عليك ثناءُ العالًمين فَصيحُ

عليك ثناءُ العالًمين فَصيحُ

وفيكَ ولاءُ العارِفين صَحيحُ

وفيكَ ولاءُ العارِفين صَحيحُ

All the world’s praise of you is eloquent,

You are praised by all the world, eloquent one

and the devotion of those who know you is true.

And in you is the loyalty of the knowledgeable, truthful one

تبرعتَ بالإحسانِ للناسِ كلِّهم

تبرعتَ بالإحسانِ للناسِ كلِّهم

فحبُّك في سِرِّ القلوب صَريح

فحبُّك في سِرِّ القلوب صَريح

You freely bestowed kindness upon all people,

You have given generously to all people

so love for you is plain in the hearts’ secret depths.

So your love is explicit in the hearts' secret core

إذا مَرِضتْ حالٌ بفقرٍ يَميثُها

إذا مَرِضتْ حالٌ بفقرٍ يَميثُها

فأنت لها مما اشْتكتْه مَسيح

فأنت لها مما اشْتكتْه مَسيح

When someone’s lot sickens with poverty that wastes it away,

If a condition becomes ill with poverty that enfeebles it

then you are its Messiah against the affliction it laments.

Then you are for it a healer from what ails it

ومن عَجبٍ أَنْ يُدركَ الحُرَّ ضَيْقةٌ

ومن عَجبٍ أَنْ يُدركَ الحُرَّ ضَيْقةٌ

وجودُك بينَ العالَمين فسيح

وجودُك بينَ العالَمين فسيح

And it is a wonder that hardship should overtake a noble man,

And it is wondrous that hardship befalls the free man

while your bounty is vast among all people.

While your generosity in the two worlds is abundant

لقد جُدتَ حتى إنّ حاتمَ طَيِّىءِ

لقد جُدتَ حتى إنّ حاتمَ طَيِّىءِ

مُضافا إلى جَدْوَى يديك شَحيح

مُضافا إلى جَدْوَى يديك شَحيح

You have given so freely that even Hatim of Tayy,

Indeed, you have been generous to the extent that even

compared with the bounty of your hands, is miserly.

Hatem Al-Tai's generosity seems stingy compared to your hands' generosity

أفي العدلِ أَنْ أَظْما وجودُك في الورى

أفي العدلِ أَنْ أَظْما وجودُك في الورى

يَسُحّ على طول المَدى ويَسيح

يَسُحّ على طول المَدى ويَسيح

Is it just that I should thirst, while your bounty among mankind

Is it just that your existence in the world be suppressed

pours down and flows through the long course of time,

While it stretches long and wide?

على أنّ لفظي فيك بالمدحِ ذائعٌ

على أنّ لفظي فيك بالمدحِ ذائعٌ

وقلبي بأصنافِ الدُّعاء قَريح

وقلبي بأصنافِ الدُّعاء قَريح

even though my words of praise for you are widespread

Though my words praising you are well-known

and my heart is sore with supplications of every kind?

And my heart is inclined to all kinds of prayer

ولي حاجةٌ يَرْضَى بها اللهُ أولا

ولي حاجةٌ يَرْضَى بها اللهُ أولا

وفيها ثناءٌ شائعٌ ومديح

وفيها ثناءٌ شائعٌ ومديح

And I have a need that would, first of all, please God,

I have a need that God is pleased with first

and in it lie widespread acclaim and praise.

In which there is widespread praise and eulogy

فعاجِلُها حَمْدٌ وشكر مكرِّر

فعاجِلُها حَمْدٌ وشكر مكرِّر

ومَتْجَرُها يومَ المَعادِ رَبيح

ومَتْجَرُها يومَ المَعادِ رَبيح

So its immediate reward is praise and repeated thanks,

Its immediate result is repeated thanks and praise

and its trade on the Day of Return is profitable.

