يا حبّذا الصُرَّةُ أَهْدَى لَنا

يا حبّذا الصُرَّةُ أَهْدَى لَنا

جُودُكَ مِنْها أجودَ النَّقْدِ

جُودُكَ مِنْها أجودَ النَّقْدِ

Ah, how lovely the purse! There was bestowed on us

O the auspicious gift is more fitting for us

by your generosity, from it, the finest coinage.

Your generosity from it is the finest wealth

جاءتْ على حاجٍ إليها كما

جاءتْ على حاجٍ إليها كما

جاءَك معشوقٌ على وعْدِ

جاءَك معشوقٌ على وعْدِ

It came when it was needed, just as

It came to one who needed it as

a beloved came to you as promised.

Your beloved came to you on a promise

مجلوّةً صُفْراً تخيّرتَها

مجلوّةً صُفْراً تخيّرتَها

تعمُّداً من سِكّةِ السِّنْدِي

تعمُّداً من سِكّةِ السِّنْدِي

Polished, yellow coins—you selected them

Plated in yellow, you chose it

deliberately, from al-Sindi's mint.

Deliberately from the path of Sindh

أخلَصَ لي رأيُك فيها كما

أخلَصَ لي رأيُك فيها كما

أخلَصَهَا تصفيةً جَدِّي

أخلَصَهَا تصفيةً جَدِّي

Your regard for me in them was pure, just as

Your opinion in it was sincere to me as

my grandfather purified them through refining.

My ancestors refined it with utmost sincerity

لكِنّها أمْسَتْ ولا والّذي

لكِنّها أمْسَتْ ولا والّذي

يخلُقُها ما أصبت عِنْدي

يخلُقُها ما أصبت عِنْدي

But by evening—no, by Him who

But it became, by He who

creates them, you would have found none with me.

Creates it, not what I obtained

بنفسِيَ لا بمنفوسِ التِّلاَدِ

بنفسِيَ لا بمنفوسِ التِّلاَدِ

أقيكَ نوائِبَ الدَّهْرِ العَوَادي

أقيكَ نوائِبَ الدَّهْرِ العَوَادي

With my own life, not with treasured ancestral wealth,

By my soul, not by the vices of greed

I shield you from time's assailing calamities.

I protect you from the returning calamities of fate

شهابُ مُلِمّةٍ وربِيْعُ مَحْلٍ

شهابُ مُلِمّةٍ وربِيْعُ مَحْلٍ

وليثُ كتيبةٍ وهِلاَلُ نَادي

وليثُ كتيبةٍ وهِلاَلُ نَادي

A shooting star in calamity, a springtime in drought,

It is the Shihāb of storm and Rabīʿ of bloom

and a lion of the battalion, a crescent moon of the assembly;

And lion of battalion and crescent of gathering

وميمونُ النقيبَةِ حيثُ حلَّت

وميمونُ النقيبَةِ حيثُ حلَّت

ركائِبُه وأمّتْ من بِلادِ

ركائِبُه وأمّتْ من بِلادِ

and of auspicious nature, wherever alight

And Miymūn of good omen wherever

his riding camels, and whatever lands they seek.

Its banners alighted and called from the land

أطال عيادَةَ المعرُوفِ حتّى

أطال عيادَةَ المعرُوفِ حتّى

رمانا فيك بالشئ المُعَادِ

رمانا فيك بالشئ المُعَادِ

He prolonged his visits to Kindness until

He prolonged the visitation of charity until

he struck us, in you, with the same thing anew.

He cast us with the oft-returning thing

له قَلَمٌ حياةٌ حين يَرْضَى

له قَلَمٌ حياةٌ حين يَرْضَى

وإن يَسْخَطْ فحيةُ بَطْنِ وادي

وإن يَسْخَطْ فحيةُ بَطْنِ وادي

His pen is life when he is pleased;

It has a pen of life when it is content

and if he grows angry, a serpent on a valley floor.

