1. هَل ذاكَ ثغر تَبسم

    أَم ذاكَ لُطف تجسم

    Is that a mouth smiling,

    Or is that grace embodied?

  2. أَم رَوضَة قَد تَغَنّى

    شَحرورِها وَتَرَنَّم

    Or a garden where song has risen,

    Its blackbird trilling?

  3. أَم نَفحَة ذكرَتنا

    بِطيبِ عَهد تقدم

    Or a fragrant breath that reminded us

    Of the sweetness of a bygone time?

  4. أَم شَمال شحرى

    بِنَفح وادي القَنانِم

    Or the north wind of Shahra,

    With the fragrance of al-Qananim's valley?

  5. أَم الصَبا حين هبت

    أَزالَت الهم وَالغَم

    Or the east wind, which, when it blew,

    Banished anxiety and sorrow?

  6. أَم بَرق نُعمان لما

    بَدا من النورِ أَوهَم

    Or Nu'man's lightning, which, when

    It appeared, gave an impression of radiance?

  7. أَم ذاكَ بُلبُل فَضل

    عَن المَحاسِنَ تَرجَم

    Or that nightingale of excellence

    That gave voice to beauties?

  8. أَم ذاكَ عَهد المَصلى

    نَحا العَذيب وَيمم

    Or that memory of al-Musalla,

    Turning toward al-'Udhayb and making for it?

  9. قَد كُنت أَعتَب دَهري

    وَأَحسَب الدَهر أَعقَم

    I used to reproach my age,

    And reckon Time barren.

  10. وَطالَما ساءَ ظَنّي

    وَقلت يا دَهر كَم كَم

    And how often my opinion soured,

    And I said: O Time, how often, how often!

  11. كَم جاهِل يَتَأَلى

    وَفاضِل يَتَأَلَّم

    How many an ignoramus swears presumptuously,

    While a man of merit suffers!

  12. وَالجَهل عَمّ وَأَما

    فَضل فَلا فَضل يَعلَم

    Ignorance has spread; as for

    Merit—no merit is recognized.

  13. وَكَم طَلَبت عليا

    فَقالَ لا لا وَصمم

    And how often I sought high rank,

    But it said, ‘No, no,’ and stubbornly persisted.

  14. وَقُلتُ يا دَهر مه مه

    فَصدّعني وَهمهَم

    And I said: O Time, stop, stop!

    Then it tormented me and muttered.

  15. فَقُلتُ دَهري بَخيل

    بِالفَضل وَاللَه أَكرَم

    Then I said: My age is miserly

    With merit, while God is more generous.

  16. وَكادَ فِكري يُنادي

    رُبع المَعالي تهدّم

    And my thought almost cried out:

    The dwelling of high honors has crumbled!

  17. حَتّى رَأَيت عَجيبا

    من فَضلِكَ الباهِر الجَم

    Until I saw a marvel

    Of your dazzling, abundant merit.

  18. فَقالَ لي مَدح هذا

    فَرض عَلَيكَ مُحتَم

    Then it told me: Praise of this man

    Is a duty upon you, inescapable.

  19. وَفي اِمتِداح سِواه

    لُزوم ما لَيسَ يَلزَم

    And in praising anyone else

    There is undertaking what is not required.

  20. وَهكَذا الفَضل يَبدو

    بِالفَحصِ وَالجَهلِ يَكتم

    Thus excellence is revealed

    Through scrutiny, and concealed by ignorance.

  21. هذا هو المَجد هذا

    فَاِمدَحه اِن كُنت تَفهَم

    This is glory—this!

    So praise him, if you understand.

  22. هذا عَلى بن تاج

    هذا المعلى المُعظَم

    This is Ali ibn Taj;

    This is the exalted, revered one.

  23. هذا اِبن بَيت عَتيق

    لَدى كَدى وَالمحطم

    This is a son of the Ancient House,

    Beside Kada and al-Muhattam.

  24. هذا اِبن مكة فَاِنظُر

    لِمَن لذى البُقعَة اِنضَم

    This is Mecca's son; look

    At the one who has joined that precinct.

  25. اللَه أَكبَر هذا

    مَقام من رامَ يَغنَم

    God is greatest! This is

    A station where whoever seeks it gains.

  26. هذا مَقام شَريف

    من نَبعة تَأنف الذم

    This is a noble station,

    From a stock that scorns reproach.

  27. جُرثومَة من قُرَيش

    تَقول ما ثُمَّ مَأثَم

    A root-stock of Quraysh:

    You say: There is no sin there.

  28. وَعقد دُرّ فَريد

    أَنماهُ بَيت مُحَرّم

    And a string of peerless pearls,

    Nurtured by a sacred House.

  29. مَرباه بانات نجد

    وَسوح ذاكَ المُختَم

    His upbringing was among Najd's ban-trees

    And the courtyards of that sealed abode.

  30. مَحاسِنَ لَيسَ تُحصى

    وَحدّها لَيسَ يَعلَم

    Beauties beyond counting,

    And their limit is unknown.

  31. وَاِن تَرد منتهاها

    أَعيتك وَالصَمت أَسلَم

    And if you seek their utmost extent,

    They exhaust you; silence is safer.

