قُل لأبي الهادي الذي ما أخذت

قُل لأبي الهادي الذي ما أخذت

بنو الثنا من الثَنا ما أخذا

بنو الثنا من الثَنا ما أخذا

Tell Abu al-Hadi: never have the sons of praise taken

Say to Abu al-Hadi, who has won

from praise itself what he has taken.

praise such as the sons of praise have never won:

لله في ثوبِ الزمانِ واحدٌ

لله في ثوبِ الزمانِ واحدٌ

منك بغير المدح ما تلذَّذا

منك بغير المدح ما تلذَّذا

By God, within the robe of Time there is but one

God has, within Time's robe, a peerless one

like you, who has relished nothing but praise.

in you, who have savored nothing but praise.

سموتَ فانحطَّ سواك قائلاً

سموتَ فانحطَّ سواك قائلاً

مَن طلب الرفعةَ فليسمُ كذا

مَن طلب الرفعةَ فليسمُ كذا

You rose, and all besides you sank, as though you said:

You rose, and everyone else sank, saying:

“Whoever seeks eminence, let him rise like this.”

Whoever seeks eminence, let him rise thus.

يَرقى ذُرى العلياء مَن بحجرها

يَرقى ذُرى العلياء مَن بحجرها

نشا وفي لُبانِها المحض اغتذى

نشا وفي لُبانِها المحض اغتذى

He mounts Glory’s highest peaks who, in her lap,

He scales the peaks of eminence who in her lap

grew up and at her breast was nourished on pure milk.

grew up and was nourished on her pure milk.

ذو فكرةٍ لم تَرم في شاكلةٍ

ذو فكرةٍ لم تَرم في شاكلةٍ

بسهمِها إلاَّ وفيها نَفذا

بسهمِها إلاَّ وفيها نَفذا

He commands a charge that never loosed at any mark

One whose thought has never aimed at a flank

its arrow without driving it clean through;

with its arrow without piercing it through;

وذو لسانٍ في الخِصام لم يزل

وذو لسانٍ في الخِصام لم يزل

أقطع من حدِّ حسامٍ شُحذا

أقطع من حدِّ حسامٍ شُحذا

and a tongue that, in dispute, has never ceased to be

And whose tongue, in dispute, has always been

keener than the edge of a well-whetted sword.

sharper than the edge of a whetted sword.

يسكتُ لكن بجوابٍ حاضرٍ

يسكتُ لكن بجوابٍ حاضرٍ

يتركُ أكبادَ الخصومِ فلذا

يتركُ أكبادَ الخصومِ فلذا

He falls silent, yet keeps an answer ready

He silences them, but with a ready answer

that leaves his adversaries’ livers hacked to pieces.

he leaves his opponents' livers in pieces.

فاردُد أحاديث الصَبا إن كنَّ لم

فاردُد أحاديث الصَبا إن كنَّ لم

يَروين عن شمائلٍ منه الشذا

يَروين عن شمائلٍ منه الشذا

Reject the east wind’s tales if they do not

So reject the east wind's tales, if they have not

tell how the fragrance of noble qualities comes from him.

recounted the fragrance of his noble qualities.

لا حبذا إن لم يَذُعنَ نشره

لا حبذا إن لم يَذُعنَ نشره

وإن أذعن نشرَه فحبَّذا

وإن أذعن نشرَه فحبَّذا

No welcome to it if its wafted scent will not yield;

Unwelcome, if they do not spread his fragrance;

but if its scent yields, then welcome indeed.

and if they spread his fragrance, welcome indeed.

كم قد أقام الدهرَ عن فريسةٍ

كم قد أقام الدهرَ عن فريسةٍ

من بُرثن الخطبِ لها مُنتَقِذا

من بُرثن الخطبِ لها مُنتَقِذا

How often has he held Time back from a victim,

How often he has driven Time away from its prey,

rescuing her from the talon of calamity.

rescuing it from calamity's claw.

يَطرُد شيطانَ العنا عن نفسه

يَطرُد شيطانَ العنا عن نفسه

مَن بسماحِ كفِّه تَعوَّذا

مَن بسماحِ كفِّه تَعوَّذا

He drives the demon of misery from the soul

He drives the demon of suffering from himself—

of whoever seeks refuge in his hand’s liberality.

whoever seeks refuge in the bounty of his hand.

حكى رجاءَ الوفد لولا جودُهُ

حكى رجاءَ الوفد لولا جودُهُ

يونس لمّا بالعراءِ نُبِذا

يونس لمّا بالعراءِ نُبِذا

But for his bounty, the delegation’s hope would resemble

But for his bounty, the delegation's hope would have been mirrored

Jonah when he was cast upon the open shore.

by Jonah when he was cast onto the bare ground.