أَلا هَل لِعَهدِ العامِريَّةِ جاحِدُ

وَعِندي مِن صدق المَوَدَّةِ شاهِدُ

Is there no denier of the prosperous days of intimacy?

Yet I have a witness to the sincerity of affection.

حُكي لَكِ عَنّي أَنَّني لَكِ مُبغِضٌ

فَلا تَسمَعي ما قالَ فيَّ حَواسِدي

You were told that I hate you,

So do not listen to what my envious enemies say about me.

فَواللَهِ ما الأَعراض عَنكِ مَلالة

أَأَسطيعُ إِعراضاً وَشوقيَ زائِدُ

By God, turning away from you is not out of boredom,

How can I turn away when my passion is increasing?

وَلَكِن حِذاراً مِن وُشاةٍ عيونهم

عَلَينا وَإِن أَبدَت هُجوداً رَواصِدُ

But beware of the slanderers whose eyes

Watch over us even if they show affection hypocritically.

أَناديكِ مِن شَوقٍ إِلَيكَ وَصبوة

وَما بَينَ دارينا مَدىً مُتباعِدُ

I call out to you out of longing and infatuation,

Though our homes are separated by great distances.

وَكَم سرت في طُرقِ السلو فَلَم أَجِد

سَبيلاً وَضاقَت في هَواكِ المَقاصِدِ

How often I walked the paths of night, but could not find

A way as the means to reach you narrowed.

وَكَم طلبت عَينايَ في الناس ماجِداً

كَريماً فَناداني النَدى لَيسَ ماجِدُ

How often my eyes sought in people a glorious and generous one,

But the call replied that none is glorious except

سِوى من عَليه الحمد وَقفٌ وَعِندَهُ

بلوغ المُنى إِن جاءَ يَرجوهُ قاصِدُ

The One praised and worshipped, the One who

Can attain wishes if a seeker comes desiring Him.

أَبا الفَضل عَبدُ اللَهِ بن مُحَمَدٍ

عَلى وَجهِهِ للمكرمات شَواهِدُ

Abu al-Fadl, Abd Allah ibn Muhammad,

Upon his face are witnesses to his generosity.

لَهُ مِن سَماءِ الفَخرِ مِن طيب أَصلِهِ

وَإِحسانِهِ في المعتفين مُشاهِدُ

From the heaven of nobility, he has the perfume of his origin

And his kindness to the needy is manifest.

كَريم عَلى أَبوابِهِ النُجح ثابِت

إِذا مَرَّ عَنها وافد جاءَ وافِدُ

At his doors success remains constant,

If a newcomer passes by, he returns as a regular.

وَما خَيَّبَ الدهر الخؤون لِطالِبٍ

وَلاذَ بِها إِلّا أَتَتهُ الفَوائِدُ

Fate never disappointed the hopes of a seeker

Who sought refuge in it, except favours came to him.

عَلَيها ازدِحام لِلعفاة وَحَولها

عَلى كُلِّ فِترٍ للعُفاةِ مَوارِدُ

To it the destitute throng, and around it

For every layabout, means arrive.

لَئِن نامَ عَن جَدوى أَبي الفَضلِ طالِب

فَما جودِهِ عَن ما يُحاوِلُ راقِدُ

If the seeker of Abu al-Fadl's bounty sleeps,

His munificence does not sleep from pursuing its goals.

أَعادَ عَلى حَمدِ الأَنامِ فَخاره

فَظَلَّ لَهُ مِن سائِرِ الناس حاسِدُ

He restored the pride of people's praise,

So he remains envied by all people.

مَواهِبه في الناس لَم يَبقَ غيرها

لعودَةِ ممتاحٍ طَريفٌ وَتالِدُ

His gifts to people, none remain but them

For the return of a gentle and constant bestowal.

تَكادُ تُناجيهِ بِأَعذَبِ مَنطِقٍ

عَلى الخَلقِ مِن حُسنِ الفِعالِ المَحامِدُ

They almost speak to him in the gentlest speech

Above all people for the beauty of righteous deeds.

وَمن لَم يَكُن يُعطي الخُلود فَإِنَّهُ

بِحَمدِ الوَرى في الدَهرِ لَو ماتَ خالِدُ

Whoever does not live forever, by people's praise,

If he dies, remains immortal.

عَوائِدُهُ أَلّا يُخَيِّبَ سائِلاً

فَيا حَبَّذا في الناس هَذي العَوائِدُ

His habit is not to disappoint any asker,

So excellent among people are these habits!

أَبا الفَضل إِنَّ الشِعرَ عِندَكَ نافِقٌ

وَعِندَ الَّذي سامى عُلوك كاسِدُ

Abu al-Fadl, with you poetry is hypocritical,

And with the one lofty through your ascent, it is futile.

إِذا ضَلَّتِ القُصّاد عَن حَوض ماجِدٍ

يَكونُ لَها مِن مكرماتك راشِدُ

If the archers miss the basin of the generous one,

Yours will guide them with favours.

وَإِن عَدَلَ المَحرومُ عَنكَ فَإِنَّهُ

إِذا خافَ الإِقبال نَحوَكَ عائِدُ

If the deprived turns away from you,

When fearing to approach, he returns to you.

أَرى الغيث مَفقوداً مِنَ الدَهرِ بُرهَةً

وجودك باقٍ ماله الدَهر فاقِدُ

I see rain missing from fate for a while,

While your bounty remains, unvanquished by fate.

يَزيدُ عَلى فَيضِ البِحارِ انسِكابِهِ

وَعِدَّتُها سَبعٌ وَأَنتَ فَواحِدُ

Your outpouring surpasses the torrents of seas,

Though they are seven and you are but one.

وَلَولاكَ ماتَ الجود يا بن مُحَمَّدٍ

فَأَنتَ لَهُ دونَ البَريَّةِ والِدُ

Were it not for you, O son of Muhammad,

Generosity would have died, and you are its parent.

ترفعت عَن مَدح الأَنامِ جَلالَةً

فَسادَ بِنَشرِ الحَمدِ عَنكَ القَصائِدُ

You rose above praising people out of majesty,

So poems spread your praise far and wide.

فَنجمك في بُرجِ السَعادَةِ بالِغٍ

وَمَجدك في أَعلى المَنازِلِ صاعِدُ

Your star in the mansion of fortune is ascendant,

And your glory rising to the highest place.

نُفوس العِدى تَهواكَ يا ابن مُحَمَدٍ

فَما لَكَ في إِحسانَ كَفِّكَ حاسِدُ

The souls of enemies desire you, O son of Muhammad,

So what envier do you have in kindness from your palm?

إِذا رُمتُ أَن أَثني عَلَيكَ بِصالِحٍ

فَماليَ في خَلقِ الإِلَهِ مُعانِدُ

If I try praising you for good,

What opponent do I have among God's creation?

وَإِن رمت أَن أَثني عَلَيكَ بِغَيرِهِ

فَماليَ في كُلِّ الأَنامِ مُساعِدُ

And if I try praising you for other than Him,

What helper do I have among all people?

فَدَم سالِماً يا ابن المَنيع مُجدداً

فَلا طرقتك الحادِثات الشَدائِدُ

So stay safe, O son of the mighty, renewing

Glory, untouched by calamities.