لنا المشرَبُ الأهنا من الموردِ الأصْفَى

لنا المشرَبُ الأهنا من الموردِ الأصْفَى

إِذا نحن شارفنا العناية واللطفا

إِذا نحن شارفنا العناية واللطفا

Ours is the sweetest draught, drawn from the purest spring,

Ours is the most delightful draught from the purest spring,

when we draw near to providential care and grace.

when we draw near to gracious care and kindness.

نبيت وللشوق المبرّح نازعٌ

نبيت وللشوق المبرّح نازعٌ

يحاولُ من معسول ذاكَ اللَما رشفا

يحاولُ من معسول ذاكَ اللَما رشفا

We pass the night while agonizing longing tugs us onward,

We pass the night with a stirring of tormenting longing,

striving for a sip of the honeyed sweetness of those dusky lips.

seeking a sip from that honey-sweet, dusky lip.

فما بسوى تَرْشافِه ينقَعٌ الصدى

فما بسوى تَرْشافِه ينقَعٌ الصدى

ولا غُلّة الملتاح من برْحِها تُشفى

ولا غُلّة الملتاح من برْحِها تُشفى

For nothing but sipping it again and again will quench thirst,

For nothing but sipping it can quench thirst,

nor is the ardent lover’s burning thirst healed of its torment.

nor is the parched one's burning thirst relieved of its torment.

وأيكيّة باتت تساهمني الجوَى

وأيكيّة باتت تساهمني الجوَى

وبتّ على وجْدٍ أُجرَّعه صِرفا

وبتّ على وجْدٍ أُجرَّعه صِرفا

A grove-dove passed the night sharing my consuming passion,

And a dove of the grove spent the night sharing my anguish,

while I, in my ardor, made her drink it undiluted.

and I spent the night in longing, made to drink it undiluted.

عراقية حنَّتْ لأوْرق نازحٍ

عراقية حنَّتْ لأوْرق نازحٍ

تُثير غرامي كلّما ناوَحتْ إِلْفا

تُثير غرامي كلّما ناوَحتْ إِلْفا

An Iraqi dove yearned for a distant gray-plumed mate,

An Iraqi dove, she yearned for a gray mate far away,

stirring my passion whenever she mournfully called to her beloved.

rousing my passion whenever she exchanged plaintive calls with a mate.

يروعُ الحشا ترنامُها ويشوقني

يروعُ الحشا ترنامُها ويشوقني

تألقُ بَرْقٍ زاد في لوعتي ضعفا

تألقُ بَرْقٍ زاد في لوعتي ضعفا

Her warbling alarms the heart and fills me with longing,

Her warbling startles my heart, and I am stirred to longing by

and a flash of lightning doubles my anguish.

a flash of lightning that doubled my anguish.

وتشفي أُوامي للقبول رويحة

وتشفي أُوامي للقبول رويحة

مع الفجر تهدي من عَريب الحمى عَرفا

مع الفجر تهدي من عَريب الحمى عَرفا

A heart-soothing little breeze heals my burning thirst,

And a gentle breath of the east wind quenches my burning thirst,

bringing at dawn the fragrance of the Arab folk of the sanctuary.

bringing, at dawn, a fragrance from the sanctuary's Arab folk.

شممتُ به ريّا تراوح مهجتي

شممتُ به ريّا تراوح مهجتي

بأوصاف من أعيتْ مفاخره الوصفا

بأوصاف من أعيتْ مفاخره الوصفا

Through it I caught a perfume that refreshed my soul,

In it I breathed a sweet fragrance that refreshes my soul

redolent of one whose glories have baffled description.

with the qualities of one whose glories defy description.

هو العالم النحرير والقلمُ الذي

هو العالم النحرير والقلمُ الذي

رقى شَرَفاً يسمو على سائر الأكفا

رقى شَرَفاً يسمو على سائر الأكفا

He is the consummate scholar, and the pen that

He is the scholar, the consummate master, and the pen that

rose in eminence, towering above every peer:

has risen in honor, soaring above all his peers.

أبو الفضل نبراس العلوم محمد

أبو الفضل نبراس العلوم محمد

فأكرمْ به حَبراً وأعظم به كهْفا

فأكرمْ به حَبراً وأعظم به كهْفا

Abu al-Fadl Muhammad, beacon of the sciences—

Abu al-Fadl Muhammad, beacon of the sciences—

how noble a scholar, how mighty a refuge!

what a noble scholar he is, and what a mighty refuge!

