مهَنَّدُكَ المَيمونُ كَالسَيفِ صورةً

مهَنَّدُكَ المَيمونُ كَالسَيفِ صورةً

وَلَكن فِرِندُ السَيفِ ماءٌ بِمُزنَةِ

وَلَكن فِرِندُ السَيفِ ماءٌ بِمُزنَةِ

Your auspicious Indian-steel sword resembles a sword in form,

Your auspicious sword is like an image of a sword,

yet the sword's watered pattern is water in a raincloud.

But the edge of a sword is water in a scabbard.

لَئِن كانَ يَحكي الماءَ لُطفاً وَرِقَّةً

لَئِن كانَ يَحكي الماءَ لُطفاً وَرِقَّةً

فَكَم هامَةٍ في ذَلِكَ الما غَريقَةِ

فَكَم هامَةٍ في ذَلِكَ الما غَريقَةِ

If indeed it resembles water in delicacy and fineness,

If water speaks of gentleness and tenderness,

then how many a head lies drowned in that water!

Then how many distinguished men has that water drowned?

فِرِندٌ لَو اَنَّ الجِنَّ لَيلاً تَمُرُّ بي

فِرِندٌ لَو اَنَّ الجِنَّ لَيلاً تَمُرُّ بي

سَناءً رَأَتها الأُنسُ مِن بَعدِ خِفيَةِ

سَناءً رَأَتها الأُنسُ مِن بَعدِ خِفيَةِ

A watered pattern such that, if the jinn passed me at night,

An edge - if jinn passed it at night

in its radiance humankind would see them after they had been hidden.

The intimate would see it from afar in darkness.

عَبيدُكَ خَيّاطونَ في الحَربِ قَد رَأَوا

عَبيدُكَ خَيّاطونَ في الحَربِ قَد رَأَوا

لَها بِذِراعِ الرُّمحِ أَبدان بُهمةِ

لَها بِذِراعِ الرُّمحِ أَبدان بُهمةِ

Your slaves are tailors in war; they have surveyed

Your slaves are tailors in war, they have seen

for it, with the spear's cubit, bodies of dauntless warriors.

For it bodies with the arm of a spear enfeebled.

وَقَد قَطَّعوها بِالسُيوفِ وَخَيّطوا

وَقَد قَطَّعوها بِالسُيوفِ وَخَيّطوا

بأسهُمِهِم فَتقَ الجُسومِ العَصِيَّةِ

بأسهُمِهِم فَتقَ الجُسومِ العَصِيَّةِ

They have cut them apart with swords and stitched

And they have cut them with swords and sewn

with their arrows the rents in defiant bodies.

With their arrows rent asunder the resistant corpses.

وَبَحرُ دِماءٍ زَورَقُ الشَمسِ غارِقٌ

وَبَحرُ دِماءٍ زَورَقُ الشَمسِ غارِقٌ

بِهِ وَنُجومٌ كَالحَبابِ بِخَمرةِ

بِهِ وَنُجومٌ كَالحَبابِ بِخَمرةِ

And a sea of blood—the sun's skiff is submerged

And a sea of blood the boat of sun sunken

in it, and stars are like bubbles in wine.

In it and stars like bubbles in a wine-skin.

فَلَو أَذهَبَت ريحٌ تُرابَ جَنابِكُمُ

فَلَو أَذهَبَت ريحٌ تُرابَ جَنابِكُمُ

إِلى النار أَضحَت ماءَ رَوضٍ بِجَنَّةٍ

إِلى النار أَضحَت ماءَ رَوضٍ بِجَنَّةٍ

So if a wind carried the dust of your precincts

If a wind took the dust of your flanks

into the Fire, it would become water for a meadow in Paradise.

To the fire, it would become water of a garden in paradise.

وَلَو حَلَّ في مِصرَ دُخانُ بلائِكُم

وَلَو حَلَّ في مِصرَ دُخانُ بلائِكُم

إِذَن بَلغَ الأَهرام حلق بَعوضَةِ

إِذَن بَلغَ الأَهرام حلق بَعوضَةِ

And if the smoke of your onslaught settled in Egypt,

And if the smoke of your tribulations came to Egypt

then the pyramids would reach a mosquito's throat.

