هنيئاً لأفق الفضل إنك بدرهُ

هنيئاً لأفق الفضل إنك بدرهُ

وإن سجاياك الكريمة زُهره

وإن سجاياك الكريمة زُهره

Blessed is the horizon of excellence, for you are its full moon,

Congratulations to the horizon of virtue, you are its full moon

and your noble traits are its bright stars.

And your noble qualities are its flowers

قدمت قدومَ الغيث يهمي نواله

قدمت قدومَ الغيث يهمي نواله

ويعبق ريَّاه ويبسم ثغره

ويعبق ريَّاه ويبسم ثغره

You arrived as rain arrives, its bounty pouring down,

You brought the coming of rain that pours its drink

its fragrance wafting and its mouth smiling.

And its scent wafts, and its lips smile

وقبلك لم تبصر بنو الشام وابلاً

وقبلك لم تبصر بنو الشام وابلاً

من الغيثِ تهدِيه إلى الشامِ مصره

من الغيثِ تهدِيه إلى الشامِ مصره

Before you, the sons of Syria had seen no downpour

Before you, the people of Syria never saw rainclouds

of rain that its own Egypt offers to Syria.

Bring rain to Syria from Egypt, its place of departure

وأقبلت إقبالَ البدور حقيقةً

وأقبلت إقبالَ البدور حقيقةً

على جائر الأيام أظلم دهره

على جائر الأيام أظلم دهره

And you came forth as full moons come forth, in truth,

You came like the full moons, truly

upon tyrannous Time, whose age had grown dark.

To the injustice of time, the darkest of its eras

وما كانَ لولا نور وجهك طالعاً

وما كانَ لولا نور وجهك طالعاً

من الغربِ بدرٌ يملأ الأرض بشره

من الغربِ بدرٌ يملأ الأرض بشره

And, but for your face's light, there would not have risen

If not for the light of your face rising

from the west a full moon whose gladness fills the earth.

From the west, a full moon filling the earth with its light

وأنت الذي في مصر والشام أشرقت

وأنت الذي في مصر والشام أشرقت

معاليه فاسْتولى على النجمِ قدره

معاليه فاسْتولى على النجمِ قدره

And you are the one—in Egypt and Syria there shone

You are the one who in Egypt and Syria shone

his lofty honors, and his rank surpassed the star.

Your glories, so it dominated the star of fate

لك الصدر من ديوان تلك وإنَّما

لك الصدر من ديوان تلك وإنَّما

لصدرِك من هذا مدى الدهر سرّه

لصدرِك من هذا مدى الدهر سرّه

Yours is the foremost seat in that land's chancery, and only

Yours is the heart from the diary of that, and only

to your breast is this land's secret entrusted for all time.

For your heart is the secret of this lifetime

وكم أفقٍ طالت قوامُ نجمه

وكم أفقٍ طالت قوامُ نجمه

يقصر عن أدنى خوافيك نسره

يقصر عن أدنى خوافيك نسره

And many a horizon whose star stands tall—

And how many horizons stretched the standing of its star

its Eagle falls short of your lowliest secondary feathers.

That falls short of the lowest of your nests in height

تقر لك السادات طوعاً وعنوةً

تقر لك السادات طوعاً وعنوةً

ويحسن سرّ الفضل فيك وجهره

ويحسن سرّ الفضل فيك وجهره

The lords submit to you, willingly and by force,

The masters surrender to you willingly and forcibly

and excellence in you is beautiful, hidden and manifest.

And the secret of virtue in you is good openly and privately

كأنَّك في العليا أبوك سقى ثرى

كأنَّك في العليا أبوك سقى ثرى

أبيكَ حياً يهمي فلله درّه

أبيكَ حياً يهمي فلله درّه

You seem your father in high honor; may rain water the soil

It's as if in the Most High your father watered the soil

of your father in torrents—God bless him!

Of your father alive, pouring - so for that is his merit

وقارك في حزم الأمور وَقارُه

وقارك في حزم الأمور وَقارُه

وبشرك في صنع المعارف بشره

وبشرك في صنع المعارف بشره

Your dignity in the firm handling of affairs is his dignity,

Your dignity in resolute matters is his dignity

and your cheer in bestowing favors is his cheer.

