لا زلتَ أبيضَ غُرَّةٍ وأَيادِ

لا زلتَ أبيضَ غُرَّةٍ وأَيادِ

تبدو لنا في سُؤدد وسوادِ

تبدو لنا في سُؤدد وسوادِ

May you ever be bright of brow and white of hand,

You are still as white as a flower bud

Appearing before us in nobility and black attire.

You appear to us in misery and gloom

خِلَعٌ عليك جمالُها وجلالُها

خِلَعٌ عليك جمالُها وجلالُها

أيامُها للناس كالأعيادِ

أيامُها للناس كالأعيادِ

Robes of honor—their beauty and majesty adorn you;

A robe adorns you, its beauty and majesty

Their days are like festivals for the people.

Its days are like feasts for all people

قسماً لقد رضيْتك أعينُ معشر

قسماً لقد رضيْتك أعينُ معشر

من وامقين وشانئين أعادي

من وامقين وشانئين أعادي

I swear, people's eyes have indeed found you pleasing—

I swear you have pleased the eyes of a group

Those of loving admirers and hateful foes.

Of loyalists and spiteful enemies

أقبلتَ في جيشٍ يُظلُّك ليْلُه

أقبلتَ في جيشٍ يُظلُّك ليْلُه

وإليكَ منكَ لكل عيْنٍ هادي

وإليكَ منكَ لكل عيْنٍ هادي

You came amid an army whose night shaded you,

You came in an army whose night shades you

And from you came a guide leading every eye to you.

And to you from you every eye is a guide

متدرِّعاً خِلعاً أنسْتَ بِلُبْسِها

متدرِّعاً خِلعاً أنسْتَ بِلُبْسِها

أنْس المعَوَّد لُبْسَها المعتادِ

أنْس المعَوَّد لُبْسَها المعتادِ

Armored in robes of honor, you felt at ease wearing them,

Wearing armor, a robe that made you forget

With the ease of one long accustomed to wearing them.

The familiarity of its usual attire

طُرفاً علت شرفاً تليداً لم تزل

طُرفاً علت شرفاً تليداً لم تزل

مُتعهِّداً من مثلها بتِلادِ

مُتعهِّداً من مثلها بتِلادِ

New treasures crowning ancient nobility—you have never ceased

You have upheld a longstanding nobility

Renewing acquaintance with ancestral treasures of their kind.

That you were always duty-bound to protect

خَلَعَ الإله عليك يوم لبستها

خَلَعَ الإله عليك يوم لبستها

هَدْيَ الشَّكور وبهجة المُزدادِ

هَدْيَ الشَّكور وبهجة المُزدادِ

God robed you, on the day you wore them,

The God adorned you the day you wore it

In the bearing of the grateful and the joy of one granted more.

With the gift of gratitude and the joy of newborns

وكساك من خِلَعِ القلوبِ محبّةٍ

وكساك من خِلَعِ القلوبِ محبّةٍ

كمحبةِ الآباءِ للأولادِ

كمحبةِ الآباءِ للأولادِ

And clothed you in love, one of the hearts' robes,

And clothed you in the robe of hearts' love

Like fathers' love for their children.

Like fathers' love for their children

فظللت في خلع تفاوتَ نَجْرُها

فظللت في خلع تفاوتَ نَجْرُها

خافٍ تلاحظه العقول وبادِ

خافٍ تلاحظه العقول وبادِ

So you remained in robes of differing natures:

So you remained in a robe whose value surpassed

Some hidden, discerned by minds, and others visible.

What minds can grasp and hands can touch

عُمِّرْتَ تنهض في مَراقٍ عَفْوُها

عُمِّرْتَ تنهض في مَراقٍ عَفْوُها

عفوُ الحُدور وأنت في إصعادِ

عفوُ الحُدور وأنت في إصعادِ

May you live long, mounting heights whose ease

You lived and rose through pardons its forgiveness

Is the ease of descent, even as you climb.

The forgiveness of virtuous ones as you climbed

تغدو وأنت جوىً لأكباد العِدا

تغدو وأنت جوىً لأكباد العِدا

وقلوبهم وندىً على أكبادِ

وقلوبهم وندىً على أكبادِ

You go forth, a burning pain in your enemies' livers

Going forth while being a salve for your enemies' livers

And their hearts, yet dew upon other livers.

