وبيتٍ مثْلِ بَيْتِ اللهِ فَرْدٍ

وبيتٍ مثْلِ بَيْتِ اللهِ فَرْدٍ

إليه سُجودُ كلِّ ذوي البُيوتِ

إليه سُجودُ كلِّ ذوي البُيوتِ

And a peerless verse, like the House of God,

A home like Allah's home, unique,

To which all masters of verse bow.

To it prostrates everyone with homes

أتاني فافتخَرْتُ به جوارباً

أتاني فافتخَرْتُ به جوارباً

فيا نَفْسي حَظيتِ بما حَظيت

فيا نَفْسي حَظيتِ بما حَظيت

It came to me, and I took pride in it [the word 'socks' is unclear here].

It came to me, so I boasted association,

So, O my soul, you have been fortunate in what you have gained!

Oh my soul, you gained what you gained

وبِتُّ كمُحصَرٍ في الأرضِ يُمْسي

وبِتُّ كمُحصَرٍ في الأرضِ يُمْسي

ويُصبحُ وهْو ذو شَمْلٍ شَتيت

ويُصبحُ وهْو ذو شَمْلٍ شَتيت

And I spent the night like one held back on earth, who reaches evening

A house as if restricted on earth it spends the night

And morning with his affairs scattered.

And rises while fragmented is its gathering

فجاء إليه بَيْتُ اللهِ يَسْعَى

فجاء إليه بَيْتُ اللهِ يَسْعَى

وقال له السَّعادة قد كفِيت

وقال له السَّعادة قد كفِيت

Then the House of God came hastening to him,

So Allah's house came to it striving

And said to him, 'You have been amply provided with happiness.'

And told it: you have been granted felicity

فيا مَنْ ظَلَّ منعوتَ المعالي

فيا مَنْ ظَلَّ منعوتَ المعالي

بأشرفَ ما يكونُ من النعوت

بأشرفَ ما يكونُ من النعوت

So, O you whose lofty qualities are ever described

Oh you who excel in the most noble traits

In the noblest terms there can be,

Of all traits that can be

ومَن هو قِبلةٌ تُلْوِي إليه

ومَن هو قِبلةٌ تُلْوِي إليه

وُجوهُ الخَلْقِ من كلِّ السُّموت

وُجوهُ الخَلْقِ من كلِّ السُّموت

And you who are a qibla toward which turn

And you who are a direction to which turn

The faces of humankind from every direction:

The faces of creation, from all the heavens

إمامٌ رَبُّه آتاهُ حُكْماً

إمامٌ رَبُّه آتاهُ حُكْماً

وذلك مَن يَشاءُ اللهُ يُوتي

وذلك مَن يَشاءُ اللهُ يُوتي

A leader whose Lord has granted him judgment,

An imam, his Lord gave him wisdom

And God grants that to whomever He wills.

And that is what Allah gives whom He wills

حليمٌ في تَواضُعِه مَهيبٌ

حليمٌ في تَواضُعِه مَهيبٌ

لديه الخَصْمٌ يُلْجَمُ بالسُّكوت

لديه الخَصْمٌ يُلْجَمُ بالسُّكوت

Forbearing, awe-inspiring in his humility;

Clement in his humility, revered in awe

In his presence, the adversary is bridled by silence.

Before him the adversary is muted in silence

على أحوالِ أحداثِ الليالي

على أحوالِ أحداثِ الليالي

له إقدامُ ذِمْرٍ مُستَميت

له إقدامُ ذِمْرٍ مُستَميت

Whatever turns the events of the nights may take,

In the events of the dark nights

His is the daring of a warrior ready to die.

He has the daring of a relentless lion

أخو كرمٍ يَسيرُ بكُلّ أرضٍ

أخو كرمٍ يَسيرُ بكُلّ أرضٍ

حديثٌ عنه كالمِسْكِ الفَتيت

حديثٌ عنه كالمِسْكِ الفَتيت

A man of generosity: through every land travels

Brother of generosity walking every land

Word of him, like powdered musk.

Talk of him is like musk's diffusion

فتىً يُحيِي عُلاً ويُميتُ مالا

فتىً يُحيِي عُلاً ويُميتُ مالا

ألا حُيّيِتَ من مُحْيٍ مُميت

ألا حُيّيِتَ من مُحْيٍ مُميت

A youth who gives life to glory and puts wealth to death—

A youth who gives life to the lofty, and death to wealth

Lo, hail to you—what a giver of life and death!

Was it not you who revived from a deadly revival?

له أُهدِي قَوافِيَ سائراتٍ

له أُهدِي قَوافِيَ سائراتٍ

أَبِيتُ لنَظْمِها قَلِقَ المَبيت

أَبِيتُ لنَظْمِها قَلِقَ المَبيت

To him I offer far-traveling rhymes;

To him I dedicate the rhymes of my wanderings

I pass restless nights composing them.

Awake all night to compose for him

حِساناً للمُدِلِّ بها لعَمْري

حِساناً للمُدِلِّ بها لعَمْري

على الكُرَماء حَقٌ ذو ثُبوت

على الكُرَماء حَقٌ ذو ثُبوت

Beautiful verses—by my life, whoever takes pride in them

Virtue, by my life, for the generous is a right

Has a firmly established claim upon the generous.

Yet excellence may be expected conventionally in time without glory

ولكنْ رُبَّما عُهِدَ اتِّفاقاً

ولكنْ رُبَّما عُهِدَ اتِّفاقاً

حِسانٌ في الزّمانِ بلا بُخوت

حِسانٌ في الزّمانِ بلا بُخوت

Yet sometimes, by chance, one has encountered

Oh you from whom my strength is in drawing near

Beauties in this age without good fortune.

And spreading your praise among people is my bread

أيا مَن قُوَّتي منه اقترابي

أيا مَن قُوَّتي منه اقترابي

ونَشْرُ ثنائه في النّاسِ قُوتي

ونَشْرُ ثنائه في النّاسِ قُوتي

O you, my closeness to whom is my strength,

You have rendered me incapable, so I lowered my voice

And spreading his praise among the people is my sustenance.

And you have ennobled me, so you raised my name

لقد أعجَزْتَني فخَفَضْتُ صَوتي

لقد أعجَزْتَني فخَفَضْتُ صَوتي

وقد شَرّفْتَني فرفَعْتَ صِيتي

وقد شَرّفْتَني فرفَعْتَ صِيتي

Indeed, you have left me powerless, so I lowered my voice,

So stay as long as the plains spent the night and morn

And indeed, you have honored me, and so raised my renown.

Bestowing upon gardens or meadows

فدُمْ ما أصبحَتْ دِيَمٌ وأمسَتْ

فدُمْ ما أصبحَتْ دِيَمٌ وأمسَتْ

تَجودُ على رياضٍ أو مُروت

تَجودُ على رياضٍ أو مُروت

So live on, as long as steady rains, morning and evening,

And what did not avail a canal from censure

Pour their bounty upon gardens or barren plains,

Nor what did a string avail from devotion

وما لم يُغْنِ طَعْنٌ عن قنَاةٍ

وما لم يُغْنِ طَعْنٌ عن قنَاةٍ

وما لم يَعْرَ وِتْرٌ من قُنوت

وما لم يَعْرَ وِتْرٌ من قُنوت

And as long as a thrust cannot do without a spear,

And as long as the witr prayer is not bereft of supplication.