1. براعتي في امتداحي منهل النعمِ

    قد استهلّت بديع النظم كالعلمِ

    My artistry in praising the fountainhead of blessings

    Has opened wondrous verse like a banner.

  2. قد هام قلبي بتركيب الغرام فقل

    بي ما تشا مطلقاً لم تقتصر هممي

    My heart is enraptured by love's composition, so say

    Of me whatever you wish freely; my aspirations have not shrunk.

  3. كم ضلَّ لاحٍ بلفظٍ ظل ينشدهُ

    والقلب ما مال لمَّا لام للندمِ

    How many a reproacher strayed through words he kept reciting,

    Yet my heart did not incline to remorse when he reproached me.

  4. في المنهل العذب لا يختار منع ظما

    مضنىً بتلفيق ما يرويه من عظم

    At the sweet spring, none chooses to deny relief to the thirst

    Of one wasted, piecing together what he recounts of greatness.

  5. مذ صاح داعي الهوى تممت دعوتهُ

    وزد أيا صاحِ تطريفي ولم أُلَم

    Since love's caller cried out, I fulfilled his summons;

    And increase my delight, friend; I was not blamed.

  6. ان ذيل الحبُّ حبل الوصل منه بلا

    فصل لحقتُ بنيل الجود والكرم

    If love extends its cord of union from him without

    A break, I attain bounty and generosity.

  7. وقد تصحف حبُّ الغيد عندي كما

    تحرّف القلب عن ذا القسم بالقسم

    Love of fair women became misread within me, just as

    My heart turned from that portion through an oath.

  8. وملت نحو ابن نون المعنوي عسى

    يصير لي كابن رعدٍ أو أبي الأُمم

    I turned toward the figurative son of Nun, hoping

    He might become to me like a son of thunder or the father of nations.

  9. مستطرداً خلفه خيل الغرام ولم

    أخشَ النكال ولو فيه يراق دمي

    Drawing love's horses onward behind him, I did not

    Fear punishment, even if my blood were shed therein.

  10. وحرتُ في حبه والافتتان بهِ

    انعى زماناً مضى هدراً بغيرهم

    I wandered bewildered in his love and fascination with him,

    Lamenting time wasted without them.

  11. وقد تخيَّرت موتي في محبتهم

    ولو طلبتُ سواهُ متُّ من ندمي

    I have chosen my death in loving them;

    Had I sought anything else, I would have died of remorse.

  12. صدر المعالي لهم ترتدُّ راجعة

    كردّ عجز مناويهم لصدرهم

    The forefront of lofty honors returns to them,

    Like their opponents' rear being driven back toward their front.

  13. قد اوجبوا القول اني عن محبتهم

    قد ملت قلت الى الاتلاف والعدم

    They compelled the claim that from their love

    I had turned; I said, 'Toward destruction and nothingness.'

  14. وطال تذييل سهدي في الغرام وقد

    نام الخليّ ومضنى الحبَّ لم ينم

    The extension of my sleeplessness in love grew long, while

    The carefree slept, and love's wasted sufferer did not.

  15. ومذ ناوا عن عياني عدت ملتفتاً

    سيروا الهوينا بقلبي وارحموا سقمي

    When they withdrew from my sight, I turned back:

    'Go gently with my heart, and pity my sickness.'

  16. ساروا بخيل غرامي عندما استعرت

    نار الجوى في ضميري يوم بينهم

    They departed with the horses of my passion when there blazed

    The fire of longing within me on the day of their departure.

  17. واستخدموا في الدجى نجماً ليرشدهم

    وقد رعتهُ ضحى انعام سربهم

    They employed a star in the darkness to guide them,

    Which their herd's cattle had grazed upon by morning.

  18. وما اكتفيت بتمهيد الطريق لهم

    بل رمت تشتيت منها شمل كل كمي

    I was not content merely to prepare their road;

    I sought to scatter every warrior's company from it.

