وذي كرمٍ يعطي معاقل ملكه

وذي كرمٍ يعطي معاقل ملكه

إذا مدحنا زفَّت إليه عقائله

إذا مدحنا زفَّت إليه عقائله

And a generous man who grants the strongholds of his realm,

He of generous spirit gives the fortresses of his kingdom,

when the noble maidens of our praise are led to him as brides.

When we praise him, his maids hasten to him,

يقول ولا والله ما قال قائلٌ

يقول ولا والله ما قال قائلٌ

بأحسنَ مما جود كفَّيه فاعله

بأحسنَ مما جود كفَّيه فاعله

He speaks—but no, by God, no speaker has said

He says - No, by God, no speaker has said

anything finer than what the bounty of his two palms accomplishes.

Better than what his open hands have done.

شجاعٌ يخاف الليثُ ثعلب رمحه

شجاعٌ يخاف الليثُ ثعلب رمحه

إذا حلقتْ عقبانهُ وأجادله

إذا حلقتْ عقبانهُ وأجادله

A brave man: the lion fears the fox of his spear,

A brave man whom the lion fears the claws of his spear

when his eagles and his falcons soar.

When his hawks wheel and contend with him,

شديدُ غرامٍ بالشجاعة والنَّدى

شديدُ غرامٍ بالشجاعة والنَّدى

فيا شدَّ ما عابت فخابت عواذله

فيا شدَّ ما عابت فخابت عواذله

Intensely devoted to courage and generosity,

Strongly enamored is he of bravery and munificence,

and oh, how fiercely his reprovers censured him—and failed!

Oh how excellent is he whom his damsels reproached and failed.

عزيزٌ به ذلَّ الصَّليب وأهله

عزيزٌ به ذلَّ الصَّليب وأهله

أواخرهُ من سؤددٍ وأوائله

أواخرهُ من سؤددٍ وأوائله

A mighty man, through whom the cross and its people were humbled;

Mighty is he by whom the cross and its people were abased

nobility marks his last deeds and his first.

Its latter and its former multitudes.

جرى نيله ردفاً لينل بنانهِ

جرى نيله ردفاً لينل بنانهِ

وسال إلى أن ليس يوجد سائله

وسال إلى أن ليس يوجد سائله

His Nile flowed behind the bounty of his fingertips,

His Nile flowed in torrents to water his villages,

and poured until no petitioner for it could be found.

And flowed on until none were left to beg of it.

فما الغيث إلاَّ منجلاتٌ بروقهُ

فما الغيث إلاَّ منجلاتٌ بروقهُ

وما الروض إلاَّ حاملاتٌ خمائله

وما الروض إلاَّ حاملاتٌ خمائله

For rain is nothing but its lightning flashes giving birth,

The rain is but the flashing gleams of its lightning,

and the garden is nothing but its pregnant thickets.

And the meadow but the portresses of its weapons.