ليهنَكَ أن أفطرتَ لا متطلعاً

ليهنَكَ أن أفطرتَ لا متطلعاً

إلى الفطر كي تغشى من اللهو مَحْرما

إلى الفطر كي تغشى من اللهو مَحْرما

May it gladden you that you have broken your fast, without looking forward

May your breaking of the fast bring you joy—not yearning

to breaking it while fearing lest you stray into forbidden diversion;

for it so as to indulge in forbidden pleasure,

ولا نهماً فيه وإن كنت إنما

ولا نهماً فيه وإن كنت إنما

تحب من الأضياف من كان أَنْهما

تحب من الأضياف من كان أَنْهما

nor ravenous for it—though among your guests you love

nor gluttonous in it, though indeed you only

the one who is most ravenous.

favor those guests whose appetites are greatest.

وما كنتَ لولا حُبُّك الجودَ بالذي

وما كنتَ لولا حُبُّك الجودَ بالذي

تُحبّ من القوم الشَّنيءَ المذمَّما

تُحبّ من القوم الشَّنيءَ المذمَّما

Were it not that you love generosity, you would never

Were it not for your love of generosity, you would never

love, among sayings, the ugly and blameworthy one.

favor the loathsome, much-reproached among men.

بدا الفطْر فاستقبلتَه باسطاً يداً

بدا الفطْر فاستقبلتَه باسطاً يداً

بمعروفك المعروف لا فاغراً فما

بمعروفك المعروف لا فاغراً فما

The Feast appeared, and you welcomed it with an outstretched hand,

The Feast of Fast-Breaking appeared; you welcomed it with a hand outstretched

with your renowned kindness—not with a gaping mouth.

in your well-known kindness, not with your mouth agape.

ظللتَ وذو الهمّ القصيرِ قد انتشى

ظللتَ وذو الهمّ القصيرِ قد انتشى

من الزادِ حتى مال سكراً فنوَّما

من الزادِ حتى مال سكراً فنوَّما

All day you kept giving, while the man of narrow concern grew elated

You passed the day thus, while the man of petty ambition grew intoxicated

with provisions, until he swayed as if drunk and fell asleep.

with food, till he slumped in a stupor and fell fast asleep.

طعامُك إطعامُ الطعام ولم يزلْ

طعامُك إطعامُ الطعام ولم يزلْ

لديك طعام يا ابنَ يحيى مُقدَّما

لديك طعام يا ابنَ يحيى مُقدَّما

Your feast is the feeding of food; and food has never ceased

Your food is feeding others, and there has always been

to take pride of place in your house, O son of Yahya.

food set before you, O son of Yahya.

نصبتَ وكانت عادةً تستعيدها

نصبتَ وكانت عادةً تستعيدها

موائدَ غادرنَ المجاوعَ رُعَّما

موائدَ غادرنَ المجاوعَ رُعَّما

You set out—as is your custom, ever renewed—

You set up—as was a custom you kept renewing—

tables that sent the hungry away replete.

tables that left the famished gorged and drooling.

عليهنَّ خيراتٌ حسانٌ كأنها

عليهنَّ خيراتٌ حسانٌ كأنها

مضاحِكُ من ربْعيِّ روضٍ تبسما

مضاحِكُ من ربْعيِّ روضٍ تبسما

Upon them lay lovely bounties, as though they were

On them were good things, beautiful, as though they were

the smiles of a spring meadow bursting into bloom.

the smiling mouths of a springtime meadow, beaming.

نحرتَ لصُغْراهنَّ حتى تركْتنا

نحرتَ لصُغْراهنَّ حتى تركْتنا

نرى الفطر أضحى من إراقتكَ الدما

نرى الفطر أضحى من إراقتكَ الدما

You slaughtered for those gathered around them, until you left us

You slaughtered beasts for even the smallest of them, until you made us

seeing the Feast of Breaking become the Feast of Sacrifice through the blood you shed.

see Eid al-Fitr as Eid al-Adha, from your shedding of blood.

وكنتَ إذا أفطرتَ شمرتَ مُجْلباً

وكنتَ إذا أفطرتَ شمرتَ مُجْلباً

لتُطْعمَ والجبسُ الهِدانُ ليُطْعما

لتُطْعمَ والجبسُ الهِدانُ ليُطْعما

Whenever you broke your fast, you girded yourself and hurried forth

Whenever you broke the fast, you rolled up your sleeves, calling people in,

to feed, while the sluggish, ignoble dullard waited to be fed.

to feed others; the base, sluggish fellow bestirs himself to be fed.