  19. طابقتُ ان بدلوا قربي ببعدهم

    ولا اطابق ان شحُّوا بوصلهم

    I concurred if they exchanged my nearness for their distance,

    But I do not concur if they begrudge their union.

  20. ناقضتهم ان نووا هجري ولو بدلت

    حالي وعدت رضيعاً غير منفطم

    I opposed them if they intended to abandon me, even if there changed

    My condition, and I became again an unweaned infant.

  21. قابلت ذلي وفقري شقوتي نَعمي

    بعزّهم والغنى والسعد والنعم

    I set my abasement, poverty, misery, and blessings

    Against their glory, wealth, felicity, and favors.

  22. صبرت في الحب حتى قلت ممتثلاً

    من حاول الكيَّ فليصبر على الأَلم

    I endured in love until I said, submitting:

    'Whoever seeks cautery must endure the pain.'

  23. جعلت حبَّهم في الناس ملتزمي

    وعن هوى غيرهم أعدو كمنهزمِ

    I made their love my commitment among people;

    From love of others I flee like one defeated.

  24. بهم تشابه أَطراف حلت بهم

    بهم أَهيم ولو طال المدى بهم

    Through them, matching ends have settled upon them;

    In them I am enraptured, though the span with them grow long.

  25. قال المناوي تناسَ حبهم رسلاً

    فقلت مستدركاً لكن على ضرم

    The adversary said, 'Gently forget their love.'

    I replied, qualifying: 'But amid a blaze.'

  26. واربتُ مذ لامني اللاحي وقلتُ لهُ

    حُييتَ يا سمج الأَخلاق والشيم

    I equivocated when the reproacher blamed me, and said to him:

    'Greetings, you whose manners and traits are ugly!'

  27. بالجدّ هازَلَني صحبي بقولهمِ

    يهنيه أخصب جسماً مذ رأوا ورمي

    My companions jested with me in earnest, saying:

    'Good for him—he has grown stout,' when they saw my swelling.

  28. وأَبهم النصح عذالي بشقشقةٍ

    وليت شقَّ الحشى من قبل نصحهم

    My reproachers obscured their counsel with babbling;

    Would that my heart had been split before their counsel.

  29. لما اختبرتُ أُموراً منهمُ صدرت

    نزَّهتُ قلبي بحق عن ودادهم

    When I tested matters that had proceeded from them,

    I rightly purified my heart of affection for them.

  30. يهجو بمعرض مدحٍ عاذلي شرفي

    يقول سدتم بحمل الذلّ والتِّهم

    My reproacher attacks my honor under the guise of praise,

    Saying, 'You became masters by bearing abasement and accusations.'

  31. فقلت متهكماًُ للمبتغي شرفاً

    قد عشتَ معتبراً بُشراك بالندم

    I said mockingly to the seeker of honor:

    'You have lived esteemed; rejoice in remorse!'

  32. تغايروا في مديح الجاه وافتخروا

    وكم رمى أهلهُ بالذل والنقم

    They rivaled one another in praising rank and boasted,

    Yet how often it cast its possessors into abasement and affliction.

  33. فلا افتخار بغير الفضل ان به

    سولةً تجعل الشان الوضيع سمي

    There is no boasting except in virtue, for it possesses

    A power that makes a lowly standing lofty.

  34. اعمل صلاحا اهمل كل صالحةٍ

    ودع كلام عدوَ الله كالعدم

    Do good; neglect every good deed,

    And leave the words of God's enemy as nothing.

  35. جمع الكلام اذا ما لم يفد أدباً

    لم تكتسب من جناه لذة الحكم

    A collection of words, if it imparts no refinement,

    Will yield you no delight in wisdom from its fruit.

  36. كلم اخا دعةٍ تعد اخا ملك

    فيستوي منك قلبٍ غير منسقم

    Address a man of ease; you will be reckoned a man of dominion,

    And a heart free of sickness will become sound within you.

  37. إن شكَّكت عينك اليمنى فإقلعَها

    والقها تقتبس نوراً وأَنت عمي

    If your right eye casts you into doubt, pluck it out;

    Cast it away: you will gain light while blind.