And their hearts, and dew upon their livers

وإخال أن عِداك قد عَطَفَتْهُم

وإخال أن عِداك قد عَطَفَتْهُم

كفَّاك بالإرفاد فالإِرفادِ

كفَّاك بالإرفاد فالإِرفادِ

And I think your enemies have indeed been won over

As if your enemies have been softened by it

By your two hands, through gift after gift.

It sufficed you to treat gently, so treat gently

ولقد أردت جزاءهم بفعالهم

ولقد أردت جزاءهم بفعالهم

فعلمت أن العُرف بالمرصاد

فعلمت أن العُرف بالمرصاد

And indeed you wished to repay them for their deeds,

And I wanted to repay them for their deeds

Then learned that kindness lay in wait.

But learned that custom lies in ambush

يا من أرى حسادَه استحقاقه

يا من أرى حسادَه استحقاقه

للحظّ فاستدعى هوى الحسّادِ

للحظّ فاستدعى هوى الحسّادِ

O you who showed your enviers your worthiness

O you whom I see your enviers deserving

For good fortune, thus calling forth the enviers' love.

Of the moment that evoked the envy of enviers

حُسنٌ وإحسان إذا ما عُويِنا

حُسنٌ وإحسان إذا ما عُويِنا

ردّا عليك ولاء كل معادي

ردّا عليك ولاء كل معادي

Beauty and beneficence, when both are beheld,

Goodness and benevolence, when we are wronged

Restore to you the allegiance of every foe.

Repel you, and every enemy's loyalty

من ذا يعادي البدر أمسى منعِماً

من ذا يعادي البدر أمسى منعِماً

نُعمَى عَفُوٍّ للذِّنوب جوادِ

نُعمَى عَفُوٍّ للذِّنوب جوادِ

Who would oppose the full moon, now bestowing

Who can be hostile to the full moon that has become

The bounty of one who forgives sins and gives freely?

Generous with a pardon for sins, open-handed

كم من يدٍ بيضاء قد أوليتَها

كم من يدٍ بيضاء قد أوليتَها

تَثني إليك عنان كل وداد

تَثني إليك عنان كل وداد

How many a white hand of kindness you have bestowed,

How many white hands you have befriended

Turning the reins of all affection toward you!

That now restrain any will from affection

شكر الإِلهُ صنائعاً أسديتَها

شكر الإِلهُ صنائعاً أسديتَها

سُلِكتْ مع الأرواح في الأجسادِ

سُلِكتْ مع الأرواح في الأجسادِ

May God reward the kindnesses you bestowed,

God thanks the good deeds you have done

Threaded with souls into bodies.

Taken with souls in bodies they were guided

وعفا نُبوُّك عن وَلِّيك إنه

وعفا نُبوُّك عن وَلِّيك إنه

أحدوثةٌ في جانبيْ بغدادِ

أحدوثةٌ في جانبيْ بغدادِ

And may your estrangement from your loyal friend fade away; it is

And your prophecy pardoned your successor's mistake

The talk on both sides of Baghdad.

He is but a youth in the flank of Baghdad

ومن الزيادة في البلية أنني

ومن الزيادة في البلية أنني

أصبحت في البلوى من الأفرادِ

أصبحت في البلوى من الأفرادِ

And what compounds the calamity is that I

And it adds to the misery that I

Have come to stand alone in this affliction.

Have become isolated among individuals

أرني سواي من الذين صنعتهم

أرني سواي من الذين صنعتهم

رَجُلاً نسخَت صلاحه بفسادِ

رَجُلاً نسخَت صلاحه بفسادِ

Show me, besides myself, among those you have raised up,

Show me apart from those whom you have made

A man whose well-being you have replaced with ruin.

Men whose righteousness was marred by corruption

إني أعوذ بيُمن جدَّك أن أُرى

إني أعوذ بيُمن جدَّك أن أُرى

بعد الدنوِّ رهينةَ الإِبعادِ

بعد الدنوِّ رهينةَ الإِبعادِ

Indeed, I seek refuge in the blessing of your fortune, lest I be seen,

I seek refuge in your grandfather's auspices

After closeness, a hostage to being kept away.

Lest after the lowliness I see exile