حوى مُرْشِدٌ وابناه غُرَّ المَناقِبِ

حوى مُرْشِدٌ وابناه غُرَّ المَناقِبِ

وحَلُّوا من العَلياء أَعلى المَراتِبِ

وحَلُّوا من العَلياء أَعلى المَراتِبِ

Murshid and his two sons possessed the finest virtues,

A mentor and his two sons adorned with virtues,

And dwelt in the highest ranks of eminence.

Attained the highest of high ranks.

ذوائبُ مجدٍ ما علمتَ بأَنهم

ذوائبُ مجدٍ ما علمتَ بأَنهم

من العلم أَيضاً في الذُّرى والذوائبِ

من العلم أَيضاً في الذُّرى والذوائبِ

Pinnacles of glory—you did not know that they

Tails of glory - though you know them not -

Also stand at the heights and summits of learning.

In knowledge, they are leaders of mankind.

أَتَتْ مِنْ علّي روضةٌ جاد رَوْضَها

أَتَتْ مِنْ علّي روضةٌ جاد رَوْضَها

سحائبُ فضلٍ لا كَجَوْدِ السَّحائب

سحائبُ فضلٍ لا كَجَوْدِ السَّحائب

A garden came from Ali, its grounds richly watered

From Ali came a garden, pouring its abundance,

By clouds of excellence, whose bounty is unlike that of rainclouds.

Clouds of merit, not mere clouds of rain.

أَلم تر أَنّ المُزْن فاضت فَنُوِّلَتْ

أَلم تر أَنّ المُزْن فاضت فَنُوِّلَتْ

رَبابٌ وأَروى منه حَلْيَ الكواعب

رَبابٌ وأَروى منه حَلْيَ الكواعب

Have you not seen the rainclouds overflow, so that

Have you not seen - the ladle overflowed and poured forth,

Rabab and Arwa received from it the jewels of budding-breasted maidens?

Quenching more than a bowl of wine.

بأَبياتِ نظمٍ أَفحمتْ كلَّ شاعرٍ

بأَبياتِ نظمٍ أَفحمتْ كلَّ شاعرٍ

وآياتِ نثَرٍ أَعجمتْ كُلَّ خاطِب

وآياتِ نثَرٍ أَعجمتْ كُلَّ خاطِب

With lines of verse that silenced every poet,

With lines of verse it rendered speechless every poet,

And wonders of prose that struck every orator dumb,

And prose of such eloquence as muted every orator.

وغُرِّ مَعان أَعْجَزَتْ كلّ عالمٍ

وغُرِّ مَعان أَعْجَزَتْ كلّ عالمٍ

وأَسطرِ خَطٍّ أَرعشتْ كلَّ كاتب

وأَسطرِ خَطٍّ أَرعشتْ كلَّ كاتب

And brilliant meanings that defeated every scholar,

With strange meanings it exhausted every scholar,

And lines of script that made every scribe tremble.

And lines of script that shook every scribe.

ربيعٌ بِوَرْدٍ وافدٍ لمُطالعٍ

ربيعٌ بِوَرْدٍ وافدٍ لمُطالعٍ

ورَبْعٌ لوَفْدٍ وارد بمطالب

ورَبْعٌ لوَفْدٍ وارد بمطالب

A springtime with roses arriving for a reader,

A spring with roses in bloom for dawns,

And a dwelling for a delegation arriving with requests,

And a highland for pilgrims come to plead.

وخو درمت بالسحر عن قوس حاجب

وخو درمت بالسحر عن قوس حاجب

لها في العلى فخرٌ على قوسِ حاجِب

لها في العلى فخرٌ على قوسِ حاجِب

And a maiden who shot enchantment from an eyebrow's bow,

With magic it drew smiles from frowning brows,

Whose glory on high surpasses Hajib's bow.

Pride for it in the Highest - above the arch of eyebrows.

فلو قَطَبَتْ راحا لما قطَّبتْ لها

فلو قَطَبَتْ راحا لما قطَّبتْ لها

وُجوهٌ ولا غطّت على حِلْم شارب

وُجوهٌ ولا غطّت على حِلْم شارب

Were she to blend wine, no frowns would greet her

Had it frowned - no faces would beam,

On any face, nor would she cloud a drinker's judgment.

Nor cover its forbearance with a drinker's veil.

مناقبُ نَدْبٍ قال جدّي ابن مُنقذٍ

مناقبُ نَدْبٍ قال جدّي ابن مُنقذٍ

عليٌ وعمي نجمه ذو المناقب

عليٌ وعمي نجمه ذو المناقب

The virtues of a gallant man who said: 'My grandfather is Ibn Munqidh—

My grandfather Ibn Munqidh said virtues are Ali's,

Ali—and my uncle is his star, possessed of noble virtues;

He whose star shines with virtues.

وبيتي كبيتي في القريض مُؤَسَّس

وبيتي كبيتي في القريض مُؤَسَّس

بغير دَخيلٍ فهو إِحدى العجائب

بغير دَخيلٍ فهو إِحدى العجائب

And my house, like my verse in poetry, is founded

My home, like his, established in poetry

Without an alien element; it is one of the wonders.'