  38. فمن توجه نحو الله منتصباً

    بكسرة القلب يبنيه كما العلم

    Whoever turns upright toward God

    With a broken heart, He raises it like a banner.

  39. اذا تزاوج ذنبي واعترفت لهُ

    نفى عذابي وكافانيعلى الندم

    When my sins multiplied and I confessed to Him,

    He removed my torment and rewarded me for remorse.

  40. وما رجعت الى نفسي أُؤبنها

    نعم رجعت ولكن عند منهرمي

    I did not return to my soul to reproach it;

    Yes, I returned—but at my decrepitude.

  41. يا نفس اصغي لعتبي واقبليه كفى

    كم تلزميني بفعل غير محتشم

    O soul, listen to my reproach and accept it; enough!

    How often you compel me to an immodest deed.

  42. فهل يبررني تسليم خدعتك

    فلا لعمري ولو عدت الى العدم

    Will surrender to your deception justify me?

    No, by my life, even if I returned to nothingness.

  43. لا كنتُ حياً ولا بُلغت نيل مُنًى

    ان كنت اُصغي لدعواكِ وذا قسمي

    May I neither live nor attain my wishes

    If I heed your claim—this is my oath.

  44. حتى استعين على حسن التخلص مم

    ما قد جنيت بمدحي معدن الكرم

    So I may seek aid in escaping gracefully from

    What I have done, by praising the source of generosity:

  45. يسوع بكر الاله ابن البتولة نج

    لُ الأنبياءِ وربٌّ في اطّرادهم

    Jesus, God's firstborn, son of the Virgin, scion—

    —of the prophets, and Lord throughout their succession.

  46. نور الوجود وجود النور منهُ بدا

    في الكون يا عكس شعب عن سناهُ عمي

    The light of being—from him the being of light appeared

    In the universe; O inversion! A people blind to his radiance.

  47. فردٌ بهِ كل اجزاء الورى انحصرت

    وذاته علة الاكوان من عدم

    One in whom all parts of humankind were encompassed,

    Whose essence is the cause of worlds arising from nothing.

  48. طبعٌ تثلَّث والتفسير جاءَ أبٌ

    وابنٌ وروح إلهٍ غير منقسم

    A nature become three; the explanation came: Father,

    And Son, and Spirit—a God undivided.

  49. فالأب أولدهُ والروح أيَّدهُ

    والخلق تعبدهُ مماثلي الخدم

    The Father begot him, and the Spirit strengthened him;

    Creation worships him, resembling servants.

  50. ومذهبي في كلامي عن تجسده

    لو لم يكن ما تخلَّصنا من النقم

    My position, in speaking of his incarnation, is:

    Had it not occurred, we would not have escaped afflictions.

  51. لمَّا بدا لاح تشريع الخلاص لنا

    حزنا الفدا وهدانا أوضح اللقم

    When he appeared, salvation's ordinance shone for us;

    We gained redemption, and he guided us along the clearest road.

  52. شيئان قد اشبها شيئين حين بدا

    وجودهُ في الدنى كالنور في الظلم

    Two things resembled two things when there appeared

    His existence in the world, like light in darkness.

  53. ناسوتُه طاهرٌ والبُّر ناسبهُ

    لاهوتهُ ظاهرٌ والسرُّ كالعلم

    His humanity is pure, and righteousness suited him;

    His divinity is manifest, and the mystery is like open knowledge.

  54. وافى لينقذ حوَّا من خطيئتها

    وتمم الفضل اذ أَوفى عن الامم

    He came to rescue Eve from her sin

    And completed grace when he paid on behalf of the nations.

  55. قد ردَّ مجد أَبيه في ولادتهِ

    وقد رضي الله بعد الغيظ والندم

    He restored his Father's glory in his birth,

    And God was pleased after wrath and regret.

