أَترى بريدي بالِغاً يا جوجا

أَترى بريدي بالِغاً يا جوجا

أَم غالَهُ أَمرٌ يَكونُ مَريجا

أَم غالَهُ أَمرٌ يَكونُ مَريجا

Do you think my courier will arrive, O Jūjā,

Do you see my mail reaching, oh Goga

Or has some tangled trouble overtaken him?

Or has something detained it, causing delay?

عَمِيَت عَلَينا إِذ نَأَى أَخبارُهُ

عَمِيَت عَلَينا إِذ نَأَى أَخبارُهُ

لَكَأنَّه سَلَك السَماءَ وُلوجا

لَكَأنَّه سَلَك السَماءَ وُلوجا

News of him has been hidden from us since he went far away,

News of him is obscured from us as he went far away

As though he had made his way into the heavens,

As though he took to the sky a winding path

أَو أَنَّهُ خَسَفت بِهِ يَهمَاؤُهُ

أَو أَنَّهُ خَسَفت بِهِ يَهمَاؤُهُ

وَهَوى إِلى بَهموتِها تَعريجا

وَهَوى إِلى بَهموتِها تَعريجا

Or his trackless desert had swallowed him up,

Or as though his yearnings made him vanish

And, turning aside, he had plunged to its Bahamūt.

And he fell into the abyss on a twisting road

يا مَن بِهِ علِقَت حَبائِلُ هِمَّتي

يا مَن بِهِ علِقَت حَبائِلُ هِمَّتي

وَغَدا إِلى الزَمَنِ الكَريهِ بَهيجا

وَغَدا إِلى الزَمَنِ الكَريهِ بَهيجا

O you on whom the cords of my ambition hang,

Oh you, to whom the ropes of my aspirations are tied

And who went forth, cheerful, into hateful times,

And who came to wretched times a comforting friend

وَوَردتُ مِنهُ بَحرَ فَضلٍ زاخِرٍ

وَوَردتُ مِنهُ بَحرَ فَضلٍ زاخِرٍ

فَغنيتُ عَن وِردي سِواه خَليجا

فَغنيتُ عَن وِردي سِواه خَليجا

I came to drink from his surging sea of bounty,

And I received from him a copious sea of grace

And needed no other inlet from which to draw water.

So I sufficed without others as intimate company

وَرفلتُ مِن عزّي بِهِ في حُلَّةٍ

وَرفلتُ مِن عزّي بِهِ في حُلَّةٍ

شرُفَت يَداً وَأَرومَةً وَنَسِيجا

شرُفَت يَداً وَأَرومَةً وَنَسِيجا

And, honored through him, I strutted in a robe,

And I was adorned with his honor in a robe

Noble in the hand that gave it, its origin, and its weave.

Noble of hand and fine of texture and weave

فَخرت بِهِ الشُهبُ الدَراري وَاعتَلَت

فَخرت بِهِ الشُهبُ الدَراري وَاعتَلَت

حَتّى حَلَلنَ مِن السَماءِ بُروجا

حَتّى حَلَلنَ مِن السَماءِ بُروجا

The bright, glittering stars gloried in him and rose,

So the bright stars bowed down and ascended

Until they dwelt in the towers of heaven.

Until they mixed with the celestial mansions

يَكسو الطُروسَ مفوَّفا وَمدبَّجا

يَكسو الطُروسَ مفوَّفا وَمدبَّجا

يَتَجنَّب التَقعيرَ وَالتَثبيجا

يَتَجنَّب التَقعيرَ وَالتَثبيجا

He clothes the pages in striped fabric and brocade,

Draping the Pleiades in cloaks embroidered and fringed

Avoiding affected obscurity and clumsy composition.

Avoiding vulgarity and over-ornamentation

فَترى البَلاغَةَ قَد بَدَت أَنوارها

فَترى البَلاغَةَ قَد بَدَت أَنوارها

حَتّى بَهَرنَ مَهارقاًوَدُروجا

حَتّى بَهَرنَ مَهارقاًوَدُروجا

So you see eloquence, its lights revealed,

Thus you see the lights of eloquence shone

Till they dazzle parchments and scrolls.

Dazzling the late-night wanderers and visitors

إِنَّ ابنَ فَضلِ اللَهِ فَضلٌ كُله

إِنَّ ابنَ فَضلِ اللَهِ فَضلٌ كُله

يَسعى ذَميلاً لِلنَدى وَوسيجا

يَسعى ذَميلاً لِلنَدى وَوسيجا

Indeed, Ibn Faḍl Allāh is excellence through and through;

Indeed the son of Fadlallah's virtue is all virtue

He hastens toward generosity at a brisk trot and a swift pace.

Seeking companionship to the dew and intimate friend

مِن نَبعةٍ قَرشيَّةٍ عَدويَّةٍ

مِن نَبعةٍ قَرشيَّةٍ عَدويَّةٍ

عُمريَّةٍ عَبِقَت شَذاً وَأَريجا

عُمريَّةٍ عَبِقَت شَذاً وَأَريجا

From a Qurashī, ʿAdawī tree,

From a spring Qurashi, `Adawi, `Umari

Of ʿUmar's line, fragrant with perfume and sweet scent.

Diffusing fragrance and scent

خَطَبَتهُ أَبكارُ المَعالي رُغَّباً

خَطَبَتهُ أَبكارُ المَعالي رُغَّباً

إِذ كُنَّ عجَّت مِن سِواهُ عَجيجا

إِذ كُنَّ عجَّت مِن سِواهُ عَجيجا

The maidens of high honors eagerly sought his hand,

The maidens of glory sought him out eagerly

Having raised a loud outcry against all others.

For they were perturbed by all others disconcerted

وَسَمَت إِلى عَلياه أَوَّلَ نَشئِهِ

وَسَمَت إِلى عَلياه أَوَّلَ نَشئِهِ

وَسِواه يَسمو لِلعُلا تَدريجا

وَسِواه يَسمو لِلعُلا تَدريجا

They aspired to his loftiness from his earliest youth,

And he set his sights on the highest heights from the first of his youth

While others ascend to eminence by degrees.

While others rise to the heights gradually

لَجَّت وَرامَت مِنهُ وَصلاً إِنَّما

لَجَّت وَرامَت مِنهُ وَصلاً إِنَّما

شَرَف المُحبِّ بِأَن يَكون لَجوجا

شَرَف المُحبِّ بِأَن يَكون لَجوجا

They persisted and sought union with him; for only

They ardently sought to join with him

In persistence lies the lover's honor.

For the lover's nobility is to be affectionate

فَأَجابَها مِن بَعدِ لأي راغِباً

فَأَجابَها مِن بَعدِ لأي راغِباً

عَنها وَهيَّج شَوقَها تَهييجا

عَنها وَهيَّج شَوقَها تَهييجا

So he answered them after long delay, turning

Then after a time he answered them

Away from them, and stirred their longing all the more.

From afar, arousing their passion anew