And its long-term harvest is a plentiful profit on Judgement Day

فلي عَيْلةٌ عَشْر وجاريَ خمسةٌ

فلي عَيْلةٌ عَشْر وجاريَ خمسةٌ

وباطنُ أحوالي بذاك قَبيح

وباطنُ أحوالي بذاك قَبيح

For I have ten dependents, and my stipend is five;

For I have a family of ten and five maidservants

and the hidden state of my affairs is wretched on that account.

And the state of my affairs with that is ugly

وأحوالُهم في فَرْط عُسْرٍ وضيقةٍ

وأحوالُهم في فَرْط عُسْرٍ وضيقةٍ

وليس لهم إلا نَداك مُريح

وليس لهم إلا نَداك مُريح

And their lot is one of extreme hardship and distress,

And their condition is one of extreme hardship and straits

and only your bounty can bring them relief.

And they have no comforter but your help

وفَضْلُك إنْ ساوَى الحِسابَيْن إنها

وفَضْلُك إنْ ساوَى الحِسابَيْن إنها

لَعاداتُك اللاتي بهن تُريح

لَعاداتُك اللاتي بهن تُريح

And should your bounty make the two totals equal, such are indeed

If your grace makes the two accounts equal, surely it is

your customary ways, through which you bring relief.

Your customary ways by which you give comfort

عسى عزمةٌ يَحْيا بها منك آمِلٌ

عسى عزمةٌ يَحْيا بها منك آمِلٌ

مريضٌ بأَحْداث الزمان جريح

مريضٌ بأَحْداث الزمان جريح

May a firm resolve from you give life to one who hopes,

Perhaps a firm resolve by which a hopeful lives

sick and wounded by the calamities of time.

Wounded by the times' events, injured

تَجمَّل صمتا والليالي مُصيخةٌ

تَجمَّل صمتا والليالي مُصيخةٌ

لتسمعَه معْ ذاك كيف يصيح

لتسمعَه معْ ذاك كيف يصيح

He maintained his dignity in silence, while the nights listened,

Adorn yourself in silence while the nights grow still

to hear how, despite that, he cries out.

To hear along with that how he cries out

أأرجو سَمِىَّ المصطفى وابنَ عمِّه

أأرجو سَمِىَّ المصطفى وابنَ عمِّه

لحادثةٍ عَمَّت وأنت نصيح

لحادثةٍ عَمَّت وأنت نصيح

Am I to look to the Chosen One’s namesake and his cousin

Shall I hope in the Chosen One and his cousin

for a widespread calamity, when you are a sincere friend?

For a general calamity while you are the sincere advisor?

سأشكر ما أوليتموا يا بني أبى

سأشكر ما أوليتموا يا بني أبى

شُجاعٍ ولو أضْحى علىَّ ضريح

شُجاعٍ ولو أضْحى علىَّ ضريح

I shall give thanks for what you have bestowed, O sons of Abu

I will thank, O sons of my father Al-Shujaa

Shujaʿ, even if a tomb should lie over me.

Even if it means I end up on my deathbed

وأُثنِى كما تُثْنى الرياُ على الحَيا

وأُثنِى كما تُثْنى الرياُ على الحَيا

إذا حركتْها في الأَصائِل ريح

إذا حركتْها في الأَصائِل ريح

And I shall praise, as fragrance praises the rain,

And I will praise just as the winds praise the living

when a breeze stirs it in the late afternoons.

When a breeze stirs them into the spearheads

من العجز أنْ يَضْحَى بحُرٍّ خَصاصةٌ

من العجز أنْ يَضْحَى بحُرٍّ خَصاصةٌ

وفضُلك يَهْمِى دائماً ويَميح

وفضُلك يَهْمِى دائماً ويَميح

It is a mark of helplessness that a noble man should suffer want,

It is weakness that the free man becomes worthless

while your bounty pours down continually and gives freely.

While your grace always ripens and towers