واشتاق طلعتك الخليفة مظهراً

واشتاق طلعتك الخليفة مظهراً

لك شوقه المطوي في اسرارهِ

لك شوقه المطوي في اسرارهِ

And the caliph longed for your countenance, openly displaying

And the caliph yearned for your countenance, revealing

to you the longing he had folded within his secrets.

to you his longing, folded away in his secrets.

ودعا الملوك فلم يلبّ دعاءه

ودعا الملوك فلم يلبّ دعاءه

إلاّ أحقهم بدار قراره

إلاّ أحقهم بدار قراره

He summoned the kings, yet none answered his call

And he summoned the kings, but none answered his summons

except the one among them most worthy to dwell in his abode.

except the one among them most entitled to his abode.

عظمت امر الله في تعظيمه

عظمت امر الله في تعظيمه

واقمت دين الله في استحضاره

واقمت دين الله في استحضاره

You magnified God’s command by magnifying him,

You exalted God's command by honoring him,

and upheld God’s religion by answering his summons.

and you upheld God's religion by summoning him.

وافاك في برد النبي محمد

وافاك في برد النبي محمد

بهدى النبي وسمته ووقاره

بهدى النبي وسمته ووقاره

And he came to him in the mantle of the Prophet Muhammad,

He came to you in the mantle of the Prophet Muhammad,

with the Prophet’s guidance, bearing, and dignity.

with the Prophet's guidance, his bearing and his dignity.

يشكو الى الإسلام وخط مشيبه

يشكو الى الإسلام وخط مشيبه

ما كلفته الترك من أسفاره

ما كلفته الترك من أسفاره

He complains to Islam, while his gray hair writes out

The flecks of his gray hair complain to Islam

the journeys that the Turks compelled him to make,

of the journeys the Turks forced upon him.

حتى بدا عضد الهدى وكأنّما

حتى بدا عضد الهدى وكأنّما

كان الخضاب أحال شيب عذاره

كان الخضاب أحال شيب عذاره

until the Arm of Right Guidance appeared, as though

Until ʿAḍud al-Hudā appeared, and it was as though

dye had transformed the gray along his cheek.

hair dye had transformed the gray of his sideburns.

حتى إذا أبدى الإمام أمامه

حتى إذا أبدى الإمام أمامه

ملكاً كبدر التم في انواره

ملكاً كبدر التم في انواره

Then, when the Imam brought forth before him

Until, when the imam presented before him

a king like the full moon in all its radiance,

a king like the full moon in its radiance,

خلنا على الكرسي ليثاً غابه

خلنا على الكرسي ليثاً غابه

سمر القنا نبتت بفيض بحاره

سمر القنا نبتت بفيض بحاره

we fancied upon the throne a lion whose thicket

we imagined a lion on the throne, whose forest was

was dark lance-shafts, grown from the overflow of his seas.

brown spear-shafts that grew from the overflow of his seas.

وغداة ظلت مساير الإقبال في

وغداة ظلت مساير الإقبال في

خلع الإمام وطوقه وسواره

خلع الإمام وطوقه وسواره

And on the morning when the offices of good fortune were at work amid

And that morning you kept pace with good fortune, in

the Imam’s robes of honor, his neck-ring, and his bracelet,

the imam's robes of honor, his collar and his bracelet,

متسوراً بأهلة متطوقاً

متسوراً بأهلة متطوقاً

بالشمس أو بالبدر او بإطاره

بالشمس أو بالبدر او بإطاره

he wore crescent moons as bracelets and was necklaced

wearing bracelets of crescent moons, wearing a collar

with the sun, or the full moon, or its encircling halo,

of the sun, or the full moon, or its halo,

في خلعة صبغ للشباب بلونها

في خلعة صبغ للشباب بلونها

فالخلق قد جلبوا على ايثاره

فالخلق قد جلبوا على ايثاره

in a robe of honor that resembled youth in its color;

in a robe of honor whose color is a dye for youth;

all creation clamored in preferring him.

for humankind has indeed been drawn to favor him.