أبى الله إلا أن تعز وتحمدا

أبى الله إلا أن تعز وتحمدا

ويخمد من عاداك دوماً ويكمدا

ويخمد من عاداك دوماً ويكمدا

God wills nothing but that you be honored and praised,

God has willed only that you be exalted and praised,

and that whoever opposes you be forever stifled and anguished.

and that whoever opposes you be forever quenched and grief-stricken.

فقد أخلف الرحمن ما قد فقدته

فقد أخلف الرحمن ما قد فقدته

من المال حتى عاد حالك أحمدا

من المال حتى عاد حالك أحمدا

The All-Merciful has replaced what you had lost

For the All-Merciful has replaced what you had lost

of wealth, until your condition grew more praiseworthy.

of wealth, until your circumstances became better still.

وقد ينثر العقد النظيم تعمدا

وقد ينثر العقد النظيم تعمدا

لينظم في جيد المليحة أجودا

لينظم في جيد المليحة أجودا

A well-strung necklace may deliberately be scattered

A finely strung necklace may be deliberately scattered,

so it may be restrung more finely upon a beauty’s neck.

to be strung more finely around a beautiful woman's neck.

على أنه لو زال مالك كله

على أنه لو زال مالك كله

ودمت سليماً كان ذاك لك الفدا

ودمت سليماً كان ذاك لك الفدا

Yet even if all your wealth were gone,

Yet even if all your wealth were to vanish,

so long as you remained safe, it would be your ransom.

and you remained unharmed, it would be a ransom for you.

ولو كانت الدنيا لديك باسرها

ولو كانت الدنيا لديك باسرها

وزالت لما أوهت لفضلك سؤددا

وزالت لما أوهت لفضلك سؤددا

Even if the whole world were in your possession

Even if the whole world were in your possession,

and vanished, it would not weaken the sovereignty of your merit,

and vanished, it would not lessen the eminence your merit brings,

ولا أوهمت منك العزائم والقوى

ولا أوهمت منك العزائم والقوى

على حسن ما تبديه للناس مرشدا

على حسن ما تبديه للناس مرشدا

nor enfeeble your resolution and strength

nor weaken your resolve and strength

in the noble guidance you display before the people.

in the good you show people as a guide.

عليك من العرفان تاج وحلة

عليك من العرفان تاج وحلة

وعندك كنز منه يكفيك سرمدا

وعندك كنز منه يكفيك سرمدا

Knowledge crowns you and clothes you like a robe,

You wear a crown and robe of knowledge,

and you possess a treasure of it sufficient forever.

and hold a treasure of it that suffices you forever.

ولست كذي جهل وجاه بماله

ولست كذي جهل وجاه بماله

فليس له من مكرم ان تبددا

فليس له من مكرم ان تبددا

You are not like an ignorant man whose standing rests on wealth,

Nor are you like an ignorant man whose wealth gives him rank,

for once it scatters, no source of honor remains to him.

for, if it is scattered, no honor remains to him.

ودمت باكرام العزيز ولم يزل

ودمت باكرام العزيز ولم يزل

يرى مسعفاٍ للفاضلين ومسعدا

يرى مسعفاٍ للفاضلين ومسعدا

May the Almighty’s honoring of you endure, and may you ever be

May you endure in the Mighty One's favor; he is ever

a ready helper and benefactor to the worthy.

seen aiding the worthy and bringing them happiness.

ومن يصنع المعروف صنعك يلتقي

ومن يصنع المعروف صنعك يلتقي

له خلفاً اربى وأوفى وازبدا

له خلفاً اربى وأوفى وازبدا

Whoever performs kindness as you do will find

Whoever does good as you do will find

God’s recompense richer, fuller, and better.

a recompense for it, greater, fuller, and overflowing.

إذا كان رب العرش للمرء ناصراً

إذا كان رب العرش للمرء ناصراً

فما حيلة العادي وما حيلة العدا

فما حيلة العادي وما حيلة العدا

If the Lord of the Throne supports a man,

When the Lord of the Throne is a person's defender,

what stratagem has the aggressor—what stratagem have the foes?

what stratagem has the aggressor, and what stratagem have the enemies?

وما الضر في بيت قديم مخشب

وما الضر في بيت قديم مخشب

تحرق كي يبني بصخر مشيدا

تحرق كي يبني بصخر مشيدا

What harm lies in an old house built of timber

What harm is there in an old wooden house

if it burns so that one of solid stone may rise?

burning down, so a lofty one may be built in stone?

وانا ظننا ان يكون معوضاً

وانا ظننا ان يكون معوضاً

فحقق رب العرش ذاك واكدا

فحقق رب العرش ذاك واكدا

We had indeed thought that compensation would come,

And we expected that it would be replaced,

and the Lord of the Throne fulfilled and confirmed it.

and the Lord of the Throne fulfilled that and confirmed it.

ولو بيت من عاداك بات مقوضاً

ولو بيت من عاداك بات مقوضاً

لدام باعوادٍ وخشب مسندا

لدام باعوادٍ وخشب مسندا

But if a house belonging to your enemy lay demolished,

But if the house of one who opposes you lay demolished,

it would remain propped up with sticks and timber.

it would remain propped up with sticks and timber.

وبعض الورى ورى بان احتراقه

وبعض الورى ورى بان احتراقه

عقاب فامسى في المقال مفندا

عقاب فامسى في المقال مفندا

Some people insinuated that its burning

One among mankind insinuated that its burning

was punishment—but that claim stood refuted.

was punishment; so he stood discredited in his claim.

