لا زالَ أَحمَدُ في الوَرى مَحمودا

لا زالَ أَحمَدُ في الوَرى مَحمودا

فَلَقَد كَساني جودُهُ المَوجودا

فَلَقَد كَساني جودُهُ المَوجودا

May Ahmad never cease to be praised among humankind.

Ahmad is still praised among people

For his generosity has clothed me with what he had.

For his generosity has adorned me

خِلٌّ إِذا اِستَعرَضتُ جَوهَرَ خَطِّهِ

خِلٌّ إِذا اِستَعرَضتُ جَوهَرَ خَطِّهِ

أَبصَرتُ مِنهُ قَلائِداً وَعُقودا

أَبصَرتُ مِنهُ قَلائِداً وَعُقودا

A friend: when I survey the gems of his handwriting,

A sincere friend whose essence I reviewed

I see in it necklaces and strings of gems.

I saw necklaces and bracelets from him

لا ماتُهُ لَو مِلنَ كُنَّ سَوالِفاً

لا ماتُهُ لَو مِلنَ كُنَّ سَوالِفاً

أَلِفاتِهِ لَو مِسنَ كُنَّ قُدودا

أَلِفاتِهِ لَو مِسنَ كُنَّ قُدودا

His lām letters, if they leaned, would be the sides of necks;

His companions, had they lived, would be :

His alif letters, if they swayed, would be slender figures.

chains to his friendship, ever bound

تُجلى عَلَيكَ رِقاعُهُ بِحُروفِهِ

تُجلى عَلَيكَ رِقاعُهُ بِحُروفِهِ

فَتَخالُهُنَّ عَوالِياً وَخُدودا

فَتَخالُهُنَّ عَوالِياً وَخُدودا

His sheets, bearing his letters, are unveiled before you,

His papers reveal themselves in his handwriting

And you imagine them to be tall spears and cheeks.

I mistook them for rolling dunes

أَما الرِياضُ فَلَو بَدَت لِسُطورِهِ

أَما الرِياضُ فَلَو بَدَت لِسُطورِهِ

لَتَوَهَّمَتها رَوضَها المَنضودا

لَتَوَهَّمَتها رَوضَها المَنضودا

As for the gardens, were they to appear before his lines,

As for poetry, if revealed in his lines

They would take those lines for their own neatly ordered garden.

One would imagine it a well-tended garden

لَولا أَبو العَبّاسِ يُرخَصُ وَشَيُهُ

لَولا أَبو العَبّاسِ يُرخَصُ وَشَيُهُ

لَم أَكسُ شِعري مِن سِواهُ بُرُدوا

لَم أَكسُ شِعري مِن سِواهُ بُرُدوا

Were it not that Abu al-Abbas's brocade is made cheap,

If not for Abu Al Abbaas permitting his talent

I would not clothe my verse in mantles from anyone else.

I would not have clothed my poetry in anything but coldness

مُتَفَرِّدٌ مُذ كانَ بِالأَدَبِ الَّذي

مُتَفَرِّدٌ مُذ كانَ بِالأَدَبِ الَّذي

يُهدي إِلى الأَسماعِ مِنهُ فَريدا

يُهدي إِلى الأَسماعِ مِنهُ فَريدا

He has always been peerless in the literary art that

Unique in literature since time began

He draws upon to offer the ears a rare pearl.

Guiding to the ears from him something unmatched

وَمُهَذَّبٌ ما زالَ تاجُ فِخارُهُ

وَمُهَذَّبٌ ما زالَ تاجُ فِخارُهُ

مُذ صيغَ فَوقَ جَبينِهِ مَعقودا

مُذ صيغَ فَوقَ جَبينِهِ مَعقودا

And refined: the crown of his glory has remained,

Refined, with the crown of his pride

Since it was fashioned, fastened above his brow.

Ever affixed above his forehead

تَبلى العُلومُ فَما اِكتَسى مِن بَزِّها

تَبلى العُلومُ فَما اِكتَسى مِن بَزِّها

عادَ الَّذي قَد رَثَّ مِنهُ جَديدا

عادَ الَّذي قَد رَثَّ مِنهُ جَديدا

Learning wears out; whatever of its fabric he dons,

Knowledge decays, so whatever he gained of its luster

What had grown threadbare in it becomes new again.

He returned anew, vigorously replenished

لا زالَ مَنشورُ العَلا مشن طَيِّهِ

لا زالَ مَنشورُ العَلا مشن طَيِّهِ

أَبَداً عَلَيهِ مُطَنَّباً مَمدودا

أَبَداً عَلَيهِ مُطَنَّباً مَمدودا

May glory, unfurled from his folds,

The banner of his lofty knowledge still billowing

Forever remain above him, firmly guyed and outstretched.

Forever vigorously waving above him