جُمِعَت ليَ الخَيراتُ بَعدَ شَعاعِ

جُمِعَت ليَ الخَيراتُ بَعدَ شَعاعِ

لَمّا دَعاني نَحوَ فَضلِكَ داعِ

لَمّا دَعاني نَحوَ فَضلِكَ داعِ

All good things were gathered for me after their dispersal,

The virtues were collected for me after splendor

When a caller summoned me toward your bounty.

When you called me towards your bounty, supplicant

وَفَخَرتُ لَمّا أَن خَرَرتُ مُقبِّلا

وَفَخَرتُ لَمّا أَن خَرَرتُ مُقبِّلا

رِجلاً لَها في الخَيرِ أَيّ مَساعِ

رِجلاً لَها في الخَيرِ أَيّ مَساعِ

And I took pride when I fell down to kiss

And I became proud when I crawled, kissing

A foot with such great strides in goodness.

A foot for it in good - what hearing!

شاهَدتُهُ وَسَمِعتُ فَضلَ خطابِه

شاهَدتُهُ وَسَمِعتُ فَضلَ خطابِه

يا حسنَ منظرٍ وَطيبَ سَماعِ

يا حسنَ منظرٍ وَطيبَ سَماعِ

I beheld him and heard the excellence of his speech:

I saw him and heard the excellence of his speech

Oh, the beauty of the sight and the sweetness of the sound!

O good looks and pleasant hearing

أَحيا أَبا حَيّان ناشِرُ بِشرِهِ

أَحيا أَبا حَيّان ناشِرُ بِشرِهِ

وَحَباهُ بِالإِيناسِ وَالامتاعِ

وَحَباهُ بِالإِيناسِ وَالامتاعِ

He who spread his cheer revived Abu Hayyan,

Revived Abu Hayyan, spreader of his good news

And favored him with companionship and delight.

And endowed with cordiality and enjoyment

فَبِحُبِّ صَدرِ الدينِ دِنتُ تَقَرُّباً

فَبِحُبِّ صَدرِ الدينِ دِنتُ تَقَرُّباً

لِلّهِ في رَيثي وَفي إِسراعي

لِلّهِ في رَيثي وَفي إِسراعي

So I made love of Sadr al-Din my creed, seeking nearness

So with the love of Sadr al-Din I professed

To God, in my lingering and in my haste.

To God in my slowness and haste

هُوَ أَوحَدٌ في العلمِ وِترٌ ما لَهُ

هُوَ أَوحَدٌ في العلمِ وِترٌ ما لَهُ

ثانٍ وَفي الإِحسانِ ذو إِشفاعِ

ثانٍ وَفي الإِحسانِ ذو إِشفاعِ

He is peerless in learning, an unpaired one who has no

He is unique in knowledge, a string that has no

Second; and in beneficence he doubles his gifts.

Other, and in benevolence one of intercession

ذو هِمَّةٍ مَلَكِيَّةٍ ذو شيمَةٍ

ذو هِمَّةٍ مَلَكِيَّةٍ ذو شيمَةٍ

مَلَكية للخَيرِ فيهِ دَواعِ

مَلَكية للخَيرِ فيهِ دَواعِ

Possessed of royal resolve, possessed of a disposition

With an angelic ambition, an angelic trait

Angelic, with impulses toward goodness within him.

For good in it the incentives

وَإِذا يَحُلُّ بِمَنزِلٍ أَضحى بِهِ

وَإِذا يَحُلُّ بِمَنزِلٍ أَضحى بِهِ

مَأوى الغَريبِ وَمَطمَحُ الأَطماعِ

مَأوى الغَريبِ وَمَطمَحُ الأَطماعِ

And when he lodges in a dwelling, it becomes, through him,

And if he stays in a house, it becomes

A refuge for the stranger and the goal of eager hopes.

The shelter of the stranger and the goal of greed

وَإِذا ترحَّلَ طاعِناً أَبقى بِهِ

وَإِذا ترحَّلَ طاعِناً أَبقى بِهِ

نوراً لِسارٍ أَو قِرىً لِجياعِ

نوراً لِسارٍ أَو قِرىً لِجياعِ

And when he departs on his journey, he leaves there

And if he travels, wounded, he leaves behind

Light for a night traveler, or hospitable fare for the hungry.

Light for the walker or food for the hungry

وَبمَعطَسِ الأَرجاءِ مِن نَفَحاتِهِ

وَبمَعطَسِ الأَرجاءِ مِن نَفَحاتِهِ

أَرجٌ يَضوعُ شَذاً بِكُلِّ بِقاعِ

أَرجٌ يَضوعُ شَذاً بِكُلِّ بِقاعِ

And in the nostril of the lands, from his fragrant wafts,

And the corners of the earth, from his breaths

A perfume spreads its scent through every region.

A meadow that glows with scent in every region

إِنَّ الإِمامَةَ في العُلومِ جَميعِها

إِنَّ الإِمامَةَ في العُلومِ جَميعِها

ثَبتَت لَهُ بِالنَقصِ وَالإِجماعِ

ثَبتَت لَهُ بِالنَقصِ وَالإِجماعِ

Indeed, leadership in all the sciences

Verily, the imamate in all sciences

Has been established for him by deficiency and consensus.

