أَحُلماً نَرى أَم زَماناً جَديداً

أَحُلماً نَرى أَم زَماناً جَديداً

أَمِ الخَلقُ في شَخصِ حَيٍّ أُعيدا

أَمِ الخَلقُ في شَخصِ حَيٍّ أُعيدا

Is it a dream we see, or a new age?

Dreams we see or a new era,

Do we witness a dream, or a time renewed?

Or has creation been remade in a living person's form?

Or all creation in one living being repeated,

Or has all creation been restored within a living soul?

تَجَلّى لَنا فَأَضَأنا بِهِ

تَجَلّى لَنا فَأَضَأنا بِهِ

كَأَنّا نُجومٌ لَقينا سُعودا

كَأَنّا نُجومٌ لَقينا سُعودا

He appeared to us, so through him we shone,

He was revealed to us so he illuminated us,

He revealed himself to us, and by his light we shone,

as though we were stars that had met auspicious stars.

As if we were stars who found good fortune,

As though we were wandering stars that found their auspicious signs.

رَأَينا بِبَدرِ وَآبائِهِ

رَأَينا بِبَدرِ وَآبائِهِ

لِبَدرٍ وَلوداً وَبَدراً وَليدا

لِبَدرٍ وَلوداً وَبَدراً وَليدا

In Badr and his forefathers we saw

We saw the full moon and its fathers,

In Badr and his forebears, we beheld a sight—

a begetter of a full moon, and a full moon newly born.

A new moon, full moon, and crescent born,

A full moon giving birth, and a full moon newly born.

طَلَبنا رِضاهُ بِتَركِ الَّذي

طَلَبنا رِضاهُ بِتَركِ الَّذي

رَضينا لَهُ فَتَرَكنا السُجودا

رَضينا لَهُ فَتَرَكنا السُجودا

We sought his approval by forsaking what

We sought his pleasure by leaving what

We sought his favor by abandoning the very act

we deemed fitting for him, so we forsook prostration.

We were pleased by so we left prostration,

We deemed fit for him, and thus we ceased our prostration.

أَميرٌ أَميرٌ عَلَيهِ النَدى

أَميرٌ أَميرٌ عَلَيهِ النَدى

جَوادٌ بَخيلٌ بِأَن لا يَجودا

جَوادٌ بَخيلٌ بِأَن لا يَجودا

A prince whose prince is generosity,

A prince, a prince with fresh dew upon him,

A prince over whom generosity itself holds sway,

a generous man who begrudges ever withholding.

A generous one, stingy about not giving,

Lavish in giving, yet miserly lest he fail to give.

يُحَدَّثُ عَن فَضلِهِ مُكرَهاً

يُحَدَّثُ عَن فَضلِهِ مُكرَهاً

كَأَنَّ لَهُ مِنهُ قَلباً حَسودا

كَأَنَّ لَهُ مِنهُ قَلباً حَسودا

He is told of his excellence against his will,

He is spoken of about his virtues reluctantly,

When forced to speak of his own virtue, he is reluctant,

as though his own heart envied him.

As if he has a jealous heart about them,

As if he bore toward his own merit a jealous heart.

وَيُقدِمُ إِلّا عَلى أَن يَفِرَّ

وَيُقدِمُ إِلّا عَلى أَن يَفِرَّ

وَيَقدِرُ إِلّا عَلى أَن يَزيدا

وَيَقدِرُ إِلّا عَلى أَن يَزيدا

And he ventures upon everything except flight,

And he only prefers to flee,

He charges forward against all things, save flight,

and can do everything except grow greater still.

And only estimates he will increase,

And holds power over all, save his drive to exceed all bounds.

كَأَنَّ نَوالَكَ بَعضُ القَضاءِ

كَأَنَّ نَوالَكَ بَعضُ القَضاءِ

فَما تُعطِ مِنهُ نَجِدهُ جُدودا

فَما تُعطِ مِنهُ نَجِدهُ جُدودا

As though your bounty were part of destiny,

As if your gifts are some predestination,

It is as though your bounty were a decree of Fate;

so whatever you give of it, we find to be good fortune.

So whatever you give of it we find renewed,

Whatever you bestow, we receive as destined fortune.

وَرُبَّتَما حَملَةٍ في الوَغى

وَرُبَّتَما حَملَةٍ في الوَغى

رَدَدتَ بِها الذُبَّلَ السُمرَ سودا

رَدَدتَ بِها الذُبَّلَ السُمرَ سودا

And many a charge in battle

And sometimes a brave band in turmoil,

How often, in the heat of battle, have you led a charge,

with which you turned the slender brown spears black;

You returned with it the faded dark swords black,

Returning the slender brown spears stained a deep, dark hue.

وَهَولٍ كَشَفتَ وَنَصلٍ قَصَفتَ

وَهَولٍ كَشَفتَ وَنَصلٍ قَصَفتَ

وَرُمحٍ تَرَكتَ مُباداً مُبيدا

وَرُمحٍ تَرَكتَ مُباداً مُبيدا

and many a terror you dispelled, and a blade you shattered,

And terrors you exposed, and blades you broke,

Many a terror have you dispelled, and many a blade shattered,

and a spear you left destroyed, a destroyer itself;

And spears you left inactive, destroying,

Leaving the lance both destroyed and the destroyer.