Then it would reach the pyramids like a mosquito.

وَلَو أَنَّ مَلكاً رامَ لَثمَ ركابِكُم

وَلَو أَنَّ مَلكاً رامَ لَثمَ ركابِكُم

وَقَد حَطَّ تَحتَ الرجل أَعلى مَكانَةِ

وَقَد حَطَّ تَحتَ الرجل أَعلى مَكانَةِ

And if a king sought to kiss your stirrup,

And if a king wanted to kiss your feet

and had placed beneath his foot the highest-ranking

While you have trodden underfoot the highest station,

كَراسيّ أَفلاكِ العُلا التِسعُ لَم يَصِل

كَراسيّ أَفلاكِ العُلا التِسعُ لَم يَصِل

لِتَقبيلِه إِلا بِأَوهامِ فِكرةِ

لِتَقبيلِه إِلا بِأَوهامِ فِكرةِ

thrones of the nine lofty spheres, he could not reach

The nine celestial spheres would not attain

to kiss it save in the imaginings of thought.

Kissing them except in flights of thought.

مَليكٌ علا الأَملاك عِزاً وَرفعةً

مَليكٌ علا الأَملاك عِزاً وَرفعةً

يُقَصِّر عَن إِدراكِها كُلُّ رِفعةِ

يُقَصِّر عَن إِدراكِها كُلُّ رِفعةِ

A sovereign who surpassed kings in glory and eminence,

A king most high in sovereignty and glory

every height falls short of attaining it.

All loftiness falls short of fathoming him.

محمد في الأَفلاكِ شَمس وَإِنَّهُم

محمد في الأَفلاكِ شَمس وَإِنَّهُم

نُجومٌ مَتى يَبدو سَناهُ اِضمَحَلَّتِ

نُجومٌ مَتى يَبدو سَناهُ اِضمَحَلَّتِ

Muhammad is a sun among the heavenly spheres, while they

Muhammad in the spheres is a sun and they

are stars that fade whenever his radiance appears.

Are stars: when his glory shows they are eclipsed.

أَقامَ مَنارَ الشَرعِ شرعِ محمدٍ

أَقامَ مَنارَ الشَرعِ شرعِ محمدٍ

وَقامَ بِنَصرِ المِلَّةِ الحَنفيةِ

وَقامَ بِنَصرِ المِلَّةِ الحَنفيةِ

He raised the beacon of the Law, Muhammad's Law,

He established the beacon of the law, the law of Muhammad,

and rose to champion the upright monotheistic faith.

And stood for the victory of the Hanifite faith.

دَعا دَعوةً في مِصرَ يا لَمحمدٍ

دَعا دَعوةً في مِصرَ يا لَمحمدٍ

فَكُلُّ مُلوكِ الشَرقِ طاعَت وَلَبَّتِ

فَكُلُّ مُلوكِ الشَرقِ طاعَت وَلَبَّتِ

He raised a rallying cry in Egypt: 'For Muhammad!'

He made a call in Egypt: O for Muhammad!

So all the kings of the East obeyed and answered.

So all the kings of East obeyed and yielded.

إِذا آنَسَت عَيني سَناءَ عُلاكُمُ

إِذا آنَسَت عَيني سَناءَ عُلاكُمُ

فَقَد بَلَغَت مِن دَهرِها ما تَمَنَّتِ

فَقَد بَلَغَت مِن دَهرِها ما تَمَنَّتِ

When my eye beholds the radiance of your eminence,

When my eyes behold your sublime glory,

it has attained in its lifetime what it wished for.

They have attained from time what they yearned for.

وَرُحتُ كَمثلِ الشَيخ عادَ شَبابُهُ

وَرُحتُ كَمثلِ الشَيخ عادَ شَبابُهُ

أَو المَيتِ يَحيا في نَعيمٍ وَغبطةِ

أَو المَيتِ يَحيا في نَعيمٍ وَغبطةِ

And I became like an old man whose youth returned,

And I have become like an old man whose youth returned,

or a dead man coming to life in bliss and gladness.

Or a dead man living in bliss and fortune.