نحمدك اللَهم يا ذا المَن

وَلا نَقول قَول أَهل المن

We praise You, O Lord of bounty

And do not speak like the ungrateful

ثُم سَلام ضم لِلصَلاة

عَلى نَبي خص بِالصَلات

Then peace be upon the prayers

Upon the Prophet distinguished with prayers

مُحَمد المُختار وَالد الحسن

ذي الفَضل وَالكَمال وَالوَجه الحَسَن

Muhammad the Chosen and father of Al-Hasan

Of outstanding merit, perfection and beautiful face

وَآله وَصحبه سم العِدى

وَالحَق وَالتَوفيق عَنهُم ما عَدا

And his family and companions, the pillar of religion

And truth and success is with them

ثُم سَلام قَد سَما وَراقا

لأَنَّهُ قَد زين الأَوراقا

Then peace which has adorned

The pages for it has beautified the pages

روقه بنشره ريح الصبا

فانحرف القَلب إِلَيهِ وَصَبا

Its scent spread by the morning breeze

So hearts inclined towards it and poured forth

يخجل مِنهُ الوَرد وَالنوار

وَتَجتلي مِن وَجهِهِ أَنوار

The roses and lights are shy before it

And from its essence lights radiate

كَأَنَّهُ حَديقة مِن وَرد

أَو منهل عذب شَهي الوَرد

As if it were a garden of roses

Or a sweet drink desired by the plucker

أَو خمرة مِن سالف الاعصار

تسكر وَهيَ في يَد العصار

Or old wine in the hand of the wine-maker

It intoxicates while still in the press

أَو نقطة مِن عَنبر في وَجنة

أَو قبة مِن جَوهر في جَنة

Or a drop of ambergris in a purse

Or a dome of jewel in a garden

أَو طرة مِن ذَهب في وَرق

أَو رَسم طل في حَواشي الوَرَق

Or a gold coin on a leaf

Or a drawing of gold on the margins of the paper

أَو مقلة تهزأ بِالغَزالة

أَو نير تَعنو لَهُ الغَزالة

Or kohl that mocks the gazelle

Or a fawn that gazelles yearn for

أَو دارة مِن قَمر في هاله

بِنوره رَد الحجا وَهاله

Or a slice of moon in its halo

With its light it dims the bright full moon

أَو نَرجس قالَ لِورد الجوري

بِاللَهِ إِن جارَ الهَوى فَجوري

Or a narcissus that said to the pink rose

By God, the passion is unjust so aid me

أَو غصن تاه بجلنار

فَجئته أَسعى بجل ناري

Or a branch that went astray to the fire

So I came rushing with my fiery coal

لِحَضرة فاقَت عَلى أم الهَوى

فَكُل مَن شاهد مَجدها سها

To a presence that surpassed the mother of passion

So all who witnessed its glory became perplexed

جلت عَن الادراك وَالأملاك

واتصلت بِعالم الأَملاك

It transcended perceptions and angels

And reached the world of angels

حضرة مَولانا الأَمين الأَلمعي

النير العالي المضيء الألمع

The presence of my master the trustee, the brilliant

The tall, radiant, brilliant one

ذي العلم وَالفطنة وَالكَمال

وَمَن أعَد ماله كَمالي

Of knowledge, insight and perfection

And the one who prepares his property is perfect

مهذب الرأي كَبير العَقل

مشيد الحَزم شَديد العَقل

Of refined opinion, great wisdom

Firm resolve, strong determination

أَمضى مِن السيف الصَقيل الماضي

حالاً وَفي الدَهر القَديم الماضي

Sharper than the sharpened smooth sword

Whether now or in ancient times past

ذي النظم وَالنَثر البَديع الفايق

بِمثله فاقَ كِتاب الفايق

With unmatched, eloquent prose and poetry

None can compete with the author of "The Outstanding"

وَنسخه في العلم نسخ الحامدي

لِذاكَ قَد أفحم كُل حامد

His knowledge supersedes that of Al-Hamadhi

Thus he silences all praisers

قَد أَحسَن اللَهُ لَنا نَباته

حَتّى سَما نَجل الفَتى نَباته

God has favoured us with his growth

Until the youth's branches flourished

وَصارَ للآداب خَير خازن

من ذا أَبو الطيب وَابن الخازن

And he became the best treasurer of literature

Who is like Abu Al-Tayyib and Ibn Al-Khazin?

