اللهُ جارُكَ من أخي شَرَفٍ

اللهُ جارُكَ من أخي شَرَفٍ

في كل مسعاةٍ له شَرفُ

في كل مسعاةٍ له شَرفُ

God be your protector, man of honor!

God is your neighbor from the nobility of Sharaf

In every endeavor of his there is honor.

In every endeavor he has honor

تجلو ظَلامَ الخطِّ أنعُمُه

تجلو ظَلامَ الخطِّ أنعُمُه

وتَضيءُ من قسماته السُّدفُ

وتَضيءُ من قسماته السُّدفُ

His favors dispel the darkness of the script,

His gentleness makes the darkness of misfortune clear

And from his features the gloom grows bright.

And his features illuminate the brilliance

مُتخمِّطٌ للعارِ يَشْنؤهُ

مُتخمِّطٌ للعارِ يَشْنؤهُ

وبه الى حبِّ العُلى كَلَفُ

وبه الى حبِّ العُلى كَلَفُ

He rages at dishonor, loathing it,

Despising disgrace, it revolts him

And he is consumed with love of lofty glory.

And through him to the love of heights we are burdened

وافٍ بوعدِ الخير يُنْجزُه

وافٍ بوعدِ الخير يُنْجزُه

ومع المواعيدِ المَطْلُ والخُلفُ

ومع المواعيدِ المَطْلُ والخُلفُ

Faithful to his promise of good, he fulfills it,

Fulfilling the promise of good he accomplishes it

Though delay and breach attend promises.

While with promises there is procrastination and breach

أخْلاقُه وندَى أنامِلهِ

أخْلاقُه وندَى أنامِلهِ

غيثٌ يسُحُّ وروضةٌ اُنُفُ

غيثٌ يسُحُّ وروضةٌ اُنُفُ

His virtues and the bounty of his fingertips

His morals and the dew of his achievements

Are pouring rain and a fresh, untouched meadow.

Are a rain that pours and a garden that is lush

لثنَائِه الأعمارُ خالدةٌ

لثنَائِه الأعمارُ خالدةٌ

ولِمالِه بنوالهِ تَلَفُ

ولِمالِه بنوالهِ تَلَفُ

His praise endures through everlasting ages,

For his praise the ages are eternal

And his wealth is consumed by his giving.

And for his wealth with his generosity it is spent

ضخْمُ الدَّسائعِ في صوارمه

ضخْمُ الدَّسائعِ في صوارمه

ورماحِه ويَراعهِ هَيَفُ

ورماحِه ويَراعهِ هَيَفُ

His gifts are vast; his keen swords,

Great in his rapid judgments are his swords

His spears and his reed pen are slender.

And his spears and his devastating carnage

فالطِّرْسُ والبيداءُ مِلْؤهُما

فالطِّرْسُ والبيداءُ مِلْؤهُما

خيْلٌ تكُرُّ وأسْطُرٌ تَجفُ

خيْلٌ تكُرُّ وأسْطُرٌ تَجفُ

So the parchment and the desert are filled

So the coats of mail and the open desert fill them

With charging horses and drying lines of script.

Horses that attack and pages that dry

تاجُ الملوكِ غَمامُ أنْمُلهِ

تاجُ الملوكِ غَمامُ أنْمُلهِ

هامٍ فلا قَزَعٌ ولا صلفُ

هامٍ فلا قَزَعٌ ولا صلفُ

The Crown of Kings—his fingertips' cloud

The crown of kings are the clouds of his achievements

Pours down: no scattered cloudlets, no scant rain.

Lofty, with no decline or disdain

قد أكثرَ المُدَّاحُ اِذْ مَدحوا

قد أكثرَ المُدَّاحُ اِذْ مَدحوا

واِخالُهمْ وصفوا وما وصفوا

واِخالُهمْ وصفوا وما وصفوا

The panegyrists have said much when praising him,

The eulogizers have overdone it when they praised

And I think they have described him—yet they have not described him.

And their comparisons though they tried have not compared