يا اِبنَ مَن طابَ في المَواليدِ حُرّاً

يا اِبنَ مَن طابَ في المَواليدِ حُرّاً

مِن بَني جَعفَرٍ إِلى اِبنِ أَبيهِ

مِن بَني جَعفَرٍ إِلى اِبنِ أَبيهِ

O son of one pure and noble in birth,

O son of one whose birth was pure and free,

From the sons of Jaʿfar to his father's son.

Of Ja'far's line, descended from his sire,

أَنا بِالقُربِ مِنكَ عِندَ صَديقٍ

أَنا بِالقُربِ مِنكَ عِندَ صَديقٍ

قَد أَلَحَّت عَليَةَ شُهبُ سِنيهِ

قَد أَلَحَّت عَليَةَ شُهبُ سِنيهِ

I am near you, staying with a friend;

Though years bow down my friend, to him I'm nigh

The gray hairs of his years have relentlessly beset him.

A songstress here can make the jurist spry

عِندَهُ قيتَةٌ إِذا ما تَغَنَّت

عِندَهُ قيتَةٌ إِذا ما تَغَنَّت

عادَ مِنّا الفَقيهُ غَيرَ فَقيهِ

عادَ مِنّا الفَقيهُ غَيرَ فَقيهِ

He has a singing girl; whenever she sings,

She sings, and wherein am I such a wit?

The jurist among us is a jurist no more.

To entertain him, yet no twist she'll knit

تَزدَهيهِ وَأَينَ مِثلِيَ في الفَه

تَزدَهيهِ وَأَينَ مِثلِيَ في الفَه

مِ تُغَنّيهِ ثُمَّ لا تَزدَهيهِ

مِ تُغَنّيهِ ثُمَّ لا تَزدَهيهِ

She enthralls him—and where is one as discerning as I

A hall as fair as any garden, still

Whom she sings to, yet does not enthrall?

No heart's delight is found, and never will

مَجلِسٌ كَالرِياضِ حُسناً وَلَكِن

مَجلِسٌ كَالرِياضِ حُسناً وَلَكِن

لَيسَ قُطبُ السُرورِ وَاللَهوِ فيهِ

لَيسَ قُطبُ السُرورِ وَاللَهوِ فيهِ

A gathering as lovely as gardens, and yet

So help me gain what I may purchase joy

The pivot of joy and revelry is not in it.

An aged crone, a peddler I employ

فَأَغِثني بِما بِهِ يُشتَرى دُن

فَأَغِثني بِما بِهِ يُشتَرى دُن

نُ عَجوزٍ خَمّارُهُ مُشتَريهِ

نُ عَجوزٍ خَمّارُهُ مُشتَريهِ

So help me with the means to buy a cask—

By honored elders, men of highest fame

Of aged wine, whose wine-seller is its buyer.

Graced with virtues, Ja'far's noble name

وَبِأَشياخِكَ الكِرامِ أَولي ال

وَبِأَشياخِكَ الكِرامِ أَولي ال

أَفضالِ موسى اِبنِ جَعفَرٍ وَبَنيهِ

أَفضالِ موسى اِبنِ جَعفَرٍ وَبَنيهِ

And by your noble elders, possessors of

Though but a trifle, one like brothers share

Generosity—Musa son of Jaʿfar and his sons—

I'll squeeze and squeeze, if bid, the orange rare

أَن تَخَّجمَتُهُ وَإِن كانَ إِلّا

أَن تَخَّجمَتُهُ وَإِن كانَ إِلّا

مِثلَ ما يَأنَسُ الفَتى بِأَخيهِ

مِثلَ ما يَأنَسُ الفَتى بِأَخيهِ

That [unclear word in the source], and it was no more than

The ease a young man feels with his brother.