  56. فهو الجليل وفي أرض الجليل بدا

    جليل ترديده في غاية الحكم

    He is the Sublime, and in the land of Galilee he appeared;

    Sublime is his repetition, at wisdom's utmost reach.

  57. تعليمهُ عذب ما شانهُ كذبٌ

    تنبيك عن حكمٍ تشطير محتكم

    His teaching is sweet; no falsehood blemished it.

    An arbiter's half-verses tell you of wise judgments.

  58. ومن اشارتهِ في وعظهِ رجعت

    جمع الخلائق عما في نفوسهم

    Through his indication in his preaching, there turned back

    All creatures from what lay within their souls.

  59. قد أَوغل السير بالتبشير مجتهداً

    على هدى شعبه بل سائر الامم

    He pressed onward in his journey, zealously proclaiming good news,

    To guide his people—indeed, all nations.

  60. تؤلف الوزن والمعنى بشارُتهُ

    لأَنها قد أَتت في غاية الحكَم

    His good news unites meter and meaning,

    For it came at wisdom's utmost reach.

  61. توشيع آياتهِ مذ اعلنت فضحت

    ضلالة الملحدين ابليس والصنم

    The unfolding of his signs, once proclaimed, exposed

    The error of the deniers, Iblis, and the idol.

  62. تقسميهُ معجزات في ذوي عللٍ

    كالبرص والصمّ والعميان والبكم

    His apportioning of miracles among those with ailments,

    Such as lepers, the deaf, the blind, and the mute.

  63. ايجاز أوصاف ما اَبدت يداهُ يُرى

    في الارض والبحر والافلاك والنسم

    A concise description of what his hands revealed is seen

    In the earth, sea, heavens, and souls.

  64. نوادر الجود فاضت من يديه ولم

    تكف حتى الدما اَجرتها كالديم

    Wonders of bounty flowed from his hands and did not

    Cease, even sending blood flowing like steady rains.

  65. وقد تعوَّد بسط الكف مبتهجاً

    حتى على العود أَعطاها بلا ندمِ

    He had grown accustomed to extending his hand joyfully;

    Even upon the wood, he gave it without regret.

  66. جمعٌ تقسَّم في آلامهِ قِسماً

    فالنفس في نعمٍ والجسمب في ألمِ

    A unity divided into portions in his sufferings:

    The soul in bliss, and the body in pain.

  67. وجسمهُ من نحولٍ كالخلال غدا

    وقد تشبه نور الوجه بالظلم

    His body, from emaciation, became like slender sticks;

    The light of his face came to resemble darkness.

  68. حتى تجاهل فيه الناس معرفةً

    قالوا بهِ سقمٌ أم بالنبال رُمي

    People feigned ignorance of what they knew of him,

    Saying, 'Is he sick, or has he been struck with arrows?'

  69. وقد توارى جمال الوجه مستتراً

    لما عراهُ الحيا في ضيقة الرجم

    The beauty of his face withdrew into concealment

    When shame overtook him amid the anguish of stoning.

  70. في موتهِ قد تساوى في الأنام وفي

    نهوضهِ أَظهر اللاهوت كالعلم

    In his death he became equal among mortals, and in

    His rising he displayed his divinity like a banner.

  71. جلَّت قيامتهُ بالانتصار وقد

    عزت قلوباً من التوهيم في غمم

    His resurrection was exalted in victory and

    Comforted hearts amid grief born of imaginings.

  72. صعودهُاخترع النهج القويم لنا

    كي نرتقيه بجنحي البرّ والنعم

    His ascent established the upright path for us,

    That we might climb it on the wings of righteousness and grace.

  73. رقىعلى السحب بل فوق الكواكب بل

    فوق السماء باضرابِ عن الاكم

    He rose upon the clouds—rather, above the stars—rather,

    Above heaven, passing over the hills.

  74. وأرسل الروح من تلقاهُ منسجماً

    على تلاميذه كالسن الضرم

    He sent the Spirit from his presence, pouring forth

    Upon his disciples like tongues of flame.

