بِقدومكم راقَ الزَمان وَفاقا

بِقدومكم راقَ الزَمان وَفاقا

وَصَحا وَمن سنة المَنام أَفاقا

وَصَحا وَمن سنة المَنام أَفاقا

At your coming, time grew fair and excelled,

With your arrival, time became excellent and surpassed

and awoke, rousing itself from the drowsiness of sleep.

It became healthy and whoever was sleeping, awoke

زُرتُم فَاشرَقت البِلاد بِنوركم

زُرتُم فَاشرَقت البِلاد بِنوركم

وَبدورها زادَت بِكُم إِشراقا

وَبدورها زادَت بِكُم إِشراقا

You visited, and the lands shone with your light,

You visited so the countries shone with your light

and their full moons grew brighter through you.

And with their full moons they increased more radiance

وَمَلأتُم كُل الوُجود مَسَرة

وَمَلأتُم كُل الوُجود مَسَرة

طابَت فَكُنتُم لِلقُلوب نشاقا

طابَت فَكُنتُم لِلقُلوب نشاقا

And you filled all existence with joy;

You filled all existence with happiness

it grew sweet, and you became a fragrance for hearts.

It was pleasant, so you were to the hearts a pleasure

يا فتية نَشر الإِله عَلَيهم

يا فتية نَشر الإِله عَلَيهم

مِن لُطفه سَجف الكَمال رواقا

مِن لُطفه سَجف الكَمال رواقا

O young men, over whom God has spread

O young men, God spread over them

in His kindness, perfection's veil as a canopy.

From His kindness, the cloak of perfect generosity

سالَت عَلى كُل العباد أَكفكم

سالَت عَلى كُل العباد أَكفكم

كَرَماً فَأَصبَح ماؤُها مهراقا

كَرَماً فَأَصبَح ماؤُها مهراقا

Your palms flowed over all humanity

Your palms flowed upon all people generously

with generosity, so their water was poured forth.

So its water became pouring in the morning

وَمَلكتُم رق الرِقاب لأَنَّها

وَمَلكتُم رق الرِقاب لأَنَّها

قَد طَوقَت مِن جودكم أَطواقا

قَد طَوقَت مِن جودكم أَطواقا

And you held their necks in bondage, for they

And you owned the softness of necks because they

had been garlanded with necklaces of your bounty.

Were encircled by your generosity with collars

وَرَسمتُم صُحف القُلوب ببركم

وَرَسمتُم صُحف القُلوب ببركم

فَمَلأتُم مِن رَسمِها الأَوراقا

فَمَلأتُم مِن رَسمِها الأَوراقا

And you inscribed the pages of hearts with your kindness,

And you outlined the pages of hearts with your blessing

so you filled their leaves with those inscriptions.

So you filled the sketches of its pages

يا أَيُّها المَولى الَّذي كتب النَدى

يا أَيُّها المَولى الَّذي كتب النَدى

في كَفه أَن لا يُطاق لِحاقا

في كَفه أَن لا يُطاق لِحاقا

O master, for whom Generosity has written

O My Master who wrote the dew

upon his palm that none can overtake him.

In His palm that cannot be attained or matched

قَد سابقتك عَلى الفَضايل فتية

قَد سابقتك عَلى الفَضايل فتية

أَعيتهُم يمنى يَديك سِباقا

أَعيتهُم يمنى يَديك سِباقا

Young men have raced against you in virtues;

The young men surpassed You in virtues

your right hand exhausted them in the race.

Your right hand exhausted competing with them

فَهُم تَسموا بِالسَخاء تَطفلاً

فَهُم تَسموا بِالسَخاء تَطفلاً

وَبَذَلت أَنتَ عَلى يَديه صداقا

وَبَذَلت أَنتَ عَلى يَديه صداقا

So they took generosity's name as mere interlopers,

So they took on generosity insolently

while you yourself bestowed a dowry upon its hands.

While You spent upon their hands dowries

راموا وَفاقك في الجَميل وَخالَفوا

راموا وَفاقك في الجَميل وَخالَفوا

مَن ذا يُطيق لِما تَروم وِفاقا

مَن ذا يُطيق لِما تَروم وِفاقا

They sought to match your goodness, but proved unlike you;

They sought to surpass You in beauty and opposed

who can match what you aspire to?

Who can endure what You aspire to match?

فَإِذا أَتيت وَهُم أَتوا بِفَضيلة

فَإِذا أَتيت وَهُم أَتوا بِفَضيلة

فقت الجَميع بِما فَعَلت وِفاقا

فقت الجَميع بِما فَعَلت وِفاقا

Whenever you and they perform a virtuous deed,

So if You came and they came with a merit

you surpass them all by what you do, by common accord.

You would defeat all with what You did to match

فَغَدوت عَبد اللَه قرماً سَيداً

فَغَدوت عَبد اللَه قرماً سَيداً

وَقُرومهم أَضحَت لَدَيك حقاقا

وَقُرومهم أَضحَت لَدَيك حقاقا

Thus, Abd Allah, you became a lordly camel-stallion,

Thus You became Abdullah an honorable master

while their great stallions became mere young camels beside you.

While their masters became underlings before You

فَزعوا بِأَضياف عَلَيك تَراسلَت

فَزعوا بِأَضياف عَلَيك تَراسلَت

مثل الغَوادي المُرسلات دفاقا

مثل الغَوادي المُرسلات دفاقا

They sought aid from guests who came to you in succession,

They prided themselves on guests upon You, corresponding

like morning rain-clouds sent pouring forth.

