قل للسعيد بن السعيد المجتبى

قل للسعيد بن السعيد المجتبى

صقر الخلافة وابن عين زمانه

صقر الخلافة وابن عين زمانه

Say to al-Sa‘id, son of al-Sa‘id, the chosen one,

Tell the fortunate son of the exalted one,

Falcon of the caliphate, son of the foremost man of his age:

The falcon of the Caliphate and son of the eye of his time,

يا وارثاً عن يوسف أخلاقه

يا وارثاً عن يوسف أخلاقه

ومعيد فضلي سيفه ولسانه

ومعيد فضلي سيفه ولسانه

O heir to Yusuf’s character,

O heir to the morals of Joseph,

And reviver of the twin excellences of his sword and tongue:

And restorer of my superiority, his sword and his tongue,

إن الأوامر مذ أتتني لم تكن

إن الأوامر مذ أتتني لم تكن

لي همة إلا خلو مكانه

لي همة إلا خلو مكانه

Indeed, since the orders reached me, I have had

Verily the orders since they came to me have not been

No aim but to vacate his place.

For me any ambition but to vacate his place,

واعتضت بالدار الشريفة موضعاً

واعتضت بالدار الشريفة موضعاً

أخربت بعض العمر في عمرانه

أخربت بعض العمر في عمرانه

And in exchange for the noble house, I took a place

And I took the noble abode as a position

I ruined part of my life in rebuilding it.

Where I wasted some of life in its construction,

زادت مرمته على مائة وذا

زادت مرمته على مائة وذا

ميدان حرب لست من فرسانه

ميدان حرب لست من فرسانه

Its repairs cost more than a hundred—and this

Its height increased over one hundred and this

Is a battlefield; I am not one of its horsemen.

Is a battlefield I am not one of its horsemen.