With no outsider - a wonder it is!

بنى منقذٌ مجداً تلاه مُقَلَّدٌ

بنى منقذٌ مجداً تلاه مُقَلَّدٌ

وقصّ عليٌّ نهجَه في المذاهب

وقصّ عليٌّ نهجَه في المذاهب

Munqidh built glory; Muqallad followed him,

Munqidh built glory, succeeded by Muqallad,

And Ali followed his course in his ways.

And Ali exemplified its path in creeds.

ولم يأْلُ جهداً مُرْشِدٌ في اقتفائهم

ولم يأْلُ جهداً مُرْشِدٌ في اقتفائهم

وأَبناءُ ذاك البدر زُهْرُ الكواكب

وأَبناءُ ذاك البدر زُهْرُ الكواكب

And Murshid spared no effort in following their footsteps,

Murshid spared no effort emulating them,

And the sons of that full moon are radiant stars.

And the sons of that full moon - the stars glow.

إِليهم نوى إِرْقالَه كلُّ خائفٍ

إِليهم نوى إِرْقالَه كلُّ خائفٍ

ومنهم حوى آمالَه كلُّ راغب

ومنهم حوى آمالَه كلُّ راغب

Every fearful man resolved to hasten toward them,

To them flees every fearful soul,

And every seeker gained his hopes from them.

And in them places its hopes every desirer.

وفيهم روى أوصافَه كلُّ مادحٍ

وفيهم روى أوصافَه كلُّ مادحٍ

وعنهم زوى أَوْهامَه كلُّ عائبِ

وعنهم زوى أَوْهامَه كلُّ عائبِ

And every panegyrist recited his descriptions of them,

About them speaks every praiser,

And every faultfinder turned his suspicions away from them.

And from them turns away every detractor.

لهم نارُ حربٍ أَطفأَت حربَ وائلٍ

لهم نارُ حربٍ أَطفأَت حربَ وائلٍ

ونارُ قرىً أَوْفَتْ على نار غالب

ونارُ قرىً أَوْفَتْ على نار غالب

Their fire of war extinguished the war of Wa'il,

Their fire of war extinguishes the flames of battle,

And their fire of hospitality rose above Ghalib's fire.

And their hearth's fire stokes the fire of the victors.

مغارِسُهم طابَتْ وطابَ حديثُهم

مغارِسُهم طابَتْ وطابَ حديثُهم

وأطيبُ مَسْمُوع حديثُ الأَطايب

وأطيبُ مَسْمُوع حديثُ الأَطايب

Their roots are noble, and their speech is sweet,

Sweet are their orchards and their tales,

And the sweetest thing heard is the speech of the finest.

Sweeter than tales are their words.

مناسِبُهم غُرٌّ وأَكثَرُ فخرهِم

مناسِبُهم غُرٌّ وأَكثَرُ فخرهِم

بما استأْثروه لا بِغُرِّ المَناسِب

بما استأْثروه لا بِغُرِّ المَناسِب

Their lineages are illustrious, and most of their pride

Their virtues are strange, and greater is their pride

Lies in what they won for themselves, not illustrious ancestry.

In what they exclusively attained, not mere strange virtues.

مكاسِبُهم حُسْنُ الثَّناء فما ابَتَغْوا

مكاسِبُهم حُسْنُ الثَّناء فما ابَتَغْوا

به كبني الرعي دَنيَّ المَكاسِب

به كبني الرعي دَنيَّ المَكاسِب

Their gains are fair praise; they have not sought

Their gains are praise - they sought not

Through it, like the sons of al-Ra'y, base gains:

Base worldly gains, the gains of shepherds.

متاعب دُنْيا أَوْ بقَتْ بمَتاعها

متاعب دُنْيا أَوْ بقَتْ بمَتاعها

وأَيُّ سُرورٍ في مَتاعِ مَتاعب

وأَيُّ سُرورٍ في مَتاعِ مَتاعب

The toils of a world that brought ruin through its pleasures—

Goods of the world either remain with their goods,

And what joy is there in the pleasures of toil?

Or what joy is there in the goods of goods?

رآني عليٌّ لاعِباً بقرائنٍ

رآني عليٌّ لاعِباً بقرائنٍ

فجاء بأُخرى مثلِها غيرَ لاعب

فجاء بأُخرى مثلِها غيرَ لاعب

Ali saw me playing with paired expressions,

Ali saw me playing with poems,

So he brought others like them, not in play.

So he brought forth more, though not a player.

تحدّى كلامي فاعْترفتُ بفَضْلِه

تحدّى كلامي فاعْترفتُ بفَضْلِه

وأَين الحِقاق من مِصاع المَصاعِب

وأَين الحِقاق من مِصاع المَصاعِب

He challenged my words, and I acknowledged his superiority:

I confessed his superiority, challenged by his words -

And how can young camels match the sparring of untamed camel bulls?

But how can the deserving compare with towering tribulations?