حلفتُ لأضحى الفطر حين لبستَه

حلفتُ لأضحى الفطر حين لبستَه

بلُبسك إياه مَزيناً مُكَرَّما

بلُبسك إياه مَزيناً مُكَرَّما

I swear, the Feast of Breaking became the Feast of Sacrifice when you clothed it,

I swore: the Feast, when you donned it, surely became

for your clothing left it adorned and honored.

adorned and honored through your wearing it.

ولِمْ لا وقد أصبحتَ للمُلك مِدْرَهاً

ولِمْ لا وقد أصبحتَ للمُلك مِدْرَهاً

وللمجد سُرسُوراً وللدّين مَعْلَمَا

وللمجد سُرسُوراً وللدّين مَعْلَمَا

And why should it not, when you have become a manifestation of kingship,

And why not, when you have become an eloquent champion of the realm,

a delight to glory and an emblem of religion?

a master of glory, and a guiding landmark for the faith?

غدوتَ غداةَ الفطر عيداً لعيدهِ

غدوتَ غداةَ الفطر عيداً لعيدهِ

وما زلتَ للأعياد عيداً معظّما

وما زلتَ للأعياد عيداً معظّما

On the morning of the Feast of Breaking, you became a feast for its feast,

On the morning of Fast-Breaking, you became a feast for its feast,

as you have always been a magnificent banquet for festivals.

and have always been an exalted feast for all feasts.

ولما تأملتَ الهلال ابن ليلة

ولما تأملتَ الهلال ابن ليلة

تَكَبَّرَ إذ عاينتَه وتعظَّما

تَكَبَّرَ إذ عاينتَه وتعظَّما

When you contemplated the crescent, a child but one night old,

And when you gazed upon the crescent, the son of a single night,

it grew great beneath your gaze and magnified itself.

it grew proud when you beheld it, and magnified itself.

طغَى بك طغيان المحبّ ارعوى له

طغَى بك طغيان المحبّ ارعوى له

حبيبٌ قَراه الصدَّ حولاً مجرَّما

حبيبٌ قَراه الصدَّ حولاً مجرَّما

Through you it swelled with a lover’s impetuous passion when his beloved relented—

It swelled with pride in you, like a lover toward whom relented

a beloved who had dealt him rejection for one full, inviolate year.

a beloved who had served him rejection for a full year.

ويا عجباً أن لا يكونَ بدا لنا

ويا عجباً أن لا يكونَ بدا لنا

كشمس الضحى لا بل أجلَّ وأعظما

كشمس الضحى لا بل أجلَّ وأعظما

How wondrous that it did not appear to us

And how strange that it should not have appeared to us

like the morning sun—nay, more glorious and greater!

like the midmorning sun—no, more majestic and greater!

أليس حقيقاً من تأملتَ وجهه

أليس حقيقاً من تأملتَ وجهه

بذاك بلى كلَّ الحقيق وأنعما

بذاك بلى كلَّ الحقيق وأنعما

Is not one whose face you contemplate entitled to that?

Is not one whose face you have gazed upon deserving

Indeed he is—most fully entitled, and more besides.

of that? Yes, fully deserving, and more.

لعمري لقد ودعتَ بالأمس صاحباً

لعمري لقد ودعتَ بالأمس صاحباً

عفيفاً وإن كان الذي اعتضتَ أكرما

عفيفاً وإن كان الذي اعتضتَ أكرما

By my life, yesterday you bade farewell to a companion

By my life, yesterday you bade farewell to a companion,

chaste—though the one received in exchange is nobler.

chaste, though the one you received in exchange was more generous.

مضى صاحب عفٌّ وأَعقب صاحباً

مضى صاحب عفٌّ وأَعقب صاحباً

جواداً أراه كان منك تعلَّما

جواداً أراه كان منك تعلَّما

A companion of abstinence departed and was succeeded by one

A chaste companion passed, leaving a companion in his wake,

generous—one that, I think, learned generosity from you.

a generous one, who, I believe, had learned from you.

غدا مُطعماً من دان دينَ محمدٍ

غدا مُطعماً من دان دينَ محمدٍ

ومن فضلِك الفياضِ في الناس أَطعما

ومن فضلِك الفياضِ في الناس أَطعما

He came feeding whoever professes the faith of Muhammad,

He became a feeder of those who follow Muhammad's faith,

feeding them from your bounty, which overflows among the people.

and fed them from your bounty, overflowing among people.

خليلٌ أتى من بعد ما غابَ نوبةً

خليلٌ أتى من بعد ما غابَ نوبةً

وكنتَ إليه جِدَّ ظمآنَ أهْيما

وكنتَ إليه جِدَّ ظمآنَ أهْيما

A friend returned in his turn after an absence,

A dear friend came after being absent for a spell,

while you thirsted fiercely for him and wandered in yearning.

and you had been sorely thirsty for him, crazed with thirst.

