يَا ذَا الذي أَلِفَ الثَّوَاءَ وذِكْرُهُ

قَطَعَ البِلادَ مُغَرِّباً ومُشَرِّقَا

O you who is accustomed to praise and whose mention

Has traversed the lands, traveling far and wide

أُهْدي إليكَ علَى الدُنُوِّ تحيةً

أذكَى من المِسْكِ الفَتيقِ وأعْبَقَا

I send you the most fragrant greeting

More delightful than pure musk

وأُطيلُ عُتْبِي في تأخُّرِ مَوْعِدٍ

لَكَ يا أبَرَّ القَائلينَ وأصْدَقَا

And I prolong my reproach for the delay

Of an appointment with you, O most truthful and virtuous one

أنفَقْتُ ما عندِي عَليهِ ومن أوَى

يَوماً إلى الخَلَفِ المُعَجَّلِ أنفَقَا

I spent all I had on it and on one who sheltered

For a day in hasty retreat they spent

حَاشَاكَ أنْ رَجَعَ امْرؤٌ أعْلقْتَهُ

حَبْلَ الرَّجَاءِ من المطَالِبِ مُخْفِقَا

Far be it from you that a man whose hopes you’ve tied

To the rope of hope returns broken and dejected

لا شَيءَ أبْرَحُ غُلَّةً من وَارِدٍ

أدلَى بأدْوامِ الدِّلاءِ وما اسْتَقَى

I obtain no profit from any source

That I milked dry with the buckets of pleading and gained nothing

فَوْتُ المطَالِبِ بَعد أنْ وقَفْتُ علَى

حَدٍّ تَكادُ بِهِ المُنَى أن تَعْلقَا

I’ve missed opportunities after standing at

A limit that almost engendered my demise

ما الثَّكلُ بالأبْنَاءِ حينَ تَتَابعُوا

بأمَضَّ للأحْشَاءِ منهُ وأقْلقَا

What is the agony of losing sons when they follow in succession

More bitterly piercing the entrails than any arrow

مَنْ يَستعِنْ فيمَا يَرُومُ بِمَاجِدٍ

لَمْ يَرْمِ حَاجَتَهُ بِسَهْمٍ أَفْوَقَا

One who seeks help from glories

Will never accomplish his goal with a higher aim

هُو مَنْ لو اسْتَنضَى صَوَارمَ عَزْمِهِ

ورمَى بِهَا صَرفَ القَضَاءِ لَطَبَّقَا

He is one who if he unsheathed the swords of his resolve

And cast them could divert even destiny’s decree

العَالِمُ العَلَمُ البَعيدُ المرتَقَى

والمَورِدُ العذْبُ القَريبُ المُسْتقَى

The learned scholar, the distant, lofty sign

The sweet, nearby spring that is drawn clear

شَمسُ العُلاَ نَجمُ الهُدَى طَوْدُ النُّهَى

بَحرُ النَّدَى رُكنُ النَّجَا كَنزُ التُّقَى

Sun of glory, star of guidance, pillar of prohibition

Ocean of dew, pillar of salvation, treasure of piety

ومُهَذَّبٌ لَو أنَّ مادحَهُ أتَى

في وَصْفِهِ بالمُستحيلِ لَصُدِّقَا

He is refined, and if one praising him

Spoke of the impossible in describing him, he would be believed

أثْنَى الثَّنَاءَ عَلِيَّ حينَ صَرَفتُهُ

لأحَقِّ شَخْصٍ بالثَّنَاءِ وأخْلَقَا

He praised me highly when I sent it to him

To the most deserving of praise and most virtuous

ما أُرْسِلَتْ خَيلُ الثَّنَاءِ إلى عُلاهُ

إلاّ وكُنَّ إلى عُلاَهُ أسْبقَا

The horses of praise were never sent to his glory

Except they were ahead of all others in the race to his glory

ذِكْرٌ جَرَى مَجْرَى الرِّياحِ وشُهْرةٌ

أخَذَتْ على القَمَرَينِ أن لا يُشْرِقَا

A mention that flowed like the winds and fame

That eclipsed even the two luminous ones from shining

وكَريمُ أصْلٍ ما تَمَسَّكَ مُنتَمٍ

يَوماً بِأَمْتَنَ من عُرَاهُ وأوثَقَا

And a generous soul never clung to a protector

More faithful to him than his own nakedness

يا مُنْتقِي الأخْلاقِ أَيُّ وسِيلةٍ

أُدلي بِهَا بَعْدَ الكَلامِ المنْتَقَى

O chosen one of traits, what means will I find

To convey after these chosen words?

هذَا وأُقسِمُ بالمُثَوَّبِ غُدْوَةً

بأبِي المنَائِرِ دَاعِياً وأبِي اللِّقَا

I swear by the Rewarder at dawn

The Caller to prayer, I swear by the Encounter

لَولاَ وِدَادٌ أُحكِمتْ أسْبابُهُ

ما بينَنا ووَسَائلٌ لَنْ تَخْلَقَا

If not for sincere friendship whose causes

Were firmly established between us and channels created

ما فُهْتُ بالشَّكْوى إليكَ ولَمْ أكُنْ

يَوْماً بِحرفٍ في العِتَابِ لأنْطِقَا

I would not have complained to you, nor would I

Have ever uttered a word of reproach

قُمْ غَيْرَ مَأْمُورٍ عَلَيكَ وجُدَّ في

تقصِيرِ عُمْرِ الوَعْدِ طَالَ لَكَ البَقَا

Arise without being asked, make haste in

Cutting short the life of the promise, may you live long