1. ثلاثُ شهورٍ بل ثَلاثُ دهور

    مَرَرنَ على قلبي أشَدَّ مُرورِ

    Three months—no, three ages—

    Have passed over my heart most harshly.

  2. ثلاثُ شهورٍ لِلفراقِ كثيرةٌ

    خُصوصاً من الباشا التهاميِّ نُوري

    Three months of separation are long,

    Especially from Pasha al-Tihami, my light.

  3. فَقدتُ بها أُنسي وَبهجةَ خاطري

    ورَيحانَ روحي مُتعةً وسُروري

    In them I lost my solace and my mind's delight,

    And my soul's sweet basil, my pleasure and joy.

  4. وكيف ومَن يَدري سِواهُ مَكانتي

    ويُعِدُني في غَيبتي وحُضوري

    And how could it be otherwise? Who but he knows my worth,

    And holds me in regard, absent or present,

  5. ومُنتَشِلي إن كَشَّرَ الدَّهرُ نابَه

    ومُعتصَمي في كُربَتي ومُجيري

    And rescues me when time bares its fang,

    And is my refuge in my distress and my protector?

  6. وقبلَ النَّدى يلقاكَ بالبِشرِ وجهُه

    وتِرحابُه يجلو فُؤادَ حَسيرِ

    And before his bounty, his face greets you with cheer,

    And his welcome brightens a weary heart.

  7. وهِمَّتُه الشَّمَّاءُ في حُسنِ خُلقِه

    حَكَت هَضبةً مُفتَرَّةً عن زُهورِ

    And his lofty resolve, amid his fine character,

    Was like a hill smiling with flowers.

  8. فكيف أُطيقُ الصبرَ بعدَ فِراقِه

    وأرنو بِطَرفٍ للِزَّمانِ قَريرِ

    So how can I endure with patience after parting from him,

    And gaze upon time with an untroubled eye?

  9. نعم كانَ لي كلٌّ العَزا في سَليلهِ

    سَمِىٍِّ خليلِ اللهِ شَمسِ بُدورِ

    Yes, all my consolation lay in his son,

    Namesake of God's Friend, a sun among full moons.

  10. تَرسَّمَ منه الخطوَ يَقفوه سائِراً

    على نهجِه أكرِم به من مَسيرِ

    He traced his steps and walked in his wake,

    Along his path—how noble a course!

  11. تَقَفَّاهُ في كَسبِ المَكارمِ والعُلى

    فَلِلَّهِ شِبلٌ مُقتَفٍ لِهصَورِ

    He followed him in winning virtues and eminence,

    By God, what a cub following a mighty lion!

  12. فمَجدٌ وجودٌ واقتِدارٌ وحكمةٌ

    وحزمٌ وعَزمٌ واكتِناهُ خَبيرِ

    So glory and generosity, power and wisdom,

    And firmness, resolve, and an expert's deep insight,

  13. إلى أن بَدا لِلنَّاسِ كالشَّمسِ قَدرُه

    وفاح له ذِكرٌ كَنَشرِ عَبيرِ

    Until his worth shone before people like the sun,

    And his renown wafted like the scent of perfume.

  14. فأسعِد به وابشِر بها مِن بُنُوَّةٍ

    فإنىَ بالبُشرى لَخَيرُ بَشيرِ

    So take joy in him, and rejoice in having such a son,

    For I am surely the best bearer of glad tidings.

  15. فلا يَعرفُ الأكفاءَ لِلمدحِ والثَّنا

    شِوى شاعرٍ والشِّعرُ فيضُ شُعوري

    For none knows those worthy of praise and acclaim

    Except a poet—and poetry is the outpouring of my feelings.

  16. قَدَ أثنى عليهِ شاهداً ومؤَيِّدا

    عظيمٌ بِجَمعٍ كان ثَمَّ غَفَيرِ

    Indeed, he was praised, with testimony and endorsement,

    By a great man, amid a vast gathering there.

