فَلَو أَلقَيتَهُ ما بَينَ ماءٍ

فَلَو أَلقَيتَهُ ما بَينَ ماءٍ

وَنارٍ كانَ بَينَهُما اِلتِئامُ

وَنارٍ كانَ بَينَهُما اِلتِئامُ

So if you cast it between water

If you were to cast it between water

and fire, harmony would unite the two.

And fire, harmony would exist between them

هَل أَنتَ إِلّا البَدرُ تَمَّ تَمامُهُ

هَل أَنتَ إِلّا البَدرُ تَمَّ تَمامُهُ

وَالغَيثُ باكِرٌ وَبلُهُ وَسِجامُهُ

وَالغَيثُ باكِرٌ وَبلُهُ وَسِجامُهُ

Are you not the full moon, its fullness perfected,

Are you not but the full moon whose completeness is perfected?

and the rain, its downpour and streaming showers coming early,

The early rain whose intensity and force are great

وَالسَيفُ أَرهَفُ لِلمَضاءِ غَرارَهُ

وَالسَيفُ أَرهَفُ لِلمَضاءِ غَرارَهُ

وَالرُمحُ قُوِّمَ لِلِقاءِ قَوامُهُ

وَالرُمحُ قُوِّمَ لِلِقاءِ قَوامُهُ

and the sword, its edge honed for cutting,

The sword, sharp for destruction, its edges bare

and the spear, its shaft straightened for combat?

The spear, balanced for battle, its tip upright

أَنتَ الرَبيعُ الغَضُّ رَقَّ نَسيمُهُ

أَنتَ الرَبيعُ الغَضُّ رَقَّ نَسيمُهُ

وَاِخضَرَّ رَوضَتُهُ وَصابَ غَمامُهُ

وَاِخضَرَّ رَوضَتُهُ وَصابَ غَمامُهُ

You are the lush spring, its breeze grown gentle,

You are the fresh spring whose breeze is gentle

its garden green, its clouds pouring rain.

Its meadows green, its clouds pouring

خَلقَ كَنَشرِ الرَوضِ طَلَّ نَباتُهُ

خَلقَ كَنَشرِ الرَوضِ طَلَّ نَباتُهُ

أَو مِثلَ صَرفِ الراحِ فَضَّ خِتامُهُ

أَو مِثلَ صَرفِ الراحِ فَضَّ خِتامُهُ

In character, like a garden's fragrance, its plants dew-moistened,

Created like the blooming of a garden its plants blossoming

or like pure wine whose seal has been broken.

Or like the twists of the wind, its conclusion folded

لِلأَولِياءِ رَخاؤُهُ وَرُخاؤُهُ

لِلأَولِياءِ رَخاؤُهُ وَرُخاؤُهُ

وَعَلى العِداةِ سَمومُهُ وَسِمامُهُ

وَعَلى العِداةِ سَمومُهُ وَسِمامُهُ

For allies, his prosperity and his gentle breeze;

To the loyal, its comfort and tranquility

and for enemies, his scorching wind and venom.

And upon the enemies, its poisons and toxins

يا مَن أَدَلَّ عَلى الزَمانِ زَمانُهُ

يا مَن أَدَلَّ عَلى الزَمانِ زَمانُهُ

وَزَرى عَلى أَيّامِهِ أَيّامُهُ

وَزَرى عَلى أَيّامِهِ أَيّامُهُ

O you whose age has lorded it over Time,

O you who led the times to their time

and whose days have put Time's days to shame.

And surveyed its days with his days

يَدنو فَيَغمُرُ كُلَّ شَيءٍ فَضلُهُ

يَدنو فَيَغمُرُ كُلَّ شَيءٍ فَضلُهُ

كَالخَصبِ يَنعُشُ كُلَّ خَلقٍ عامُهُ

كَالخَصبِ يَنعُشُ كُلَّ خَلقٍ عامُهُ

He draws near, and his bounty engulfs everything,

He comes near to immerse everything in his bounty

like abundance, whose year revives every creature.

Like fertility reviving all creation through its time

ما إِن يَزالُ مِنَ المَآثِرِ وَالعُلا

ما إِن يَزالُ مِنَ المَآثِرِ وَالعُلا

في مَوكِبٍ مَنشورَةٍ أَعلامُهُ

في مَوكِبٍ مَنشورَةٍ أَعلامُهُ

He is ever, amid noble deeds and eminence,

Continuously, from great feats and might

in a procession whose banners are unfurled.

