دَعَوتُهُ فَأَجابَتني مَكارِمُهُ

دَعَوتُهُ فَأَجابَتني مَكارِمُهُ

وَلَو دَعَوتُ سِوى نُعماهُ لَم تُجِبِ

وَلَو دَعَوتُ سِوى نُعماهُ لَم تُجِبِ

I called upon him, and his noble qualities answered me.

I called upon him, and his generosity answered me,

And had I called upon anything but his bounty, it would not have answered.

Even if I had called upon other than his favors, they would not have answered.

وَجَدتُهُ الغَيثَ مَشغوفاً بِعادَتِهِ

وَجَدتُهُ الغَيثَ مَشغوفاً بِعادَتِهِ

وَالرَوضُ يَجني بِما في عادَةِ السُحُبِ

وَالرَوضُ يَجني بِما في عادَةِ السُحُبِ

I found him to be rain, enamored of his customary ways;

I found him a raincloud obsessed with its habit,

And the meadow reaps what the clouds are wont to give.

And the meadow reaps the fruits of the clouds' habit.

لَو فاتَهُ النَسَبُ الوَضّاحُ كانَ لَهُ

لَو فاتَهُ النَسَبُ الوَضّاحُ كانَ لَهُ

مِن فَضلِهِ نَسَبٌ يُغني عَن النَسَبِ

مِن فَضلِهِ نَسَبٌ يُغني عَن النَسَبِ

Had his illustrious ancestry eluded him, he would have had

If he lacked prominent lineage, he would have

From his own merit, a lineage that would make ancestry needless.

From his virtues a lineage that suffices lineage.

إِذا دَعَتهُ مُلوكُ الأَرضِ سَيِّدَها

إِذا دَعَتهُ مُلوكُ الأَرضِ سَيِّدَها

طُرّاً دَعَتهُ المَعالي سَيِّدَ العَرَبِ

طُرّاً دَعَتهُ المَعالي سَيِّدَ العَرَبِ

When the kings of the earth call him their lord—

When the kings of the earth call him their master,

All of them—lofty virtues call him lord of the Arabs.

Nobly they call him, the master of Arabs.