خطبت الخطاب الفخم في المحفل الفخمِ

خطبت الخطاب الفخم في المحفل الفخمِ

وأعلنت ما تنوي وتملك من عزمِ

وأعلنت ما تنوي وتملك من عزمِ

You delivered a splendid address in the splendid assembly,

You delivered the grand address at the grand assembly,

And declared what you intend and what resolve you possess.

And declared your intentions and the resolve you possess.

وقلت فلم تترك مكاناً لريبة

وقلت فلم تترك مكاناً لريبة

ولا موضعاً للظن فيك وللوهم

ولا موضعاً للظن فيك وللوهم

You spoke, leaving no room for doubt,

You spoke, leaving no room for doubt,

Nor any place for suspicion or fancy concerning you.

Nor any place for suspicion about you or for illusion.

بشائر بالعقبى لواديك أطربت

بشائر بالعقبى لواديك أطربت

وفي كل واد ما يصمُّ وما يصمي

وفي كل واد ما يصمُّ وما يصمي

Glad tidings of triumph for your valley stirred delight,

Glad tidings of a good outcome for your valley brought delight,

And in every valley rang words that deafen and strike home.

While every valley holds what deafens and what strikes dead.

دوت منك في جو البلاد فأفهمت

دوت منك في جو البلاد فأفهمت

وكان سماعُ الأكثرينَ بلا فهم

وكان سماعُ الأكثرينَ بلا فهم

They thundered from you through the nation’s air and made things clear,

They rang out from you through the country's air and brought understanding,

Though most who heard them listened without understanding.

Though most had listened without understanding.

وجاءتك بالنجوى وكانت تسرها

وجاءتك بالنجوى وكانت تسرها

طوائف ما هانت لغُرْمٍ ولا غنم

طوائف ما هانت لغُرْمٍ ولا غنم

Factions came to you with secret counsels they had kept concealed—

And there came to you with confidences they had kept secret

Factions that shrank neither from loss nor for the sake of gain.

Groups that bowed neither to loss nor to gain.

وإن لم يُعدِّل علم ذي العلم خلقه

وإن لم يُعدِّل علم ذي العلم خلقه

فلا خير في خلق ولا خير في علم

فلا خير في خلق ولا خير في علم

If a learned man’s knowledge does not set his character aright,

And if a scholar's knowledge does not set his character right,

There is no good in character, nor any good in knowledge.

Then there is no good in character, nor any good in knowledge.

حساب الأخ المأمون للأخ تبتغي

حساب الأخ المأمون للأخ تبتغي

بعيداً من الدعوى بريئاً من الظلم

بعيداً من الدعوى بريئاً من الظلم

You seek a trusted brother’s accounting to his brother,

You seek a trusted brother's reckoning with his brother,

Far removed from false claims and unstained by injustice.

Far from pretension, free of injustice.

وما ثأرُ خصم عند خصمٍ تريده

وما ثأرُ خصم عند خصمٍ تريده

ولكنه حقٌّ على القَرْم للقرم

ولكنه حقٌّ على القَرْم للقرم

It is not one adversary’s vengeance upon another that you seek,

Nor is it one adversary's revenge against another that you seek,

But a right that one noble champion owes another.

But a right owed by one noble chief to another.

وكل تقاض واحتكام موفقٌ

وكل تقاض واحتكام موفقٌ

إذا لم يعالج بالضغينة والذم

إذا لم يعالج بالضغينة والذم

Every pursuit of a claim and appeal to judgment succeeds

And every pursuit of redress and appeal to arbitration succeeds,

When it is not conducted with rancor and vilification.

If it is not handled with rancor and vilification.

وحربك حرب الأنبياء تخوضها

وحربك حرب الأنبياء تخوضها

قوياً بلا سيف كمياً بلا سهم

قوياً بلا سيف كمياً بلا سهم

Your struggle is the struggle of the prophets, which you wage

And your war is the prophets' war, which you wage

Strong without a sword, a valiant warrior without an arrow.

Strong without a sword, a valiant warrior without an arrow.