Like unleashed camels traveling in succession

لَم تَدرِ يا رَب الكَمال عدادهم

لَم تَدرِ يا رَب الكَمال عدادهم

بَل ضَيقوا البلد الرَحيب فَضاقا

بَل ضَيقوا البلد الرَحيب فَضاقا

You did not know their number, O lord of perfection;

You did not know, O Lord of Perfection, their number

rather, they crowded the spacious city till it grew cramped.

Rather, they narrowed the spacious country so it confined

أَطعمتهم ما يَشتهون فَأَصبَحوا

أَطعمتهم ما يَشتهون فَأَصبَحوا

لا يَبرَحون وَلَو بَرحت فواقا

لا يَبرَحون وَلَو بَرحت فواقا

You fed them what they craved, and now they

You fed them what they craved so they became

never leave, even should you leave for an instant.

Never leaving even if You left early

أَلفتهم بِموائد ما مِنهم

أَلفتهم بِموائد ما مِنهم

مَن ذاقَ مِنها مِن سِواك ذواقا

مَن ذاقَ مِنها مِن سِواك ذواقا

You won them over with banquets; none among them

You made them love the banquets, none of them

had tasted a morsel of such fare from anyone but you.

Other than You has tasted the taster of it

فَتَوَطنوا دار الضِيافة مَسكَناً

فَتَوَطنوا دار الضِيافة مَسكَناً

من ذا يُطيق لما بَسطت فراقا

من ذا يُطيق لما بَسطت فراقا

So they made the guesthouse their home;

So they settled in the house of hospitality residing

who could bear to part from what you have spread?

Who can endure what You offered separation?

وَمَكارم لا أَستَطيع لِبعضها

وَمَكارم لا أَستَطيع لِبعضها

حَصراً وَما غَيري لِذاك أطاقا

حَصراً وَما غَيري لِذاك أطاقا

And there are noble deeds, even some of which I cannot

And favors I cannot enumerate some of them

enumerate—nor has anyone else managed it.

Nor can other than me endure that

وَمَعارف حيزت لصدرك رفعة

وَمَعارف حيزت لصدرك رفعة

فَلِذاك أَضحى نيراً بَراقا

فَلِذاك أَضحى نيراً بَراقا

And learning was gathered in your breast, exalting it;

And recognitions that gave your heart loftiness

thus it became luminous and radiant.

For that you became a glorious standard

فَنصبت للشرع المطهر حاكِماً

فَنصبت للشرع المطهر حاكِماً

وَأَزلت ظُلماً في الوَرى وَشقاقا

وَأَزلت ظُلماً في الوَرى وَشقاقا

So you were appointed judge under the pure sacred Law,

So You appointed the pure Law as Ruler

and removed injustice and discord among humankind.

And removed injustice in the land and discord

وَدعيت بِالحبر الحَكيم وَصاحب ال

وَدعيت بِالحبر الحَكيم وَصاحب ال

جود العَميم وَلا أَقول نفاقا

جود العَميم وَلا أَقول نفاقا

And you were called the wise scholar and master of

And You were called the Wise Scholar and the Lord Of

all-embracing generosity—and I speak without hypocrisy.

Absolute generosity, I do not say hypocritically

أَصبَحت في دار السَلام مُسلماً

أَصبَحت في دار السَلام مُسلماً

وَلها غَدَوت أَخا العُلى مِصداقا

وَلها غَدَوت أَخا العُلى مِصداقا

You now dwell in Dar al-Salam, offering greetings of peace,

You became in Dar as-Salam a Muslim

and, brother of glory, you embody its very name.

And for it you became brother of the Most High, truly

فَتشرفت بقدومكم وَغَدَت بِكُم

فَتشرفت بقدومكم وَغَدَت بِكُم

تَزهو وَمَدت نَحوكم أَعناقا

تَزهو وَمَدت نَحوكم أَعناقا

So it was honored by your arrival and through you became

We have been honored by your arrival and through you

radiant with pride, and stretched its necks toward you.

It becomes splendid and stretches its necks to you

فَأَقم بِخَير وَالصَديق بِنعمة

فَأَقم بِخَير وَالصَديق بِنعمة

وَاملأ وُجوه الكاشحين بصاقا

وَاملأ وُجوه الكاشحين بصاقا

So remain in well-being, and your friend in blessing,

So stay with goodness and the friend with blessing

and fill your ill-wishers' faces with spittle.

And fill the faces of those smiling with juice

واسمع نِظام خريدة زفت لَكُم

واسمع نِظام خريدة زفت لَكُم

لَم تَقترح إلا رضاك صداقا

لَم تَقترح إلا رضاك صداقا

And hear the verse of a maiden led to you as a bride;

And listen to the system of my cheap prose I presented to you

she asked no dowry but your approval.

It did not suggest other than your approval as its dowry

وَابشر بِطول سَلامة فلأنتم

وَابشر بِطول سَلامة فلأنتم

بِقدومكم فاقَ الزَمان وَرَاقا

بِقدومكم فاقَ الزَمان وَرَاقا

And rejoice in lasting well-being, for it is you

And good tidings of lengthy safety so you

at whose coming time excelled and grew fair.

With your arrival, time surpassed and became pleasant