عَهْدٌ جَديدٌ وشَوقٌ ما لهُ حَدُّ

عَهْدٌ جَديدٌ وشَوقٌ ما لهُ حَدُّ

إلى الرّياضِ الّتي يَزْهُو بها المَجْدُ

إلى الرّياضِ الّتي يَزْهُو بها المَجْدُ

A new pledge, and a longing that has no limit,

A new covenant, and a yearning without bound

to Riyadh, in which glory exults.

To the meadows where glory blossoms

أَحُجُّ أطلالَ مَنْ حَبُّوا ومَنْ عَشِقُوا

أَحُجُّ أطلالَ مَنْ حَبُّوا ومَنْ عَشِقُوا

وليس بيني وبين المُنْحَنَى بُعْدُ

وليس بيني وبين المُنْحَنَى بُعْدُ

I make pilgrimage to the ruins of those who loved and those who adored,

I'll make pilgrimage to the ruins of those who loved and those who were passionate

and no distance lies between me and the bend.

And there is no distance between me and the bend

والحُبُّ لا يَعْرِفُ العُشَّاقُ ما صَنَعَتْ

والحُبُّ لا يَعْرِفُ العُشَّاقُ ما صَنَعَتْ

يداهُ، والحُبُّ لا غَيٌّ ولا رَشَدُ

يداهُ، والحُبُّ لا غَيٌّ ولا رَشَدُ

And love—the lovers do not know what

Love - the lovers know not what its hands have done

its hands have wrought; and love is neither error nor right guidance.

Love is neither misguidance nor righteousness

يَهِيمُ قَلبُكَ في نَجْدٍ وساكِنِهِ

يَهِيمُ قَلبُكَ في نَجْدٍ وساكِنِهِ

اللهُ يَرْحَمُ مَن قالَ: الهوى نَجْدُ

اللهُ يَرْحَمُ مَن قالَ: الهوى نَجْدُ

Your heart is enamored of Najd and its dweller;

Your heart roams in Najd and its dwellers

may God have mercy on whoever said: Love is Najd.

God have mercy on who said: Passion is Najd

أَتَيْتُ أَحْمِلُ أَشلاءً مُبَعْثَرَةً

أَتَيْتُ أَحْمِلُ أَشلاءً مُبَعْثَرَةً

مِنَ القَصائدِ أفنى صَبْرَها الوَجْدُ

مِنَ القَصائدِ أفنى صَبْرَها الوَجْدُ

I came bearing scattered limbs

I came carrying scattered fragments

of poems whose patience ardent longing has consumed.

Of poems that fervor has exhausted my patience

أشكو إلى نَجْدِ مِنْ حُبٍّ ومِنْ وَلَهٍ

أشكو إلى نَجْدِ مِنْ حُبٍّ ومِنْ وَلَهٍ

والفارسُ الحُرُّ في شَرْعِ الهَوى عَبْدُ

والفارسُ الحُرُّ في شَرْعِ الهَوى عَبْدُ

I complain to Najd of love and of lovesick anguish,

I complain to Najd of love and infatuation

and the free knight, under love's law, is a slave.

The free knight is a slave in the law of passion

أهذهِ نَجْدُ يا صَحْبِي الَّتي خَلُدَتْ

أهذهِ نَجْدُ يا صَحْبِي الَّتي خَلُدَتْ

عَبْرَ الزَّمانِ لها في صَدْرِهِ نَهْدُ

عَبْرَ الزَّمانِ لها في صَدْرِهِ نَهْدُ

Is this Najd, my companions, who has endured

Is this Najd, O my friends, that immortalized

through time, with a breast of hers upon its chest?

Through time, it has a breast in its heart?

فأينَ كُثْبانُها اللَّاتي شُغِفْتُ بها؟

فأينَ كُثْبانُها اللَّاتي شُغِفْتُ بها؟

وأين خَيْمَةُ جَندولِ الهوى (دَعْدُ)

وأين خَيْمَةُ جَندولِ الهوى (دَعْدُ)

So where are her dunes, with which I was smitten?

So where are its dunes that I was enamored with?

And where is the tent of love's gondola—Da'd?

And where is the tent of the passion dove (Da'du)

أرى، ولكن أرى أبراجَ شامخةً

أرى، ولكن أرى أبراجَ شامخةً

أعناقُها في خمارِ السُّحْبِ تَمْتَدُّ

أعناقُها في خمارِ السُّحْبِ تَمْتَدُّ

I see, and yet I see lofty towers,

I see, but I see towering minarets

their necks stretching into the veil of clouds;

Their necks extending in the cloud's veil

مآذنًا وقِبابًا للهُدَى رُفِعَتْ

مآذنًا وقِبابًا للهُدَى رُفِعَتْ

ما يُغْمد البَرْقُ إلَّا قَهْقَهَ الرَّعدُ

ما يُغْمد البَرْقُ إلَّا قَهْقَهَ الرَّعدُ

minarets and domes raised for guidance.

Minarets and domes for guidance were erected

No sooner is lightning sheathed than thunder laughs aloud.

Only lightning flashes laugh of thunder

والرَّمْلُ أَصبحَ بُستانًا ومُنْتَجَعًا

والرَّمْلُ أَصبحَ بُستانًا ومُنْتَجَعًا

والبِيدُ فاتِنَةٌ فُستانُها الوَرْدُ

والبِيدُ فاتِنَةٌ فُستانُها الوَرْدُ

And the sand has become a garden and a resort,

The sands have become gardens and resorts

and the desert wastes are an enchantress whose gown is roses.