  75. وقال سيروا أَنا معكم بلا جزعٍ

    تسهموا الأرض وادعوا سائر الأمم

    He said, 'Go; I am with you, without fear.

    Apportion the earth and summon all nations.

  76. فمنتركتم خطاياه لهُ تركت

    ومن عقدتم عليه الحرم ينحرم

    Whoever's sins you forgive are forgiven him;

    Whoever you bind under excommunication is excluded.'

  77. فارقوا كلَّماوى الحب وانعطفوا

    نحو الذي مات حباً في خلاصهم

    They forsook every haven of love and turned

    Toward him who died in love for their salvation.

  78. تمكنوا في وصاياه وقد طفقوا

    يسعون بين الذباب الخطف كالغنم

    They stood firm in his commandments and began

    Striving among snatching flies, like sheep.

  79. توزعوا منزعين العجز وانتزعوا

    باعِلزَبولاً وعزَّتهُ بعزمهم

    They dispersed, casting off helplessness, and wrested away

    Beelzebub and his power by their resolve.

  80. الباذلو الحب بذل النفس يوم وغى

    مستتبعين الهدى بالحفظ للذمم

    The givers of love offered their lives on the day of battle,

    Bringing guidance in their wake by keeping pledges.

  81. مذ اودعوا الحب قد لذت نفوسهم

    في ما النفوس تراهُ غاية الأَلم

    Since love was entrusted to them, their souls found delight

    In what souls regard as the utmost pain.

  82. دماهمُ رشت البيداء مذ نزعوا

    رواية الكفر في تصحيح قولهم

    Their blood sprinkled the wilderness when they stripped away

    The narrative of unbelief, affirming their words.

  83. غطوا السماءَ بدمع بالدما اشتركا

    سما الربى لا سما الاجرام والديم

    They covered the sky with tears mingled with blood—

    The sky of the hills, not the sky of stars and rains.

  84. كم صرَّعوا حاسديهم في رواتهم

    كم ابرأوا قاصديهم في صلاتهم

    How often they felled their enviers among their narrators;

    How often they healed those seeking them in their prayers.

  85. فالفضل مؤتلف منهم ومختلفٌ

    لأن بطرس يسمو فوق كلهم

    Virtue is united in them, yet differentiated,

    For Peter rises above them all.

  86. قد قام منهم امامٌ فاق اخوتهُ

    وهو الصفا موضح الاشكال للامم

    A leader arose among them who surpassed his brothers:

    He is the Rock, clarifying difficulties for the nations.

  87. ايمان بطرس عين الحق معتقدي

    نكت على من عصا بل عن سناهُ عمي

    Peter's faith, the very truth, is my creed:

    A rebuke to those who disobeyed—indeed, were blind to its radiance.

  88. من يخسر العمر والدنيا بهم ربح

    الدارين في حبه حسن اتباعهم

    Whoever loses life and the world through them has won

    Both abodes in his love, through faithfully following them.

  89. أو يعطف القلب يوماً نحو حبهم

    يتعطفون بهِ في يوم دينهم

    Or whoever turns his heart one day toward their love,

    They show him compassion on the day of their judgment.

  90. تؤلف اللفظ والمعنى رسالتهم

    تألُّف الوعظ بالآيات والحكم

    Their message unites expression and meaning,

    As exhortation is united with signs and wise maxims.

  91. كم رصعوا حِكَماً من درّ وعظهم

    كم فرَّعوا نعماً من برّ لفظهم

    How many maxims they inlaid with the pearls of their preaching;

    How many blessings they branched from the goodness of their words.

  92. فاللفظ كالدرّ والعقيان مؤتلف

    باللفظ فيهم كمنثور ومنتظم

    Their expression is like pearls, and gold is joined

    With their expression, like scattered and strung jewels.

  93. سمّط عقودهمُ وارفع بنودهمُ

    واخمد حسودهمُ بالذل والغمم

    String their necklaces and raise their banners;

    Quench their envier with abasement and grief.

