أَرى لَهُمُ ناراً تَلوحُ على عَلَمْ

أَرى لَهُمُ ناراً تَلوحُ على عَلَمْ

أَشَقَّ عَلى قَلبِ الهَوى وَعَلى الظُلَمْ

أَشَقَّ عَلى قَلبِ الهَوى وَعَلى الظُلَمْ

I see a fire of theirs shining on a hilltop,

I see for them a fire shining on a flag

More grievous to love’s heart, and to the darkness.

It tore the heart of passion and darkness

فَيا نارَهُم أَمّا المُحِبُّ فَلَم يَقِف

فَيا نارَهُم أَمّا المُحِبُّ فَلَم يَقِف

وَأَمّا الدُجى بَعدَ التَوَقُّفِ فَاِنهَزَم

وَأَمّا الدُجى بَعدَ التَوَقُّفِ فَاِنهَزَم

So, O their fire, as for the lover, he did not halt;

So O their fire! As for the lover, he did not stop

And as for the darkness, after a pause it was routed.

And as for the darkness after hesitation, it was defeated

وَدونَكِ غَيرانٌ يُضَمِّخُ يَومَهُ

وَدونَكِ غَيرانٌ يُضَمِّخُ يَومَهُ

وَلَيلَتَهُ في الحَربِ وَالسِلمِ بِالضَرَم

وَلَيلَتَهُ في الحَربِ وَالسِلمِ بِالضَرَم

And before you is a jealous man who anoints his day

And except for you others who stain their day

And his night, in war and peace, with flame.

And their night with war and peace with adversity

كريمٌ إذا زار الملوكَ مُجالسٌ

كريمٌ إذا زار الملوكَ مُجالسٌ

وإن زاره ضِيفانُ معروفِهِ خَدَم

وإن زاره ضِيفانُ معروفِهِ خَدَم

Generous: when he visits kings, he sits in their company;

Generous when he visits kings, gatherings

And if the guests of his bounty visit him, he serves them.

And if two familiar guests visit him, he serves

وَقامَ لِمَن قَد كانَ في الحينِ قاعِداً

وَقامَ لِمَن قَد كانَ في الحينِ قاعِداً

وَكِيلاهُ مِن صَفحٍ لَدَيكَ وَمِن كَرَم

وَكِيلاهُ مِن صَفحٍ لَدَيكَ وَمِن كَرَم

And for one who had sat in mortal peril there arose

And stood up for whoever was sitting at the time

Before you his two advocates—pardon and generosity—

His guarantee is from pardoning you and from generosity

وَصِفرِ يَدٍ قَد ضاقَ صَدراً بِما اِعتَزَم

وَصِفرِ يَدٍ قَد ضاقَ صَدراً بِما اِعتَزَم

وَمُثقَلِ ظَهرٍ خافَ فِكراً لِما اِجتَرَم

وَمُثقَلِ ظَهرٍ خافَ فِكراً لِما اِجتَرَم

And for an empty-handed man, distressed at heart by what he had resolved,

And a hand that despaired with what it intended

And for one with a burdened back, fearful at the thought of what he had committed.

And a burdened back that feared thinking of what it committed

فَهَذا أَسيرُ الجودِ قَيَّدتَهُ غِنىً

فَهَذا أَسيرُ الجودِ قَيَّدتَهُ غِنىً

وَهذا طَليقُ العَفوِ سامحتَهُ بِدَم

وَهذا طَليقُ العَفوِ سامحتَهُ بِدَم

So this one is generosity’s captive: you bound him with wealth,

So this is the prisoner of generosity, riches shackled him

And this one is pardon’s freed man: you pardoned him, sparing his blood.

And this is pardoned, you forgave him with blood

تَواقيعُ رُدَّ السَيفُ فيها بِغَيظِهِ

تَواقيعُ رُدَّ السَيفُ فيها بِغَيظِهِ

وَبَيَّنتَ مِنها في العُلا حُجَّةَ القَلَم

وَبَيَّنتَ مِنها في العُلا حُجَّةَ القَلَم

Decrees in which the sword was turned back, still raging,

Signatures where the sword returns in rage

And through them you made clear the pen’s case for eminence.

And you clarified among them in the heights the proof of the pen

مِنَ الأَسوَدَينِ الهَمِّ وَالسِجنِ أُسلِموا

مِنَ الأَسوَدَينِ الهَمِّ وَالسِجنِ أُسلِموا

إِلى الأَبيَضَينِ السَيفِ وَالشَيبِ في اللَمَم

إِلى الأَبيَضَينِ السَيفِ وَالشَيبِ في اللَمَم

From the two black things—grief and prison—they were handed over

Of the two blacks, worry and prison, they were surrendered

To the two white things—the sword and gray hair in their locks.

To the two whites, the sword and old age in disasters

فَمِن مُلبِسٍ أَحيَيتَهُ إِذ ذَوى الذَما

فَمِن مُلبِسٍ أَحيَيتَهُ إِذ ذَوى الذَما

وَمِن مُفلِسٍ أَلحَقتَهُ بِذَوي الذِمَم

وَمِن مُفلِسٍ أَلحَقتَهُ بِذَوي الذِمَم

So, one entangled in wrongdoing—you revived him as his last vestige of life withered;

So from a dressed one you revived when his reputation waned

And a bankrupt you placed among men of credit.

And from a bankrupt one you reunited with those of repute

عَجِبتُ بِأَن لُقِّبتَ كاشِفَ غُمَّةٍ

عَجِبتُ بِأَن لُقِّبتَ كاشِفَ غُمَّةٍ

وَخُيِّلَ لي أَنَّ المُلَقِّبَ قَد ظَلَم

وَخُيِّلَ لي أَنَّ المُلَقِّبَ قَد ظَلَم

I marveled that you were titled ‘Dispeller of Sorrow,’

I was astonished that you were titled dispeller of gloom

And it seemed to me that the title-giver had done you wrong.

And it seemed to me that the titled one was unjust

وَهَل غَمَّنا دَهرٌ تَوَلَّيتَ أَمرَهُ

وَهَل غَمَّنا دَهرٌ تَوَلَّيتَ أَمرَهُ

فَمَن قالَ حَقّاً فَليَقُل مُنسِيَ الغُمَم

فَمَن قالَ حَقّاً فَليَقُل مُنسِيَ الغُمَم

And has an age whose affairs you govern ever grieved us?

Did an era whose affairs you took charge grieve us

So let whoever speaks truly call you ‘He Who Makes Sorrows Forgotten.’

So whoever spoke the truth, let him say eraser of sorrows