ما بحريثٍ نال ابنُه الكرما

ما بحريثٍ نال ابنُه الكرما

لكن بما قد أباحنا الحُرما

لكن بما قد أباحنا الحُرما

Not through Hurayth did his son attain generosity,

No son of a generous man ever attained generosity

but by making the protected women available to us.

Except through violating the unlawful and making it lawful

جادَ بأشياءَ لا يجادُ بها

جادَ بأشياءَ لا يجادُ بها

لشيمةٍ فيه بذَّتِ الشيما

لشيمةٍ فيه بذَّتِ الشيما

He gave freely of things no one gives,

He gave generously with things one would not usually give generously

owing to a trait in him that surpassed all traits.

For the sake of his values, though they were shameful values

كلُّ جوادٍ في ملْكه حَرَمٌ

كلُّ جوادٍ في ملْكه حَرَمٌ

وليس شيءٌ في مِلكهِ حَرُما

وليس شيءٌ في مِلكهِ حَرُما

Every generous man has something inviolable among his possessions,

Every generous man regards his possessions as unlawful

yet nothing in his possession is inviolable.

And nothing he owns remains forbidden to give

أصبحَ قُدَّامَ من تقدَّمه

أصبحَ قُدَّامَ من تقدَّمه

جوداً وإن همْ تقدموا قِدَما

جوداً وإن همْ تقدموا قِدَما

He has come to stand ahead of those who preceded him

He has surpassed those who preceded him in generosity

in generosity, though they came before him long ago.

Though they preceded him in time

يا أيها العائبون شِيمتَهُ

يا أيها العائبون شِيمتَهُ

ضعوا المقاييسَ بيننا حَكما

ضعوا المقاييسَ بيننا حَكما

O you who find fault with his character,

O you who criticize his values

let the standards be the judge between us.

Set the scales of judgment between us

أسمحُ من تعلمونَ حاتِمُكُم

أسمحُ من تعلمونَ حاتِمُكُم

وإنما كان يمنح النَّعما

وإنما كان يمنح النَّعما

The most generous man you know is your Hatim,

He is more tolerant than your legendary Hatim

yet he only ever gave livestock.

Who only bestowed favors

فمَنْ سختْ نفسُهُ بحرمته

فمَنْ سختْ نفسُهُ بحرمته

فهْو الذي ليس بعدهُ كرما

فهْو الذي ليس بعدهُ كرما

So he whose soul is generous with his protected women

So one whose soul is hardened by its sanctity

is the one beyond whom generosity cannot go.

Is not generous after it becomes hardened

ثلاثةٌ يُعرفُ السَّخاءُ بها

ثلاثةٌ يُعرفُ السَّخاءُ بها

فقوِّموها ورتِّبوا القِيما

فقوِّموها ورتِّبوا القِيما

There are three things by which generosity is known:

Generosity is known through three things

so appraise them and rank their values:

Appraise them and arrange their worth

المالُ والنفسُ وهْيَ تَفْضُلُهُ

المالُ والنفسُ وهْيَ تَفْضُلُهُ

والحُرُماتُ التي تَفِي بهما

والحُرُماتُ التي تَفِي بهما

Wealth, and life, which is worth more than wealth,

Wealth, life, and the greater of the two

and protected women, whose worth equals both together.

And the sanctities that accompany them both

وذاك أن النفوس تخطر عن

وذاك أن النفوس تخطر عن

هنَّ وتستمطرُ السيوفَ دما

هنَّ وتستمطرُ السيوفَ دما

And that is because lives are risked in defense of

For souls can transcend

them, and call on swords to rain blood.

Them, and swords can rain blood

واللَّهِ أنْ لو رآه حاتمُكُمْ

واللَّهِ أنْ لو رآه حاتمُكُمْ

وكعبُكُم ألقيا له السَّلما

وكعبُكُم ألقيا له السَّلما

By God, had your Hatim seen him,

By God, if your Hatim saw him

and your Kaʿb, both would have surrendered to him.

And your Ka'b, they would make peace with him

أُثني عليه ببعضِ نعمَتِه

أُثني عليه ببعضِ نعمَتِه

فأرغم الله أنف من رَغِمَا

فأرغم الله أنف من رَغِمَا

I praise him for some of his bounty;

I praise him for some of his bounty

so may God rub in the dust the nose of whoever is chagrined.

And so spite those who spite him

والحمد لله لا شريك له

والحمد لله لا شريك له

من لَم يَقُلها فنفسه ظلما

من لَم يَقُلها فنفسه ظلما

And praise be to God, who has no partner;

And praise be to God with no partner

whoever does not say it has wronged his own soul.

One who does not say it wrongs himself