حُبٌّ وَما كَانَ فِي الصِّبَا جَهْلاَ

بَكَّرَ يَدْعُو فلَمْ تَقُلْ مَهْلاَ

Love, and it was not ignorance in youth

He called early, but you did not say take your time

أَهْلُ الْهَوَى مَنْ أَجَابَ دَعْوَتَهُ

وَمَنْ عَصَى لَيْسَ لِلْهَوَى أَهْلاَ

The people of passion are those who answered his call

And those who disobeyed, passion has no people

هَلْ تُبْهِجُ المَرْءَ نِعْمَةٌ حَصَلَتْ

مَا لَمْ يَكُنْ مُبْهِجاً بِهَا أَهْلاً

Does a blessing that one attained delight a person

If he was not delighted with it before?

هَلْ يَطْلُبُ المَجْدَ مِنْ مَآزِقِهِ

مَنْ لمْ تشجِّعْهُ مُقْلةٌ نَجْلاَ

Can one seek glory from its paths

If no glorious ancestry encouraged him?

يَا نَجْلَ يَعْقُوبَ حَقُّ هِمَّتِهِ

عَلَى الْعُلَى أَنْ تُرَى لَهُ نَجْلاَ

O descendant of Jacob, his ambition

Is to be seen as glorious by the eminent

أَبُوكَ أَسْرَى الرِّجَالِ فِي بَلَدٍ

مَا زَالَ فِيهِ مَقَامُهُ الأَعْلَى

Your father is the most honorable of men in a country

Where his stay remains the highest

وَأَنْتَ ما أَنْتَ فِي الحِمَى حَسَباً

وَأَنْتَ مَنْ أَنْتَ بِالحِجَى فَضْلاَ

And you are who you are in struggle a lineage

And you are who you are in nobility excellence

طبُّكَ بُرْءٌ وَفِيكَ مَعْرِفَةٌ

بِالنَّفْسِ تَشْفِي الضَّمِيرَ مُعتَلاَ

Your morality is innocent and you have

Self-knowledge that heals the troubled conscience

إِنْ تَبْدَإِ الأمْرَ تنْهِهِ وَإِذَا

وُلِّيْتَ أَمْراً كَفَيْتَ مَنْ وَلَّى

If you start a matter, forbid it, and when

You take on a responsibility, you suffice the one who entrusted

وَلاَ تَرَى الْخَوْفَ إِنْ تَظَنَّنَهُ

سِوَاكَ أَمْناً ولاَ تَرَى البُخْلا

Do not see fear if you think

It keeps you safe, and do not see stinginess

تَبْذُلُ لاَ عَابِساً وَلاَ بَرِماً

بِطِيبِ نَفْسٍ يُضاعِفُ البَدَلاَ

You spend neither sullen nor grudging

With a willing soul that doubles the substitute

مَا أَلْطَفَ النَّجْدَةَ الجَمِيلَةَ مِنْ

جَمِيلِ وَجْهٍ لَبَّى وَمَا اعْتَلاَّ

How gentle the beautiful aid from

A beautiful face that captivated and did not exaggerate

رَائِفُ زَيْنُ الشَّبَابِ حَسْبُكَ أَنْ

أَحْرزْتَ مَا لَمْ يُحْرِزْ فَتًى قَبلاَ

The ornaments of the bloom of youth are enough for you that

You gained what no young man gained before

فَكُنْ وَنَجْلاَءَ فَرْقَدَيْ أُفُقٍ

يَهِلُّ فِيهِ الوَفَاءُ مَا هَلاَّ

So be glorious, the two dawns of an awakening

In which loyalty does not cease

وَطَاوِلاَ بِالزَّكَاءِ أَصْلَكُمَا

أَكْرِمْ بِفَرْعٍ يُطَاوِلُ الأَصلاَ

And seek with intelligence your origin

Honor with a branch that equals the origin

أَلْيَوْمَ تَسْتَقْبِلاَنِ سَعْدَكُمَا

وبَابُهُ النَّضْرُ عَاقِدٌ فَأْلاَ

Is it today that you receive your good fortune

With its gate of prosperity bound, so enter it

بَابٌ مِنَ الزَّهْرِ فَادْخُلاَهُ إِلى

فِرْدَوْسِ هَذِي الْحَياةِ وَاحْتَلاَّ

A gate of flowers, so enter it to

The paradise of this life and settle

أَهْدَتْ إِلَيْهِ الرِّيَاضُ زَنْبَقَهَا

وَالْوَرْدَ وَالْيَاسِمِينَ وَالْفُلاَّ

The gardens offered it their lilies

Roses, jasmine and vines

وَأَوْدَعَ الشِّعْرُ فِيهِ زِينَتَهُ

مِنْ كلِّ ضَرْبٍ بِحُسْنِهِ أَدْلَى

And poetry endowed it with its adornment

Of every type with its beauty more hanging

بِكُلِّ بَيْتٍ أَلْقَتْ فَوَاصِلُهُ