وليس لشيء ما خلا بَذْلك القِرى

وليس لشيء ما خلا بَذْلك القِرى

نهاراً وقدماً كنت بالبذل مغرما

نهاراً وقدماً كنت بالبذل مغرما

That return was for nothing but the lavish offer of hospitality

That longing was for nothing but your offering food to guests

by day; long before, you had been enamored of it by night.

by day; you have long been enamored of giving.

وقد كان ما تَقريه بالليل كافياً

وقد كان ما تَقريه بالليل كافياً

ولكن ترى ما ازددت من ذاك مغنما

ولكن ترى ما ازددت من ذاك مغنما

What you did by night had already been enough,

What you served as hospitality at night had been sufficient,

yet whatever more you add to it you reckon as gain.

but you count every increase in that as gain.

ولستَ براضٍ عن زمانك أو تَرى

ولستَ براضٍ عن زمانك أو تَرى

فعالَك فيه ما أضاء وأَظلما

فعالَك فيه ما أضاء وأَظلما

You are not content with your lifetime unless you see

You are not content with your time until you see

your deeds throughout it wherever day shines and night grows dark.

your deeds within it, through its light and its darkness.

ومثلك لا يَستحسنُ البُرْدَ ملبساً

ومثلك لا يَستحسنُ البُرْدَ ملبساً

إذا كان من إحدى نواحيه مُعلَما

إذا كان من إحدى نواحيه مُعلَما

One like you does not deem a mantle beautiful to wear

A man like you finds no beauty in a mantle as attire

when it is patterned on only one of its sides.

if it is ornamented on only one of its sides.

ولكنْ إذا أعلامُه كَمُلَتْ له

ولكنْ إذا أعلامُه كَمُلَتْ له

فذاك إذا ما كان أيضاً مُسَهَّما

فذاك إذا ما كان أيضاً مُسَهَّما

But when all its embroidered bands have been completed,

But when all its ornamental bands are complete,

only then is it fully figured and adorned.

then that is the one—if it is also arrow-patterned.

وما زلتَ تَقلى الجودَ إلا مُكمَّلا

وما زلتَ تَقلى الجودَ إلا مُكمَّلا

وتأبى اصطناع العُرف إلا مُتَمَّما

وتأبى اصطناع العُرف إلا مُتَمَّما

You have never practiced generosity without bringing it to completion,

You have always spurned generosity unless it is complete,

and you refuse to fashion beneficence unless it is perfected.

and refuse to bestow kindness unless brought to completion.

وتبني العلا حتى يخالك معشرٌ

وتبني العلا حتى يخالك معشرٌ

وما أَبعدوا تبني إلى المجد سُلَّما

وما أَبعدوا تبني إلى المجد سُلَّما

You build eminence until whole companies who behold you imagine—

And you build lofty honor until some men imagine you

and they are not far wrong—that you are building a stairway to glory.

—and they are not far wrong—building a ladder up to glory.

فعِش أبداً ما دام مجدُك باقياً

فعِش أبداً ما دام مجدُك باقياً

ولم يَعْنِ من يعنيه إلا يرمرما

ولم يَعْنِ من يعنيه إلا يرمرما

So live forever, for as long as your glory endures,

So live forever, as long as your glory endures,

and may whoever tends that glory never cease restoring it.

and whoever speaks of it means nothing but a mighty mountain.

تصومُ ولم تعدمْ من العلم عصمةً

تصومُ ولم تعدمْ من العلم عصمةً

وتُفطر محموداً ولم تأتِ مأثما

وتُفطر محموداً ولم تأتِ مأثما

You fast, never lacking the protection of learning,

You fast, never lacking the safeguard of knowledge,

and break your fast praised, having committed no sin.

and break your fast praised, having committed no sin.

تقوت بنات النفسِ أقواتَ حكمةٍ

تقوت بنات النفسِ أقواتَ حكمةٍ

وتطوي حشاً دون الخبائث أهضما

وتطوي حشاً دون الخبائث أهضما

You sustain the daughters of the soul with portions of wisdom,

You feed the soul's daughters on rations of wisdom,

and fold your belly away from foul things, keeping it lean—

and keep a hollow belly empty of impure things—

حَشاً لم يزلْ تقوَى الإله يكفُّهُ

حَشاً لم يزلْ تقوَى الإله يكفُّهُ

بما خفَّ من زاد وما آب مطعما

بما خفَّ من زاد وما آب مطعما

a belly forever restrained by fear of God,

a belly ever restrained by reverence for God,

content with scant provisions, never returning to demand a meal.

with light provisions and whatever returns as food.