And your good tidings in the making of knowledge is his good tidings

ترحلت يا يحيى وفضلك خالدٌ

ترحلت يا يحيى وفضلك خالدٌ

هو البحر إلاَّ أنَّ جعفرَ نهره

هو البحر إلاَّ أنَّ جعفرَ نهره

You departed, O Yahya, while your excellence is immortal;

You traveled, O Yahya, and your virtue is eternal

it is the sea, except that Ja'far is its river.

It is the sea except that Ja'far is its river

إلهي أطلْ للدهرِ في عمرِ أحمدٍ

إلهي أطلْ للدهرِ في عمرِ أحمدٍ

فيا حبَّذا الشخص الكريم ودهره

فيا حبَّذا الشخص الكريم ودهره

My God, prolong Ahmad's life for the ages;

My God, prolong for the world Ahmed's life

how splendid the noble man and his age!

So excellent is the generous person and his time

يؤَازِرُ أملاك الزَّمان كما ترى

يؤَازِرُ أملاك الزَّمان كما ترى

فيشتدُّ بنيان الزَّمان وأزره

فيشتدُّ بنيان الزَّمان وأزره

He supports the kings of the age, as you see,

He assists the domains of time as you see

so the age's structure and its strength grow firm.

So the structure of time is strengthened and its pillars

ويعجبهُ فعلُ الجميل مطابقاً

ويعجبهُ فعلُ الجميل مطابقاً

فيحفظ علياه ويبذل وفره

فيحفظ علياه ويبذل وفره

And he delights in good deeds that befit him,

And he admires doing good corresponding

so he preserves his high honor and gives away his wealth.

So he preserves its heights and spends his abundance

ولا عيبَ فيه غير إفراط سؤددٍ

ولا عيبَ فيه غير إفراط سؤددٍ

يشقُّ على جهد المدائح حصره

يشقُّ على جهد المدائح حصره

And he has no fault but excessive eminence,

No fault in him but excess of oozing generosity

which the utmost effort of praise finds hard to encompass.

That strains the effort of praise to limit it

فتى النسب الوضَّاح والشيمِ التي

فتى النسب الوضَّاح والشيمِ التي

يقلّ لها من بارع الحمد كثرُه

يقلّ لها من بارع الحمد كثرُه

A youth of radiant lineage, and of virtues for which

The lad of clear lineage and morals which

even abundant masterly praise is too little.

Even the most eloquent eulogy falls short of abundantly praising

وذو البيت أما آلُ يحيى فنظمه

وذو البيت أما آلُ يحيى فنظمه

وأما أبو حفصِ الإمام فبحره

وأما أبو حفصِ الإمام فبحره

And master of the house: Yahya's family is its ordered composition,

And of the house - as for the family of Yahya, its structure

while Abu Hafs, the Imam, is its sea.

And as for Abu Hafs the Imam, its ocean

تقر له السادات طوعاً وعنوةً

تقر له السادات طوعاً وعنوةً

ويحسن سرّ الفضل فيه وجهره

ويحسن سرّ الفضل فيه وجهره

The lords submit to him, willingly and by force,

The masters surrender to him willingly and forcibly

and excellence in him is beautiful, hidden and manifest.

And the secret of virtue in him is good openly and privately

له قلمٌ ينحو الجميل فرفعه

له قلمٌ ينحو الجميل فرفعه

لرتبة داعيه وللضدّ كسره

لرتبة داعيه وللضدّ كسره

He has a pen that aims at good: it raises

He has a pen that inclines to beauty, so he raised it

its petitioner's rank, and breaks the foe.

To the rank of its caller, and to opposites, he broke it

إذا قامَ يحيى دولة بسوادهِ

إذا قامَ يحيى دولة بسوادهِ

عنت دونه بيض القرَاع وسمره

عنت دونه بيض القرَاع وسمره

When it rises to revive a state with its black ink,

When Yahya rose to power with his darkness

the white blades of battle and its brown spears bow before it.

The white domes and red towers yielded to him

قصيرٌ لأمرٍ ما يجدّع أنفه

قصيرٌ لأمرٍ ما يجدّع أنفه

إلى أن رأينا الملك قد عزَّ نصره

إلى أن رأينا الملك قد عزَّ نصره

A Qasir, a short one, its nose clipped for some purpose,

Short for a matter he does not haughtily turn up his nose

until we saw the realm's victory grow mighty,

Until we saw the king had strengthened his victory

بكف فتىً لو كان للبحر جودُهُ

بكف فتىً لو كان للبحر جودُهُ

لفاضَ كما فاضَ في الطرسِ درّه

لفاضَ كما فاضَ في الطرسِ درّه

by the hand of a youth—if the sea had his generosity,

With the palm of a lad who, if the sea had his munificence

it would overflow as his pearls have overflowed upon the page.

