فَعَلَت بِنا فِعلَ السَماءِ بِأَرضِهِ

فَعَلَت بِنا فِعلَ السَماءِ بِأَرضِهِ

خِلَعُ الأَميرِ وَحَقَّهُ لَم نَقضِهِ

خِلَعُ الأَميرِ وَحَقَّهُ لَم نَقضِهِ

They have done to us what the sky does to his land—

She did to us as the sky does to its land

They worked upon us as the heavens work upon his land,

The prince’s robes of honor—and we have not given him his due.

Neglecting the emir though it's his rightful due

The Emir's robes—though his due we have not yet repaid.

فَكَأَنَّ صِحَّةَ نَسجِها مِن لَفظِهِ

فَكَأَنَّ صِحَّةَ نَسجِها مِن لَفظِهِ

وَكَأَنَّ حُسنَ نَقائِها مِن عِرضِهِ

وَكَأَنَّ حُسنَ نَقائِها مِن عِرضِهِ

So it is as though the soundness of their weave comes from his speech,

So that the soundness of its fabric seems to stem from its phrase

As if the perfection of their weave were spun from his speech,

And as though the beauty of their purity comes from his honor.

And the beauty of its purity seems to stem from its honor

And the beauty of their purity were drawn from his honor.

وَإِذا وَكَلتَ إِلى كَريمٍ رَأيَهُ

وَإِذا وَكَلتَ إِلى كَريمٍ رَأيَهُ

في الجودِ بانَ مَذيقُهُ مِن مَحضِهِ

في الجودِ بانَ مَذيقُهُ مِن مَحضِهِ

And when you leave a generous man to his own judgment

And if you entrust a generous man with his opinion

For if you entrust a noble man to his own judgment,

In giving, his diluted milk is distinguished from his pure milk.

His taste in generosity appears from his pure origin

In generosity, the pure milk is distinguished from the watered.