَلقٍ يَستَحي البدرُ وَالصبا
يَلوحُ وَتَسري حَيثُ كَانَ السُّرى يَحلو
With character and form that make the full moon and east wind ashamed
With manners and character that shame the full moon and the morning breeze,
To shine and to drift where the night journey was sweet.
Radiant, flowing wherever the stream flows sweetly,
هُوَ الجَوهرُ الَّذي دونَهُ الوَرى
غَدَت عَرضاً يَفنى فَلَيسَ لَهُ مِثلُ
He is the substance; beneath him all humankind
He is the jewel, beside which the world’s adornments
Has become a transient accident; thus he has no equal.
Became transient, perishing, with no equal,
لَهُ اللَّهُ مَنْ تِجارتُه تقىً
وَمَكسبهُ حَمدٌ وَصَنعَتُهُ نَفْلُ
God be with him whose trade is piety,
To him Allah granted success in piety as his commerce,
And whose earnings are praise and whose craft is voluntary good works.
And his profit, praise, and work, supererogation,
بِهِ شَرفي سامٍ بِه رِفعَتي نَمَت
بِهِ مَددي وافٍ بِهِ هِمّتي تَعلو
Through him my honor is lofty; through him my eminence has grown.
Through him my glory was exalted, through him my status grew,
Through him my support is ample; through him my aspiration rises.
Through him my resources lasted, through him my aspirations rose,
وَمَجدي بِهِ مَجدٌ وَوَقتي بِهِ صَفا
وَعِزّي بِهِ عِزٌّ وَنبلي بِهِ نبلُ
And through him my glory is glory, and through him my time has grown serene.
My glory through him became glory, my times through him became clear,
And through him my honor is honor, and through him my nobility is nobility.
My honor through him became honor, my nobility through him became noble,
فَلا زالَ في عِزٍّ يَدومُ عَلى المَدى
وَمَجدٌ رَفيعٌ لَيسَ يدركهُ عَقلُ
So may he ever remain in honor that endures for all time,
So he remains in enduring honor, for time immemorial,
And lofty glory that no mind can grasp.
And lofty glory that no mind can grasp,
وَلا زالَ في أُنسٍ عَلى المَنارِ ما
تَبَدّى اِبنُ فَتحِ اللَّه تمداحَه يَتلو
And may he ever remain in delight upon the beacon, as long as
And he remains in intimacy upon the minbar, whenever
Ibn Fath Allah comes forth, reciting praises of him,
The son of Fathullah recites his praises,
وَما أَنشدَ القُمريُّ عِندَ شُجونه
تَبَسَّمَ زهرُ الرّوضِ حينَ بَكى الطلُّ
And as long as the turtledove sings amid its sorrows:
And however much Al-Qumri sang in his laments,
“The garden's flowers smiled when the dew wept.”
The garden's flower smiled when the youth wept.
Sol 6.1