قد أمكنت فرص اللذات فانتهز

قد أمكنت فرص اللذات فانتهز

وسامحتك وعود الدّهر فانتجز

وسامحتك وعود الدّهر فانتجز

Opportunities for pleasure are at hand—seize them.

The chances for pleasures are made possible, so seize them,

Time's promises have favored you—claim their fulfillment.

And the promises of fate have forgiven you, so take advantage.

روضٌ يزفّ ومعشوقٌ وكأس طلا

روضٌ يزفّ ومعشوقٌ وكأس طلا

لقد ظفرت بعيشٍ غير ذي عوَز

لقد ظفرت بعيشٍ غير ذي عوَز

A garden paraded like a bride, a beloved, and a cup of wine—

A garden is in bloom, a beloved is present, and a cup of wine -

truly, you have gained a life free of want.

You have attained a life free of privation.

أما ترى الراح يهدي صفو مزنتها

أما ترى الراح يهدي صفو مزنتها

غيم الزّجاج إلى أرض الحشا الجرز

غيم الزّجاج إلى أرض الحشا الجرز

Do you not see the wine, whose rain-cloud's clear draught is offered

Do you not see the breeze gently spreading its aroma,

by the cloud of glass to the barren earth within the breast?

Carrying clouds of glassware to the barren lands?

وحامل الكاس قد جاز الغرام به

وحامل الكاس قد جاز الغرام به

قلبي ولولا فتاوى الحبّ لم يجز

قلبي ولولا فتاوى الحبّ لم يجز

And the cupbearer—passion has borne him through

The wine bearer has fallen in love,

my heart; but for love's rulings, that would not be lawful.

My heart - had it not been for love's edicts - would not have allowed it.

خمريّ ثغرٍ فما نفسٌ بصاحبةٍ

خمريّ ثغرٍ فما نفسٌ بصاحبةٍ

تبريّ خدّ فما دمعٌ بمكتنز

تبريّ خدّ فما دمعٌ بمكتنز

His mouth is wine-like; no soul keeps its owner company.

My wine is the lip of a mouth - what spirit lacking a companion

His cheek is gold-like; no tear remains hoarded.

Can render a cheek barren, what tear goes unused?

إذا خطا نفحت أعطافه أرجاً

إذا خطا نفحت أعطافه أرجاً

نفحَ الثناءِ عليكم يا بني اللكز

نفحَ الثناءِ عليكم يا بني اللكز

When he steps, his sides waft fragrance,

When its edges sway, they spread pleasant fragrances -

as praise wafts over you, O sons of al-Lakz.

The fragrance of praise upon you, O people of nobility.

أنتم أناسٌ إذا أجرى الورى نسباً

أنتم أناسٌ إذا أجرى الورى نسباً

للجود عدَّ إلى أيديكمُ وعزي

للجود عدَّ إلى أيديكمُ وعزي

You are a people: whenever humankind traces a lineage

You are people whom, when lineage is recounted,

for generosity, it is reckoned back to your hands and ascribed to them.

Generosity leads back to your hands, and honor is ascribed to you.

نعم المفيدون للطلاب ما سألوا

نعم المفيدون للطلاب ما سألوا

والآخذون من الهلاك بالحجز

والآخذون من الهلاك بالحجز

Excellent are those who give seekers whatever they ask,

How excellent are those who aid the seekers when asked

and grasp them by their waistbands to save them from destruction;

And who snatch from demise with retention.

والجاعلون معاني المجد واضحة

والجاعلون معاني المجد واضحة

بين الأنام وكان المجد كالّلغز

بين الأنام وكان المجد كالّلغز

and those who make the meanings of glory clear

Who make the meanings of glory clear amongst the people,

among humankind, though glory had been like a riddle.

Though glory had been like a riddle.

لم يبق بين بني الدنيا وبينكمُ

لم يبق بين بني الدنيا وبينكمُ

إلا مشابه بين الدّرّ والخرز

إلا مشابه بين الدّرّ والخرز

Between the children of this world and you there remains

There remains naught between the people of the world and you

only such likeness as that between pearls and beads.