And if it rages, it is the life of the valley’s midst

ويتصِلُ المِدَادُ به فيجرْي

ويتصِلُ المِدَادُ به فيجرْي

دمُ الأعداءِ في ذاكَ المِدَادِ

دمُ الأعداءِ في ذاكَ المِدَادِ

And ink reaches it, and there flows

And ink connects with it so it flows

the blood of enemies within that ink.

The blood of enemies in that ink

سَمَوْتَ أنا الحُسَيْنِ إلى المَعالي

سَمَوْتَ أنا الحُسَيْنِ إلى المَعالي

فَتِيًّا والسادة في السَّوادِ

فَتِيًّا والسادة في السَّوادِ

You rose, [Abu] al-Husayn, to lofty honors,

You lifted me, O Ḥusayn, to the heights

as a youth, while the lords were among the common throng.

A youth, and the masters are in the throng

وشاءَ اللَّهُ في الفُسْطَاطِ خَيْراً

وشاءَ اللَّهُ في الفُسْطَاطِ خَيْراً

فَضَحَّكَ منه بالندبِ الجَوَادِ

فَضَحَّكَ منه بالندبِ الجَوَادِ

And God willed good for al-Fustat,

And God willed goodness in the Fusṭāṭ

so drew smiles from it through the gallant, generous man.

So it smiled at it with the noble weeping

أَتَعْجَبُ أن تغارَ عليْكَ أَرْضٌ

أَتَعْجَبُ أن تغارَ عليْكَ أَرْضٌ

أُعيضَتْ من دُنُوِّكَ بالبِعَاد

أُعيضَتْ من دُنُوِّكَ بالبِعَاد

Do you marvel that a land is jealous over you,

Do you wonder if a land was jealous over you

having been given distance in exchange for your nearness?

Dazzled by your approaching from afar?

وليس بمُنْكَرٍ للشامِ وَجْدٌ

وليس بمُنْكَرٍ للشامِ وَجْدٌ

وهل تَسْلُو الرياضُ عن العِهَادِ

وهل تَسْلُو الرياضُ عن العِهَادِ

Nor is al-Sham's yearning anything strange;

Nor is longing for Damascus odd in someone pierced

and can gardens forget the returning rains?

Do meadows forget about the deer?

وحقُّ الفَصْدِ أن تلقَى الهَدايَا

وحقُّ الفَصْدِ أن تلقَى الهَدايَا

موفَّرةً على يَوْمِ الفِصَادِ

موفَّرةً على يَوْمِ الفِصَادِ

And bloodletting's due is that you receive gifts

It is right that gifts are found

in abundance on the day of bloodletting.

Abundant on the day of the hunt

ولما كان حُلْوُ الشِّعْرِ أقْضَى

ولما كان حُلْوُ الشِّعْرِ أقْضَى

لما أسلفتنيه من الأيادي

لما أسلفتنيه من الأيادي

And since sweet poetry was a better repayment

And when poetry’s sweetness is most fulfilling

for the favors you had advanced to me,

For what I owed you from past generosity

وأحسن من ظِبَاءِ الرّومِ تُهْدَى

وأحسن من ظِبَاءِ الرّومِ تُهْدَى

مُقَرَّطَةً على الجُرْدِ الجِيَادِ

مُقَرَّطَةً على الجُرْدِ الجِيَادِ

and lovelier than the gazelles of Rum offered as gifts,

And better than Rum’s gazelles presented

adorned with earrings upon sleek, noble steeds,

Caparisoned on the steeds’ necks

خصصتُكَ بالذي يُهْدَى فَتَبْقَى

خصصتُكَ بالذي يُهْدَى فَتَبْقَى

محاسِنُهُ إلى يومِ التَّنَادِ

محاسِنُهُ إلى يومِ التَّنَادِ

I favored you with a gift; thus shall endure

I singled you out for what is gifted to remain

its beauties until the Day of Calling.

Its beauties until the day of calling