1. I see every tyrant made small by your sword,
And every king falls short of your deeds,

2. And every mighty one submissively humble,
And every boast poured forth at your oath,

3. Eyes sleep while you stay wakeful
In praying salat and people you bless.

4. The world was illuminated by you and its darkness dispelled
So its days shine with the light of your face.

5. Our religion had lost its due rights,
With naught left but tears that downpour.

6. You sent to Zamora urging peace, saying
Perhaps insight would dawn in his sight.

7. But in his ignorance and hardness he felt no joy for peace--
How strange is the loser, the way that he loses!

8. You meant to guide him to righteousness and guidance,
Yet how can the wretched cursed one see guidance?

9. You cannot guide one you would guide to guidance--
Can you stop what is fated for him?

10. God willed that He grant you alone guidance
And in the end give you far more increase,

11. And forbid Zamora from fighting our enemies,
And plunge him into the sea of your might,

12. So precede with this, which is holy war itself,
How long will Zamora fall short in religion?

13. Vanquish him by force and seize his land,
For in battle you are far more able.

14. Does Zamora forget Nafz Yusali
As well as Wajdah's day and Qannat's breaking?

15. White swords shone bare and blades swept clear
While the shining sun was obscured by dust,

16. With no sun but Jacob's face when it appeared--
You see it raging among the melee and war,

17. With Zamora swearing before the battle he would scatter
When the two hosts met for captivity.

18. But when he saw your swords slick with blood
And witnessed God's horses roaring like lions,

19. He turned tail and fled on his heels in regret--
Where did his oaths and arrogance go?

20. Would Zamora deny the virtues of yours
That if enumerated, loyalty cannot contain?

21. You it was who saved the land from chaos
When the Bedouins plundered and pillaged.

22. You cut a path over mountains rugged
Where the ibex roams and racers stumble.

23. When you gained the plain you dispatched Mujāhid
Whom angels obeyed when he appeared.

24. With the family of ‘Abd al-Ḥaqq guidance shone clear
And dew overflowed to drench even West,

25. They came seeking West though its darkness was murky
So with them minds were captivated and dazzled.

26. The best of mankind, Muḥammad, said
After me you shall have a band in the West,

27. With them Islam will rise above its humiliation
And return exultant in its raiment.

28. I hope you are they--through your deeds
Guidance's traces become clear.

29. Abū Yūsuf you are the succor of our faith.
The learned in their accounts give tidings of you:

30. You shall rule it west, east, and south,
This was foretold in the ancient book.

31. Toledo you will invade and destroy its king,
Seville will soon face a reminder.

32. Mérida ho! Harness the steeds for its looting,
O lion of knights, prepare for sortie!

33. The enemies have dwelt in our Lord's mosques
Where once the Omnipotent was recalled.

34. They reverted it to pigsty and idolatry,
Their bugles crowing atop the minarets.

35. How many lovely maidens they have seized from us,
Pearls confined in boudoirs.

36. How many tender boys of ours they orphaned,
So our hearts break into pieces.

37. They think time has slept forgetting them
And their exaltation will stay victorious.

38. Do they not know the God who will destroy them
With the army of the King whose aid is facilitated?

39. He is the victorious King of glory and elevation,
Abū Yūsuf, the cleansing raincloud,

40. If it were said to Islam: whom did you hope for?
It would say: Yacob, he of the Lion spirit.

41. He is nothing but a defender of Islam,
His sons its fine ornament and jewel.

42. Who can compare to the Father of Kings, who to Yūsuf?
Dew cascades from their palms unstinting.

43. Knowledge, forbearance, and chastity adorn them,
Generosity pouring copious draughts.

44. So this King continues to grace you and them,
Improved by the Merciful, undimmed.

45. To you, Commander of Believers, I dedicate a poem
That will humble all in East and West who would versify.

46. Your praises are its ornament I have composed,
And your name pure musk and ambergris.