أيا وليَّ الدَّولةِ المُرتَجى

أيا وليَّ الدَّولةِ المُرتَجى

قَولُ وَليٍّ لكَ مُستَبْطِ

قَولُ وَليٍّ لكَ مُستَبْطِ

O guardian of the state, in whom hope is placed,

O guardian of the hoped-for state

these are the words of a friend impatient at your delay.

The saying of a guardian is evident to you

يا مَنْ غدَتْ أخلاقُهُ كُلُّها

يا مَنْ غدَتْ أخلاقُهُ كُلُّها

عَدْلاً تُقيمُ الوَزْنَ بالقِسْط

عَدْلاً تُقيمُ الوَزْنَ بالقِسْط

O you whose virtues have all become

O you whose morals have all become

justice, setting the scales with equity,

Justice that sets up the scales with equity

ما لِمواعيدِكَ قد أَصبحَتْ

ما لِمواعيدِكَ قد أَصبحَتْ

جَزاؤها يَهزَأُ بالشّرط

جَزاؤها يَهزَأُ بالشّرط

what ails your promises, now that

Why have your promises now become

their fulfillment mocks their terms?

Rewards that mock the condition?

وكم إلى دارِكَ ردَّدتنِي

وكم إلى دارِكَ ردَّدتنِي

من أجلِها تَرْديدَ مُشتَطّ

من أجلِها تَرْديدَ مُشتَطّ

And how often you have sent me back to your house,

And how often to your house I returned

because of them, shuttling me beyond all bounds,

Back and forth because of it, confused

حتّى من الغَيظِ الّذي نالَني

حتّى من الغَيظِ الّذي نالَني

لطُولِ ذاكَ العَدْو والخَبط

لطُولِ ذاكَ العَدْو والخَبط

so much so that, from the rage that overtook me

Until from the anger that befell me

at that endless running and stumbling,

From the length of that enemy and turmoil

لو كان رِجْلي قَلَماً عندَها

لو كان رِجْلي قَلَماً عندَها

لكنتُ لم أَعدَمْهُ من قَطّ

لكنتُ لم أَعدَمْهُ من قَطّ

had my foot then been a pen,

If my foot were a pen in her presence

I would certainly not have denied it a nib-trimming.

I would not lack it from writing

فَرْطُ الحجابِ الصّعبِ ما وَجْهُه

فَرْطُ الحجابِ الصّعبِ ما وَجْهُه

على صديقٍ زادَ في فَرط

على صديقٍ زادَ في فَرط

What reason is there for such excessive, harsh exclusion

The difficulty of strict privacy—what is its face

toward a friend who has gone to extremes,

To a friend whose excess increased?

على امْرئٍ تَأخذُ من شُكرِه

على امْرئٍ تَأخذُ من شُكرِه

إن حُزْتَه فوقَ الّذي تُعطي

إن حُزْتَه فوقَ الّذي تُعطي

toward a man from whose gratitude you gain,

To a man from whose gratitude you take

if you win it, more than you give?

If you bestow on him beyond what you give

أَسرَفْتَ في قَبْضتي وكنتَ الّذي

أَسرَفْتَ في قَبْضتي وكنتَ الّذي

آمُلُ أن تُسرِفَ في بَسْطي

آمُلُ أن تُسرِفَ في بَسْطي

You have gone too far in constricting me, though you were the one

You were excessive in taking me prisoner while you were the one

I hoped would go too far in bringing me ease.

I hope will be excessive in freeing me

جاهُك ذا المَقْسومُ بينَ الوَرى

جاهُك ذا المَقْسومُ بينَ الوَرى

تُراه ما لي فيه من قِسْط

تُراه ما لي فيه من قِسْط

This influence of yours, shared among humankind—

Your fame—the sustenance divided among people—

do you suppose I have no share in it?

I see I have no share of it

وكَفُّك السّمحةُ مذ لم تَزَلْ

وكَفُّك السّمحةُ مذ لم تَزَلْ

وما لإحسانِكَ من غَمط

وما لإحسانِكَ من غَمط

And your generous hand has always—

And your clement palm—it never ceased to be—

and there is no denying your kindness—

And your beneficence is without blame

تَسمَحُ بالحَظِّ لطُلابه

تَسمَحُ بالحَظِّ لطُلابه

فكيف لا تَسمَحُ بالخَطِّ

فكيف لا تَسمَحُ بالخَطِّ

been generous with good fortune to those who seek it;

You are clement with the unworthy of your seekers

so how can it fail to grant a written line?