In a displayed procession, his banners raised

عالٍ تَسَوَّرَ فَوقَ قُمَّةِ سُؤدُدٍ

عالٍ تَسَوَّرَ فَوقَ قُمَّةِ سُؤدُدٍ

أَوفى عَلى قُمَمِ النُجومِ سَنامُهُ

أَوفى عَلى قُمَمِ النُجومِ سَنامُهُ

Exalted, he has climbed above a summit of nobility

High, exceeding the summit of lofty peaks

whose crest towers above the summits of the stars.

Fulfilling atop the starry heights his achievement

يَبدو فَيُبدي الصُبحُ غُرَّةَ وَجهِهِ

يَبدو فَيُبدي الصُبحُ غُرَّةَ وَجهِهِ

وَاللَيلُ قَد قَبَضَ العُيونَ ظَلامُهُ

وَاللَيلُ قَد قَبَضَ العُيونَ ظَلامُهُ

He appears, and dawn unveils its radiant face,

He appears and the dawn reveals the radiance of his face

while night's darkness has already closed the eyes.

While the night has withdrawn in its darkness

سَبَقَ الجِيادَ فَما يُشَقُّ غُبارُهُ

سَبَقَ الجِيادَ فَما يُشَقُّ غُبارُهُ

وَعَلا القَرينَ فَما يُرامُ مَرامُهُ

وَعَلا القَرينَ فَما يُرامُ مَرامُهُ

He has outstripped the steeds; his dust cannot be pierced,

He surpassed steeds, his dust never stirred

and surpassed his rival; none can aspire to his heights.

He rivaled meteors, his course never deviated

وَلَئِن أَبَرَّ عَلى الحُسامِ عزيمَةً

وَلَئِن أَبَرَّ عَلى الحُسامِ عزيمَةً

فَكَما أَبَرَّ عَلى القَضاءِ حُسامُهُ

فَكَما أَبَرَّ عَلى القَضاءِ حُسامُهُ

And if he outdoes the keen sword in resolve,

And if he was determined against swords with resolve

just so does his sword outdo fate.

He was equally determined in destiny through his sword

وَكَأَنَّما أَقلامُهُ أَسيافُهُ

وَكَأَنَّما أَقلامُهُ أَسيافُهُ

وَكَأَنَّما أَسيافُهُ أَقلامُهُ

وَكَأَنَّما أَسيافُهُ أَقلامُهُ

And it is as though his pens were his swords,

As if his pens were his swords

and as though his swords were his pens.

And his swords were his pens

ما المَجدُ إِلّا العِقدَ جودُكَ شَذرُهُ

ما المَجدُ إِلّا العِقدَ جودُكَ شَذرُهُ

وَنَداكَ لُؤلُؤُهُ وَأَنتَ نِظامُهُ

وَنَداكَ لُؤلُؤُهُ وَأَنتَ نِظامُهُ

Glory is but a necklace: your generosity its golden beads,

Glory is naught but your generosity, its necklace strung

and your bounty its pearls, and you its string.

And your munificence, its pearl, and you its coherence

وَالجودُ في يَدِكَ اليَمينِ عِنانُهُ

وَالجودُ في يَدِكَ اليَمينِ عِنانُهُ

وَالبَأسُ في يَدِكَ الشِمالُ خُطامُهُ

وَالبَأسُ في يَدِكَ الشِمالُ خُطامُهُ

And generosity's rein is in your right hand,

Generosity in your right hand its reins

and battle-might's halter in your left.

And might in your left hand its bridle

ما زالَ فَوطُكَ في اللِواءِ مُوَلِّياً

ما زالَ فَوطُكَ في اللِواءِ مُوَلِّياً

مَولى المَخافَةَ خَلفَهُ وَأَمامَهُ

مَولى المَخافَةَ خَلفَهُ وَأَمامَهُ

Your fawṭ [unclear in the text] has ever, beneath the banner, sent fleeing

Your domain in the banner has not ceased

a lord, with fear behind him and before him.

Behind and before, the patron of reverence

فَاِعمُر عَلى زَمَنٍ أَغَرَّ مُحَجَّلٍ

فَاِعمُر عَلى زَمَنٍ أَغَرَّ مُحَجَّلٍ

قَد تَمَّ فيكَ عَلى الوَرى إِنعامُهُ

قَد تَمَّ فيكَ عَلى الوَرى إِنعامُهُ

So live long through a white-blazed, white-stockinged age,

So build in an era whose beauty is unveiled

whose favor to all creation is perfected in you.

Through you upon the earth, its benefaction perfected