قَبولُكَ رَيعانُ الشَبابِ فَلا وَلّى

قَبولُكَ رَيعانُ الشَبابِ فَلا وَلّى

وَبِشرُكَ كَالبُشرى عَلى النَعيِ أَو أَحلى

وَبِشرُكَ كَالبُشرى عَلى النَعيِ أَو أَحلى

Your favor is the bloom of youth—may it never depart!

Your acceptance is the prime of youth, it does not decline

And your cheerfulness is like glad tidings after news of death—or sweeter.

And your good news is like glad tidings over mourning or even sweeter

تُنيرُ لِمُستَهدٍ وَتَعصِمُ خائِفاً

تُنيرُ لِمُستَهدٍ وَتَعصِمُ خائِفاً

فَحيناً تُرى شَمساً وَحيناً تُرى ظِلّا

فَحيناً تُرى شَمساً وَحيناً تُرى ظِلّا

You light the way for one seeking guidance and protect the fearful.

You give light to the guided and protect the fearful

So at times you appear as a sun, and at times as shade.

You appear like a sun at times, and like shade at others

بَرَعتَ أَبا بَكرٍ فَلَستَ بِمُرتَضٍ

بَرَعتَ أَبا بَكرٍ فَلَستَ بِمُرتَضٍ

رَوَّيتَهُم شَمساً وَلا طَلَّهُم وَبلا

رَوَّيتَهُم شَمساً وَلا طَلَّهُم وَبلا

You have excelled, Abu Bakr, and will not accept

You excelled Abu Bakr, so you are not to be rejected

[Unclear as written: "you quenched their thirst, a sun"], nor their dew as a downpour,

You showed them the sun but no begging tired them out

وَلا خَبَّهُم مَشياً وَلا جِدَّهُم وَنىً

وَلا خَبَّهُم مَشياً وَلا جِدَّهُم وَنىً

وَلا سَيفَهُم سوطاً وَلا تاجَهُم نَعلا

وَلا سَيفَهُم سوطاً وَلا تاجَهُم نَعلا

Nor their trotting as walking, nor their earnest effort as languor,

Neither did their pace exhaust them, nor their vigor fail them

Nor their sword as a whip, nor their crown as a sandal.

Neither was their sword a whip, nor their crown slippers

إِذا نَحنُ مَثَّلناكَ بِالشُهبِ أَطرَقَت

إِذا نَحنُ مَثَّلناكَ بِالشُهبِ أَطرَقَت

حَياءً وَقالَت بَل لَهُ المَثَلُ الأَعلى

حَياءً وَقالَت بَل لَهُ المَثَلُ الأَعلى

When we compare you to the bright stars, they lower their gaze

When we liken you to meteors they bow down in shyness

In bashfulness, and say: "Rather, his is the highest ideal."

And say: but the highest example belongs to Him

وَبَينَ العَوالي وَاليَراعِ أُخُوَّةٌ

وَبَينَ العَوالي وَاليَراعِ أُخُوَّةٌ

وَفَيتَ لَها وَالشَكلُ لا يَقلَعُ الشَكلا

وَفَيتَ لَها وَالشَكلُ لا يَقلَعُ الشَكلا

And between lofty lances and reed pens lies a brotherhood;

And between the high and low there is brotherhood

You have kept faith with it, and like does not uproot like.

And it is lost between them, a form cannot remove a form

سَأَشكُرُ ما أَولَيتني وَلَو أَنَّني

سَأَشكُرُ ما أَولَيتني وَلَو أَنَّني

سَكَتُّ لَكانَت حالَتي مَنطِقاً فَصلا

سَكَتُّ لَكانَت حالَتي مَنطِقاً فَصلا

I shall give thanks for what you bestowed on me; and even if I

I will thank what you have granted me, even if I

Kept silent, my condition would be clear, decisive speech.

Stayed silent, my state would have been an eloquent speech

وَما الرَوضُ غَضّاً لِلسَحابِ بِشاكِرٍ

وَما الرَوضُ غَضّاً لِلسَحابِ بِشاكِرٍ

وَلَكِنَّهُ بِالحَقِّ يَكتُبُ ما أَملى

وَلَكِنَّهُ بِالحَقِّ يَكتُبُ ما أَملى

And the garden, though lush, does not thank the raincloud,

The meadow is not ungrateful to the clouds when it rains

But in truth it writes what the raincloud dictated.

Rather it writes with truth what He dictates