يا خيرَ بادٍ في الأنامِ وحاضرِ

وأحقَّ مُولٍ في الزّمان لشاكرِ

O best wind blowing among mankind, ever-present,

And most truthful in fulfilling promises through time, to the grateful,

وأشقَّ من وطأ الكواكب مُرتقىً

وأعزَّ من ليث العرينِ الخادرِ

And most arduous in the ascent, treading the path of the stars,

And most honorable, like the lion in its secluded den,

قد جاءني التّشريفُ منك كأنّه

قِطعُ الرّياض عقيبَ غيثٍ ماطرِ

The honor coming from you is as if

It were blossoms of gardens after a pouring rain,

وكأنّه بُرْدُ الشّبابِ نضارةً

أو بِشْرُ آونةِ الرّبيع الزّاهرِ

And as if it were the freshness of flourishing youth,

Or good tidings of the blooming spring,

أثوابُ عزٍّ لم يكنّ للابسٍ

إلّا رِياشَ مفاخرٍ ومآثرِ

Raiment of glory that none could wear

Except with pride and great deeds,

يُجرَرْنَ فوق ذُرا المجرّةِ عزّةً

ويُطَرْنَ فوق النَّسْرِ ذاك الطّائرِ

Dragging honor above the dust of the galaxy,

And soaring above the eagles in flight,

وَلَقد سننتَ شَريعةً لِلجودِ في

غير الهديّةِ أنّه للحاضرِ

Indeed, you have established a tradition of generosity beyond

Gifts, considering them due to the present,

لَم تَرض ما شَرع الكِرامُ وكم لنا

من ناقصٍ عن غايةٍ أو قاصرِ

Never satisfied with the noble's code, for we had

Many shortcomings from the ultimate goal,

حتّى جعلتَ لحاضرٍ أو ناظرٍ

كلَّ الّذي رَمَقَتْه عينُ النّاظرِ

Until you have given, to both present and onlooker

All that the beholder's eye envisioned,

شاطَرتَنِي تلك النّفائسَ قاسماً

بيني وبينك كلَّ عِلْقِ فاخرِ

You have made me partner to those treasures, dividing

Between us every outstanding prize,

فَكأنّنا مُتساهمان بضاعةً

حُطّتْ إلينا من ظهور أباعرِ

As if we shared merchandise

Brought down to us from overflowing saddlebags,

أرسلتَها مثلاً شروداً في النّدى

يسري بها لك كلُّ بيتٍ سائرِ

You sent it randomly, wandering in the dew,

Circling to you, every house in motion,

جاءَتْ كَما اِقتَرح التكرّمُ ما مشى

فيها اللّسان ولا سَرَتْ في خاطرِ

It came just as generosity dictated what the tongue

Uttered, nor passed through the mind,

هَيهات مِنكَ الأوّلون وإنْ هُمُ

صاروا من المعروف خيرَ مصايرِ

Far from you are the ancients, though they

Became the best in bounty,

سبقوا وجُزتَ مداهُمُ متمهّلاً

سَبْقَ الكريمة للهجين العاثرِ

They preceded while you measured out their extent, slowly,

Like the noble steed outpacing the limping camel,

فمتى أضفناهمْ إليك فإنّما

قسنا الثّماد إلى الخِضَمّ الزَّاخرِ

If we add them to you, it is as if

We compared the bran to the fruitful harvest,

فَاِفخَرْ وتِهْ فخرَ الملوك على الورى

وعلى الطّوالع في المحيط الدَّائرِ

So boast, and let your boast be the boast of kings over mankind,

And over the celestial spheres revolving in the endless sea,

فلقد فَضَلْتَ جميعهمْ بفضائلٍ

وفواضلٍ ومكارمٍ ومكائرِ

For you have surpassed them all in merits,

And nobility, and magnanimity, and lofty deeds,

ومحاسنٍ نَظَمَ الزّمانُ لمَفرقَي

ملكِ الملوك بها سُموطَ جواهرِ

And beauties fashioned by time for the brow

Of the king of kings with clusters of pearls,

وَاِسلَمْ وَإِن لفّتْ صروفُ زَمانِنا

هذا الأنامَ معاشراً بمعاشرِ

And be secure even if the turns of our time

Deliver these people in groups to one another,

في ظلِّ مَلْكٍ ضلَّ عن أيدي الرّدى

وَاِزورَّ عَن سَنَنِ الحمامِ الزَّائرِ

In the shade of a realm protected from the hands of demise,

And fortified against the ways of the circling fates.