أَبا جَعفَرٍ لازِلتَ مُشتَرِكَ الرِفدِ

تُعيدُ مِنَ المَعروفِ أَضعافَ ما تُبدي

Abu Ja'far, you have always been a generous benefactor,

O Abu Ja'far, may your shared support never cease to flow,

Repaying manifold the good you receive.

You repeat hidden kindnesses that exceed what you plainly show.

عَطاؤُكَ ذا القُربى عُلُوٌّ وَفَوقَهُ

عَطاؤُكَ في أَهلِ الشَناءَةِ وَالبُعدِ

Your bounty to kin surpasses all,

Your giving to kinsmen is a summit of grace, yet higher still,

And your bounty to strangers and the distant.

Is your bounty bestowed on those of hatred and distant will.

يُطَيِّبُ نَفسي عَن نَوالٍ تُنيلُهُ

أَباعِدَهُم أَنّي قَسيمُكَ في الحَمدِ

It gladdens my soul, despite the share I receive,

It soothes my soul regarding the gifts you grant to the far,

That I tell them I share with you in praise.

To know that I am your partner in the praise, wherever you are.

فَإِن تَتَجاوَز بي لُهاكَ إِلَيهِمِ

أَجِد عِوَضي مِنها اِزدِيادي مِنَ المَجدِ

And if, in your munificence, you exceed me with them,

So if your largesse bypasses me to fall into their hands,

My recompense will be the growth of my glory.

I find my recompense in the glory that such an act commands.

لِمَن أَستَجِمُّ الشُكرَ بَعدَكَ أَو لِمَن

تُؤَخَّرُ جَمّاتُ النَوافِلِ مِن بَعدي

For whom shall I give abundant thanks after you?

For whom but you should I reserve the fullness of my gratitude?

Or whom shall I make my priority in supererogatory prayers after me?

Or for whom are the surplus bounties delayed and accrued?

وَقَد قُلتُ ما قَوّى الرَجاءَ سَماعُهُ

وَآمَنَ باغي النُجحِ مِن خَيبَةِ المُكدي

I have said what will strengthen hope when heard,

You have spoken words that bolster hope when they are heard,

And the seeker of success will be safe from the disappointment of the toiler,

And saved the seeker from the fear of a fruitless word.

وَلَو لَم تَعِد لَم تَنسَ حَظَّكَ في العُلا

فَكَيفَ وَقَد أَوجَبتَ جَدواكَ بِالوَعدِ

Had you not made promises, you would not forget your share of eminence,

Even without a vow, you would not neglect your claim to height,

So how will you neglect your pledge of generosity?

So how much more, now that a promise has bound your bounty tight?