أَأَطْلُبُ يا مُحَمَّدُ أَنْ يَؤُولا

لِغَيرِكَ وِدُّ قَلْبي أو يَمِيلا

Shall I seek, O Muhammad, that another

Gain the love of my heart, or it sway?

وَأَرجو غَيْرَ بابِكَ لي مَراماً

وأَقصِدُ غَيرَ رَبعِكَ لي مَقيلا

Shall I hope from other than your door

A purpose for me, or a place to stay?

وأَخطِب غَير شَمسكَ أَن تُجَلَّى

وأَسأَل غَيْرَ مائِكَ أَنْ يَسِيلا

Shall I ask for other than your sun to shine,

Or other than your water to flow?

وَقَد أَنجَحت لي بِنَدَاكَ مَسْعىً

وَقَدْ حَقَّقْتَ لي أَملاً وَسُولا

With your call, my journey has succeeded,

With you, my hopes and passions grow.

جَعلْتَ بِجَاهِكَ العَلْياءَ دُوني

وَرُعْتَ بِبأْسِكَ الخَطْبَ المَهُولا

With your glorious stature you honor me,

With your might, formidable fears you stow.

وَمَا أَنَا مُنْكِرٌ تِلْكَ العَطَايَا

وَمَا أَنا جَاحِدٌ ذَاكَ الجَمِيلا

I deny not those gifts you send me,

Nor the grace you on me bestow.

وَلا أَنا قانِعٌ لَكَ مِنْ وِدَادٍ

بِأَنْ أُثْنِي عَلَيْكَ وَأَنْ أَقُولا

Yet I am not content with praising you,

And with words only my thanks to show.

عَلى أَنّي فتىً فَطِنٌ بَليغٌ

بَلوغٌ ما سَلَكْتُ لَهُ سَبِيلا

Though an astute and eloquent youth am I,

To praise you fittingly I do not know.

بِأَلْفَاظٍ تَخِرُّ لَهَا القَوافِي

وَيَنْقَادُ القَريضُ لَهَا ذَلُولا

With phrases that trip off the tongue with ease,

And rhymes that obedient to me flow,

إذا مَرَّتْ عَلى أُذُنَيْ فَصيحٍ

سِوَاكَ يَعِضُّ إِصْبَعَه طَوِيلا

If past an ear of one with eloquence supreme,

Save you, he'd bite his finger tip in woe.

وَمَا أَنا بالغٌ بِكَثيرِ مَدْحِي

مِنَ الكَرمِ الَّذي تَحْوي قَليلا

With my abundant praise I reach but little

Of your nobility that confines me so.

وأَنْتَ أَعزّ أَنْ تُدْعَى عَزِيزاً

وأَنْتَ أَجَل أَنْ تُدْعَى جَلِيلا

You are too noble to be called noble,

Too sublime to be called sublime.

وَأَنْتَ أَخٌ لِكُلّ غَريبِ دَارٍ

إِذا عَدِمَ القَرابةَ والخَلِيلا

To every stranger in a foreign land,

When kith and friend he does not find,

يُسلّي لَفْظُكَ الصَّبَّ المُعَنَّى

وَيَشْفي ذِكْرُكَ الدَّنِفَ العَليلا

You are a brother, and your words console

The ardent soul and heal the troubled mind.

إِذَا وَهَبَ الإلهُ لنا عُقُولاً

وَهَبْتَ لِما وُهِبْنَاهُ عُقُولا

When God grants intellect, you grant

The means to deepen and refine.

فِداؤُكَ مَنْ تَدِينُ لَهُ الأَماني

بِأَنْ يَلْقَى إِلَيْكَ لَهُ وُصُولا

You ransom those whose hopes to you aspire,

That they may find in you their goal.

وَمَنْ هُوَ دُونَ أَنْ يَرْنُو بِطَرْفٍ

إِلَيكَ فَكَيْفَ تَنْظُره عَدِيلا

He who does not look to you - how can he see?

For him what substitution can there be?

تُرَى شَمْسُ الضُّحى إِبّان تَبْدُو

وَتُنْظَرُ حِينَ تُنْتَسبْ الأُصُولا

The morning sun is seen when it first rises,

And noted when the lineages first flowed,

فَمَنْ وَافى يَعيبُ الشَّمْسَ يَوْماً

كَفاهُ على جَهَالتِهِ دَليلا

So one who'd fault the sun some day,

His ignorance would amply show.