وشد لقدح زنده فخوى كما

وشد لقدح زنده فخوى كما

لرمي خفي سده فتزندا

لرمي خفي سده فتزندا

He struck his fire-stick hard to kindle its spark, as though

He strained to strike his firestick, but it failed, just as

firing a hidden shot—only for its barrier to spark back.

he aimed it for a covert shot and grew frustrated.

ولسنا نبالي بالنبال التي رمى

ولسنا نبالي بالنبال التي رمى

فقد طاش ما يرمي فشاط فاخردا

فقد طاش ما يرمي فشاط فاخردا

We care nothing for the arrows he shot:

We pay no heed to the arrows he shot,

his aim went astray, his missile veered and recoiled.

for what he shoots has missed; he burned with rage and fell silent.

وظن بان قد نال فرصة محنق

وظن بان قد نال فرصة محنق

فرام انتهازاً فانتهاراً له غدا

فرام انتهازاً فانتهاراً له غدا

He thought he had gained a benefactor’s delight,

He thought he had gained a chance to vent his wrath,

so he rushed to seize it—but tomorrow brought him rebuke.

so he sought to seize it, but it became a rebuke to him.

ولما رأى نار الحريق تبدلت

ولما رأى نار الحريق تبدلت

ببرد سلام عاد فحما منكدا

ببرد سلام عاد فحما منكدا

But when he saw the blaze of the fire transformed

When he saw the fire's flames transformed

into “coolness and peace,” he returned as blackened charcoal.

into peaceful coolness, he became wretched charcoal.

وحاك ازاراً كي يسد عواره

وحاك ازاراً كي يسد عواره

فحار رداء جافياً فيه ارتدا

فحار رداء جافياً فيه ارتدا

He wove himself a cloak to cover his nakedness,

He wove a waistcloth to cover his flaw,

but lost his way and donned a coarse robe instead.

but it became a coarse cloak in which he wrapped himself.

افارس مضمار البلاغة لا عدا

افارس مضمار البلاغة لا عدا

عليك بلاء غير ما فات لا عدا

عليك بلاء غير ما فات لا عدا

O champion rider in eloquence’s racecourse, may no harm overtake you;

O knight of eloquence's racecourse, may there never come

may no affliction return beyond what has already passed—may it not return.

upon you any affliction beyond what is past—may none assail you!

ولا زلت بحراً باللآلئ جائداً

ولا زلت بحراً باللآلئ جائداً

وبراً كريماً ينبت الدهر عسجدا

وبراً كريماً ينبت الدهر عسجدا

May you remain a sea lavishly bestowing pearls,

May you ever remain a sea lavish with pearls,

and generous soil that brings forth gold through all the ages.

and a generous land that forever grows gold.

ولا زلت في كل المعارف قدوة

ولا زلت في كل المعارف قدوة

وغيرك بالتقليد دام مقلدا

وغيرك بالتقليد دام مقلدا

May you remain an exemplar in every field of knowledge,

May you ever remain a model in every branch of learning,

while everyone else remains an imitator, bound to imitation.

while others remain imitators through imitation.

ولا زلت تملي في جوائبك التي

ولا زلت تملي في جوائبك التي

ملأت بها الدنيا معالم للهدى

ملأت بها الدنيا معالم للهدى

May you continue dictating in your Jawāʾib,

May you ever keep dictating in your Jawa'ib, through which

with which you have filled the world with landmarks of guidance.

you have filled the world with landmarks of guidance.

لك الصوت والصيت الجلي لدى الملا

لك الصوت والصيت الجلي لدى الملا

وان الذي عاداك قد عادل الصدا

وان الذي عاداك قد عادل الصدا

Yours are the voice and the illustrious renown among humankind,

Yours are the voice and manifest renown among the people,

while the one who opposed you has been left without even an echo.

while the one who opposes you amounts to an echo.

يقصر عن الحام برد نسجته

يقصر عن الحام برد نسجته

ولو جاء في نسج يجئ به سدا

ولو جاء في نسج يجئ به سدا

The fabric of his weaving falls short of completion,

He cannot supply the weft of a mantle you have woven;

and even when he tries to weave, what he produces comes to nothing.

even if he undertook weaving, he would bring only warp.

ولو عقلت كل الجرائد وارتات

ولو عقلت كل الجرائد وارتات

مساغاً لكانت للجوائب سجدا

مساغاً لكانت للجوائب سجدا

If all the newspapers possessed reason and judgment,

If all the newspapers could reason and discern

they would bow before al-Jawāʾib in honor of your endeavors.

a fitting course, they would fall prostrate before Jawa'ib.

فتلك لها أم واحمد فارس

فتلك لها أم واحمد فارس

امام لأهليها فكل به اقتدا

امام لأهليها فكل به اقتدا

For it is their mother, and Ahmad Fāris

For it is their mother, and Ahmad Faris

the leader of their people, whom everyone follows.

is a leader to their people; all have followed his example.

فلا زال في أهل المعارف سيداً

فلا زال في أهل المعارف سيداً

كذلك في أهل العوارف والندا

كذلك في أهل العوارف والندا

May he remain a master among the people of learning,

May he ever remain a master among the learned,

and likewise among the people of beneficence and generosity.

and likewise among people of kindness and generosity.