  32. يا واحد العصر لطفا

    يا ابنَ الحطيم وَزَمزَم

    O peerless one of the age, show kindness,

    O son of al-Hatim and Zamzam.

  33. يا اِبن الاولى من قُريش

    حازوا السِباق المُسهَم

    O son of those of Quraysh

    Who won the prize-bearing race;

  34. فاقوا البَرِيَّة فَخرا

    بِالجِدِّ وَالخال وَالعَم

    They surpassed all creation in pride,

    Through grandsire, maternal uncle, and paternal uncle.

  35. أَنتَ الاِمام المُفَدّى

    اِن سلم الضدّ أَو لَم

    You are the imam we would ransom,

    Whether the adversary concedes or not.

  36. أَنتَ الَّذي حُزت مجدا

    يَكفي الوَرى لَو تقسم

    You are the one who gained glory

    Enough for mankind, were it divided.

  37. أَنتَ الَّذي لَو رَآهُ

    بَديع همدان سلم

    You are the one at whose sight

    Badi' of Hamadan would concede.

  38. أَو كانَ لِلسَعدِ سَعد

    لَكانَ مِنكَ تَعلَم

    Or if Sa'd had good fortune,

    He would have learned from you.

  39. فَيُا رَعى اللَه خطا

    بِالحَظِّ مَعناه قَد عَم

    Oh, may God preserve such handwriting,

    Whose meaning, through good fortune, has reached all.

  40. أَفديهَ خطا وَلَفظا

    أَتى من اليَد وَالفَم

    I would ransom it, written and spoken,

    Coming from hand and mouth.

  41. اِن قُلت خط عَلَيّ

    فَالحَظ أَعلى وَأَعظَم

    If I say: Lofty handwriting,

    His fortune is loftier and greater.

  42. وأَو قُلتُ حفظ قَوِيّ

    فَالفِهم أَقوى وَأَقوَم

    And if instead I say: A strong memory,

    His understanding is stronger and sounder.

  43. أَو قُلتُ فَرع زَكّى

    فَالاِصل تاج مُكَرّم

    Or if I say: A pure branch,

    The root is Taj, honored.

  44. لا آخذ اللَه دَهرا

    فيما مَضى كانَ أَجرَم

    May God not hold Time to account

    For the wrong it committed in the past.

  45. سامَحت دَهري لما

    رَأَيته بِك أَنعم

    I forgave my age when

    I saw it bestow its bounty through you.

  46. وَمُذ وَجَدتك تُبدي

    لَفظا كدر منظم

    And since I found you uttering

    Words like strung pearls,

  47. قُلتُ المَزايا عَطايا

    وَان تَكُن آخراكم

    I said: Distinctions are gifts,

    Even if you are the last of your people.

  48. لِلَّهِ دُرُّكَ حبرا

    أَعطيتَ في الفَضلِ ما لَم

    God bless you, O scholar!

    You have given, in excellence, what none...

  49. فَكل لِفظِكَ لطف

    وَكل مَعناكَ محكَم

    So all your wording is grace,

    And every meaning of yours is well-wrought.

  50. فانَ تفه بِبَديع

    فَهو البَديع المُتمم

    So if you utter something wondrous,

    It is wonder brought to perfection.

  51. وَان أَتَيت بِنُظم

    أَشحَيت كل مُتَيم

    And if you compose verse,

    You move every lovesick soul.

  52. وَان تكلمت نثرا

    أَعرَبته وَهو معجَم

    And if you speak in prose,

    You render it clear, though it is obscure.

  53. وَكُلَّما قُلت قَولا

    فَذاكَ قَول مُسلِم

    And whenever you utter a statement,

    That statement is beyond dispute.

  54. وَان أَقَمت دَليلاً

    فَهو الدَليل المقَوّم

    And if you establish a proof,

    It is a proof that sets things straight.

  55. ماذا أَقول اِذا ما

    أَرَدت أَن أَتَكَلَّم

    What can I say when

    I wish to speak?

  56. أَوصافك الغر فاقَت

    عَما أحيط وَأَعلَم

    Your radiant qualities surpass

    What I can grasp and know.

  57. يا دَهر أَنعَمت فَاِغفِر

    ما كانَ مني وَاِرحَم

    O Time, you have shown favor; so forgive

    What came from me, and have mercy.

  58. وَيا لِساني تَأَخّر

    وَيا بنان تَقَدّم

    And O my tongue, hold back,

    And O fingers, advance;

  59. وَاِجري وَقُل هُو عقد

    بِهِ الزَمان تَكَرَّم

    And flow, and say: He is a necklace

    Through which Time has shown its generosity.

  60. وَما لَهُ من نَظير

    في الذات وَالكيف وَالكَم

    And he has no equal

    In essence, quality, or quantity.

  61. وَكل وَصف جَميل

    لِغَيرِهِ فيه قَد تَم

    And every beautiful quality

    Of another has reached perfection in him.

  62. وَكَيف أَثنى عَلَيهِ

    وَفَضلُه الجَم أَفخَم

    And how can I praise him,

    When his abundant merit is grander still?

  63. وَغايَة الأمر أَني

    عَجِزتُ وَاللَهُ أَعلَم

    And the sum of the matter is that I

    Have fallen short—and God knows best.