أبَى اللهُ إلا أن تجودَ وتُنعِما

أبَى اللهُ إلا أن تجودَ وتُنعِما

خلائقُك اللائى تَفيضُ تكرُّما

خلائقُك اللائى تَفيضُ تكرُّما

God has willed only that you give generously and bestow favors,

God willed that you be generous and bestow bounty,

Your qualities, which overflow with generosity.

Your sublime attributes overflow with nobility,

لك المَثلُ الأعلى بكلِّ فضيلةٍ

لك المَثلُ الأعلى بكلِّ فضيلةٍ

إذا ملأ الراوى بها النَّجدَ أتهما

إذا ملأ الراوى بها النَّجدَ أتهما

Yours is the highest example in every virtue;

You are the highest example of every virtue,

When the narrator fills Najd with it, he goes on to Tihama.

When the reciter fills the scrolls with them the envious are confounded,

لآلىءُ من بحر الفضائلِ إن بدت

لآلىءُ من بحر الفضائلِ إن بدت

لغائِصها صلَّى عليها وسلَّما

لغائِصها صلَّى عليها وسلَّما

Pearls from the sea of virtues—if they appear

The pearls from the sea of virtues shine bright,

To their diver, he invokes blessings and peace upon them.

When its diver prayed and greeted peace upon him,

ولو ملَكتْها الغانياتُ بحيلةٍ

ولو ملَكتْها الغانياتُ بحيلةٍ

لِزنَّ بها جِيدا وحَلَّين مِعصما

لِزنَّ بها جِيدا وحَلَّين مِعصما

And if beautiful women acquired them by some stratagem,

If the singing girls owned them by cunning,

They would adorn a neck with them and bedeck a wrist.

They would adorn their necks and braceleted wrists,

وكم لك في غُمّاتِها من عزيمةٍ

وكم لك في غُمّاتِها من عزيمةٍ

تُسابق بالنصر الخميسَ العَرمرَما

تُسابق بالنصر الخميسَ العَرمرَما

And how many a resolve is yours amid its dark ordeals,

And how many resolute deeds you have in its darkness,

Outstripping the vast army in winning victory.

Racing with victory on Thursday, the red and black,

يُقلِّل حدَّاها الحسامَ مصمِّما

يُقلِّل حدَّاها الحسامَ مصمِّما

ويُخجِل عِطفاها الوشيج مقوَّما

ويُخجِل عِطفاها الوشيج مقوَّما

Its two edges make the cleaving sword seem slight,

Diminishing its sharpness is the sword, determined,

And its two sides put straightened spear-shafts to shame.

And its gentleness shames the long spear made straight,

وما الجودُ إلا ما قتلتَ به اللُّهَى

وما الجودُ إلا ما قتلتَ به اللُّهَى

فلم تُبق دينارا ولم تُبق درهما

فلم تُبق دينارا ولم تُبق درهما

And generosity is nothing but that with which you slew great wealth,

Generosity is only what you killed greed with,

So you left neither a dinar nor a dirham.

Leaving no dinar or dirham remaining,

فما يتعاطاك السحابُ إذا همى

فما يتعاطاك السحابُ إذا همى

ولا البحرُ يحكىِ ضَفَّتيك وإن طما

ولا البحرُ يحكىِ ضَفَّتيك وإن طما

So the clouds do not vie with you when they pour,

So the clouds do not contend when they intend,

Nor can the sea match your two shores, even when it swells.

Nor do the seas tell of your shores even when raging,

وهل يقدِر الأقوامُ أن يتكلَّفوا

وهل يقدِر الأقوامُ أن يتكلَّفوا

مكارمَ قد أعيتْ سِماكا ومِرزَما

مكارمَ قد أعيتْ سِماكا ومِرزَما

And can the peoples undertake

Can people undertake the noble deeds,

Noble deeds that have baffled Simak and Mirzam?

That exhausted the towering mountains and hilltops?

نهضتَ بأثقالِ المعالي ولو دُعِى

نهضتَ بأثقالِ المعالي ولو دُعِى

إلى حملها العَودُ الدِّيافىُّ أرزما

إلى حملها العَودُ الدِّيافىُّ أرزما

You shouldered the burdens of greatness; and had it been called

You carried the burdens of glorious deeds, and if

To carry them, the mature camel of Diyaf would have groaned.

The bending branches were invited to bear them, they would break,

فسيّان من يبغى عُلاك وطالبٌ

فسيّان من يبغى عُلاك وطالبٌ

ليبلغَ أسبابَ السمواتِ سُلَّما

ليبلغَ أسبابَ السمواتِ سُلَّما

So alike are one who seeks your heights and one who seeks

Wretched are those who seek your highness, while a striver

A ladder to reach the pathways of the heavens.

Seeks the means to reach the heavens with a ladder,

وما المدحُ مستوفٍ علاك وإنما

وما المدحُ مستوفٍ علاك وإنما

حقيقٌ على المنطيق أن يتكلَّما

حقيقٌ على المنطيق أن يتكلَّما

And praise cannot do full justice to your heights; it is simply

Praise cannot fully encompass you, but in truth

Incumbent upon the eloquent speaker to speak.

