جَنَّبَكَ اللَّهُ عَارِضَ العِلَلِ

جَنَّبَكَ اللَّهُ عَارِضَ العِلَلِ

وَنِلْتَ مَا عِشْتَ أَبْعَدَ الأَمَلِ

وَنِلْتَ مَا عِشْتَ أَبْعَدَ الأَمَلِ

May God spare you the onset of ailments,

May God spare you the onset of affliction,

and may you attain, throughout your life, the farthest hope.

And may you attain the most distant hope.

يَا سَيِّدَاً كُلُّ سَيِّدٍ تَبَعٌ

يَا سَيِّدَاً كُلُّ سَيِّدٍ تَبَعٌ

لَهُ وَطَوْعٌ فِي الصَّرْفِ وَالعَمَلِ

لَهُ وَطَوْعٌ فِي الصَّرْفِ وَالعَمَلِ

O master, every master is a follower

O master, every master is your subordinate,

of yours, obedient in dismissal and official service.

Obedient to your command in good and bad.

وَكَاتِبَاً تَشْهَدُ البَلاَغَةُ

وَكَاتِبَاً تَشْهَدُ البَلاَغَةُ

بِالْفَضْلِ لَهُ فِي التَّفْصِيْلِ وَالجُمَلِ

بِالْفَضْلِ لَهُ فِي التَّفْصِيْلِ وَالجُمَلِ

And O secretary, eloquence bears witness

And a scribe whose eloquence testifies

to your excellence, in detail and in sum.

To his excellence in detail and summary.

يُعْزَلُ قَوْمٌ فَيَيْقُصُونَ وَلاَ

يُعْزَلُ قَوْمٌ فَيَيْقُصُونَ وَلاَ

تَنْقُصُ يَا ذَ الجَلاَلِ والمُثُلِ

تَنْقُصُ يَا ذَ الجَلاَلِ والمُثُلِ

People are dismissed and diminish; but you do not

Some are dismissed and find themselves lacking, but

diminish, O possessor of majesty and exemplary virtues.

You, of majesty and exemplar, are never found wanting.

يَظْهَرُ بِالْعَزْلِ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ

يَظْهَرُ بِالْعَزْلِ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ

آثَارِكَ المُسْتَثِيْرَةِ السُّبُلِ

آثَارِكَ المُسْتَثِيْرَةِ السُّبُلِ

Dismissal brings to light what came before:

Dismissal reveals what your past deeds have sown,

your achievements that opened up the paths.

Your rousing traces on the path.

تُتْعِبُ واللَّهِ صَارِفِيْكَ كَمَا

تُتْعِبُ واللَّهِ صَارِفِيْكَ كَمَا

يَفْضَحُ مَنْ بَعْدَهُ بِذَاكَ بُلِي

يَفْضَحُ مَنْ بَعْدَهُ بِذَاكَ بُلِي

By God, you weary those who dismiss you, just as

By God, your dismissals exhaust successors,

a successor saddled with that task is put to shame

Just as the former’s faults shame his replacement.

مُسْتَدِْكٌ مَا أَضَاعَ ذَاكَ وَذَا

مُسْتَدِْكٌ مَا أَضَاعَ ذَاكَ وَذَا

حَاوَلَ مَا نِلْتَهُ فَلَمْ يَنَلِ

حَاوَلَ مَا نِلْتَهُ فَلَمْ يَنَلِ

by one who restores what that man squandered; and this one

Assertive in recovering what the other lost

sought what you attained, but did not attain it.

And failed to attain what you grasped and held fast.

إِنِّي وَمَا سَيِّدٌ بمُحْتَشِمٍ

إِنِّي وَمَا سَيِّدٌ بمُحْتَشِمٍ

وَلاَ وَلِيٌّ أَيْضَاً بِمُحَتَفِلِ

وَلاَ وَلِيٌّ أَيْضَاً بِمُحَتَفِلِ

I—and no master is bashful,

I am no master of humility or minister

nor is a friend ceremonious either—

Of joyous celebration.

حَضَرْتُ بِالأَمْسِ مَا أُشِيْرَ بِهِ

حَضَرْتُ بِالأَمْسِ مَا أُشِيْرَ بِهِ

مِنَ التَّغَذِّي بِمُخْلِفِ الحَجَلِ

مِنَ التَّغَذِّي بِمُخْلِفِ الحَجَلِ

attended yesterday what had been proposed

I came yesterday with what was hinted

of dining on the partridge's successor.

Of provision from the mountaineer’s den.

فَلَمْ أَزَلْ أَبْتغِيْهِ مُجْتَهِدَاً

فَلَمْ أَزَلْ أَبْتغِيْهِ مُجْتَهِدَاً

فِي السَّهْلِ مِنْ أَرْضِهِ وَفِي الجَبَلِ

فِي السَّهْلِ مِنْ أَرْضِهِ وَفِي الجَبَلِ

So I kept seeking it diligently,

I strove tirelessly to seek it out

in the plains of its land and in the mountains,

On the flat land and in the hills.

حَتَّى تَقَنَّصْنُ مَا بَعَثْتُ بِهِ

حَتَّى تَقَنَّصْنُ مَا بَعَثْتُ بِهِ

وَالبَرُّ بَرٌّ فِي الدِّقِّ وَالجَلَلِ

وَالبَرُّ بَرٌّ فِي الدِّقِّ وَالجَلَلِ

until I hunted down what I have sent,

Until I hunted down what I was sent to find,

and the generous man is generous in small things and great.

And duty is duty in famine or plenty.

تَفَاؤُلاً فِيْهِ بِالرِّيَاشِ وَبِالحَجِّ

تَفَاؤُلاً فِيْهِ بِالرِّيَاشِ وَبِالحَجِّ

الَّذِي بَرٌّ فِي حُرُوفِهِ الأُوَلِ

الَّذِي بَرٌّ فِي حُرُوفِهِ الأُوَلِ

Taking good omens from its plumage and from 'pilgrimage',

With hopeful omens in the winds and the pilgrimage

the pious act found in its opening letters.

Whose letters are auspicious in the beginning.

وَهَذِهِ أُنْسَةٌ سَلَكَتْ بِهَا

وَهَذِهِ أُنْسَةٌ سَلَكَتْ بِهَا

مَسَالِكَ الأَوْلِيَاءِ وَالخَوْلِ

مَسَالِكَ الأَوْلِيَاءِ وَالخَوْلِ

And this is a friendly gesture, by which I followed

This is a familiarity that treads the path

the paths of friends and retainers.

Of saints and intimate friendship.

فَإِنْ تَطَوَّلْتَ فِي القَبُولِ لَهُ

فَإِنْ تَطَوَّلْتَ فِي القَبُولِ لَهُ

فَهَذِهِ نِعْمَةٌ تُجَرَّدُ لِي

فَهَذِهِ نِعْمَةٌ تُجَرَّدُ لِي

So if you graciously favor me by accepting it,

If you are slow to accept it,

then this is a favor set apart for me.

Then this is a gift offered freely to me.

لِأَنَّ فِي رَدِّهِ مُصَحَّفَةٌ

لِأَنَّ فِي رَدِّهِ مُصَحَّفَةٌ

فَصُنْ رِسُولِي عَنْ ذِلَّةِ الخَجَلِ

فَصُنْ رِسُولِي عَنْ ذِلَّةِ الخَجَلِ

For in rejecting it lies a mispointed word;

For refusing it carries disgrace,

so spare my messenger the humiliation of embarrassment.

So spare my messenger the shame of rejection.