So why not clement with the errant?

وإنّك الفَردُ الّذي خَطُّه

وإنّك الفَردُ الّذي خَطُّه

في أُذُنِ الدّولةِ كالقُرْط

في أُذُنِ الدّولةِ كالقُرْط

And you are the peerless one whose handwriting

And you are the unique one whose line

is like an earring in the state's ear.

In the state’s ear is like an earring

قُلْ للنّجيبِ ابنِ النّجيبِ الّذي

قُلْ للنّجيبِ ابنِ النّجيبِ الّذي

إذا رمَى الأغراضَ لم يُخطي

إذا رمَى الأغراضَ لم يُخطي

Say to the noble one, son of the noble one, who,

Say to the well-bred son of the well-bred one who

when he shoots at targets, never misses:

If he aims at goals never misses:

ظُلْمٌ لأقلامِك أن سُمّيَتْ

ظُلْمٌ لأقلامِك أن سُمّيَتْ

إذْ شُبِّهْت بالأَرقَمِ المُرط

إذْ شُبِّهْت بالأَرقَمِ المُرط

it is unjust to your pens that they were so named,

It is an injustice to your pens that they are named

when likened to the smooth-skinned, speckled serpent.

When likened to the slow porcupine

وأنمُلٌ منك ثلاثٌ غَدَتْ

وأنمُلٌ منك ثلاثٌ غَدَتْ

يَريشُها من يَدِكَ السَّبْط

يَريشُها من يَدِكَ السَّبْط

And three fingertips of yours have become

You have three fingers that have become

feathered by the slender pen in your hand.

Feathers fanned by your august hand

خَطُّ كمِثْلِ الدُّرِّ من كاتبٍ

خَطُّ كمِثْلِ الدُّرِّ من كاتبٍ

سَطْرٌ له أنْفَسُ من سِمْط

سَطْرٌ له أنْفَسُ من سِمْط

Handwriting like pearls, from a scribe

A line like pearls from a scribe

whose line is more precious than a pearl-strand.

A verse more fragrant than musk

قد نثَر اللُّؤلُؤَ في طِرسِه

قد نثَر اللُّؤلُؤَ في طِرسِه

فأهوَتِ الجَوزاءُ لِلّقْط

فأهوَتِ الجَوزاءُ لِلّقْط

He has scattered pearls across his page,

It scattered pearls in its pages

so al-Jawza swooped down to gather them.

And the wild pigeons hastened to pick them

لَوَدَّتِ الأنجُمُ في كُتْبِه

لَوَدَّتِ الأنجُمُ في كُتْبِه

لَو جُعلَتْ أمكنةَ النَّقْط

لَو جُعلَتْ أمكنةَ النَّقْط

The stars would dearly wish, in his writings,

The stars in his books wished

to be set in the places of the dots.

To be places for dots

فَبعضُ ما استحقَقْتَ ما نِلْتَهُ

فَبعضُ ما استحقَقْتَ ما نِلْتَهُ

من رِفعةٍ آمنةِ الحَطّ

من رِفعةٍ آمنةِ الحَطّ

So what you have attained is but part of what you deserve:

So some of what you deserved of what you obtained

high rank safe from being brought low,

Of secure, protected glory,

ودولةٌ حسناء مَحسودةٌ

ودولةٌ حسناء مَحسودةٌ

أَعطاكَها للدُّوَلِ المُعْطي

أَعطاكَها للدُّوَلِ المُعْطي

and a fair, envied fortune,

And a beautiful, envied state

bestowed upon you by the Giver of fortunes.

The Giver of States has given you

ما كُتبَتْ سَهْواً فكنْ آمِناً

ما كُتبَتْ سَهْواً فكنْ آمِناً

لها من المَحْوِ أوِ الكَشْط

لها من المَحْوِ أوِ الكَشْط

It was not inscribed by mistake, so rest assured

What is written inadvertently—so be reassured—

that it is safe from erasure or scraping.

It has protection from erasure or scraping off