أتى ببراهينٍ غدا كلُّ جاحدٍ

أتى ببراهينٍ غدا كلُّ جاحدٍ

ببرهانه بين البرية مفحما

ببرهانه بين البرية مفحما

He came with proofs; every denier became

He came with proofs, and every denier

Silenced among humankind by his proof.

Was confounded by his proof in the wilderness

فألزمه بالحقّ والحقّ قوله

فألزمه بالحقّ والحقّ قوله

فأسْلَمَ من بعد الجحود وسلّما

فأسْلَمَ من بعد الجحود وسلّما

So he compelled him by the truth—his words are truth—

So I compelled him with the truth, and the truth is his saying

And he submitted after denial, and yielded.

Thus he surrendered after denial, and submitted

فطوراً تراه للأمور مسدّداً

فطوراً تراه للأمور مسدّداً

وطوراً تراه للعلوم معلّما

وطوراً تراه للعلوم معلّما

At times you see him setting affairs right,

Sometimes you see him directing matters rightly

And at times you see him teaching the sciences.

And sometimes you see him teaching sciences

فلله ما صنّفت كل مصنّف

فلله ما صنّفت كل مصنّف

سرى منجداً في العالمين ومتهما

سرى منجداً في العالمين ومتهما

So praise be to God for what you have composed: every work

So to God belongs whatever each author has composed

Has spread among humankind, reaching Najd and Tihama.

Flowing smoothly in the world, and being blamed

ومن مشكلات بالعلوم عرفتها

ومن مشكلات بالعلوم عرفتها

فأعربت عما كانَ فيهم معجما

فأعربت عما كانَ فيهم معجما

And you have understood difficult questions in the sciences,

And from the problems in sciences I knew

Then made clear what had been obscure among them.

So I expressed what was ambiguous in them

وأبكيت أقلام البراعة والنهى

وأبكيت أقلام البراعة والنهى

فأرضيت حد السيف حتَّى تبسما

فأرضيت حد السيف حتَّى تبسما

And you made the pens of eloquence and intellect weep,

And I made the pens of excellence and prohibition weep

Then pleased the sword’s edge until it smiled.

So I pleased the edge of the sword until it smiled

وما نلت عما شان بالمجد خالياً

وما نلت عما شان بالمجد خالياً

وما زلت بالعلم اللّدنيّ مفعما

وما زلت بالعلم اللّدنيّ مفعما

And what you have attained in glory is free of disgrace,

And I did not attain, empty of glory, what was proper for glory

And you remain filled with divinely bestowed knowledge.

And I did not cease, full of gentle knowledge

تفرَّدت في علم وفهم وحكمة

تفرَّدت في علم وفهم وحكمة

فها أنت والعلياء أصبحت توأما

فها أنت والعلياء أصبحت توأما

You are peerless in knowledge, understanding, and wisdom;

You were singled out in knowledge, understanding and wisdom

So behold: you and exalted glory have become twins.

So here you are, and the scholars, have become twins

وإن جئتَنا في آخر الدهر رحمة

وإن جئتَنا في آخر الدهر رحمة

إذا عُدَّت الأمجاد كنت المقدما

إذا عُدَّت الأمجاد كنت المقدما

And though you came to us as a mercy at the end of the age,

And if you come to us at the end of time a mercy

When the illustrious are counted, you are foremost.

When glories are counted, you will be the first

وحسبك ما في الناس مثلك سيد

وحسبك ما في الناس مثلك سيد

أنال مقلاًّ أو تكرّم معدما

أنال مقلاًّ أو تكرّم معدما

And this suffices you: no lord among men is your equal

And it suffices you, O master, that among the people is your likeness

In giving to those of scant means or being generous to the destitute.

To gain little or to be generous when destitute

وكم نثرت نثراً بلاغتك الَّتي

وكم نثرت نثراً بلاغتك الَّتي

أردت بها دُرَّ المعالي منظما

أردت بها دُرَّ المعالي منظما

And how much prose your eloquence has scattered—

And how much you have scattered your eloquence

Through which you sought the pearls of lofty virtues strung together.

With which you wanted to string the pearls of glories

وقد أخرستني من علاك فصاحة

وقد أخرستني من علاك فصاحة

ألست تراني أخرس النطق أبكما

ألست تراني أخرس النطق أبكما

And eloquence born of your eminence has struck me dumb;

You have made me speechless with your sublime eloquence

Do you not see me mute of speech, struck dumb?

Do you not see me, speechless and dumbfounded?