إِن كانَ يُمكِنُ أَن تَشَرَّفَ مَنزِلي

إِن كانَ يُمكِنُ أَن تَشَرَّفَ مَنزِلي

فَلِتِلكَ عِندِ مِنَّةٌ لا تُجحَدُ

فَلِتِلكَ عِندِ مِنَّةٌ لا تُجحَدُ

If it is possible for my home to be honored,

If my abode could be honored by your presence

That would be a favor to me that cannot be denied.

Then that would be a favor that cannot be denied

فَالعَبدُ في هَذا النَهارِ بِخَلوَةٍ

فَالعَبدُ في هَذا النَهارِ بِخَلوَةٍ

مَحجوبَةٍ وَبِها ثَلاثٌ تُحمَدُ

مَحجوبَةٍ وَبِها ثَلاثٌ تُحمَدُ

For your servant today is in a private retreat,

For today this servant is in seclusion

Screened from view, with three things worthy of praise:

In a veiled, commendable retreat of three parts

راحٌ مُعَتَّقَةٌ وَشادٍ مُطرِبٌ

راحٌ مُعَتَّقَةٌ وَشادٍ مُطرِبٌ

طَلقٌ مُحَيّاهُ وَساقٍ أَغيَدُ

طَلقٌ مُحَيّاهُ وَساقٍ أَغيَدُ

Aged wine and an enchanting singer,

A relaxed, melodious wind; a cheerful, flowing stream

Cheerful of face, and a graceful cupbearer,

And limbs at pleasant ease - after assemblies that were

مِن بَعدِ ما قَد كانَ مَجلِسُهُ كَما

مِن بَعدِ ما قَد كانَ مَجلِسُهُ كَما

قالَ الوَليدُ لِكَي بِهِ يَستَشهِدُ

قالَ الوَليدُ لِكَي بِهِ يَستَشهِدُ

After his gathering had once been as

As al-Walid said, so he could bear witness to them

Al-Walid said—to cite his words in support:

The lightest of his intimate gatherings is an assembly

فَأَقَلُّ خَلوَتَهُ الخَفيفَةِ مَحفِلٌ

فَأَقَلُّ خَلوَتَهُ الخَفيفَةِ مَحفِلٌ

وَأَخَفُّ مَجلِسَهُ المُحَجَّبِ مَشهَدُ

وَأَخَفُّ مَجلِسَهُ المُحَجَّبِ مَشهَدُ

“For even his smallest, lightly attended retreat is an assembly,

And the most private of his veiled sessions, a spectacle

And his sparsest secluded gathering is a public concourse.”