Is proven for him by default and consensus

إِنَّ العُلومَ رِياض إِلا أَنَّها

إِنَّ العُلومَ رِياض إِلا أَنَّها

أنفٌ وَأَنتَ لَهُنَّ أَولُّ راعِ

أنفٌ وَأَنتَ لَهُنَّ أَولُّ راعِ

Indeed, the sciences are meadows, except that they are

Verily, the sciences are gardens except that they

Ungrazed, and you are their first shepherd.

Are moths and you are their first herdsman

مُتَوَقِّدٌ إِن كانَ ذهنٌ خامِداً

مُتَوَقِّدٌ إِن كانَ ذهنٌ خامِداً

يَقِظٌ وَفِكرُ الشَهمِ ذو تَهجاعِ

يَقِظٌ وَفِكرُ الشَهمِ ذو تَهجاعِ

You are ablaze when a mind lies quenched,

Kindling if the mind is extinguished

Wakeful while the discerning man's thought slumbers.

Vigilant, and the thought of glory accustomed to sleeplessness

تَتَوقَّفُ الأَفهامُ حَسرى دونَ ما

تَتَوقَّفُ الأَفهامُ حَسرى دونَ ما

أَدرَكتَ فَهيَ لِذاكَ ذات نِزاعِ

أَدرَكتَ فَهيَ لِذاكَ ذات نِزاعِ

Understandings halt exhausted, short of what

Minds halt in sorrow before what

You have grasped; so they yearn for it.

You grasped, and they quarrel over that

حَتّى إِذا تُلقي لَها ما فاتَها

حَتّى إِذا تُلقي لَها ما فاتَها

أَبصَرت كَيفَ النَفثُ في الأَرواعِ

أَبصَرت كَيفَ النَفثُ في الأَرواعِ

Until, when you impart to them what eluded them,

Until when you give them what escaped them

They see how inspiration is breathed into minds.

They see how the breath in perceptions

ما كُنتُ أَدري مَع تَشَعُّبِ دِريَتي

ما كُنتُ أَدري مَع تَشَعُّبِ دِريَتي

إِنّ البَراعة في شَباةِ يَراعِ

إِنّ البَراعة في شَباةِ يَراعِ

I did not know, despite my knowledge's many branches,

I did not know, despite my branching knowledge

That mastery lies in the point of a reed pen,

That skill lies in the prime of youth

حَتّى رَأَيتُ بَنانَه بِيرَاعهِ

حَتّى رَأَيتُ بَنانَه بِيرَاعهِ

يبدي البيانَ مُوَشَّعَ الأَوضاعِ

يبدي البيانَ مُوَشَّعَ الأَوضاعِ

Until I saw his fingers, with his reed pen,

Until I saw its fingers with its youth

Revealing eloquence in richly patterned forms,

Reveal eloquence, diverse in forms

وَيَشي بِنَفسٍ فَوقَ طُرسٍ حُلَّةً

وَيَشي بِنَفسٍ فَوقَ طُرسٍ حُلَّةً

فَتَلوحُ شَمسُ العامِ ذاتَ شعاعِ

فَتَلوحُ شَمسُ العامِ ذاتَ شعاعِ

And with spirit embroidering a robe upon a page,

And walk with a soul above the Pleiades in attire

So the year's sun appears, full of radiance.

So the sun of the year shows splendor

كلَمٌ مِن السِحرِ الحَلالِ تَأَلَّفَت

كلَمٌ مِن السِحرِ الحَلالِ تَأَلَّفَت

يَعبَثنَ بِالأَلبابِ وَالأَسماعِ

يَعبَثنَ بِالأَلبابِ وَالأَسماعِ

Words of lawful magic have come together,

Words of lawful magic, composed

Playing with minds and ears.

Toying with minds and hearings

لكَسَوتَني بُردَ الفَخارِ مُفَوَّفاً

لكَسَوتَني بُردَ الفَخارِ مُفَوَّفاً

أَضحَت بِهِ صَنعاءُ غَيرَ صَناعِ

أَضحَت بِهِ صَنعاءُ غَيرَ صَناعِ

You have indeed clothed me in a finely striped mantle of glory,

For you clothed me in the cold of pride, lined

Beside it, Sana'a has become an unskilled craftswoman.

Sana'a became, by it, other than makers

فَسحِبتُهُ زَهواً كَأَنّي تُبَّعٌ

فَسحِبتُهُ زَهواً كَأَنّي تُبَّعٌ

في حِميرٍ ذو المُلكِ وَالتُبّاعِ

في حِميرٍ ذو المُلكِ وَالتُبّاعِ

So I trailed it proudly, as though I were Tubbaʿ,

So I dragged it vainly as if I were Tubba

Among Himyar, possessed of sovereignty and followers.

In Himyar, possession and obedience

أَظهَرتَني بَعدَ الخَفاءِ كَأَنَّني

أَظهَرتَني بَعدَ الخَفاءِ كَأَنَّني

صُبحٌ بَدا أَو جَذوةٌ بِيَفاعِ

صُبحٌ بَدا أَو جَذوةٌ بِيَفاعِ

You brought me into view after obscurity, as though I were

You brought me out of concealment as if I were

A dawn appearing, or a glowing ember on a height.

Dawn appearing or an ember flaming

حَسبي عُلىً بَينَ الأَنامِ وَسُؤدُداً

حَسبي عُلىً بَينَ الأَنامِ وَسُؤدُداً

أَني مِن الغِلمانِ وَالأَتباعِ

أَني مِن الغِلمانِ وَالأَتباعِ

It is eminence and honor enough for me among mankind

It suffices me glory among people and leadership

That I am among the pages and followers.

That I am among the youths and followers