كما عاذلٍ في عادلِ القدّ لامْ

وبانَ لمّا بان في الخدّ لام

As one who finds fault with me concerning the hoary antiques,

And who complains of what appeared on my cheek, finding fault,

وما درى أنيّ لمّا بدا

زدت غراماً فوق ذاك الغرام

Not knowing that when it appeared,

I increased in love above that love.

قد لامني والوَرد فرد وإذ

ثُنِّيَ بالريحانِ كفَّ الملام

He blamed me, and the roses turned away, but when

I was bent back with sweet basil, blame was arrested from me.

الحمد لله على ما جرى

فإنّ هذا بغية المستهامْ

Thanks be to God for what has happened,

For this was the goal of one asking to be blamed.

أراحني الرحمن إذ زاحه

جوزيت خيراً شعرَ هذا الغلام

The Merciful gave me comfort when He removed him.

I was recompensed with the best poetry of this boy.

طردت يا نملَ عذارِ الرشا

عني أفاعي العاذلينَ اللئام

I drove away, O ants, the fault finders,

From me the snakes of blamers, the vile ones.

خلعُ عذاري في عذارٍ له

يقيمُ لي عذريَ بين الأنامْ

My blamer’s fault finding is the fault finding of one

Who establishes my excuse amongst the people.

هواه مستَولٍ على مهجتي

وحبّه في دارِ قلبي أقامْ

His love took possession of my innermost being,

And his love took up residence in my heart’s abode.

علامة العصر الشهاب الذي

مقامه في الفضل أعلى مقامْ

The sign of the times, the shooting star whose

Position in virtue is the highest position.

عنصره أفئدةُ الناسِ إذ

ما ثَم قلبٌ لم يكن فيه هامْ

Its essence is the hearts of people, for

There is no heart that does not harbor passion for it.

تزدحم الناسُ على حبهِ

والمَوردُ العذبِ كثيرُ الزحامْ

People crowd around loving it,

And the sweet wellspring has great crowds.

أندى يداً في الجودِ من حاتمٍ

أصدق في أقوالهِ من حَذامْ

More open handed in his generosity than Hatim,

More truthful in his words than Hudhaym.

لم ألقَ فيما عشتهُ عالماً

يقال فيه حاز كل الوسام

I have not seen, from all I have lived, a scholar

Of whom it is said he obtained every high honor.

قد جُمعت فيه صفات الورى

وملَكتهُ المكرماتُ الزمام

The traits of mankind have been gathered in him

And the glorious attributes grasp the reins.

إن قال في مشكلة لم يكن

يحومُ حولَ العقل منها حَمامْ

If he speaks on a complex issue which

Pigeons do not circle round the mind therefrom,

حلّت من القلبِ سويداءَهُ

وارتسمت في الذهنِ أي إرتسام

It is solved sincerely from his heart

And delineated in the mind however it may be delineated.

يا سيداً ما مثلهُ في الورى

إلاّ كبدرٍ في دياجي الظلام

O master the like of whom is not in existence

Except as a full moon in the darkness of night,

لقد تقضّى شاكراً مثْنياً

عليكَ عند اللهِ شهرُ الصيامْ

Indeed, your thankful, praiseful admirer

Has before God performed the month of fasting.

وجاء عيدُ الفطر فاهنأ به

أحياكمو الله إلى كل عامْ

And the feast of breaking the fast has come, so congratulate him.

May God keep you alive to every year.

عيدان هذا العيد أدناهما

وأكبر العيدينِ برءُ السقام

Two feasts - the smaller feast lower down

And above aspirations, the greatest feast of recovery from sickness.

عش في أمانِ اللهِ في نعمةِ

ودُم بعزٍ وارق فوق المرامْ

Live in God's safekeeping, in bounty,

And always rise up, towering above hopes.

ما رنح الغصنَ نسيمُ الصبا

وعطّر الأكوانُ مشكُ الختامْ

The gentle breeze did not stir a bough,

And the last seal perfumed the horizons.