It is fitting for the eloquent to speak,

ألم ترَ أنّ الأرضَ رحبٌ فسيحةٌ

ألم ترَ أنّ الأرضَ رحبٌ فسيحةٌ

ونحن نولِّيها قلائصَ سُهَّما

ونحن نولِّيها قلائصَ سُهَّما

Have you not seen that the earth is broad and spacious,

Do you not see that the earth is vast and spacious,

And we send lean young she-camels across it?

Yet we make graves for it narrow and cramped?

أتتني عميدَ الدولة المِنَّةُ التي

أتتني عميدَ الدولة المِنَّةُ التي

نفختَ بها رُوحا وأحييتَ أعظما

نفختَ بها رُوحا وأحييتَ أعظما

The favor reached me, O Amid al-Dawla, by which

The chief of state has come to me, the favor,

You breathed life into me and revived my bones.

You breathed life into it and revived the greatest,

كأنّ الرسولَ المُسمِعِى نَغماتِها

كأنّ الرسولَ المُسمِعِى نَغماتِها

رسولٌ تلا وحْياً من الله مُحكما

رسولٌ تلا وحْياً من الله مُحكما

As though the messenger who made me hear its melodies

As if the messenger reciting its melodies,

Were a messenger reciting an unambiguous revelation from God.

Is a messenger relating a revelation from God made firm,

فأُلِبستُ منها صِحّةً هي جُنَّتىِ

فأُلِبستُ منها صِحّةً هي جُنَّتىِ

إذا ما قِسِىُّ الدهرِ فوَّقنَ أسهُما

إذا ما قِسِىُّ الدهرِ فوَّقنَ أسهُما

So through it I was clothed in health, which is my shield

So I donned from it well-being, it is my armor,

Whenever the bows of Time nock arrows.

When the harsh days aim their arrows,

ودارتْ بها كأسُ الشفاء وعُلِّقتْ

ودارتْ بها كأسُ الشفاء وعُلِّقتْ

علىَّ رُقىً منها تُداوِى المتيّما

علىَّ رُقىً منها تُداوِى المتيّما

And through it the cup of healing went round, and there were hung

And the cup of healing circulated with it,

Upon me charms from it that heal the lovesick.

Charms from it were suspended to cure my infliction,

فقد كدتُ في عَجزى عن الشكرِ إن أرى

فقد كدتُ في عَجزى عن الشكرِ إن أرى

لسانىَ مجروما وقلبي مُفحَما

لسانىَ مجروما وقلبي مُفحَما

For, in my inability to give thanks, I nearly saw

I nearly despaired in thanking you, if I see,

My tongue severed and my heart struck dumb.

My tongue silenced and my heart extinguished,

ولكنّها ريحُ الثناءِ إذا جرت

ولكنّها ريحُ الثناءِ إذا جرت

بذكرِك لم أملِكْ لسانا ولا فما

بذكرِك لم أملِكْ لسانا ولا فما

But it is the wind of praise: when it blows

But it is the wind of praise, so when it blows,

With mention of you, I can restrain neither tongue nor mouth.

With your mention, I do not own a tongue or mouth,

وأفضالُك الروضُ الربيعىُّ إن دعا

وأفضالُك الروضُ الربيعىُّ إن دعا

بزَهرته وُرقَ الحمام ترنَّما

بزَهرته وُرقَ الحمام ترنَّما

And your favors are the springtime meadow: when it calls

Your abundant favors are the verdant garden,

The gray doves with its blossoms, it bursts into song.

When it calls the turtledoves to chant and coo,

فلا ضحِك الإصباحُ إلا نَحلْتَهُ

فلا ضحِك الإصباحُ إلا نَحلْتَهُ

ببهجِتك الغرّاءِ ثغرا ومبِسما

ببهجِتك الغرّاءِ ثغرا ومبِسما

So no dawn smiles unless you bestow on it

The brilliant dawn only smiles since you graced it,

With your radiant splendor, a mouth and a smile.

With your radiant charm, lips and dimples,

ولا دجتِ الظلماءُ إلا أعرتَها

ولا دجتِ الظلماءُ إلا أعرتَها

شمائَلك الغُرَّ اللوامعَ أنجُما

شمائَلك الغُرَّ اللوامعَ أنجُما

Nor does night grow dark without your lending it

And the darkness of night only uncovers,

Your bright, gleaming qualities as stars.

Your resplendent and luminous visage, the shining stars,

تطيعك أيام الزمان مصيخَةً

تطيعك أيام الزمان مصيخَةً

بأسماعِها حتى تقول وتَرسُما

بأسماعِها حتى تقول وتَرسُما

The days of Time obey you, listening attentively

The days of time obey you reverently,

With their ears, until you speak and give commands.

Hearkening until you speak and delineate,

ستأتيك من مدحى قوافٍ بديعةٌ

ستأتيك من مدحى قوافٍ بديعةٌ

ينافس فيها الجاهلىُّ المُخَضرَما

ينافس فيها الجاهلىُّ المُخَضرَما

Exquisite rhymes from my praise will come to you,

There will come to you from my eulogy wondrous verses,

Over which the pre-Islamic poet vies with the poet of both eras.

Wherein the old compete with the ancient,

وإني بمنثورِ الكلام لعالِمٌ

وإني بمنثورِ الكلام لعالِمٌ

ولكنَّ الدرّ في أن يُنظَّما

ولكنَّ الدرّ في أن يُنظَّما

And I am indeed well versed in prose,

And I know the scattered words, but the real skill,

But pearls find their beauty in being strung.

Is to string the pearls and make them a necklace.