قلبي لك الخير بالأفراح معمور

قلبي لك الخير بالأفراح معمور

مستبشر جذل بالفتح مسرور

مستبشر جذل بالفتح مسرور

My heart, wishing you well, is filled with joys,

My heart—may goodness be yours—is filled with joy,

My heart wishes you all the best with joys abounding

hopeful, jubilant, rejoicing in victory.

Glad with good tidings, jubilant, delighted at victory.

Joyful and proud of victory, delighted

خذ في هناتك مما قد عرفت به

خذ في هناتك مما قد عرفت به

مما به أنت معروف ومشهور

مما به أنت معروف ومشهور

Take, among your little foibles, some of what you have come to be known for—

Take up your little follies, those you have been known for,

Take from the praises you've been known by

that for which you are recognized and renowned.

Those for which you are well known and famous.

That which you are known and famed for

واحك العصافير صي صي صي صصي صصصي

واحك العصافير صي صي صي صصي صصصي

إذا تجاوبن في الصبح العصافير

إذا تجاوبن في الصبح العصافير

And mimic the sparrows: chee, chee, chee, ch-chee, ch-ch-chee,

And imitate the sparrows: si, si, si, ssi, sssi,

And make the birds chirp cheep cheep cheep cheep cheep

when the sparrows answer one another at dawn.

When the sparrows answer one another in the morning.

If the birds respond at dawn

ففيك ما شئت من حمق ومن هوس

ففيك ما شئت من حمق ومن هوس

قليلة لكثير الحمق إكسير

قليلة لكثير الحمق إكسير

For in you is all the folly and madness one could wish;

For in you is all the folly and madness you could wish;

Then you have as much foolishness and obsession as you wish

a little of you is an elixir for abundant foolishness.

A little of it is an elixir for the greatly foolish.

For one with much foolishness, a little is an elixir

كم رام إدراكه قوم فأعجزهم

كم رام إدراكه قوم فأعجزهم

وكيف يدرك ما فيه قناطير

وكيف يدرك ما فيه قناطير

How many people have sought to fathom it, only to be baffled!

How many people sought to attain it, but it defeated them!

How many a people sought to grasp it but were incapable

And how could anyone fathom what comes by the hundredweight?

And how can what holds whole hundredweights be grasped?

And how can one grasp that which holds gallons?

لا تنكرن حماقاتي لأن بها

لا تنكرن حماقاتي لأن بها

لواء حمقي في الآفاق منشور

لواء حمقي في الآفاق منشور

Do not disavow my foolish antics, for through them

Do not condemn my follies, for through them

Do not deny my follies for with them

the banner of my folly flies unfurled across the horizons.

The banner of my folly is unfurled across the horizons.

Is my flag of foolishness spread through the horizons

ولست أبغي بها خلاً ولا بدلاً

ولست أبغي بها خلاً ولا بدلاً

هيهات غيري بترك الحمق معذور

هيهات غيري بترك الحمق معذور

I seek through them neither friend nor substitute;

And through them I seek neither a friend nor a substitute;

And I do not seek by them cheese or barter

far from it—another may be excused for abandoning folly.

Far be it! Others, not I, are excused for forsaking folly.

Never! Others are excused for leaving foolishness

لا عيب في سوى إني إذا طربوا

لا عيب في سوى إني إذا طربوا

وقد حضرت يرى في الرأس تفجير

وقد حضرت يرى في الرأس تفجير

I have no fault except that, whenever they grow merry

I have no fault except that, when they make merry,

No fault in any but me, whenever they rejoice

and I am present, an eruption can be seen upon the head,

And I am present, my head is seen split open.

And I am present, an explosion seems to occur in the head

والأخدعان فما زالا يرى بهما

والأخدعان فما زالا يرى بهما

لكثرة المزح توريم وتحمير

لكثرة المزح توريم وتحمير

and upon the two jugulars, where swelling and reddening

And the two neck veins are always seen to bear

And the two tricksters, they still seem with them

never cease to show from such excessive jesting.

Swelling and redness from so much joking.

From too much jest, to smack and singe

وذا الفعال مع الإعراض مطرد

وذا الفعال مع الإعراض مطرد

صفع ونقع وتيسير وتعسير

صفع ونقع وتيسير وتعسير

Such treatment, together with disdain, is unremitting:

And this treatment, along with rebuffs, goes on unceasingly:

And this doing with indifference persisting

slapping and soaking, ease and hardship.

Slapping and dust-raising, easing and hindering.

Is slapping, falling, facilitating and hindering

فذا وذاك وهذا ثم ذاك وذا

فذا وذاك وهذا ثم ذاك وذا

كذا الليالي لها صفو وتكدير

كذا الليالي لها صفو وتكدير

This and that and this, then that and this—

So this and that and this, then that and this;

So this and that and this then that and that

such are the nights: they hold serenity and vexation.

Such are the nights: they have serenity and disturbance.

Thus the nights have serenity and murkiness

أستغفر الله مما قلته عبثاً

أستغفر الله مما قلته عبثاً

لغير شيء وما في الصحف مسطور

لغير شيء وما في الصحف مسطور

I ask God’s forgiveness for what I said in jest,

I ask God's forgiveness for what I said frivolously,

I ask God's forgiveness for what I have said foolishly

for no purpose, while what lies in the scrolls stands written.

For no purpose, and for what is inscribed in the pages.

For no reason and none of it recorded in scripture

أقول للنفس لما استشعرت جزعاً

أقول للنفس لما استشعرت جزعاً

وبات يردعها خوف وتحذير

وبات يردعها خوف وتحذير

I tell my soul, when it begins to feel alarm

I tell my soul, when it feels panic,

I say to myself, when I sensed frustration

and fear and warnings spend the night restraining it:

And fear and warning keep it in check all night:

And fear and warning deterred it by night

إن الإمام نزاراً مدحه فثقي

إن الإمام نزاراً مدحه فثقي

ذخر لمثلك عند الله مذخور

ذخر لمثلك عند الله مذخور

The praise of Imam Nizar—be confident—

Indeed, praise of Imam Nizar—be assured—

That the Imam Nizar praised him, so be confident

is a treasure stored with God for one such as you.

Is a treasure for one like you, stored up with God.

Treasured for the likes of you with God

هو الذي ليس بعد الله من أحد

هو الذي ليس بعد الله من أحد

سواه في الناس محمود ومشكور

سواه في الناس محمود ومشكور

He is the one after God beside whom no other

He is the one: after God, no one

He who after God there is none

among mankind is praised and thanked.

Other than him among people is praised and thanked.

Other than him among people, praised and thanked

مشمر في المعالي ذيل مجتهد

مشمر في المعالي ذيل مجتهد

وماله في سوى العلياء تشمير

وماله في سوى العلياء تشمير

A striver, his hem tucked up in pursuit of lofty deeds,

A diligent striver, he tucks up his hem for high honors,

Prepared in the lofty pursuits, an effortful striver

who tucks it up for nothing short of the highest glory.

And girds himself for nothing but the heights.

And his possessions are naught but the lofty stirred