يا جاكُ إِنَّكَ في زَمانِكَ واحِدٌ

وَلِكُلِّ عَصرٍ واحِدٌ لا يُلحَقُ

O Jack, you are unique in your time

And every age has one that cannot be matched

إِنَّ الأُلى قَد عاصَروكَ وَفاتَهُم

أَن يَسمَعوكَ كَأَنَّهُم لَم يُخلَقوا

Those before have lived with you and missed

Hearing you, as if they were never created

قَد جاءَ موسى بِالعَصا وَأَتَيتَنا

بِالعودِ يَشدو في يَدَيكَ وَيَنطِقُ

Moses came with a staff, and you came to us

With a lute singing in your hands and speaking

فَإِذا اِرتَجَلتَ لَنا الغِناءَ فَكُلُّنا

مُهَجٌ تَسيلُ وَأَنفُسٌ تَتَحَرَّقُ

So when you improvised songs for us, we were all

Smitten, with passions set ablaze

فَمُطالِبٌ بِإِعادَةٍ وَمَطالِبٌ

بِزِيادَةٍ وَمُهَلِّلٌ وَمُصَفِّقُ

Some calling for repetition, some

For more, applauding and cheering

تَتَسابَقُ الأَسماعُ صَوبَكَ كُلَّما

غَنَّيتَها شَوقاً إِلَيكَ وَتُعنِقُ

Ears competing towards you whenever

You sang them yearningly, and they would hug

وَتَوَدُّ أَفئِدَةٌ هَتَكتَ شَغافَها

لَو أَنَّها بِذُيولِها تَتَعَلَّقُ

And hearts wishing if they could hang

By their fringes onto you

خُلُقٌ كَما شاءَ الجَليسُ وَشيمَةٌ

يَذكو بِها صَدرُ النَدِيِّ وَيَعبَقُ

A nature as the companion desired, an essence

That makes the bosom of the friendly radiant and fragrant

وَمُروءَةٌ لَو أَنَّها قَد قُسِّمَت

بَينَ اليَهودِ لَأَحسَنوا وَتَصَدَّقوا

And a generosity that if it were

Divided among the Jews, they would excel and give charity