أَبَداً كَذا عَنكَ السُعودُ تُناضِلُ

أَبَداً كَذا عَنكَ السُعودُ تُناضِلُ

وَسُيوفُها قَبلَ السُيوفِ تُقاتِلُ

وَسُيوفُها قَبلَ السُيوفِ تُقاتِلُ

Forever thus do your auspicious stars contend on your behalf,

Always thus, good fortunes fight in your defense,

their swords doing battle before other swords can strike.

and their swords do battle before other swords.

وعيونُها بكَ إذ تَقَرُّ قريرةٌ

وعيونُها بكَ إذ تَقَرُّ قريرةٌ

وَأَكُفُّها لَو قُلتَ يَوماً ناوِلي

وَأَكُفُّها لَو قُلتَ يَوماً ناوِلي

Their eyes, resting upon you, are tranquil and content,

And their eyes, as they find joy in you, are content.

and their hands—if one day you said, “Place in my palm

And their hands—if one day you said, “Place

كَفّي النُجومَ الطالِعاتِ تُناوِلُ

كَفّي النُجومَ الطالِعاتِ تُناوِلُ

وَإِذا أَقَمتَ فَفي ذَراكَ مُقيمَةٌ

وَإِذا أَقَمتَ فَفي ذَراكَ مُقيمَةٌ

the rising stars”—would place them there.

the rising stars in my palm”—would hand them over.

When you stay, they dwell within your shelter,

And when you settle, they dwell in your shelter,

مَهما أَقَمتَ وَإِن رَحَلتَ تُراحِلُ

مَهما أَقَمتَ وَإِن رَحَلتَ تُراحِلُ

يَتَعَجَّبونَ لِعاجِلٍ مِنها وَما

يَتَعَجَّبونَ لِعاجِلٍ مِنها وَما

however long you remain; and if you journey, they journey too.

as long as you stay; and if you depart, they travel with you.

They marvel at such haste—but how

They marvel at what comes swiftly from them—yet what

أَدراهُمُ أَنَّ الأَجَلَّ الآجِلُ

أَدراهُمُ أَنَّ الأَجَلَّ الآجِلُ

عَهدي بِأَبوابِ المُلوكِ مَعاقِلاً

عَهدي بِأَبوابِ المُلوكِ مَعاقِلاً

could they know that what comes later is greater?

could tell them that the greatest is yet to come?

I had known the doors of kings as fortresses,

I have known the gates of kings as fortresses,

فَلَها يُحاصِرُ نازِلٌ وَينازِلُ

فَلَها يُحاصِرُ نازِلٌ وَينازِلُ

مِن دونِها لِلبُخلِ بابٌ مُقفَلٌ

مِن دونِها لِلبُخلِ بابٌ مُقفَلٌ

where a visitor is besieged and must do battle.

so a visitor besieges them and does battle.

Before them, stinginess has a door locked fast,

Before them, miserliness has a bolted gate,

وَإِلَيكَ لِلجَدوى الطَريقُ السابِلُ

وَإِلَيكَ لِلجَدوى الطَريقُ السابِلُ

فَاليَومَ أَصبَحتُم بِحاراً لِلنَدى

فَاليَومَ أَصبَحتُم بِحاراً لِلنَدى

but to you the road of bounty lies open and well-trodden.

while the well-trodden road to bounty leads to you.

Today you have become seas of munificence,

So today you have become seas of generosity,

مِن دونِها الأَبوابُ وَهيَ سَواحِلُ

مِن دونِها الأَبوابُ وَهيَ سَواحِلُ

لا عُطِّلَت تِلكَ المَنازِلُ إِنَّها

لا عُطِّلَت تِلكَ المَنازِلُ إِنَّها

with doors before them—and those doors are shores.

before them stand the gates, and these are shores.

May those dwellings never stand deserted: indeed,

May those dwellings never be deserted, for they

لِلنازِلينَ عَلى نَداكَ مَنازِلُ

لِلنازِلينَ عَلى نَداكَ مَنازِلُ

لا يَدَّعونَ عَلَيكَ باباً مُقفَلاً

لا يَدَّعونَ عَلَيكَ باباً مُقفَلاً

they are homes for all who alight upon your bounty.

are lodgings for those who alight upon your bounty.

No one claims that you keep a door locked;

They do not claim that you have a locked gate

أَو لا فَيُسأَلُ عَنكَ مَن هُوَ قافِلُ

أَو لا فَيُسأَلُ عَنكَ مَن هُوَ قافِلُ

تَتَفَسَّرُ الأَحلامُ مِن آمالِنا

تَتَفَسَّرُ الأَحلامُ مِن آمالِنا

or else, let any homeward traveler be asked about you.

or give a “No”; so whoever returns is asked about you.

Therein, our dreams are interpreted through our hopes,

Dreams born of our hopes find their interpretation

فيها وَأَكثَرُها قَديماً باطِلُ

فيها وَأَكثَرُها قَديماً باطِلُ

ما عِندَ ذاكَ الجودِ خَلقٌ آيَسٌ

ما عِندَ ذاكَ الجودِ خَلقٌ آيَسٌ

though most of those dreams were false in days gone by.

in them, though most were once vain.

Before such generosity, no creature is left despairing

No creature despairs before that generosity,

إِلّا الَّذي هُوَ فيهِ يَوماً عاذِلُ

إِلّا الَّذي هُوَ فيهِ يَوماً عاذِلُ

ما لَم يَكُن في رَوضِهِم بَقلٌ فَما

ما لَم يَكُن في رَوضِهِم بَقلٌ فَما

except one who, someday, would censure it.

except one who ever censures it.

Without green growth in their meadow, even

As long as their meadow has no herbage, then

سَحبانُ لَو مَطَرَتهُ إِلّا باقِلُ

سَحبانُ لَو مَطَرَتهُ إِلّا باقِلُ

لا خارِجٌ دَخَلَت عَلَيهِ غِبطَةٌ

لا خارِجٌ دَخَلَت عَلَيهِ غِبطَةٌ

Sahbān, though rain showered him, would be only Bāqil.

Sahban, even if rain falls upon him, is only Baqil.

No outsider has been touched by envy because of it,

No one leaving has had joy come upon him

مِنها وَلَم يَخرُج عَلَيها داخِلُ

مِنها وَلَم يَخرُج عَلَيها داخِلُ

قُلنا وَما فَعَلوا فَما أَغناهُمُ

قُلنا وَما فَعَلوا فَما أَغناهُمُ

nor has any insider gone out against it.

from them, nor has anyone entering left with it.

We have spoken; but their deeds—how little need they have,

We spoke, but they did not act; thus of no avail to them

عِندَ المَكارِمِ ما يَقولُ القائِلُ

عِندَ المَكارِمِ ما يَقولُ القائِلُ

amid noble acts, of anything a speaker can say!

in matters of noble deeds were the speaker’s words.