Save a similarity between jewels and beads.

دلَّ العلاء على إيضاح سؤددكم

دلَّ العلاء على إيضاح سؤددكم

دلالةَ القبسِ الموفي على نشز

دلالةَ القبسِ الموفي على نشز

Al-ʿAlāʾ makes your nobility plain,

The enlightened point to the clarification of your burdens

like a beacon standing high upon a hill.

Like the indication of a loyal match to flint.

ذو الجود والبأس من يعرض لسطوته

ذو الجود والبأس من يعرض لسطوته

يهلك ومن يرجُ نعمى كفه يفُز

يهلك ومن يرجُ نعمى كفه يفُز

A man of bounty and might: whoever exposes himself to his onslaught

The one of generosity and valor - he who opposes his authority

perishes; whoever hopes for his hand's bounty prospers.

Perishes, and he who hopes for the bounty of his palm succeeds.

وشائد البيت لا حقٌّ بمطّرح

وشائد البيت لا حقٌّ بمطّرح

للقاصدين ولا وفرٌ بمكتنز

للقاصدين ولا وفرٌ بمكتنز

And the builder of the house: no right is cast aside

The resolute of the house have no right to be cast aside

for those who seek him, nor is any wealth hoarded.

By those seeking, no abundance in being stored away.

أما الندى فندى غر نخادعه

أما الندى فندى غر نخادعه

والعزم عزم سديد الرأي محترز

والعزم عزم سديد الرأي محترز

As for his bounty, it is that of a guileless man whom we beguile;

As for dew, it is dew whose fragrance cannot be imitated,

and his resolve is that of a man sound in judgment and vigilant.

And resolve is sound of opinion and cautious.

جدوى على إثر جدوى غير قاصرةٍ

جدوى على إثر جدوى غير قاصرةٍ

كالسيل محتفزٍ في أثر محتفز

كالسيل محتفزٍ في أثر محتفز

Bounty follows bounty, never falling short,

Benefit upon benefit unending

like a surging torrent in the wake of another.

Like an incentivized flood in the wake of incentive.

لو نازعته بيوت الأولين على

لو نازعته بيوت الأولين على

لصيرَ الصدرَ منها موضع العجز

لصيرَ الصدرَ منها موضع العجز

If the houses of the ancients contested eminence with him,

If the houses of the ancients were to vie with it

he would put their foremost rank in the hindmost place.

Over the breast of them would be the place of inadequacy.

غزَا إلى الجيش منصور اللوا ودنا

غزَا إلى الجيش منصور اللوا ودنا

جيش السؤال إلى أمواله فغزي

جيش السؤال إلى أمواله فغزي

He marched against the army, his banner victorious; and there came

It marched against the army, Mansur of banners approached

an army of petitioners to his wealth, and he was raided in turn.

And the army of questioning marched to its wealth, so it was ransacked.

يا ماجداً نال من حمدٍ ومن شرف

يا ماجداً نال من حمدٍ ومن شرف

ما لم تنل آل حمدان ولم تحز

ما لم تنل آل حمدان ولم تحز

O noble man, who has won such praise and honor

O Majid, who attained praise and nobility

as the house of Hamdan never attained or possessed!

That the clan of Hamdan did not attain and were deprived of.

تقاصر الشعر عن علياك من خجل

تقاصر الشعر عن علياك من خجل

حتى البسيط تماماً آخر الرجز

حتى البسيط تماماً آخر الرجز

Poetry shrinks from your loftiness in shame,

Poetry falls short of your lofty stature out of shyness

till even the full Basit is the tail end of Rajaz.

Such that even the Basit meter ends before the Rajaz.

وما وفتك لطول المسهبات ثنا

وما وفتك لطول المسهبات ثنا

فكيف نبغي وفاء الوعد بالوجز

فكيف نبغي وفاء الوعد بالوجز

And praise, for all its lengthy effusions, has not done you justice;

And I have not fulfilled the promise of long eulogies,

how, then, can we seek to fulfill the promise in few words?

So how can we hope to fulfill the promise of conciseness?