أماني الهنا بالحمد وافت وبالشكر

ووجه التهاني قد تهلل بالبشر

Hopes of happiness have arrived with praise and gratitude,

And the face of congratulation has beamed with joy.

وهب نسيم القرب ينشر ما انطوى

وفاح شذاه وانثنى طيب النشر

And the breeze of nearness has blown, unfolding what lay folded,

And its fragrance wafted, and it returned sweet-scented.

وقد اينعت تلك الرياض واصبحت

طرابلس الفيحاء باسمة الثغر

And those gardens have ripened, and now

Spacious Tripoli wears a smile upon her lips.

وايامها من بعد ما كان اظلمت

بدت غرّة تزهو على جبهة الدهر

And her days, after they had darkened,

Have appeared as a white blaze shining on the brow of time.

وجاورها البرح ان بحر من الندى

وبحر به تلك على ظهره تجري

And beside her lie [apparently two seas]: a sea of generosity,

And a sea upon whose back she sails.

وبالحسن كم ازرت بثغر ربوعها

وسادت بواديها السعيد على مصر

And how often, in beauty, her precincts' harbor has put others to shame;

And with her happy valley she has surpassed Egypt.

وحازت كمالا بالضياء وبنجة

وفاقت به نورا على الشمس والبدر

And she has attained perfection through radiance and [perhaps joy],

And through him has outshone the sun and full moon in light.

امام الهدى قاضي القضاة ومن حوى

محلا رفيعا في العلا سامي القدر

The imam of guidance, judge of judges, and one who has attained

A lofty station in glory, exalted in rank.

ربيع الندى يحيى به الفضل جوده

يقل به عن جعفر خالد الذكر

A spring of generosity, through whom excellence lives; his bounty

Makes Ja'far's undying renown seem slight.

ولا عيب فيه غير ان يمينه

يجود بما فيها ولم يخش من فقر

And he has no fault, save that his right hand

Lavishes what it holds, and he fears no poverty.

فقل للذي يخشى من العسر لذبه

فيمناه في عسر تجود وفي يسر

So tell whoever fears hardship: take refuge in him,

For his right hand gives in hardship and in ease.

فليس له في فعله من مضارع

وفي كل حال لم يزل ماضي الامر

For in his actions he has no equal,

And in every circumstance he remains resolute in command.

له منطق من نحوه الدر يجتلى

ولفظ معانيه البديعة كالسحر

From the manner of his speech, pearls are brought to light,

And his wording's wondrous meanings are like magic.

وفاقت على قس فصاحة لفظه

كذاك بسحبان بلاغته تزري

And the eloquence of his words has surpassed Quss;

Likewise, his rhetoric puts Sahban to shame.

ورتبته يعلو السماك محلها

وطائره الميمون يسمو على النسر

And the station of his rank rises above al-Simak,

And his auspicious bird soars above the Eagle.

عطاياه عدا ليس تحصى هباتها

لأن عطاياه تجل عن الحصر

His gifts—their bounty cannot be reckoned in number,

For his gifts are too great to be counted.

هو البحر الا ان مورده حلا

فحدث وقل ما شئت واحك عن البحر

He is the sea, except that his waters are sweet;

So speak, say what you wish, and tell of the sea.

عريق الندى من نسل اكرم والد

ويحر وفاء قد تولد من بحر

Rooted in generosity, descended from a most generous father,

And [a sea] of faithfulness, born of a sea.

له راحة تروي المكارم عن عطا

ووجه لنا يروي الطلاقة عن بشر

His palm recounts noble deeds from ʿAtaʾ—Giving,

And his face recounts cheerfulness to us from Bishr—Joy.

وساد بما قد شاد في ذروة العلا

من الفضل والمجد المؤثل والفخر

And he has gained preeminence through what he built at glory's summit

Of excellence, firmly rooted glory, and pride.

تطابق وصفي فيه معنى وصورة

فلا غرو ان ابدعت في النظم والنثر

My description of him accords in meaning and form;

So it is no wonder that I have excelled in verse and prose.

ولولاه ما صغت القريض ولا بدت

محاسنها تبدي الحلاوة من شعري

And but for him, I would not have fashioned poetry, nor would there appear

Its beauties, revealing the sweetness of my verse.

ايا واحد العاليا لنحوك انني

جعلت التفاتي لا لزيد ولا عمرو

O peerless one of the heights, toward you, indeed, I have

Turned my attention—not to Zayd or ʿAmr.

فجد لي ببذل الجود منا فطالما

اياديك جادت بالجزيل وبالوفر

So favor me with a generous gift, for so often

Your hands have lavished abundance and plenty.

فاخضر عيشي اسود من حرقة الجوى

وكفي غدت صفرا من البيض والصفر

For the greenness of my life has blackened with burning heartache,

And my palm has become empty of white silver and yellow gold.

فقلبي كسير صح عندك جبره

فلا بدع ان قابلت كسريَ بالجبر

For my heart is broken; its mending is assured with you,

So it is no wonder if you meet my brokenness with mending.

أمولاي عذرا عن تأخر مدحتي

فاني مغرى بالهوى والهوى عذري

O my lord, pardon the delay in my praise,

For I am enthralled by love, and love is my excuse.

ودونكها مني اليك حديقة

موشعة الالفاظ يانعة الزهر

And here it is, from me to you—a garden,

Embroidered in wording, with ripened flowers.

حروف معانيها الحسان بديعة

والفاظها في الحسن كالانجم الزهر

The letters of its beautiful meanings are exquisite,

And its words, in beauty, are like radiant stars.

هي الزرد الصافي عليك ولفظها

على عنق الحسناء عقد من الدر

It is pure chain mail upon you, and its wording

Is a necklace of pearls upon a beautiful woman's neck.

فخذها عروسا ذات حسن يتيمة

لنحوك قد جاءت تزفّ من الخدر

So take her as a bride of beauty, without a peer;

She has come toward you, led from her secluded chamber in bridal procession.

فألق نثار الدر عنه زفافها

عليك وبالغ في الصداق وفي المهر

So cast a shower of pearls [at] her bridal procession

To you, and be lavish in the bridal gift and dower.

فلا زلت بحرا بالعطا متداركاً

بسيط الايادي كاملا وافر البر

So may you ever be a sea, bringing timely aid with gifts,

Open-handed, perfect, abundant in kindness.

ودمت مدى الايام ما هبت الصبا

وما حركت عودا على نغم القمري

And may you endure throughout the days, as long as the east wind blows,

And as long as it stirs a bough to the turtledove's song.