أكرم بِه من مصقع حازَ الرضا

كَأَنَّهُ الشريف مَولانا الرضا

He honours by him the well-pleased

As if he were the noble son of Ar-Ridha’

مؤلف فاقَ بِحسن السبك

كَأَنَّهُ فيهِ الإِمام السبكي

The author who by excellent arrangement surpassed

As if he were the Imam As-Subki

عيسى الزمان في عِلاج البَدَن

لَكنهُ لَيسَ لعمري بدني

Jesus of the age in curing ailments

But by my life he is not corporeal

يَكشف عَن حَقيقة الأَمراض

بِحكمه كُل سَقيم راضي

Revealing the reality of diseases

By his judgement, every sick one is content

وَهوَ كَجار اللَه في التَفسير

فاسمع لما أَقول مِن تفسيري

And he is like Jarr Allah in Quranic exegesis

So listen to my explanation

وَفي الحَديث الحافظ العراقي

ما مثله في الشام وَالعراق

And in Hadith the scholar of Iraq

None like him in Syria or Iraq

وَفي أُصول الفقه كابن الحاجب

وَما لهُ عَن بابهِ بحاجب

And in the fundamentals of jurisprudence like Ibn Al-Hajib

And none can find fault with his competence

لَيسَ لَهُ في الفقه مِن أَشباه

كابن نجيم صاحب الأَشباه

Among his peers in jurisprudence

Is Ibn Nujaim the author of “Al-Ashbah”

وَفي المَعاني بَل وَفي البَيان

مثل الخَطيب صاحب البَيان

And in rhetoric and eloquence indeed

Is like the preacher, the author of “Al-Bayaan”

وَفي الحِساب الصرف كابن الهايم

فادرِ بِهِ إِن كُنت غَير هائم

And in arithmetic and counting like Ibn Al-Haytham

So awake, if not oblivious

وابن اللبان الشَيخ في الفَرائض

قَد راضها أكرم بِهِ مِن رائض

And Ibn Al-Laban the Shaykh in inheritance

He satisfies it, honoured with the Meadows

وَإِن ترد مثاله في النَحو

في سيبويه الفَرد فانظر نحوي

And if you want his example in grammar

Look to Sibawayh the unique grammarian

وَحاتم في الجود وَالنَوال

لِغَيره يا صاح مِن نَوالي

And he is peerless in generosity and favour

To others, after all my praises

يا سَيداً عد مِن الأَشراف

زاد إِلى لقياكم إشرافي

O my master and noble chief

My ennoblement is increased by your company

لَولا فُؤاد في العَنا كَالراسي

شَغلته بالحبر وَالكراسي

If it were not for my heart stuck like glue

To ink and paper

لَجئتكم أَسعى عَلى جُفوني

وَأحمل النصال في الجُفون

I would have come rushing on my eyelids

Bearing blades in my eyelids

لَكِنَّني قيدت بِالأداهم

مِن فتية أَراقم أَداهم

But I am fettered with chains

By vigilant guards

سرتم وَقَلبي مَعكُم يَسير

كَأَنَّهُ لحبكم أَسير

You travelled while my heart travels with you

As if, for love of you, a captive

هَلا سررتم ناظِري بخط

مِن قَلم أَزرى بسمر الخَط

Won’t you delight my eyes with a line?

