كثير نوالك في جنب ما

كثير نوالك في جنب ما

جُبِلتَ عليه من الجود نَزْرُ

جُبِلتَ عليه من الجود نَزْرُ

Your abundant bounty, compared with that

Your generosity is plenty compared to

generosity innate in you, is scant.

What you are naturally inclined to give, just a trickle.

ونَزْرُ نوالك عند الذي

ونَزْرُ نوالك عند الذي

يجود به سائر الناس غَمرُ

يجود به سائر الناس غَمرُ

And your scant bounty, compared with what

And a trickle of your giving to one

all other people bestow, is a flood.

Who gives freely to all people is a flood.

فمن يستزدْك يجَدْ مَذهباً

فمن يستزدْك يجَدْ مَذهباً

ومن يرضَ يرض بما فيه خيرُ

ومن يرضَ يرض بما فيه خيرُ

So whoever asks you for more finds a way,

So whoever seeks more from you finds a way,

and whoever is content is content with something good.

And whoever is content is content with the good in it.

ولي همةٌ زاد في طولها

ولي همةٌ زاد في طولها

وفي عرضها أنّ كفيك بحرُ

وفي عرضها أنّ كفيك بحرُ

And I have an ambition, grown in length

And I have an ambition whose length

and in breadth because your two hands are a sea.

And breadth, your palms encompass an ocean.

وكنتَ وعدت لُهاً جمّةً

وكنتَ وعدت لُهاً جمّةً

وبشّرني منك بالسيل قَطرُ

وبشّرني منك بالسيل قَطرُ

And you had promised plentiful gifts,

You had promised abundant gifts,

and a drop from you brought me glad tidings of a torrent.

And given me hope of a torrent from you, a few drops.

وقلت لرفدك لما بدا

وقلت لرفدك لما بدا

هلال كأنْ قد نما منه بدْرُ

هلال كأنْ قد نما منه بدْرُ

And I said to your bounty, when it appeared:

And for your support when the new moon appeared

"A crescent, as though a full moon had already grown from it!"

Like a full moon that had just developed from it.

فأنجِزْ مواعيدَ أكّدتها

فأنجِزْ مواعيدَ أكّدتها

فقد مر عصر وقد كر عصر

فقد مر عصر وقد كر عصر

So fulfill the promises you affirmed,

So fulfill the promises you emphasized,

for an age has passed, and another age has come round.

For evening has passed and morning has passed.

ولا تُخلِفنِّي فإنّ الكري

ولا تُخلِفنِّي فإنّ الكري

م سيان وأْيٌ وآهُ ونذر

م سيان وأْيٌ وآهُ ونذر

And do not break your promise to me, for to the noble

And do not disappoint me, for prevarication -

man, a promise he makes and a vow are alike.

No matter what - is "Alas!" and "Oh!" and a vow.

وهل يخلف الوعدَ من قوله

وهل يخلف الوعدَ من قوله

كما الوعدُ عهدٌ كذا الخُلف غدر

كما الوعدُ عهدٌ كذا الخُلف غدر

And would one break a promise who says:

Does one break a promise whose words

"As a promise is a covenant, so breaking it is betrayal."

Are a covenant? Thus, breaking is betrayal.

ومطلُ الكريم مواعيدَه

ومطلُ الكريم مواعيدَه

أمانٌ من الخلف ما فيه خَتْر

أمانٌ من الخلف ما فيه خَتْر

And a noble man's delay in fulfilling his promises

The generous man delays his promises -

is assurance against their breach; there is no treachery in it.

Trusting he will not fail in what is better.

ولن يُنْكَر المطل لاسيما

ولن يُنْكَر المطل لاسيما

لمن ماله الدهرَ مدٌّ وجزر

لمن ماله الدهرَ مدٌّ وجزر

Nor will delay be condemned, especially

Delay will not be denied, especially

for one whose wealth, through time, has its flow and ebb.

For one whose lifetime is ebb and flow.

ولو وعدَتْني عنك المُنى

ولو وعدَتْني عنك المُنى

لأمست مواعيدها وهي وَفر

لأمست مواعيدها وهي وَفر

And even if wishes promised me on your behalf,

And if death had promised me about you

their promises would become abundant wealth.

Its promises would become void and false.