مَعاذَ إلهي كانَ واللّهِ سَيِّداً

مَعاذَ إلهي كانَ واللّهِ سَيِّداً

جَواداً عَلى العِلاّتِ جَمّاً نوافِلُهْ

جَواداً عَلى العِلاّتِ جَمّاً نوافِلُهْ

I seek refuge in my God! By God, he was a chief,

My protector, by God he was a generous lord

Generous despite hardships, abundant in his gifts;

Openhanded with supererogatory deeds

أَغَرَّ خَفاجياً يَرى البُخْلَ سُبَّةً

أَغَرَّ خَفاجياً يَرى البُخْلَ سُبَّةً

تَحَلَّبُ كَفّاهُ النَّدى وأَنامِلُهْ

تَحَلَّبُ كَفّاهُ النَّدى وأَنامِلُهْ

A radiant Khafaji who deemed miserliness a disgrace;

He urged his mount with a whip just for show

His palms and fingertips streamed with bounty.

His palms dripping with the morning dew and reins

عَفِيفاً بعِيدَ الهمِّ صُلْباً قناتُهُ

عَفِيفاً بعِيدَ الهمِّ صُلْباً قناتُهُ

جميلاً مُحَيَّاهُ قَلِيلاً غوائِلُهْ

جميلاً مُحَيَّاهُ قَلِيلاً غوائِلُهْ

Chaste, far-reaching in ambition, with a firm spear shaft;

Chaste, far from worries, firm in purpose

Fair of face, with few acts of malice.

Beautiful in greeting, few his defects

وكانَ إذا ما الضَّيْفُ أرْغى بَعِيرَهُ

وكانَ إذا ما الضَّيْفُ أرْغى بَعِيرَهُ

لَدَيْهِ أَتاهُ نَيْلُهُ وفَواضِلُهْ

لَدَيْهِ أَتاهُ نَيْلُهُ وفَواضِلُهْ

And whenever a guest made his camel bellow

If ever a guest made his camel kneel

Before him, the guest received his gifts and bounty.

His date palms and overflowing generosity came to him

وقَدْ عَلِمَ الجوعُ الذي باتَ سارِياً

وقَدْ عَلِمَ الجوعُ الذي باتَ سارِياً

عَلى الضَّيفِ والجيرانِ أَنَّكَ قاتلُهْ

عَلى الضَّيفِ والجيرانِ أَنَّكَ قاتلُهْ

And hunger knew, as it roamed through the night

Hunger that passed the night raging

Among guest and neighbors, that you were its slayer;

Over the guest and neighbors knows you as its killer

وأَنَّكَ رَحْبُ الباعِ يا تَوْبُ بالقِرى

وأَنَّكَ رَحْبُ الباعِ يا تَوْبُ بالقِرى

إذا ما لئيمُ القَوْمِ ضاقَتْ منازِلُهْ

إذا ما لئيمُ القَوْمِ ضاقَتْ منازِلُهْ

And that, O Tawb, your reach in hospitality was wide,

You whose abode is most ample, repent, in the lands

Whenever the tribe’s miser found his dwellings too cramped.

When the vile among the people are straitened in dwellings

يَبِيتُ قَرِيرَ العَيْنِ مَنْ باتَ جارُهُ

يَبِيتُ قَرِيرَ العَيْنِ مَنْ باتَ جارُهُ

ويُضْحي بخَيْرٍ ضَيْفُهُ ومُنازِلُهْ

ويُضْحي بخَيْرٍ ضَيْفُهُ ومُنازِلُهْ

Whoever spends the night as his neighbor sleeps with contented eyes,

He whose neighbor is you sleeps with delighted eye

And his guest and fellow lodger greet the morning in comfort.

His guest and dwellings fare well in the morning