From a pen of intertwined darkness

يَكون نوراً زاهِراً لِناظري

وَيَرتَوي مِن فيه كُل ناظر

To be a radiant light for my onlooking eyes

And everyone who sees it drinks his fill

ثُم سَلام قَد حكى صوب الحَيا

يهدي لأَولادك أَرباب الحَيا

Then peace has inclined towards life

It guides the masters of life, your children

لِلّه يا ابن الأَكرَمين درهم

لَقَد زَكا مغرسهم وَدرهم

By God son of the most noble parents your dirham

Has indeed purified their plantation and dirham

سَمط لئال قَد سَما نِظامهم

وَقَد حَلا لسمعنا نِظامهم

Their composition is transcendent

And their harmonious composition is sweet to our hearing

وَكُل شَخص مِنهُم مَجيد

وَمصقع لشعره مجيد

And each of them is brilliant

And eulogy for their poetry is brilliant

كَيفَ وَهُم مِنكَ وَأَنتَ مِنهُم

فَمن بَنو شيبان قل لي مَن هُم

How can this not be when they are from you and you are from them?

Tell me, who are the clan of Shayban?

صَحايف التَقريض عَنهُم وَصلت

فَأَحرَقت كُل حَسود وَصلت

My letters of praise for them have arrived

And so every envier was burned by those letters

لَم أَنسَ إِذ سرحت طَرفي فيها

وَقَد رَشَفت قرقفاً من فيها

I did not forget when I let my eyes wander in it

And I had sipped from its nectar

كَالسحر لَكن صفه بِالحَلال

فَمثلها في الشعر ما حَلا لي

It is like magic, but describe it as lawful

The like of it in poetry did not come to me

حَديقة ما قطفت أَورادها

وَكررت ما بَينها أَورادها

A garden whose roses I have not plucked

And I reiterated its rituals

غناء قَد غَنت بِها البَلابل

وَهَيجت مِن صوتِها البَلابل

A song with which the nightingales sang

And with its voice the nightingales were aroused

عَذراء قَد جاءَت بِأَلف حلة

تَميس ما بَينَ عذارى الحلة

A maiden who came in a thousand robes

She outshines all the robed maidens

شاهدتها مَذعورة كَريمة

فَقُلت مِمَن أَنت يا كَريمة

I saw her frightened and generous

So I said “Who are you, O generous one?”

قالَت أَنا الغَريبة الفَريدة

لعقدكم كَالدرة الفَريدة

She said, “I am the unique stranger

Like a precious pearl in your necklace

بنت كرام نَزَلوا في الموصل

إِلى بَني الفَخر الكِرام موصلي

The daughter of honourable people who descended in Mosul

To the honourable clan of superiority, the Mosuli

أَعني الألى قَد شيدوا فخارهم

أَكرمهم رَب العلى فخارهم

I mean those who established their pride

May the Sublime Lord ennoble their pride

جئت إِلى زِيارة الشريف

وَمَن غَدا كَالسيد الشَريف

I have come to visit the noble one

And he who will be like the noble chief

مَولاي عَبد اللَه نَجل فَخري

فَفيه بان سُؤددي وَفَخري

My master Abdullah son of my pride

So through him my happiness and pride appeared

فَقُلت أَهلاً بِكُم وَسَهلا

صادفتم بَراً وَبَحراً سَهلا

So I said “welcome to you and greetings!”

You have met land and sea, an easy landing

نَزَلتُم هُنا سَواد العَين

وَفَضلكُم أزري بِكُل عَين

You have descended here, the core of the eye

And your superiority is evident to every eye

فَلا يَزال الفَضل مِنا وَلَكُم

وَلَيسَ ذا في ثَوبِكُم أَول كم

So favour continues to be from us to you

And this is no novelty to your garb

بِحفظه رَب السَما حماكُم

وَلا يَزال المَجد في حِماكُم

May the Lord of the heavens protect you

And glory always remains your protector

وَخَصك اللَه بلطف وَهنا

يَأتي إِلَيك مِن هُنا وَمِن هُنا

And God has favoured you with grace and bestowed comfort here

It comes to you from here and from there

وَالحَمد للّهِ عَلى ما منا

قَد أَنزَل الغَيث لَنا وَالمَنا

And praise be to God for what he has bestowed on us

He sent down rain for us and grace