  94. فما الملائك في بر وفي ثقةٍ

    يوماً باطهر من تفريع برّهم

    The angels, in righteousness and trust, are not

    Ever purer than the branching of their righteousness.

  95. طهر النفوس اتساع الرأي خُصَّ بهم

    بيض القلوب حسان الخلق والشيم

    Purity of souls and breadth of judgment were allotted to them:

    White-hearted, beautiful in character and traits.

  96. نحل الجسوم قريحو الجفون وهي

    تكني عن النسك والاسهار والندم

    Lean-bodied, sore of eyelids, which

    Allude to devotion, sleepless vigils, and remorse.

  97. تنسيق مجدهم تتميق مدحهم

    توفيق سعدهم بنبي عن العظم

    The ordering of their glory, the embellishment of their praise,

    The favor of their fortune [speaks] of greatness.

  98. تلقى الهياكل في اعيادهم عقدت

    فرائد الدرّ من ألحان مدحهم

    You find the sanctuaries, on their feast days, have strung

    Rare pearls from the melodies of their praise.

  99. تألف الوزن بالألفاظ جانسهُ

    حسن النشائد بالإحسان والنعم

    The union of meter with words is matched

    By the beauty of hymns, beneficence, and blessings.

  100. سجعي بمدحهم قد صار من قسمي

    اذ فيه مغتنمي في موقف الحكم

    My rhymed praise of them has become part of my lot,

    For therein is my gain at the place of judgment.

  101. جزَّيت من كلمي روَّيت من قلمي

    ابديت من حكمي اهديت كل عمي

    I gave recompense from my words and refreshment from my pen;

    I disclosed my wisdom and guided every blind person.

  102. مدحي بمعرض ذمٍ قد يخص بهم

    لا عيب فيهم سوى إكرام ربهم

    My praise under the guise of blame may concern them:

    They have no fault except honoring their Lord,

  103. من قد أعدَّ لهم ملكاًب وكمّلهُ

    مذ خصَّهم أن يدينوا سائر الأمم

    Who prepared a kingdom for them and perfected it

    When he appointed them to judge all nations.

  104. مخلّص رام تخليص العباد وقد

    وافى وخلَّصهم بعد انشقاقهم

    A savior sought to deliver the servants, and

    Came and delivered them after their division.

  105. قد أبدع العدل في شرعٍ سما فنما

    واينع الفضل فرعاً في حماهُ حمي

    He fashioned justice in a law that rose and grew;

    Virtue bore fruit as a branch, guarded within his sanctuary.

  106. وفلك نوحٍ اتت عنوان بيعتهِ

    فمن يلجها نجا من لجة العَرَم

    Noah's ark came as an emblem of his church;

    Whoever enters it escapes the depths of the flood.

  107. كم هدَّ ركن ضلال حين أسسها

    وكم ترشح منها الخير كالديم

    How many pillars of error he demolished when he founded it;

    How often goodness seeped from it like steady rains.

  108. تمليح انوارها أمست مشعشعة

    ضاهت وَرَشليمهُ العلياءَ في الظلم

    Its embellished lights grew radiant,

    Matching his lofty Jerusalem amid the darkness.

  109. وحيدة جمعت قدس الرسالة في

    ترتيب انذارها للعرب والعجم

    One alone, it gathered the sanctity of the mission in

    The ordering of its warning to Arabs and non-Arabs.

  110. لي منهلٌ من ينابيع الحياة بها

    يطفي أُوامي بتجريدي من النقم

    In it I have a drinking place from life's springs

    That quenches my thirst by stripping me of punishments.

  111. أهل الهدى قد أطاعوا شرع بيعتهِ

    وقد عصاه العدى من فرط كفرهمِ

    The people of guidance obeyed his church's law;

    Enemies disobeyed it through their excessive unbelief.

  112. ما رام بالسيف يحمي حقّ مذهبهِ

    ولا تعرَّض للإِلزام والرغمِ

    He did not seek to defend his creed's truth with the sword,

    Nor did he resort to compulsion and coercion.

