هَديَّةُ المَرءِ تُنبي عَن مُرُؤَتِهِ

هَديَّةُ المَرءِ تُنبي عَن مُرُؤَتِهِ

وَعَن حَقارَةِ مُهديها وَخِسَّتِهِ

وَعَن حَقارَةِ مُهديها وَخِسَّتِهِ

A person's gift tells of his nobility of character,

A man's gift reveals his dignity

and of its giver's meanness and baseness.

And the baseness of the giver and his meanness

وَما تَحُطُّ مِنَ المَهدي إِلَيهِ أَذا

وَما تَحُطُّ مِنَ المَهدي إِلَيهِ أَذا

كانَت مُحَقَّّرَةً عَن قَدرِ رُتبَتِهِ

كانَت مُحَقَّّرَةً عَن قَدرِ رُتبَتِهِ

It does not diminish the recipient if

And no matter how small the gift is

it is paltry beside the dignity of his rank.

If it is beneath his status, it is humiliating

فَاِغفِر جَريمَةَ مَن خَسَّت هَدِيَّتُهُ

فَاِغفِر جَريمَةَ مَن خَسَّت هَدِيَّتُهُ

فَتِلكَ مِنهُ عَلى مِقدارِ هِمَّتِهِ

فَتِلكَ مِنهُ عَلى مِقدارِ هِمَّتِهِ

So forgive the offense of one whose gift is paltry,

So forgive the sin of him whose gift was paltry

for that gift from him is in proportion to his aspiration.

For it matches the extent of his ambition