أبا حَسَنٍ لَئِنْ كانَتْ أَجابَتْ

هِباتُكَ مَطْلَبِي قَبْلَ الدُّعاءِ

O Abu Hasan, if your gifts had answered

my request before my prayer,

لَما ضاعَ اصْطِناعُكَ فِي كَرِيمٍ

مَلِيٍّ حِينَ تَقْرِضُ بِالْجَزاءِ

your kindness would not have been lost

on a generous, gentle man when you repay with reward.

سَأُثْنِي بِالَّذِي أَوْلَيْتَ جَهْدِي

وَيُثْنِي السّامِعُونَ عَلَى ثَنائِي

I will praise what you have devoted to me,

and listeners will praise my praise.

وَكَيْفَ جُحُودُ مَعُرُوفٍ تَوالى

فَكانَ مِنَ الْخُطُوبِ دَواء دائي

How could persistent kindness bring

a cure for my troubles?

أَأَجْحَدُ مِنَّةً بَدَأَتْ وَعادَتْ

إِذَنْ فَعَدَلْتُ عَنْ سَنَنٍ الْوفاءِ

Shall I be ungrateful for a favor begun and repeated,

if I then turned from the ways of loyalty?

سَبَقْتَ إِلى جَمِيلِ الصُّنْعِ ظَنِّي

وَقَرْطَسَ جُودُ كَفِّكَ فِي رَجائِي

You anticipated my wishful thinking,

and the palm of your hand was bountiful toward my hopes.

وَكاَن نَداكَ حِينَ يَسِيرُ نَحْوِي

جَنِيباً لِلْمَوَدَّةِ وَالصَّفاءِ

Your calling, whenever it went toward me,

was graceful with affection and sincerity.

فَما أَدْرِي أَأَشْكُرِ مِنْكَ قَصْدِي

بِجُودِكَ وَاصْطِناعِكَ أَمْ إِخائِي

So I don’t know whether to thank you for my aim

through your generosity and kindness, or for my brotherhood.

أَبَتْ أَخْلاقُكَ الْغُرُّ اللَّواتِي

أَحَبُّ إِلى النُّفُوسِ مِنَ الْبَقاءِ

Your noble character refused destruction,

which souls love more than remaining.

وَكَوْنُكَ وَالسَّماحُ إِلَيْكَ أَشْهى

مِنَ الْماءِ الزُّلالِ إِلى الظِّماءِ

Your being and clemency toward you are more delicious

than cool water to the thirsty.

سِوى كَرَمٍ وَمَعْرُوفٍ وَحِلْمٍ

وَضَرْبٍ فِي التَّكَرُّمِ وَالسَّخاءِ

Nothing but generosity, kindness, forbearance,

and exertion in magnanimity and liberality,

وَقَدْ أَسَّسْتُ بِالْمِعادِ شُكْرِي

وَما بَعْدَ الأَساسِ سِوى الْبِناءِ

For I have laid gratitude as my foundation,

and after the foundation there is only the building.

فَإِنْ تَسْمَحْ يَداكَ فَلا عَجِيبٌ

وَمَنْ ذا مُنْكِرٌ قَطْرَ السَّماءِ

So if your hands are generous, that is no wonder,

for who would deny rainfall from the sky?