ألذ حديث ما روته الحبائب

ألذ حديث ما روته الحبائب

وأعذبه ما قد حوته الجوائب

وأعذبه ما قد حوته الجوائب

The most delightful talk is what beloved women recount,

The sweetest talk is what the loved ones recounted,

And the sweetest is what al-Jawa'ib contains.

And the most delicious is what the bosoms contained,

صحائف ننميها لأحمد فارس

صحائف ننميها لأحمد فارس

وما هو إلا البحر وهي السحائب

وما هو إلا البحر وهي السحائب

Pages we ascribe to Ahmad Faris:

Pages we cultivate for Ahmed the Knight,

He is nothing but the sea, and they are clouds.

It is but the sea and they are the clouds.

احاديث شتى نظمت في صحيفة

احاديث شتى نظمت في صحيفة

كعقد لآل والطروس ترائب

كعقد لآل والطروس ترائب

Diverse accounts are strung together on a sheet,

Various conversations composed on a page,

Like a necklace of pearls, with the pages as a bosom.

Like a necklace of pearls and gems adorning,

فرائد درّ من فوائدها بدت

فرائد درّ من فوائدها بدت

وابكار افكار حسان غرائب

وابكار افكار حسان غرائب

Peerless pearls emerge from her useful lore,

Exquisite ideas shone from its benefits,

And virgin thoughts, lovely and wondrous.

And brilliant thoughts were strange wonders.

هي البرج زانته الكواكب في العلا

هي البرج زانته الكواكب في العلا

أو البرج حلته العذارى الكواعب

أو البرج حلته العذارى الكواعب

She is a celestial mansion adorned by stars on high,

It is the tower adorned with stars in the horizon,

Or a tower where full-bosomed virgins dwell.

Or the tower where the maidens resided.

وتحسب من لطف الفنون خميلة

وتحسب من لطف الفنون خميلة

جميلة أفنان وفيها الاطايب

جميلة أفنان وفيها الاطايب

And for the delicacy of her arts, you deem her a lush grove,

And it seemed from the gentleness of the arts, delightful,

Beautiful in its branches, with delights within.

Beautiful, skilled, and in it were aromas.

ويكرم مثواها لدى كل فاضل

ويكرم مثواها لدى كل فاضل

وفيها لكل العالمين رغائب

وفيها لكل العالمين رغائب

And her dwelling is honored by every learned person,

And its dwelling was honored by every virtuous one,

And within her are treasures desired by all humankind.

And in it for all the worlds were wishes.

لقد طبعت قصداً على الصدق فانجلت

لقد طبعت قصداً على الصدق فانجلت

بها عن خفيات الأمور غياهب

بها عن خفيات الأمور غياهب

Indeed, she was printed with truth as her aim; thus were dispelled

It was composed with truth and so it shone,

Through her, the shadows shrouding the secrets of affairs.

Through it the hidden matters of affairs became clear.

رقيقة لفظ حرة عربية

رقيقة لفظ حرة عربية

مهذبة ما شانها قط عائب

مهذبة ما شانها قط عائب

Delicate in diction, freeborn and Arabic,

Delicate in wording, free Arabic,

Refined, never marred by any detractor.

Refined, never in any way blamable.

فقل لحسود رام ادراك شأوها

فقل لحسود رام ادراك شأوها

تنكب والا قطرتك المناكب

تنكب والا قطرتك المناكب

So tell an envious man who seeks to match her stature:

So say to the envious one who sought to reach its status,

Step aside, or shoulders will knock you down.

Turn away or else shed your tears.

بديع المعاني ربها غير انه

بديع المعاني ربها غير انه

لقس ايادٍ في الفصاحة غالب

لقس ايادٍ في الفصاحة غالب

Her master is inventive in meaning—save that he

Marvelous in meaning, its Lord is He,

Surpasses Quss of Iyad in eloquence.

Though hands were harsh in eloquence, victorious.

إذا سفرت جلت معارفها كما

إذا سفرت جلت معارفها كما

ترى لك من ذاك النقاب مناقب

ترى لك من ذاك النقاب مناقب

When she unveils herself, she reveals her learning, just as

When it traveled, its knowledge became apparent,

From that veil you see virtues displayed for you.