The deserts graceful, their meadows are flowers

هذي الرِّياضُ التي لاثَتْ عَمائِمَها

هذي الرِّياضُ التي لاثَتْ عَمائِمَها

زُرْقُ السَّحائِبِ غَنَّى شِعْرَها الرَّنْدُ

زُرْقُ السَّحائِبِ غَنَّى شِعْرَها الرَّنْدُ

This is Riyadh, whose turbans were wound

These are the gardens that clad their turbans

by the blue clouds; the laurel sang her poetry.

In the blue of clouds, their hair braided by dew

ما لِلرِّياضِ وما لي والعِتابُ على

ما لِلرِّياضِ وما لي والعِتابُ على

قلبي الّذي لِلزَّمانِ الجَدْبِ يَرْتَدُّ

قلبي الّذي لِلزَّمانِ الجَدْبِ يَرْتَدُّ

What ails Riyadh, and what ails me? The reproach falls upon

What is it to the gardens, and what is it to me, and blame is upon

my heart, which returns to the barren age.

My heart which relapses to the time of drought

ذِكرى الزَّمانِ الّذي وَلَّى وفي يَدِهِ

ذِكرى الزَّمانِ الّذي وَلَّى وفي يَدِهِ

سَيْفٌ مِنَ الصَّمْتِ بَتَّارٌ لَهُ حَدُّ

سَيْفٌ مِنَ الصَّمْتِ بَتَّارٌ لَهُ حَدُّ

The memory of the age that passed, bearing in its hand

Memory of time that passed, and in its hand

a sword of silence, keen-cutting and sharp-edged:

A silent sword, sharp for it is its edge

نَوعٌ مِنَ الهَزْلِ عَصْرُ النِّفْطِ يَفْضَحُهُ

نَوعٌ مِنَ الهَزْلِ عَصْرُ النِّفْطِ يَفْضَحُهُ

والهَزْلُ في حُكْمِ أَعرافِ الهَوَى جِدُّ

والهَزْلُ في حُكْمِ أَعرافِ الهَوَى جِدُّ

a kind of jest that the age of oil exposes;

A kind of jest the oil era exposes it

and jest, by love's conventions, is earnestness.

And jesting is in the judgment of passion's etiquette, seriousness

دَعْنِي أُحَدِّثُ عَن يَومي وما صَنَعَتْ

دَعْنِي أُحَدِّثُ عَن يَومي وما صَنَعَتْ

بِيَ الجميلاتُ، والأَلْحاظُ، والخَدُّ

بِيَ الجميلاتُ، والأَلْحاظُ، والخَدُّ

Let me tell of my day and what

Let me talk about my day and what

the beauties, the glances, and the cheek have done to me—

The beauties have done to me, the glances and the cheek

الصَّادِقاتُ إذا هَدَّدْنَنِي رَهَبًا

الصَّادِقاتُ إذا هَدَّدْنَنِي رَهَبًا

الكاذِباتُ إذا ما حانَ لي وَعْدُ

الكاذِباتُ إذا ما حانَ لي وَعْدُ

truthful when they threaten me with terror,

The truthful when they threaten me in awe

false when a promise to me falls due.

The liars when the promise nears

وعن مَحاسِنِ هذا المِهْرَجانِ ولا

وعن مَحاسِنِ هذا المِهْرَجانِ ولا

تَسَلْ، فكم زانَ هذا المُلْتَقَى وُدُّ

تَسَلْ، فكم زانَ هذا المُلْتَقَى وُدُّ

And of the charms of this festival—and do not

And about the virtues of this festival, do not

ask, for how much affection has adorned this gathering!

Ask, for how much this assembly was adorned in affection

مِن صَفْوَةِ الصَّفْوَةِ العَلْياءِ مَنْزِلَةً

مِن صَفْوَةِ الصَّفْوَةِ العَلْياءِ مَنْزِلَةً

ضُيوفُهُ مِنْ لآلِي آدمٍ عِقْدُ

ضُيوفُهُ مِنْ لآلِي آدمٍ عِقْدُ

From the elite of the elite, exalted in rank,

Of the elite of the lofty elite in status

its guests are a necklace of Adam's pearls.

Its guests of the pearls of Adam are a necklace

كم شاعرٍ في قِبابِ الشَّمْسِ هامَتُهُ

كم شاعرٍ في قِبابِ الشَّمْسِ هامَتُهُ

وعالِمٍ ثَوْبُهُ الإخلاصُ والزُّهْدُ

وعالِمٍ ثَوْبُهُ الإخلاصُ والزُّهْدُ

Many a poet, his head in the domes of the sun,

How many poets, their ambitions in the domes of the sun

and many a scholar, whose robe is sincerity and asceticism!

And scholars, their clothes are sincerity and asceticism

باسْمِي وباسمِ الوفودِ الغُرِّ أَشْكُرُهُمْ

باسْمِي وباسمِ الوفودِ الغُرِّ أَشْكُرُهُمْ

والفَضْلُ للهِ والإنعامُ والحَمْدُ

والفَضْلُ للهِ والإنعامُ والحَمْدُ

In my name and that of the illustrious delegations, I thank them;

In my name and in the name of the honored delegations I thank them

and grace, bounty, and praise belong to God.

And favor is to God, and bounty, and praise