أَنشِدrecite فُدِيتَmay you be ransomed أَبَاAbu (father of) حَفصٍHafs وَسَيِّدَنَاand our lord
أَنشِد فُدِيتَ أَبَا حَفصٍ وَسَيِّدَنَا
بَيتاًa verse فَفِيهِfor in it لِسِرِّconcerning the secret الحَالِthe state of affairs إِفصَاحُdisclosure
بَيتاً فَفِيهِ لِسِرِّ الحَالِ إِفصَاحُ
Recite—may you be ransomed—to Abu Hafs, our lord,
Recite, I implore you, about Abu Hafs and our master
a verse, for it reveals the secret of the state of affairs:
A poem in which the mystery of the situation is revealed
كَفَاكَsufficed you نِيلُthe Nile وَمصرُand Egypt أَرضِthe land of شَاطِبَةٍShatiba
كَفَاكَ نِيلُ وَمصرُ أَرضِ شَاطِبَةٍ
لَوif لَمnot يَكُنthere were فيin عُبَابِthe surging waters of النِّيِلthe Nile تِمسَاحُa crocodile
لَو لَم يَكُن في عُبَابِ النِّيِل تِمسَاحُ
The Nile and Egypt of Shatiba’s land would have sufficed you,
The Nile and Egypt are enough for you, O land of wide plains
had there been no crocodile in the Nile’s surging waters.
Even if there were no crocodiles in the Nile's flooding