أَيا ناصرَ الدينِ الَّذي عَمَّ فَضلُهُ

أَيا ناصرَ الدينِ الَّذي عَمَّ فَضلُهُ

وَقَد شَمَلَتنا بِالنَوالِ شَمائِلُه

وَقَد شَمَلَتنا بِالنَوالِ شَمائِلُه

O Nasir al-Din, whose bounty extends to all,

O supporter of the faith whose merit encompasses,

And whose noble qualities have indeed embraced us with gifts:

And whose fine qualities have showered us,

تَبسَّمَ هَذا القطرُ إِذ أَنتَ حاضِرٌ

تَبسَّمَ هَذا القطرُ إِذ أَنتَ حاضِرٌ

بِهِ وَجَرى سَلسالُه وَجداولُه

بِهِ وَجَرى سَلسالُه وَجداولُه

This land has smiled, since you are present

This land smiled when you were present,

Within it, and its clear waters and streams have flowed.

Its streams flowed and its rivers ran.

ففي كُلِّ رَوضٍ مِنهُ عَينٌ قَريرةٌ

ففي كُلِّ رَوضٍ مِنهُ عَينٌ قَريرةٌ

وَفي كُلِّ زَهرٍ مِنهُ زَهرٌ تُشاكِلُه

وَفي كُلِّ زَهرٍ مِنهُ زَهرٌ تُشاكِلُه

So in each of its gardens is a gladdened eye,

In every garden there is a bubbling spring,

And amid all its flowers is a bloom that you resemble.

In every flower there is one like it.

يُنافِسُني فيك الزَمانُ حسادة

يُنافِسُني فيك الزَمانُ حسادة

إِذا رُمتُ لُقياك اِستَمَرّت شَوغِلُه

إِذا رُمتُ لُقياك اِستَمَرّت شَوغِلُه

Time rivals me for you out of envy;

Time envies me for you,

Whenever I seek to meet you, its distractions persist.

When I try to meet you its preoccupations continue.

وَلي زَمَنٌ لَم أُبصِرَ السيِّدَ الَّذي

وَلي زَمَنٌ لَم أُبصِرَ السيِّدَ الَّذي

إِذا لَم نَزُرهُ زارَنا مِنهُ نائِلُه

إِذا لَم نَزُرهُ زارَنا مِنهُ نائِلُه

And for some time I have not seen the lord whose

I have a time when I did not see the master

Bounty visits us whenever we do not visit him.

Who, when we did not visit him, visited us with his gifts.

كَريمٌ قَصَدناهُ لِدَفعِ مُلِمَّةٍ

كَريمٌ قَصَدناهُ لِدَفعِ مُلِمَّةٍ

مِن الدَهرِ فانثالَت عَلَينا فَواضِلُه

مِن الدَهرِ فانثالَت عَلَينا فَواضِلُه

A generous man—we sought him to avert a calamity

A generous one whom we approached to dispel

Of fate, and his favors poured down upon us.

A calamity from fate, so its disasters descended upon us.

فَمِن جودِهِ في كُلِّ جِيدٍ قَلائِدٌ

فَمِن جودِهِ في كُلِّ جِيدٍ قَلائِدٌ

بِها يَزدَهي حُسناً عَلى مَن يُطاوِلُه

بِها يَزدَهي حُسناً عَلى مَن يُطاوِلُه

So from his bounty, on every neck are necklaces,

From his generosity there are necklaces on every good person

With which each wearer glories in beauty above his rivals.

With which beauty is enhanced over anyone rivaling him.

وَما الفَخرُ إِلا ما يروِّضُ فكرُهُ

وَما الفَخرُ إِلا ما يروِّضُ فكرُهُ

وَلا الهَجرُ إِلا ما تَفِيضُ أَنامِلُه

وَلا الهَجرُ إِلا ما تَفِيضُ أَنامِلُه

And glory is nothing but what his mind cultivates,

Glory is only what his thought domesticates,

Nor is estrangement anything but what his fingertips pour forth.

Estrangement only what his fingers drip.

وَجاورَ هَذا النِيلَ نَيلُ بنانِهِ

وَجاورَ هَذا النِيلَ نَيلُ بنانِهِ

وَرامَ مُضاهاةً لِمَن لا يُماثِلُه

وَرامَ مُضاهاةً لِمَن لا يُماثِلُه

And his fingers’ bounty has become this Nile’s neighbor;

And this Nile neighbored the Nile of his qualities,

And the Nile sought to rival one it cannot match.

And aspired to emulate one it cannot match.

وَأَنّى يُضاهي واحدٌ عشرَ أَنمُلٍ

وَأَنّى يُضاهي واحدٌ عشرَ أَنمُلٍ

تُمَدُّ مِن البَحرِ الخِضَمِّ نَوافِلُه

تُمَدُّ مِن البَحرِ الخِضَمِّ نَوافِلُه

Yet how could one rival ten fingers,

How can one equal ten fingers

Whose gifts are replenished from the mighty ocean?

Extending from the great sea gifts overflowing?