نِعال كِنْبايةَ والعنبرُ

ومِسْك دارِينكُمُ الأذفرُ

Kanbayan sandals and ambergris,

And your house's musk, the most fragrant,

ومَندل الهند الذي يُرتَضَى

يُقسَم في الناس ولا نُذكرُ

And the Indian agate that is approved,

Is divided among people without us being mentioned.

يا مانعينا من هداياكُمُ

ثناؤنا من عطركم أعطر

O you who prevent us from your gifts,

Our praise of your perfume is more fragrant.

ثناؤنا يبقى ويطوي الفلا

طيّاً فلا يُثنَى ولا يُقصر

Our praise remains and folds time

Folded, so it is neither folded nor shortened.

وعطركمْ تَدرُس آثارهُ

ويسأم السيرَ ولا يفخر

And your perfume's traces are erased

And the journey becomes tedious without pride.

أقسمت بالكأس إذا أعملت

واصطخب المزمار والمِزْهر

I swore by the cup when it was filled

And the flute and flower garden were noisy,

لو جاءنا العود وأتباعه

وخيرُهن العنبر الأخضر

If the lute and its followers came to us,

And the best of them is the green amber,

لقد غدا يُثنى به شعرُنا

أضعاف ما يثنى به المجمر

Our poetry would then be praised

Multiples of what is praised by embers.

أو جاءنا المسك جَزينا به

ما يصبح المسك به يُهجَر

Or if musk came to us, we would reward it

With what makes musk abandoned in the morning.

أو أصبح المنشور من شكرنا

كأنه من ريحه يُنشر

Or our sugar from gratitude became

As if it is being scattered from its scent.

ولو أتى الكافورُ قلنا يد

بيضاء كالكافور لا تُكفَر

And if camphor came, we would say a

White hand like camphor that cannot be covered.

أو جاءنا من عندكم مَركبٌ

أحمر كالشعلة أو أشقر

Or if a ship came to us from you

Red like a flame or blond,

نِسْبته يُنسَبها داهِرٌ

ولونه يُنحَله قيصر

Its origin would be attributed by a connoisseur

And its color would be distinguished by Caesar.

يُعزَى إلى السند ويعتدُّهُ

في الروم لون ناصع أحمر

It would be traced back to Sindh and highly valued

In Rome its shining red color.

مُصَرصِر لكنه صيِّتٌ

عقارب الدار له تُذعَر

Buzzing but it is a small sound

The house's scorpions are frightened by it.

فيه على الأعداء مستنجَدٌ

في ظلمة الليل ومستنصر

In it against the enemies is a helper

In the darkness of night and seeking light.

ما صرّ إلا ولنا نطقُهُ

بالشكر أو يحسر أو نحسر

It would not buzz except to thank us

Or regret or make us regret.

لا نَخلُ من جملة ألطافكم

لا يخلُ من شكركُم مَحضر

We do not lack from the totality of your favors

Our gathering does not lack from your gratitude.

إنا إذا تاجَرَنا صاحبٌ

أضحى وما ذُمّ له مَتْجرُ

If a companion trades with us

He has prospered and no flaw was blamed on him.

ما خلت من يُهدي لنا فانياً

نجزيه عنه باقياً يخسر

It did not lack one who sincerely gifted us

We rewarded him eternally for his transient gift.

الحمد لله الذي لم تزل

أنوارهُ ساطعةً تَزهر

Praise be to God whose

Lights have continued to blossom.

حَظي مما عندكم تافهٌ

وحظكُم من وُدِّيَ الأوفر

My share of what is with you is insignificant

And your share of my affection is greater.

وليس بي قدر هداياكُمُ

بل بيَ أني صاحب يُحقر

I do not have the capacity for your gifts

Rather, I am a companion who is despised.

رأيتني إذ خنتُمُ حصّتي

وموضعي من رأيكم أغبر

I saw myself when you betrayed my share

And my position in your view is more contemptible.

وفعلكم عنوان آرائكم

وقد يُبين المخبرَ المنظر

And your action is the signature of your opinions

And it may clarify the view to the observer.

خذها وإن جدتَ بإسعافنا

فلا تقل إني لا أشكر

Take it even if you are harsh in helping us

Do not say that I am ungrateful.

وإن أبى الله ومقدارُهُ

فلا تقل إني لا أعذر

If God and His destiny refused,

Do not say that I have no excuse.

مهما يقدَّر منك في أمرنا

فالعذر من تلقائنا يُقدَر

Whatever is destined for us in our matter

The excuse comes spontaneously from us.

ولو أردنا اللوم أعجزْتَنا

وهل يُنال القمر الأزهر

And if we wanted to blame, you would disable us,

And can the shining moon be attained?

ليس سماء الله منحطة

وإن تدانت حين تستمطر

God's sky is not lowly

Even if it lowers when it rains.

يا من إذا حلّاه إخوانهُ

حُلِيَّ مدْحٍ حسنهُ يبهر

O you who when dressed by his brothers

Is dressed in beautiful praise that dazzles.

فإنما من عندهم نظمهُ

ومن لدنه الدُرُّ والجوهر

So it is only from them that its rhythm comes from

And from Him come the pearls and gems.