As you see for yourself from that veil, virtues.

لها يخطب القول الانيق وضده

لها يخطب القول الانيق وضده

كخابط ليل أو به هو حاطب

كخابط ليل أو به هو حاطب

Elegant speech courts her; its opposite

For it, the excellent word woos, and its contrary,

Is like one stumbling in the night, or gathering firewood there.

Like one groping in the night, or with it, firewood collecting.

وما هو إلا الشمس عم ضيائها

وما هو إلا الشمس عم ضيائها

ومن هم سواه ان سموا فكواكب

ومن هم سواه ان سموا فكواكب

And he is nothing but the sun, whose light reaches all;

And it is but the sun—immense is its light,

And others, if they rise high, are merely stars.

And who else are they if named but stars?

إذا شاء إنشاء فلله دره

إذا شاء إنشاء فلله دره

يرى الدر فيه والدراري الثواقب

يرى الدر فيه والدراري الثواقب

When he chooses to compose—God be praised for his gifts!

Whenever it composed, by God his worth,

In it one sees pearls and stars of piercing brilliance.

The jewels in it and the probing insights were seen.

وتسكن في أبيات شعر نظامه

وتسكن في أبيات شعر نظامه

عقائل غيد بالعقول لواعب

عقائل غيد بالعقول لواعب

And in the verses of the poetry he composes dwell

And there settle in the verses of its systematic composition,

Noble, graceful maidens who toy with minds.

Intellects caressed gently by hearts enraptured.

وكل القوافي واقفات لأمره

وكل القوافي واقفات لأمره

فيختار منهن التي هو طالب

فيختار منهن التي هو طالب

And all the rhymes stand at his command,

And all the rhymes are standing for its command,

So he chooses from them the one he seeks.

So it chooses from among them what it desires.

كذاك غدت كل الفواصل طوته

كذاك غدت كل الفواصل طوته

رقائقها تجلى له فيكاتب

رقائقها تجلى له فيكاتب

Likewise, all the prose cadences came to enfold him;

Thus have all the punctuation become submissive to it,

Their delicate beauties are unveiled to him, and he writes letters.

Its subtlety revealed to it, so it might inscribe.

اديب غدا الشعر الجميل شعاره

اديب غدا الشعر الجميل شعاره

وينثر كالمنثور إذ هو كاتب

وينثر كالمنثور إذ هو كاتب

A man of letters, for whom beautiful poetry has become an emblem,

A literary figure whom poetry made his banner,

And when he writes, he strews prose like loose pearls.

And he disseminates as if disseminated when he is scribe.

فلا تطلبوا يا حاسديه لحاقه

فلا تطلبوا يا حاسديه لحاقه

فذاك محال والمزايا مواهب

فذاك محال والمزايا مواهب

So do not seek, you who envy him, to catch up with him;

So do not, O envious ones, seek to catch up with him,

For that is impossible, and such distinctions are gifts.

For that is impossible, and gifts are God-given.

ولا تطمعوا ان تغلبوا في جدله

ولا تطمعوا ان تغلبوا في جدله

تجد لكم منه ليوث غوالب

تجد لكم منه ليوث غوالب

And do not hope to prevail in disputing with him;

And do not hope to overcome him in his discourse,

From him you will meet lions that overpower you.

You will find in him lions victorious.

همام تسمى فارساً عن تفرس

همام تسمى فارساً عن تفرس

فذا الاسم في هذا المسمى مناسب

فذا الاسم في هذا المسمى مناسب

A valiant man, named Faris with discerning insight:

They are called knights for their discernment,

For this name suits the man so named.

So this name suits this attributed one.

فلا زال في افق العلا بكماله

فلا زال في افق العلا بكماله

مشارقنا تثني كذاك المغاربُ

مشارقنا تثني كذاك المغاربُ

May he ever remain, in his perfection, on the horizon of glory;

He never ceased to be in the horizon with his perfection,

Our eastern lands praise him, and likewise the western lands.

Our easts and likewise the wests praise him.