  17. وإنَّ شهاداتِ العظيمِ عظيمةٌ

    وأكرمِ بمدحِ كابرٍ لِكَبيرِ

    And a great man's testimonies are themselves great,

    And how noble is an eminent man's praise of a great man!

  18. ونالَ وِسامَ الفَخرِ والفَخرُ ها هنا

    لِمَن ضَمَّ صَدراً من أجَلِّ صُدورِ

    And he won a medal of honor; yet the honor here

    Belongs to what clasped one of the noblest breasts.

  19. فأسعِد به وابشِر أُكرِّرُ ثَانياً

    فإنِّيَ بِالبُشرى أجَلُّ بَشيرِ

    So rejoice in him and be glad—I repeat it a second time,

    For I am the noblest bearer of glad tidings.

  20. أمولاي يا فخرَ الأفارقةِ الذي

    به عَصرُه باهى جَميعَ عُصور

    O my lord, pride of the Africans, in whom

    His age has vaunted itself above all other ages,

  21. إذا غبتَ تَشتاقُ الورى منكَ طلعةً

    كغَيثٍ لِمَحلٍ يَرتَجيهِ غَزيرِ

    When you are absent, humankind longs for a glimpse of you,

    Like abundant rain awaited by drought-stricken land.

  22. نعم إن يَطُل منكَ الغيابُ فإنَّه

    أتى بِصدىً يَبقى بقاءَ دُهورِ

    Yes, if your absence stretches long, it

    Has brought an echo that endures through ages.

  23. فأيُّ بِلادٍ قد حَلَلتَ بِرَبعِها

    وأقطابُها لم تَستَبقِ لِحُضور

    For what land have you sojourned in

    Whose leading men did not race to be present?

  24. ولاقيتَ من عزٍّ منيعٍ وحُظوة

    ورِفعَةِ جاهٍ وابتِسامِ ثُغورِ

    And you met with unassailable honor and favor,

    And exalted standing and smiling lips.

  25. وما كِلمَةٌ قد قُلتَ إلا تَسارَعَت

    إلى نَقلِها صُحفٌ وصوتُ أثيرِ

    And no word have you spoken but they have rushed

    To relay it—the newspapers and the voice of the airwaves.

  26. إذا حَسُنَت من باطنِ المَرءِ نِيَّةٌ

    أعانَهُ ربِّي في جَميعِ الأُمورِ

    When an intention is good deep within a person,

    My Lord helps him in all affairs.

  27. وها أنتَ بعد البينِ أنعشتَ روحَنا

    فَشُكراًُ لِمَوانا أجَّلَ شُكورِ

    And behold, after separation, you have revived our spirit,

    So thanks to our lord—our deepest thanks.

  28. وحَمراؤُكَ المُشتاقُ لُقياكَ أهلُها

    حلَلتَ بها أعظِم به من حُبورِ

    And your Hamra, whose people yearned to meet you—

    You have arrived there—what immense joy!

  29. فأمَّ حِماكَ الكُلُّ بِالبشرِ طافِحاً

    تَخَالُه نَشواناً لِفَرطِ سُرورِ

    So everyone came to your domain, overflowing with cheer,

    You would think them drunk with overwhelming joy.

  30. فَدُم لي ودُم لِلمُخلِصينَ جَميعهم

    بِعَيشٍ على مرِّ الزَّمان غَضيرِ

    So live on for me, and live on for all the loyal,

    With a flourishing life through the passage of time.

  31. وعَفواً عن التَّقصيرِ منِّي فَوصفُكم

    تَضيقُ قَوافٍ عنه قبلَ بُحورِ

    And pardon my shortcomings, for describing you

    Exceeds the bounds of rhyme, even before those of meter.

  32. نعم إن دنا يومُ الفخارِ بِشَاعِرٍ

    فَكُن بابنِ إبراهيمَ جِدَّ فخَورِ

    Yes, if the day draws near to take pride in a poet,

    Then be exceedingly proud of Ibn Ibrahim.