بِرَوضَة هذا النُظم نزهت ناظِري

بِرَوضَة هذا النُظم نزهت ناظِري

وَسَرحت فيه طرف قَلبي المُتَيَّم

وَسَرحت فيه طرف قَلبي المُتَيَّم

In the garden of this verse I took my gaze for a stroll,

In the garden of this poetry my sight strolled,

And let my love-stricken heart's gaze roam within it.

And my sorrowful heart roamed in it.

فَأَلفَيتُه بُستان فَضل تَرَنمت

فَأَلفَيتُه بُستان فَضل تَرَنمت

بِه صادِحات العلم خَير تَرنم

بِه صادِحات العلم خَير تَرنم

I found it a garden of excellence, where song rang out

I found it a grove of overflowing virtue,

From the songbirds of learning in their finest strains.

Wherein the nightingales of knowledge sing the best songs.

وَجلت بِذهنى في مُعانيه فَاِنثَنى

وَجلت بِذهنى في مُعانيه فَاِنثَنى

عَلى ضُعفِه مِثل الحسام المُصَمصَم

عَلى ضُعفِه مِثل الحسام المُصَمصَم

And I let my mind roam through its meanings, and it returned,

I let my mind wander through its meanings,

Despite its weakness, like a keen-edged sword.

Then it bent over its weakness like a determined sword.

تحير فِكري فيه أَما مذاقَه

تحير فِكري فيه أَما مذاقَه

فَحلو فَرات سائِغ لِلتَعَلُّم

فَحلو فَرات سائِغ لِلتَعَلُّم

My thought was bewildered by it; as for its taste,

My thoughts were confused in it, as for its taste,

It is sweet and refreshing, easily imbibed in learning.

It is sweet Euphrates, delicious to learn.

وَأَما مَعانيهِ فَتِلكَ بَذيعَة

وَأَما مَعانيهِ فَتِلكَ بَذيعَة

تَلوح بِفَرق أَو بِوَجه مُقسم

تَلوح بِفَرق أَو بِوَجه مُقسم

And as for its meanings, those are wondrous,

As for its meanings, they are excellent,

Shining in a distinction or a finely proportioned face.

Appearing to distinguish or swear an oath.

عَلى مِثلِهِ فَاِليُنفِق المَرء عُمرُه

عَلى مِثلِهِ فَاِليُنفِق المَرء عُمرُه

فَما هُو الا عَقد دُرّ مُنظم

فَما هُو الا عَقد دُرّ مُنظم

On something like this let a person spend his lifetime;

To spend one's life on the likes of it,

For it is nothing but a necklace of neatly strung pearls.

Is nothing but a string of organized pearls.

عَلَيكَ بِهِ اِن رُمت كَنزا مُلسِما

عَلَيكَ بِهِ اِن رُمت كَنزا مُلسِما

فَما كُل كَنز مِثلُهُ بِمُسلِم

فَما كُل كَنز مِثلُهُ بِمُسلِم

Hold fast to it if you seek a talisman-guarded treasure [uncertain reading];

Take it if you seek a sealed treasure,

For not every treasure yields itself up like this.

For not every treasure is protected like it.

وَقه عَلى ما أَبرَزت من مُؤلف

وَقه عَلى ما أَبرَزت من مُؤلف

بَد الدَهر تَلق الفَضل لِلمُتَقَدّم

بَد الدَهر تَلق الفَضل لِلمُتَقَدّم

And compare it with every work brought forth

And protect what its author has produced,

By the hand of time: you will find superiority belongs to the former.

The new moons of time meet the excellence of the early.

وَسَل عَنهُ أَهل الفِقهِ اِن رُمت فَضلَه

وَسَل عَنهُ أَهل الفِقهِ اِن رُمت فَضلَه

فَكُل جَهول عَن مَحاسِنَهُ عم

فَكُل جَهول عَن مَحاسِنَهُ عم

And ask the jurists about it if you seek its merit;

Ask the jurists about it if you want its superiority,

For every ignorant person is blind to its beauties.

For every ignorant person is blind to its beauties.

عَن البَحر حَدّي اِن تَطلبت دُرّه

عَن البَحر حَدّي اِن تَطلبت دُرّه

وَبِالفَضل أَو بِالفَصل ما شِئت فَاِحكُم

وَبِالفَضل أَو بِالفَصل ما شِئت فَاِحكُم

Speak of the sea if you seek its pearls,

Take from the sea a pearl if you seek its jewels,

And judge as you wish, by excellence or discernment.

And judge by merit or juristic rulings as you wish.

بِعَشر جَماد أَوّل كان نُسخَة

بِعَشر جَماد أَوّل كان نُسخَة

بِعام لَه تاريخ مَجد مختم

بِعام لَه تاريخ مَجد مختم

On the tenth of Jumada the First, a copy was made,

It was copied on the tenth of Jamada al-awwal,

In a year whose chronogram reads 'sealed glory.'

In a year whose date has sealed glory.

فَلِلَّهِ ما أَحلاه نُظما وَرَقة

فَلِلَّهِ ما أَحلاه نُظما وَرَقة

وَاِحكام أَحكام بِغير تَلَعثُم

وَاِحكام أَحكام بِغير تَلَعثُم

By God, how sweet it is in verse and delicacy,

By God, how excellent its prosody and composition,

And in its precise formulation of rulings, without faltering.

And rulings without stuttering.

الهي فَاِعفُ عَن مؤلفه وَكُن

الهي فَاِعفُ عَن مؤلفه وَكُن

لَهُ مُلجَأ من حُرّ نارِ جَهَنَّم

لَهُ مُلجَأ من حُرّ نارِ جَهَنَّم

My God, pardon its author, and be

My God, pardon its author and be

A refuge for him from the heat of Jahannam's fire.

For him a refuge from hellfire.

وَأَسكَنَهُ في جَنّاتِ عَدن تَكَرُّما

وَأَسكَنَهُ في جَنّاتِ عَدن تَكَرُّما

فَأَنتَ الَّذي ما زِلت أَهل التَكَرّم

فَأَنتَ الَّذي ما زِلت أَهل التَكَرّم

And let him dwell in the Gardens of Eden, out of generosity,

And let him settle in Gardens of Eden generously,

For You are the One ever worthy of showing generosity.

For You are the Most Generous.

وَصل عَلى طه الَّذي شَرّفت بِهِ

وَصل عَلى طه الَّذي شَرّفت بِهِ

مَعاهِد بَدر وَالحَطيم وَزَمزَم

مَعاهِد بَدر وَالحَطيم وَزَمزَم

And send blessings upon Taha, through whom You honored

And bless the Chosen One, by whom You ennobled

The sites of Badr, al-Hatim, and Zamzam.

The truces of Badr, Hudaybiyyah and Zamzam.