1. أُسامَةَ قَد سَمَوتَ عَلى البَرايا

    بِما أوتيتَ فيهِم مِن مَزايا

    Usama, you have risen above all creation

    Through the distinctions bestowed on you among them.

  2. فَأَنتَ أَجَلُّهُم قَدراً وَذِكراً

    أَجَل وَأَشَدُّهُم عَقلاً وَرايا

    For you are the most illustrious of them in rank and renown,

    Indeed, and their strongest in intellect and judgment.

  3. وَأَجدَرُ أَن تَقولَ فَلا تُمارى

    أَنا اِبنُ جَلا وَطَلاعُ الثَنايا

    And most worthy to say, with none disputing you:

    “I am Ibn Jala and the scaler of mountain passes.”

  4. لَكَ الطَعناتُ في الأَعداءِ شَزراً

    مُسابِقَةً إِلى القَومِ المَنايا

    Yours are spear-thrusts into enemies from the side,

    Racing death to the foe.

  5. وَضَرباتٌ تَشيبُ لَها النَواصي

    عَظيماتٌ عَظيماتُ الرَزايا

    And blows that turn forelocks gray,

    Tremendous, tremendous in the calamities they bring.

  6. وَوَقفاتٌ تَفِرُّ الأُسدُ مِنها

    كَما فَرَّت مِنَ الأُسدِ الرَذايا

    And stands from which lions flee,

    As worn-out camels flee from lions.

  7. وَبَيتٌ لا يُسامى في المَعالي

    لَك المِرباعُ مِنها وَالصَفايا

    And a house unrivaled in lofty honors;

    Of these, yours are the quarter-share and the choicest spoils.

  8. وَفَضلٌ شاعَ في الدُنيا فَشَدَّت

    إِلَيهِ بَنوهُ أَكوارَ المَطايا

    And excellence spread throughout the world, so its sons cinched

    Their riding camels' saddles to journey toward it.

  9. وجودٌ تَعجَزُ الأَوصافُ عَنهُ

    وَتَخجَلُ مِن عَطاياهُ العَطايا

    And generosity beyond the power of words to describe,

    And all other gifts blush before its gifts.

  10. وَنَظمٌ مِثلُ مَنظومِ اللآلي

    عَلى أَجيادِ عَذباتِ الثَنايا

    And verse like strung pearls,

    On the necks of women with sweet front teeth.

  11. وَتَصنيفٌ كَزَهرِ الرَوضِ يُسقى

    بِنَجدٍ في الغَدايا وَالعَشايا

    And writings like garden blossoms, watered

    In Najd, in the mornings and evenings.

  12. وَعُمرٌ طالَ في كَسبِ المَعالي ال

    جِسامِ وَعافَ في الدُنيا الدَنايا

    And a life grown long in attaining lofty honors—

    Great ones—and shunning baseness in this world.

  13. حَمَدنا اللَهَ أَن عِشنا إِلى أَن

    رَأَينا مَن لَهُ هَذي السَجايا

    We praised God that we had lived until

    We saw one endowed with these traits.

  14. تُعَظِّمُهُ المُلوكُ بِكُلِّ عَصرٍ

    كَأَنَّهُمُ لَهُ فيهِ رَعايا

    Kings honor him in every age,

    As though, in each, they were his subjects.

  15. فَلا زَلَّت بِهِ قَدَمٌ فَلَيسَت

    لَهُ قَدَمٌ تُخَطَّأُ في الخَطايا

    So may no foot ever slip beneath him, for there is no

    Foot of his to be faulted for misdeeds.