روى ودرى في العلم كلَّ مؤلَّفٍ

روى ودرى في العلم كلَّ مؤلَّفٍ

إِذا سِيم لم نعدل بواحدة ألفا

إِذا سِيم لم نعدل بواحدة ألفا

He transmitted and mastered every work composed in learning;

He has transmitted and mastered every work of learning;

were one appraised, we would not count a thousand equal to it.

were it appraised, we would not equate a thousand with a single one.

أيا روضةً تحكي النسيم أريجها

أيا روضةً تحكي النسيم أريجها

إِذا نحن لم نُسْرح بألفافها طَرفا

إِذا نحن لم نُسْرح بألفافها طَرفا

O garden whose fragrance rivals the breeze,

O garden whose fragrance the breeze tells of,

though we have not let our gaze roam amid its tangled groves;

when we have not let our gaze roam among its thickets.

ويا علماً تنساخ أضواء فضله

ويا علماً تنساخ أضواء فضله

فنرعى له في النأي ما لم يكن يخفى

فنرعى له في النأي ما لم يكن يخفى

and O luminary, whose rays of excellence spread abroad—

And O beacon, whose lights of excellence reach far,

from afar we honor in him what was plainly revealed.

so, even from afar, we honor in him what was never hidden.

لنا من طريق السمع أسباب وصلة

لنا من طريق السمع أسباب وصلة

نمتُّ بها عجزاً ونرجو بها عطفا

نمتُّ بها عجزاً ونرجو بها عطفا

Through hearing alone, bonds of connection have come to us;

Through hearing we have bonds of connection,

through them trunks have grown, and through them we hope for favor.

through which we claim a bond in our helplessness, and through which we hope for kindness.

ونهدي تحايا للشذا نستديمها

ونهدي تحايا للشذا نستديمها

مع النأي لم نحتج لتعريفها كشفا

مع النأي لم نحتج لتعريفها كشفا

And we offer greetings to al-Sharā—may they endure;

And we offer greetings to the fragrance, keeping them unceasing;

despite the distance, we needed no unveiling to recognize them.

despite the distance, we have needed no unveiling to make them known.

ونرغب منكم أن تجيزوا وتنعموا

ونرغب منكم أن تجيزوا وتنعموا

بمروّيكم فهو الرغيبة والزُلَفى

بمروّيكم فهو الرغيبة والزُلَفى

We beseech you to authorize us and graciously bestow your favor

And we ask you to grant us authorization and graciously favor us

through what you transmit, for it is our cherished desire and means of nearness—

with what you transmit, for it is the coveted gift and a means of nearness.

إِجازة إطلاقٍ تخال تمائماً

إِجازة إطلاقٍ تخال تمائماً

نقلّدها عقداً ونلبسَها شَنْفَا

نقلّدها عقداً ونلبسَها شَنْفَا

an unrestricted authorization one might take for amulets,

An unrestricted authorization, which one might take for amulets,

to wear as a necklace and don as an earring.

which we hang as a necklace and wear as an earring.

ونأمل بالتعميم أن تشملوا بها

ونأمل بالتعميم أن تشملوا بها

شقيقيَّ وابني إذ هي المُطْرَف الأضفا

شقيقيَّ وابني إذ هي المُطْرَف الأضفا

And we hope that, in making it general, you will include within it

And we hope that, making it general, you will include in it

my two full brothers and my son, for it is the amplest bordered robe.

my two full brothers and my son, for it is the most ample bordered mantle.

جزاكم بها الرحمنُ خير جزاءةٍ

جزاكم بها الرحمنُ خير جزاءةٍ

وكان لكم في كل كائنةٍ حِلفا

وكان لكم في كل كائنةٍ حِلفا

May the Merciful reward you for it with His finest recompense,

May the All-Merciful reward you for it with the finest reward,

and be your ally in every eventuality.

and be your ally in all that comes to pass.

وعذراً لما سطرت عذر مقصّر

وعذراً لما سطرت عذر مقصّر

ولولاكم ما ازدان نظماً ولا رَصفا

ولولاكم ما ازدان نظماً ولا رَصفا

And pardon what I have penned—the apology of one who falls short;

And an apology for what I have written—the apology of one who falls short;

but for you, it would have gained neither poetic beauty nor ordered form.

and but for you, it would have no beauty in verse or in phrasing.

بقيتم بقاء الغيث ينهلُّ مغدِقا

بقيتم بقاء الغيث ينهلُّ مغدِقا

فيحيي به روض الحمى كلّما جفّا

فيحيي به روض الحمى كلّما جفّا

May you endure as the rain endures, pouring abundantly,

May you endure as rain endures, pouring down abundantly,

reviving the sanctuary’s meadow whenever it withers.

thereby reviving the sanctuary's garden whenever it grows dry.