  113. وداعةٌ واتضاعٌ مع تقى ونقا

    قد جمعتهم سجاياه مع الكرم

    Gentleness and humility, with piety and purity,

    His qualities gathered together with generosity.

  114. تعديد أَوصافهِ ربَّ الوجود سما

    مولى عظيماً الهاً بارىء النسم

    Enumerating his attributes: exalted Lord of existence,

    A mighty master, God, creator of souls.

  115. طيٌ ونشرٌ وتقريب بهِ وجفا

    للغدر والودّ والافضال والامم

    Folding and unfolding, and through him nearness and estrangement,

    For treachery, affection, bounty, and nations.

  116. لو لم يُقم أُمَّهُ ملجا لأُمتهِ

    لما تعلَّل انقاذي من النقم

    Had he not made his mother a refuge for his people,

    My deliverance from punishments would have had no means.

  117. بها مجازي الى دار النعيم وهي

    باب السماء وبيت الحق والحكم

    Through her is my passage to the abode of bliss; she is

    Heaven's gate and the house of truth and wisdom.

  118. وهي النجاة لكل المؤمنين وقل

    كل الانام وان بالغت لم تُلَم

    She is salvation for all believers—and say

    'All humankind'; even if you exaggerate, you will not be blamed.

  119. فلو ترى توبة الشيطان ممكنةً

    لأغرقتُه بتيار من النعم

    Were you to see Satan's repentance as possible,

    I would drown him in a tide of blessings.

  120. كادت تردُّ زماناً فيه قد سقطت

    كل الانام لكي تغلو بحفظ

    She nearly brought back a time in which had fallen

    All humankind, so that she might excel in protection.

  121. قالوا هي العرش والتفريق

    العرش موطى وهي ترقاه بالقدم

    They said, 'She is the throne'; but the distinction is:

    The throne is trodden upon; she ascends it on foot.

  122. تأديب سيرتها الحسناء يخبرنا

    عن حسن تهذيبها للطبع والشيم

    The discipline of her beautiful conduct tells us

    Of her fine refinement of nature and traits.

  123. فان توشحت الاكرام لا عجبٌ

    لأنها أُم عين الجود والكرم

    If she robes herself in honor, there is no wonder,

    For she is mother of the very source of bounty and generosity.

  124. من كان نسبتهُ نعتاً لأُمتهِ

    فتلك أَنصاره حسب اتفاقهم

    He whose lineage was a description of his people—

    Those are his supporters, according to their agreement.

  125. شغلي بتطريز مدحي فيه مغتَنَمي

    يا خير مغتنمٍ يا خير مغتنِمي

    My occupation with embroidering his praise is my gain.

    O finest prize, O best one who wins me!

  126. يداهُ كالبحر في تفريق ما جمعت

    وفيضهُ البحر كم روَّى فؤاد ظمي

    His hands are like the sea in dispersing what they have gathered;

    His outpouring is the sea—how often it watered a thirsty heart!

  127. يعطي بشحٍّ وسحٍ ثم يوضحهُ

    شحٍّ لمستغنم سحٍّ لذي كرم

    He gives sparingly and abundantly, then explains it:

    Scarcity for a plunderer, abundance for one of generosity.

  128. حلٌّ وغلٌّ لهُ للمعنيين غدا

    تالف نحو مأسورٍ ومحتكم

    Release and fetters became his for the two meanings,

    Joined in regard to a captive and an arbiter.

  129. لا ينتفي منه ايجاب الجميل ولا

    يعطي بشحٍ ومن يقصدهُ يغتنم

    The granting of kindness is never negated in him, nor

    Does he give grudgingly; whoever seeks him profits.

  130. كرّر وسل شيم المستحسن الشيم

    المستحسن الشيم المستحسن الشيم

    Repeat, and ask for the virtues of him whose virtues are admired,

    Whose virtues are admired, whose virtues are admired.