فِي كُلِّ عِقْدٍ مُخْضَوضِرٍ فَصلاَ

With every verse it cast, its articulations

In every intertwined branch, an articulation

وَكُلِّ لَفْظٍ فِي طيِّ نَابِتَةٍ

كَالروحِ فِي جِسْمِ بَهْجةٍ حَلاَّ

And every word in a twisting growth

Like the soul in the body of delightful dissolution

بَابٌ عَلَى المالِكِينَ عَزَّ وَعَنْ

حَقِّكُمَا قَدْ إِخَالُهُ قَلاَّ

A gate above the angels - your right

Has made few share it

يَا حُسْنَ عُرْسٍ عُيُون شَاهِدِهِ

لَمْ تَرَ فِي غَابِرٍ لَهُ مِثْلاَ

O beautiful wedding, the eyes that witnessed it

Did not see the like of it in times past

عَاهدَ فِيهِ الصَّفَاءُ ذَا كَلَفٍ

جَارَى مُنَاهُ وَشَاوَرَ النُّبْلاَ

In it serenity with tenderness covenanted

Consulting nobility, contending

آثَرَ حَوْرَاءَ نَافَسَتْ أَدَباً

خَيْرَ الْعَذَارَى وَرَاجَحَتْ عَقْلاَ

He chose a houri who rivaled in courtesy

The best of maidens, outweighing reason

تَنَابَهَتْ عَنْ لِدَاتِهَا خُلُقاً

وَشَابَهَتْ أَبْدَعَ الدُّمَى شَكْلاَ

She surpassed her peers in manners

And resembled the most wondrous of beauties in form

تَوَافَقَ النَّعْتُ وَاسْمُهَا فَدَعَا

بِالسِّحْرِ فِي الْعَيْنِ مَنْ دَعَا نَجلاَ

Her attributes and name coincided, so she called

With magic in the eye whoever called “bride”

وَرُبَّ عَيْنٍ لَوْلاَ تَعَفُّفُهَا

لامْتَلأَتْ حَوْمَةُ الهَوَى قَتْلَى

And many an eye, were it not for her chastity

Would have filled the pit of passion with slain

لِلهِ ذَاكَ الوَجْهَ المُوَرَّدُ مَا

أَصْبَى وَذَاكَ الوَقَارُ مَا أَحْلَى

God granted that blushing face - how ruddy!

And that dignity - how sweet!

قَدْ كَانَ فِي دَوْلَةِ الْبَلاَغَةِ مَنْ

يَصُولُ فَرْماً وَهَكَذَا ظَلاَّ

There was in the dynasty of eloquence one who

Galloped wildly thus he remained

كَلاَمُهُ رقَّ مُبْتَغَاهُ سَمَا

نِظَامُهُ دَقَّ فِكْرُهُ جلاَّ

His words were gentle, his purpose sublime

His composition precise, his thoughts glorious

وَلاَ يُجَارَى فِي المُفْصِحِينَ إِذَا

قَالَ خِطابا أَوْ خَطَّ أَوْ أَعْلَى

And he cannot be matched among the eloquent when

He speaks an address or drafts or dictates

مَا زَالَ يَأْتِي بِكُلِّ رَائِعَةٍ

وعَزْمُهُ فِي الْبَدِيعِ مَا كَلاَّ

He continues to produce every wonder

And his resolve in literary device does not weaken

إِذَا تَوَخَّى الثَّنَاءَ أَكْمَلَهُ

وَإِنْ تَوَخَّى الْهِجَاءَ ما خَلَّى

If he seeks praise he perfects it

And if he seeks satire he does not refrain

حَدِيثهُ لاَ يُمَلُّ مِن طرَبٍ

إِذَا حَدِيثٌ مِنْ غَيْرِهِ مُلاَّ

His conversation does not bore from charm

When the conversation of another bores

هُوَ الصْدِيقُ الأَصْفَى لِصَاحِبِهِ

وَهْوَ الصَّدوقُ الأَوْفَى لَدَى الجُلَّى

He is the most sincere friend to his companion

And he is the most truthful beside the eminent

فَيَا عَرُوسَيْنِ بِاقْتِرانِهِمَا

يَجْتمِعُ الصَّونُ وَالندَى شَمْلاَ

So O two brides, by their pairing

Protection and splendor are united

وَيَا شَرِيكَيْ صَبَابَةٍ وَصِبىً

هُمَا هُمَا الْعُمْرُ أَوْ هُمَا أَغلَى

And O two fellows of youth and youthfulness

They are life or they are more precious

خَيْرُ دُعَائِي مُهَنِّئاً لَكُمَا

عِيشا سَعِيدَيْنِ وَازْكُوَا نَسْلاَ

My best congratulatory prayer to you

May you live happy and your progeny virtuous