إِن قَصَّرَ لَفظي فَإِنَّ طَولَكَ قَد طال

إِن قَصَّرَ لَفظي فَإِنَّ طَولَكَ قَد طال

ما مَن فَعَلَ البِرَّ الجَميلَ كَمَن قال

ما مَن فَعَلَ البِرَّ الجَميلَ كَمَن قال

If my words fall short, your bounty has indeed stretched far.

If my words fall short, your generosity has been long

He who does gracious deeds is not like one who merely speaks.

Not alike are those who do good and those who merely extol

أَو خَفَّفَ نَهضي جَميلُ صُنعِكَ عِندي

أَو خَفَّفَ نَهضي جَميلُ صُنعِكَ عِندي

قَد حَمَّلَ ظَهري لِفَرطِ مِنِّكَ أَثقال

قَد حَمَّلَ ظَهري لِفَرطِ مِنِّكَ أَثقال

Or if your gracious kindness to me has eased my rise,

Or if my burden felt lighter, your kindness seems great to me

it has laden my back with burdens through your abundant favors.

For you have loaded my back with heavy favours

يا مَن جَعَلَ البِرَّ لِلعُفاةِ قُيوداً

يا مَن جَعَلَ البِرَّ لِلعُفاةِ قُيوداً

قَد زِدتَ مِنَ المَنِّ عُنقَ عَبدِكَ أَغلال

قَد زِدتَ مِنَ المَنِّ عُنقَ عَبدِكَ أَغلال

O you who have made kindness fetters for supplicants,

O you who has made charity restrictions for the careless

you have added shackles of bounty to your servant's neck.

You have added shackles to the neck of your slave from kindness

أَظهَرتَ عَلَينا مِنَ السَماحِ سِماتٍ

أَظهَرتَ عَلَينا مِنَ السَماحِ سِماتٍ

إِن قَصَّرَ نُطقي بِوَصفِها نَطَقَ الحال

إِن قَصَّرَ نُطقي بِوَصفِها نَطَقَ الحال

You have displayed the marks of generosity upon us;

You have shown us traits of generosity

if my speech falls short of describing them, our condition speaks.

If my words fall short in describing them, the case itself speaks

شَيَّدتَ بُيوتَ العُلى وَكُنَّ طُلولاً

شَيَّدتَ بُيوتَ العُلى وَكُنَّ طُلولاً

بِالجودِ فَأَمسَت بُيوتُ مالِكَ أَطلال

بِالجودِ فَأَمسَت بُيوتُ مالِكَ أَطلال

You raised the houses of glory, which had lain in ruins,

You have built high houses but they became ruins

through generosity; so the houses of your wealth became ruins.

From generosity, thus your houses became remnants

ما أَنصَفَ مَن قاسَ راحَتَيكَ بِسُحبٍ

ما أَنصَفَ مَن قاسَ راحَتَيكَ بِسُحبٍ

مِن أَينَ لِكَفّيكَ في السَحائِبِ أَشكال

مِن أَينَ لِكَفّيكَ في السَحائِبِ أَشكال

He who compared your palms to clouds was not just.

Unjust is he who compares your comfort to clouds

Where among the clouds are equals for your palms?

Where do your hands have forms in the clouds?

السُحبُ إِذا ما سَخَت تَجودُ وَتَبكي

السُحبُ إِذا ما سَخَت تَجودُ وَتَبكي

بِالماءِ وَتَسخو وَأَنتَ تَضحَكُ بِالمال

بِالماءِ وَتَسخو وَأَنتَ تَضحَكُ بِالمال

The clouds, when generous, give and weep

Clouds pour down and weep

water; but you give wealth while you laugh.

With water while you smile with money

يا مَن جَعَلَ العالِمَ الفَصيحَ بَليداً

يا مَن جَعَلَ العالِمَ الفَصيحَ بَليداً

بِالبَحثِ كَما صَيَّرَ الفلاسِفَ جُهّال

بِالبَحثِ كَما صَيَّرَ الفلاسِفَ جُهّال

O you who make the eloquent scholar dull-witted

O you who made the eloquent scholar seem dumb

in debate, just as you make philosophers ignorant,

In research just as you made philosophers seem ignorant

لا تَعجَب إِن أَخطَأوا لَدَيكَ بِوَزنٍ

لا تَعجَب إِن أَخطَأوا لَدَيكَ بِوَزنٍ

في النَظمِ فَلِلشِعرِ كَالمَعارِكِ أَبطال

في النَظمِ فَلِلشِعرِ كَالمَعارِكِ أَبطال

do not marvel if they err before you in meter,

Be not surprised if they erred in your presence in prosody

in verse: poetry, like battles, has its champions.

For poetry has its champions like battlefields

لَو لَم يَكُنِ الشِعرُ لِلمُحاوِلِ صَعباً

لَو لَم يَكُنِ الشِعرُ لِلمُحاوِلِ صَعباً

ما أَصبَحَ مِن دونِهِ البُيوتُ بِأَقفال

ما أَصبَحَ مِن دونِهِ البُيوتُ بِأَقفال

If poetry were not hard for the one who attempts it,

If poetry were not difficult for the aspiring

the houses of verse would not stand locked, barring access to it.

Houses would have not been locked without it