أَتاكَcame to you نَوالُهُhis bounty قَبلَbefore السُؤالِasking
أَتاكَ نَوالُهُ قَبلَ السُؤالِ
وَرَوّىand quenched thirst مِنfrom تَمَلُّقِهِhis flattery الزُلاليlimpid
وَرَوّى مِن تَمَلُّقِهِ الزُلالي
His bounty reached you before you asked,
His gifts came before asking
And slaked your thirst with his limpid flattery.
And he quenched my thirst with his pure generosity
فَتىa young man لَولاهُwere it not for him شابَturned gray عِذارُthe cheek-down of عَيشيmy life
فَتى لَولاهُ شابَ عِذارُ عَيشي
وَحالَand turned عَنِaway from المَلاحَةِbeauty وَجهُthe face of حاليmy condition
وَحالَ عَنِ المَلاحَةِ وَجهُ حالي
A young man without whom my life's cheek-down would have turned gray,
A youth without whom the prime of my life would have withered
And the face of my fortunes would have lost its beauty.
And the state of my affairs would have turned for the worse
إِذاwhen قامَتarose مِنَfrom الهَيجاءِbattle سوقٌa market
إِذا قامَت مِنَ الهَيجاءِ سوقٌ
شَرىhe buys بِبَنانِهِwith his fingertips فيهاin it المَعاليlofty honors
شَرى بِبَنانِهِ فيها المَعالي
When a market opens amid the battle,
When the markets of the respected ones bustle
He buys lofty honors there with his fingertips.
He buys their wares with his eloquence and nobility