وَمالٍ وَهَبتِ بِلا مَوعِدٍ

وَمالٍ وَهَبتِ بِلا مَوعِدٍ

وَقِرنٍ سَبَقتَ إِلَيهِ الوَعيدا

وَقِرنٍ سَبَقتَ إِلَيهِ الوَعيدا

and wealth you bestowed without prior promise,

And money you gave without appointment,

And wealth you have bestowed without a prior promise,

and a foe you reached ahead of your threat.

And spears you preceded with threats,

And the foe you struck down before the threat could reach him.

بِهَجرِ سُيوفِكَ أَغمادَها

بِهَجرِ سُيوفِكَ أَغمادَها

تَمَنّى الطُلى أَن تَكونَ الغُمودا

تَمَنّى الطُلى أَن تَكونَ الغُمودا

Because your swords forsook their scabbards,

By sheathing your swords, their scabbards,

Because your swords have so long forsaken their sheaths,

necks wished that they could be the scabbards.

The blades wished they could become cradled,

The necks of enemies yearn to serve as their scabbards.

إِلى الهامِ تَصدُرُ عَن مِثلِهِ

إِلى الهامِ تَصدُرُ عَن مِثلِهِ

تَرى صَدَراً عَن وُرودٍ وُروداش

تَرى صَدَراً عَن وُرودٍ وُروداش

They depart from heads toward other heads;

To ambitions they set out from their like,

They strike at skulls, returning from a similar feast,

you see each departure after arrival as a fresh arrival.

You see a heart set out from blossoms and flowers,

You see their quenching only as a prelude to a fresh thirst.

قَتَلتَ نُفوسَ العِدا بِالحَديدِ

قَتَلتَ نُفوسَ العِدا بِالحَديدِ

حَتّى قَتَلتَ بِهِنَّ الحَديدا

حَتّى قَتَلتَ بِهِنَّ الحَديدا

You took your foes' lives with iron,

You killed the souls of the enemies with iron,

You have slain the souls of foes with cold steel,

until, with them, you killed the iron itself.

Until you killed the iron with them,

Until, with those very souls, you slew the steel itself.

فَأَنفَدتَ مِن عَيشِهِنَّ البَقاءَ

فَأَنفَدتَ مِن عَيشِهِنَّ البَقاءَ

وَأَبقَيتَ مِمّا مَلَكتَ النُفودا

وَأَبقَيتَ مِمّا مَلَكتَ النُفودا

So you exhausted what remained of their lives,

So you exhausted the remainder of their lives,

You drained the last endurance from their lives,

and left of what you owned only exhaustion.

And left what you possessed of blame eternal,

And from your vast possessions, you retained only their depletion.

كَأَنَّكَ بِالفَقرِ تَبغي الغِنى

كَأَنَّكَ بِالفَقرِ تَبغي الغِنى

وَبِالمَوتِ في الحَربِ تَبغي الخُلودا

وَبِالمَوتِ في الحَربِ تَبغي الخُلودا

As though through poverty you seek wealth,

As if with poverty you seek wealth,

It is as if you seek riches through your own impoverishment,

and through death in war you seek immortality.

And with death in war you seek eternity,

And chase eternal life by courting death in war.

خَلائِقُ تَهدي إِلى رَبِّها

خَلائِقُ تَهدي إِلى رَبِّها

وَآيَةُ مَجدٍ أَراها العَبيدا

وَآيَةُ مَجدٍ أَراها العَبيدا

Qualities that point toward their lord,

Creatures guided to their Lord,

These are traits that guide one to their master,

and a sign of glory he showed to the servants:

And I saw a sign of glory the servants saw,

A miracle of glory he has revealed to all mankind.

مُهَذَّبَةٌ حُلوَةٌ مُرَّةٌ

مُهَذَّبَةٌ حُلوَةٌ مُرَّةٌ

حَقَرنا البِحارَ بِها وَالأُسودا

حَقَرنا البِحارَ بِها وَالأُسودا

refined, sweet, and bitter—

Well-mannered, sweet, and bitter,

Refined qualities—at once sweet and bitter,

through them we deemed the seas and lions paltry.

We belittled the seas with it and the lions,

Through which we learned to scorn the vast seas and the lions.

بَعيدٌ عَلى قُربِها وَصفُها

بَعيدٌ عَلى قُربِها وَصفُها

تَغولُ الظُنونَ وَتَنضى القَصيدا

تَغولُ الظُنونَ وَتَنضى القَصيدا

Though close at hand, they are beyond description;

Far in its nearness describing it,

Though their presence is near, their description remains distant,

they overwhelm conjecture and wear poetry out.

Extravagant assumptions and the poem flows,

Confounding all surmise and exhausting every rhyme.

فَأَنتَ وَحيدُ بَني آدَمٍ

فَأَنتَ وَحيدُ بَني آدَمٍ

وَلَستَ لِفَقدِ نَظيرٍ وَحيدا

وَلَستَ لِفَقدِ نَظيرٍ وَحيدا

So you are unique among the sons of Adam,

So you are alone among the sons of Adam,

For you are the sole unique one among the sons of Adam,

yet it is not for lack of a peer that you are unique.

And are not without peer, alone.

Yet it is not for lack of peers that you stand alone.