ما اِرتَدَّ طَرفُ مُحَمَّدٍ

إِلّا أَتى ضَرّاً وَنَفعا

No evil glance fell from Muhammad

The glance of Muhammad never turns back,

Except it brought harm and benefit

Without bringing forth both harm and benefit.

قادَ النَدى بِعِنانِهِ

وَتسَربَلَ المَعروفَ دِرعا

He led generosity by its rein

He leads generosity by its very reins,

And wore the armor of kindness

And has donned kindness as his coat of mail.

لَمّا اِعتَمَدتُ عَلى نَدا

كَ أَرَيتَني وِتراً وَشَفعا

When I relied on the help of Nada

When I relied upon your bounty,

You saw me as a lute string and a pair

You revealed to me the full measure of odd and even.

فَعَصا نَداهُ بِراحَتي

أَعلو بِها الإِفلاسَ قَرعا

So Nada's staff was a comfort to me

So the staff of his generosity rests in my palm,

With it I rise above utter loss

With which I strike down poverty, beating it back.

وَعَلَيَّ سورٌ مانِعٌ

مِن جَورِهِ إِن خِفتُ كَسعا

And on me is an impregnable wall

And around me stands a forbidding wall,

Protecting me from his tyranny should I fear a fracture

Against its tyranny, should I fear a sudden blow.

فَلَوَ اِنَّ دَهراً رابَني

لَصَفَعتُهُ بِالكَفِّ صَفعا

So if fate ever betrayed me

So that if Time itself were to menace me,

I would slap it with the palm of my hand

I would slap it with my hand—a resounding slap.