It would overflow as it overflowed from his pearls

وممتدح يلقاك منه إذا بدَا

وممتدح يلقاك منه إذا بدَا

مديد العلى باهي المحيا أغرّه

مديد العلى باهي المحيا أغرّه

And a praised man—when he appears, there greets you

And the one who praises you, when he appeared

his radiant self, towering in glory and bright of face.

Outstretching glory, beautiful of cheek, most youthful

يرنحه شدْوُ السؤال كأنما

يرنحه شدْوُ السؤال كأنما

تثنَّت بعطفيه وحاشاه خمره

تثنَّت بعطفيه وحاشاه خمره

The song of entreaty makes him sway, as though

The passion of asking bends him as if

his wine—far be it from him—had set his sides swaying.

His shoulders and cheeks were bent by his wine

أنجلَ العلى قابلتني ساعة العلى

أنجلَ العلى قابلتني ساعة العلى

مقابلةً لاقى بها القلبَ جبره

مقابلةً لاقى بها القلبَ جبره

O scion of glory, you met me at glory's hour,

Most glorious you met me in the hour of glory

with a welcome through which the heart found its healing.

A meeting which mended my heart

إذا شيد في نظمِ امتداحك بيته

إذا شيد في نظمِ امتداحك بيته

فما هو إلا في ذوي النظم قصره

فما هو إلا في ذوي النظم قصره

When he builds his verse in composing your praise,

If he builds in composing your praise his verse

among the poets it is nothing but his palace.

It is nothing but a palace among those skilled in verse

لمدحك يا معنى النسيب تأخرت

لمدحك يا معنى النسيب تأخرت

قوافي نسيبٍ طالما طار شعره

قوافي نسيبٍ طالما طار شعره

To praise you, O essence of love poetry, there were deferred

For praising you, O essence of nobility, I was late

the rhymes of a love poem whose verse has so often taken wing.

Rhymes of nobility long flew with its poetry

على أنني مغرًى بكلّ مقرطقٍ

على أنني مغرًى بكلّ مقرطقٍ

بما خدّه ماءُ الحياة وخضره

بما خدّه ماءُ الحياة وخضره

Though I am enamored of everyone clad in a short tunic,

Though I am tempted by every bright faced one

in whose cheek's dew are the Water of Life and its Khidr.

Touched by the water of life and its greenery

عجبت له في كأس مرشفه الطلاً

عجبت له في كأس مرشفه الطلاً

وفينا ولم يقرب من الكأس سكره

وفينا ولم يقرب من الكأس سكره

I marveled at him: wine is in the cup of his lips,

I wondered at him, in his overflowing cup, the Tallā*

and its intoxication is in us, without ever approaching the cup.

While in us, and he did not come near the cup in drunkenness

ثناؤك أشهى من لماه إلى فمي

ثناؤك أشهى من لماه إلى فمي

ولفظك لا حلو الوصال ومرّه

ولفظك لا حلو الوصال ومرّه

Praising you is sweeter to my mouth than his dusky lips,

Your praise is more delicious to my mouth than its moisture

and your words—not union's sweetness and its bitterness.

And your utterance - not the sweetness of union and its bitterness

فحسبك من قلبي صفاه وودّه

فحسبك من قلبي صفاه وودّه

وحسبك من لفظي دعاه وشكره

وحسبك من لفظي دعاه وشكره

So let my heart's sincerity and affection suffice you,

So suffice you from my heart its clarity and love

and let my speech's prayers and thanks suffice you.

And suffice you from my tongue its supplication and thanks

وحسبك عبدٌ بالجميل ملكتهُ

وحسبك عبدٌ بالجميل ملكتهُ

على أنه مستمجد القلب حرُّه

على أنه مستمجد القلب حرُّه

And let a slave you have made yours through kindness suffice you,

And suffice you a slave whom your kindness possessed

though he aspires to glory and is free at heart.

Though he is free in spirit, his heart is free

بقيت لداعي المدح وجهك عيده

بقيت لداعي المدح وجهك عيده

وأنمل كفيك الكريمة عشره

وأنمل كفيك الكريمة عشره

May you endure: your face is a festival for the caller of praise,

There remained for the praiser of praise your face his feast

and the generous fingers of your two hands are his ten days.

And the palms of your generous hands his decoration