يا خيرَ بادٍ في الأنامِ وحاضرِ

يا خيرَ بادٍ في الأنامِ وحاضرِ

وأحقَّ مُولٍ في الزّمان لشاكرِ

وأحقَّ مُولٍ في الزّمان لشاكرِ

O best of desert-dwellers and townsmen among humankind,

O best wind blowing among mankind, ever-present,

And this age's benefactor most deserving of a grateful person's thanks,

And most truthful in fulfilling promises through time, to the grateful,

وأشقَّ من وطأ الكواكب مُرتقىً

وأشقَّ من وطأ الكواكب مُرتقىً

وأعزَّ من ليث العرينِ الخادرِ

وأعزَّ من ليث العرينِ الخادرِ

And hardest to scale among those who have trodden the stars,

And most arduous in the ascent, treading the path of the stars,

And mightier than the lion hidden in its lair.

And most honorable, like the lion in its secluded den,

قد جاءني التّشريفُ منك كأنّه

قد جاءني التّشريفُ منك كأنّه

قِطعُ الرّياض عقيبَ غيثٍ ماطرِ

قِطعُ الرّياض عقيبَ غيثٍ ماطرِ

The robe of honor has come to me from you, as though it were

The honor coming from you is as if

Patches of gardens just after a pouring rain;

It were blossoms of gardens after a pouring rain,

وكأنّه بُرْدُ الشّبابِ نضارةً

وكأنّه بُرْدُ الشّبابِ نضارةً

أو بِشْرُ آونةِ الرّبيع الزّاهرِ

أو بِشْرُ آونةِ الرّبيع الزّاهرِ

And in freshness it is like the mantle of youth,

And as if it were the freshness of flourishing youth,

Or the smiling cheer of the days of blooming spring.

Or good tidings of the blooming spring,

أثوابُ عزٍّ لم يكنّ للابسٍ

أثوابُ عزٍّ لم يكنّ للابسٍ

إلّا رِياشَ مفاخرٍ ومآثرِ

إلّا رِياشَ مفاخرٍ ومآثرِ

Robes of glory that have been nothing to their wearer

Raiment of glory that none could wear

But finery of proud achievements and noble deeds.

Except with pride and great deeds,

يُجرَرْنَ فوق ذُرا المجرّةِ عزّةً

يُجرَرْنَ فوق ذُرا المجرّةِ عزّةً

ويُطَرْنَ فوق النَّسْرِ ذاك الطّائرِ

ويُطَرْنَ فوق النَّسْرِ ذاك الطّائرِ

They are trailed above the heights of the Milky Way in glory,

Dragging honor above the dust of the galaxy,

And are borne aloft above the Eagle, that Flying One.

And soaring above the eagles in flight,

وَلَقد سننتَ شَريعةً لِلجودِ في

وَلَقد سننتَ شَريعةً لِلجودِ في

غير الهديّةِ أنّه للحاضرِ

غير الهديّةِ أنّه للحاضرِ

Indeed, you have ordained a law of generosity concerning

Indeed, you have established a tradition of generosity beyond

Even what is not a gift: it belongs to whoever is present.

Gifts, considering them due to the present,

لَم تَرض ما شَرع الكِرامُ وكم لنا

لَم تَرض ما شَرع الكِرامُ وكم لنا

من ناقصٍ عن غايةٍ أو قاصرِ

من ناقصٍ عن غايةٍ أو قاصرِ

You were not content with what the noble ordained; how many among us

Never satisfied with the noble's code, for we had

Fall short of a goal or fail to reach it!

Many shortcomings from the ultimate goal,

حتّى جعلتَ لحاضرٍ أو ناظرٍ

حتّى جعلتَ لحاضرٍ أو ناظرٍ

كلَّ الّذي رَمَقَتْه عينُ النّاظرِ

كلَّ الّذي رَمَقَتْه عينُ النّاظرِ

Until you gave to anyone present or looking on

Until you have given, to both present and onlooker

All that the onlooker's eye beheld.

All that the beholder's eye envisioned,

شاطَرتَنِي تلك النّفائسَ قاسماً

شاطَرتَنِي تلك النّفائسَ قاسماً

بيني وبينك كلَّ عِلْقِ فاخرِ

بيني وبينك كلَّ عِلْقِ فاخرِ

You shared those treasures equally with me, dividing

You have made me partner to those treasures, dividing

Between me and you every splendid treasure.

Between us every outstanding prize,

فَكأنّنا مُتساهمان بضاعةً

فَكأنّنا مُتساهمان بضاعةً

حُطّتْ إلينا من ظهور أباعرِ

حُطّتْ إلينا من ظهور أباعرِ

So it is as though we were partners sharing merchandise

As if we shared merchandise

Unloaded for us from the backs of camels.

