طربتُ ولكن لا لراحٍ براحتي

طربتُ ولكن لا لراحٍ براحتي

ولا لمَهى نجدٍ وآرام رامةِ

ولا لمَهى نجدٍ وآرام رامةِ

I was enraptured, but not by wine in my palm,

I rejoiced, but not for any leisure of my own,

Nor by the oryxes of Najd or the gazelles of Rāmah,

Nor for the diversions of Najd and the comforts of rest.

ولكن لأبياتٍ حباني بدرِّها

ولكن لأبياتٍ حباني بدرِّها

محمد عز الدين در البراعةِ

محمد عز الدين در البراعةِ

But by verses whose pearls were bestowed on me by

Rather, for some verses that gifted me with their full moon,

Muhammad ʿIzz al-Din, the pearl of literary mastery.

Muhammad, pride of the faith in eloquence,

سليل أمين اللَه والكوكب الذي

سليل أمين اللَه والكوكب الذي

أفاض عليه اللَهُ نور الرسالةِ

أفاض عليه اللَهُ نور الرسالةِ

A scion of God's trusted one and of the star upon whom

Scion of the Trustee of God and the star

God poured the light of the prophetic message.

Upon whom God shed the light of prophecy.

هو الروضة الغناءُ أما قريضهُ

هو الروضة الغناءُ أما قريضهُ

فحانُ علومٍ مترعٌ بالبلاغةِ

فحانُ علومٍ مترعٌ بالبلاغةِ

He is the luxuriant garden; as for his verse,

He is the flowering meadow, but as for his ode,

It is a tavern of learning, brimming with eloquence.

It is a spring of lofty sciences, flowing with rhetoric.

قضى العلم لو لم يبقه اللَه آيةً

قضى العلم لو لم يبقه اللَه آيةً

لإحيائه يوعي بها كلَّ آيةِ

لإحيائه يوعي بها كلَّ آيةِ

Learning would have perished had God not preserved him as a sign

Knowledge would have perished, had God not made him a sign

To revive it; through that sign he retains every verse.

For reviving it, so that every sign might be alert to him.

براه إله العرش لجَّةَ حكمةٍ

براه إله العرش لجَّةَ حكمةٍ

وأوجده درّاً لجيد الدرايةِ

وأوجده درّاً لجيد الدرايةِ

The God of the Throne fashioned him a deep sea of wisdom,

The God of the Throne ennobled him with a store of wisdom

And brought him into being as a pearl for the neck of understanding.

And created him a pearl for the best endowed with perception.

ولكنه درٌّ من الدرة التي

ولكنه درٌّ من الدرة التي

تخير منها اللَهُ نفس الإمامةِ

تخير منها اللَهُ نفس الإمامةِ

Yet he is a pearl from that pearl from which

But he is a pearl from the pearl whereby

God selected the very soul of the imamate.

God chose the essence of the Imamate.

فما باله يولي المديح لمن غدا

فما باله يولي المديح لمن غدا

أَحق نظيري بالهجا والملامةِ

أَحق نظيري بالهجا والملامةِ

Why, then, does he bestow praise on one who is

Why then should I give praise to one who became

Like me, more deserving of satire and reproach?

The most worthy peer in censure and blame?

لهذا وأيم اللَه جود ابن حرَّةٍ

لهذا وأيم اللَه جود ابن حرَّةٍ

ألذُّ وأهمى من سلاف الغمامةِ

ألذُّ وأهمى من سلاف الغمامةِ

This man, by God, has the generosity of a free woman's son,

For this, by the oath of God, the bounty of the son of Ḥarrā’

Sweeter and more freely flowing than the raincloud's pure wine.

Is sweeter and dearer than yesterday’s clouds.

وما الجود إلَّا أن يعم بشطره ال

وما الجود إلَّا أن يعم بشطره ال

غريب ويولي شطره ذا القرابةِ

غريب ويولي شطره ذا القرابةِ

And generosity is nothing but to extend half of it to the

Bounty is naught but to favor with half of it

Stranger, and bestow its other half on one's kin.

The stranger, and devote its other half to kin.

أَأُمدح كوني مادح الآل ما الذي

أَأُمدح كوني مادح الآل ما الذي

أتيت به غير الفروض المقامةِ

أتيت به غير الفروض المقامةِ

Am I praised for praising the Family? What have

Should I be praised for praising the Family—what have I brought

I done beyond fulfilling the prescribed duties?

Other than duties made incumbent?

أَبى اللَه إلَّا أن نكرّم عترةً

أَبى اللَه إلَّا أن نكرّم عترةً

تعالت على بادٍ وآتٍ وفائِتِ

تعالت على بادٍ وآتٍ وفائِتِ

God insists that we honor a family

God refused that any but the Family of preeminence

Exalted above those present, those to come, and those gone.

Exalted over both substitute and successor should be honored.

لها صولةٌ تعلو على كل صولةٍ

لها صولةٌ تعلو على كل صولةٍ

وغاية مجدٍ جاوزت كلَّ غايةِ

وغاية مجدٍ جاوزت كلَّ غايةِ

Theirs is a might that rises above all might,

Theirs is a charge that rises above every charge,

And a pinnacle of glory surpassing every pinnacle.

And a summit of glory that surpasses every summit.

ولكنني عن دين غيري بمعزلٍ

ولكنني عن دين غيري بمعزلٍ

ففي دين عيسى مسمع الصم راحتي

ففي دين عيسى مسمع الصم راحتي

But I stand apart from the faith of others;

But I stand apart from the religion of others—

For in the faith of Jesus, who makes the deaf hear, lies my peace.

So in the religion of Jesus, friend of the deaf, lies my comfort.

سأُطوَى على دين المسيح ابن مريمٍ

سأُطوَى على دين المسيح ابن مريمٍ

وأبدو وفي هام الموالاة رايتي

وأبدو وفي هام الموالاة رايتي

I shall be folded away in the faith of the Messiah, son of Mary,

I will be folded in the Christian religion of Jesus son of Mary,

And I shall appear, my banner on the heights of loyal devotion.

And I will raise the banner of intimate loyalty to it.