أَلا اِثْنِ عَلى أَهلِ المَكارِمِ وَالفَخرِ

ثَناءَ الصَّبا اللطفِيّ على نَفحَةِ الزّهرِ

Extol the people of virtues and pride

With praise like the gentle morning breeze upon the flower's scent

وَزَيِّنْ نُحورَ النَّظمِ في عَقدِ مَدحِهم

كَتَزيينِ سِلكِ الدُرِّ بارقةَ الثّغرِ

Adorn the structure of this poem in praising them

Like adorning a necklace with the radiance of a smile

وَأَفصِحْ بِتَبيينِ المَديحِ مُهذَّباً

بِتَحسينِ سَبكٍ فَالبيانُ مِنَ السِّحرِ

Articulate clearly in describing praise elegantly

With excellent composition, for eloquence is magic

وَأَيقن إِذا ما جِئتَ في كلِّ درَّةٍ

بِأَنَّكَ كَالمُهدي الجَواهِرَ لِلبَحرِ

And know that whenever you come with every pearl

You are like the guide sending gems to the sea

وَصَفِّ جَنانَ الفِكرِ مِن كَدرِ الهَوى

فإنّ صَفاءَ المدْحِ عند صَفا السِّرِّ

Filter the gardens of thought from the turbidity of passion

For the clarity of praise is with the clarity of secret

أَلَم تَرَ أَنَّ العِشقَ مِنه تشتّتتْ

حَواسي وأعضائي وذِهني مع الفِكرِ

Did you not see that from it my senses, limbs and mind with thought scattered

But I escaped from the shackle of its bondage

وَلَكنّني أَفلَتُّ مِن قيدِ أَسرِهِ

وَكانَ مُحالاً أَن أُفكَّ منَ الأَسرِ

And it was impossible for me to be unfettered from the shackling

And I decided not to hover around it

وَآليتُ أَنّي لا أَحومُ بِقُربِهِ

فَإِنّ الهَوى بِالقَهرِ مستعبِدُ الحرِّ

For passion by compulsion enslaves the free

And a blamer came to me blaming me

وَعاذِلَةٍ جاءَت إِلَيَّ تَلومُني

عَلى رَفضِهِ وهيَ الجَديرةُ بِالشرِّ

For rejecting it, while she deserves the evil

I said, I have been released from it by praising Abu Bakr

تَقول رَفضتَ العِشقَ قُلتُ مُجيبها

تَخلّصتُ مِنهُ في اِمتِداحِ أَبي بَكرِ

The brother of glory, the lion of honor, the son of nobles

The father of virtue, the star and jewel of the age

أَخو المَجدِ شِبلُ العِزِّ نَجلُ أَكارم

أَبو الفضلِ صِنوُ الفخرِ جَوهرةُ الدهرِ

He is the breast whose sources have been purified

Thus the hearts of people became purified by the stream of generosity

هوَ الصدرُ قَد طابَت مَوارِدُ صَدرِهِ

فَطابَتْ صُدورُ النّاسِ مِن مَوردِ الصدرِ

He is the lord of benefaction, the sweetest spring

From which the heart of glorious ones drink to quench its heat

هوَ السيّدُ الصوّاف أَعذَبُ مَنهَلٍ

بِهِ يَشتَفي قَلبُ المَعالي مِنَ الحرِّ

He possesses the supreme ambition - glory serves him

He has the highest honor over the honor of the full moon

لَهُ الهِمَّةُ العُليا لَهُ تخدمُ العُلى

لَهُ الشرَفُ العالي عَلى شَرفِ البَدرِ

If he wished to rise to the heavens it would come to him

Swiftly like lightning walking easily

فَلَو رامَ أَن يَرقى السِّماكَ لَجاءَهُ

عَلى هامِهِ كَالبَرقِ هَرولةً يَسري

By your life, this honor is but a gift

So how can one acquiring pride tire himself

لَعَمرُكَ ما ذا العِزُّ إِلّا مَواهبٌ

فَأَنَّى يكدُّ النَّفسَ مُكتَسِبُ الفَخرِ

And how can one who carried it attain the heights

Or attained it through effort in the days of an abject life

وَأَنّى الَّذي نالَ العُلى حينَ حَملِهِ

وَمَن نالَها كَسباً لَدى أرذَلِ العمرِ

For every pride is with the family of Muhammed

And indeed Abu Bakr is from his pure family

فَكلُّ اِفتِخارٍ عِندَ آلِ محمّدٍ

وإنّ أبا بكرٍ لَمِن آلِه الطُهرِ

So in praising him I adorned my poem’s creation

And wasted that jewel in that throat

فَفي مَدحِهِ حَلَّيتُ نَحرَ قَصيدَتي

فَضيَّعْتُ ذاكَ الدّرَّ في ذَلكَ النحرِ

It was as if you adorned an old woman with jewels

And one who mixed refined honey with wine

وَكُنتَ كَمَن حلّى العجوزَ بِجَوهَرٍ

وَمَن خَلَطَ الشّهدَ المُنقَّحَ بِالخَمرِ

And I know that I increased my sin with the evil

Of gifting this genuine prose with poetry

وَأَعلَمُ أَنّي زِدْتُ ذَنبي إِساءةً

بِإِهداءِ ذا النظمِ الحَقيقي بِالنثرِ

But I hope for forgiveness as I was an offender

It is the quality of the noble to pardon the seeker of forgiveness

وَلَكنّني أَرجوهُ إِذ كُنتُ جانِياً

وَشَأنُ الكريمِ العفوُ عن طالب الغُفرِ

O my Master to you I raised it fluttering, moaning

Struck with sickness, a child of thought I could not find a suitor for it but you

فَيا أَيّها المَولَى إِلَيكَ رفَعتُها

مهفهفةً غيداءَ مضروبةَ الخِدْرِ

And she came to you rushing, so receive her with welcome

And do not expose her faults, for hiding faults is the trait of the noble one

وَليدَةُ فِكرٍ لَم أجِدْ خاطباً لها

سِواكَ وقد جاءتكَ جاريةً تجري

It flowed in the safety of Allah wherever spring clouds gathered

And branches dance when the bright full moon bands together

فَخُذها بِإِقبالٍ وَلا تُبدِ عَيبَها

فَإِنّ خَفاءَ العَيبِ من شيمةِ الحرِّ

The scent of your praise's perfume has diffused

And the son of Fathallah has been sweetened by that fragrance

وَدُم في أَمانِ اللَّهِ ما هَبَّ شَمألٌ

وَما تَرقصُ الأغصانُ إِذْ تسجَع القُمري

وَما فاحَ عَرفُ الطّيبِ مِن عطرِ مَدحِكُم

وطابَ ابنُ فتحِ اللَّهِ مِن ذَلِكَ العِطرِ