Brought down to us from overflowing saddlebags,

أرسلتَها مثلاً شروداً في النّدى

أرسلتَها مثلاً شروداً في النّدى

يسري بها لك كلُّ بيتٍ سائرِ

يسري بها لك كلُّ بيتٍ سائرِ

You sent it forth as a far-traveling proverb of generosity,

You sent it randomly, wandering in the dew,

Every circulating verse carries it abroad in your praise.

Circling to you, every house in motion,

جاءَتْ كَما اِقتَرح التكرّمُ ما مشى

جاءَتْ كَما اِقتَرح التكرّمُ ما مشى

فيها اللّسان ولا سَرَتْ في خاطرِ

فيها اللّسان ولا سَرَتْ في خاطرِ

It came just as magnanimity proposed; it had not been

It came just as generosity dictated what the tongue

Spoken of by any tongue, nor had it crossed a mind.

Uttered, nor passed through the mind,

هَيهات مِنكَ الأوّلون وإنْ هُمُ

هَيهات مِنكَ الأوّلون وإنْ هُمُ

صاروا من المعروف خيرَ مصايرِ

صاروا من المعروف خيرَ مصايرِ

Far from matching you are those of old, even if they

Far from you are the ancients, though they

Became through kindness the finest places to turn.

Became the best in bounty,

سبقوا وجُزتَ مداهُمُ متمهّلاً

سبقوا وجُزتَ مداهُمُ متمهّلاً

سَبْقَ الكريمة للهجين العاثرِ

سَبْقَ الكريمة للهجين العاثرِ

They went ahead, yet you passed their furthest reach at leisure,

They preceded while you measured out their extent, slowly,

As a thoroughbred mare outstrips a stumbling crossbreed.

Like the noble steed outpacing the limping camel,

فمتى أضفناهمْ إليك فإنّما

فمتى أضفناهمْ إليك فإنّما

قسنا الثّماد إلى الخِضَمّ الزَّاخرِ

قسنا الثّماد إلى الخِضَمّ الزَّاخرِ

So whenever we compare them with you, we merely

If we add them to you, it is as if

Measure scant pools against the surging ocean.

We compared the bran to the fruitful harvest,

فَاِفخَرْ وتِهْ فخرَ الملوك على الورى

فَاِفخَرْ وتِهْ فخرَ الملوك على الورى

وعلى الطّوالع في المحيط الدَّائرِ

وعلى الطّوالع في المحيط الدَّائرِ

So boast and exult with the pride of kings over humankind,

So boast, and let your boast be the boast of kings over mankind,

And over the rising stars in the encompassing, revolving sphere.

And over the celestial spheres revolving in the endless sea,

فلقد فَضَلْتَ جميعهمْ بفضائلٍ

فلقد فَضَلْتَ جميعهمْ بفضائلٍ

وفواضلٍ ومكارمٍ ومكائرِ

وفواضلٍ ومكارمٍ ومكائرِ

For you have indeed surpassed them all in virtues,

For you have surpassed them all in merits,

And bounty, noble deeds, and stratagems,

And nobility, and magnanimity, and lofty deeds,

ومحاسنٍ نَظَمَ الزّمانُ لمَفرقَي

ومحاسنٍ نَظَمَ الزّمانُ لمَفرقَي

ملكِ الملوك بها سُموطَ جواهرِ

ملكِ الملوك بها سُموطَ جواهرِ

And fine qualities that Time has strung for the temples

And beauties fashioned by time for the brow

Of the king of kings as necklaces of jewels.

Of the king of kings with clusters of pearls,

وَاِسلَمْ وَإِن لفّتْ صروفُ زَمانِنا

وَاِسلَمْ وَإِن لفّتْ صروفُ زَمانِنا

هذا الأنامَ معاشراً بمعاشرِ

هذا الأنامَ معاشراً بمعاشرِ

And remain safe, though the vicissitudes of our time entangle

And be secure even if the turns of our time

These people, one company with another,

Deliver these people in groups to one another,

في ظلِّ مَلْكٍ ضلَّ عن أيدي الرّدى

في ظلِّ مَلْكٍ ضلَّ عن أيدي الرّدى

وَاِزورَّ عَن سَنَنِ الحمامِ الزَّائرِ

وَاِزورَّ عَن سَنَنِ الحمامِ الزَّائرِ

In the shade of a king who has eluded the hands of death,

In the shade of a realm protected from the hands of demise,

And veered away from the path of visiting Death.

And fortified against the ways of the circling fates.