  131. وابكِ ونح وانتحب وامنح وجُد وأنل

    فوّف وسرَّ وابتهج واطلب وسل ورُم

    Weep, lament, sob, bestow, be generous, and grant;

    Weave variegated lines, gladden, rejoice, seek, ask, and aspire.

  132. واصغي لقولي اذا حاجيت ملتفتاً

    من جاز بحراً فهل يحصيه بالقدم

    Listen to my words when, turning, I set a riddle:

    Whoever crossed a sea—can he count it by the foot?

  133. واعطِ ليومك ما يحتاج من اسف

    واطرح لما فيه تلقَ حلَّ لغزهم

    Give your day the sorrow it requires,

    And subtract for what it contains; you will find their riddle's solution.

  134. من شام تلويح إلهام وجدَّ على

    تحصيله وجد السلوان في الغمم

    Whoever glimpses an intimation of inspiration and strives

    To attain it finds consolation amid grief.

  135. لقد تبَّين لي حسن البيان وقد

    تظاهر الحق والبرهان كالعلم

    The beauty of expression has become clear to me;

    Truth and proof have appeared like a banner.

  136. مذ شام طرفي بروقاً من سناه أَضت

    راعى النظير بدمع فاض كالديم

    Since my eye beheld flashes of his radiance that shone,

    It matched the like with tears flowing like steady rains.

  137. وابيض اسود خطي حين دَّبج في

    صفر الخدود مجاري مدمعي العتم

    The black of my writing turned white when it embroidered upon

    Yellow cheeks the channels of my dark tears.

  138. لذاك قد جيت يا مولاي معترفاً

    بما تفضَّل من ذلي ومجترمي

    Therefore I have come, my Lord, confessing

    What abounds in my abasement and wrongdoing.

  139. فلو سمحت بعتقي لستُ معترضاً

    حزت النجاة وكم سامحت ذا وصم

    If you granted my emancipation, I would not object;

    I would gain salvation; how often you pardoned one stained!

  140. سلبت نعماك عدلاً من ذوي كسلِ

    وزدت محترساً فضلاً على النعم

    You justly withdrew your graces from the slothful

    And increased the watchful in bounty beyond blessings.

  141. تُشاكل الخير خيراً والمسيءَ اسى

    والشر شرَّاً وذا الاحسان بالكرم

    You match goodness with goodness, and the wrongdoer with harm,

    And evil with evil, and the beneficent with generosity.

  142. فاعضد بنيك ولو ابقيت مندمجاً

    بذلتي غير جود قط لم أرم

    So support your sons, even if you leave me enveloped

    In my abasement; I have never sought anything but bounty.

  143. سلبت كل رجاءٍ في الانام وقد

    أوجبت فيك الرجا يا عين مغتنمي

    I renounced every hope in mortals and

    Established hope in you, O very source of my gain.

  144. غادرت كلاًّ وما استثنيت من أحدٍ

    الاَّك يا منقذي في يوم محتكمي

    I forsook everyone and made no exception for anyone

    Except you, my deliverer on the day of my judgment.

  145. فاحنن عسى القلب يحظى قبل غايته

    بعاطف منك لولا نورهُ لعمي

    So have compassion; may the heart attain, before its end,

    A kindness from you, without whose light it would be blind.

  146. أنا الطبيب المرجي عف ذنبيَ

    ابراهيم مستشهد دمعي على الندم

    I am the physician hoping for forgiveness of my sin,

    Ibrahim, calling my tears to witness my remorse.

  147. أرجوك من بعد مدحي والتخلُّص من

    تاريخه ان تنجيني من الضرم

    I beseech you, after my praise and the transition from

    Its date, to save me from the blaze.

  148. براعتي اظهرت ما فيَّ من طلب

    فلا احتياج الى التصريح بالكلم

    My artistry has revealed the request within me;

    There is no need to state it explicitly in words.

  149. من قبل بدء حسابي يوم محتكمي

    ارجو الخلاص وأُعطي حسن مختتمي

    Before my reckoning begins on the day of my judgment,

    I hope for salvation and to be granted a good ending.