بَقاؤُكَ أَوْفى اقْتِراحِ الأَمانِي

بَقاؤُكَ أَوْفى اقْتِراحِ الأَمانِي

وَعِزُّكَ أَشْرَفُ حَظِّ التُّهانِي

وَعِزُّكَ أَشْرَفُ حَظِّ التُّهانِي

In your continued life lies the fullest fulfillment of wishes;

Your continued life is the fullest wish that hopes can frame.

your glory is the noblest portion of felicitation;

And your glory is the noblest share of congratulations.

وَحَمْدُكَ أَفْضَلُ نُطْقِ اللَّبِيبِ

وَحَمْدُكَ أَفْضَلُ نُطْقِ اللَّبِيبِ

وَمَدْحُكَ أَصْدَقُ سِحْرِ الْبَيانِ

وَمَدْحُكَ أَصْدَقُ سِحْرِ الْبَيانِ

praise of you is the discerning speaker’s finest utterance;

And praising you is the finest speech of the wise.

and praise of you is eloquence’s truest magic.

And extolling you is eloquence's truest magic.

وَما الشَّهْرُ وَالدَّهْرُ إِلاّ بِأَنْ

وَما الشَّهْرُ وَالدَّهْرُ إِلاّ بِأَنْ

تَفُوزَ بِسَعْدِهِما يَسْعَدانِ

تَفُوزَ بِسَعْدِهِما يَسْعَدانِ

Neither month nor age has meaning except that, when

The month and time itself—only if

you prosper through both, they too are blessed.

you win their good fortune do they prosper.

بِمَجْدِكَ يا ثالِثَ النَّيِّرَيْنِ

بِمَجْدِكَ يا ثالِثَ النَّيِّرَيْنِ

وَثانِي الْحَيا يَفْخَرُ النَّيِّرانِ

وَثانِي الْحَيا يَفْخَرُ النَّيِّرانِ

In your glory, O third of the two luminaries

In your glory, O third of the two luminaries,

and peer of the life-giving rain, the two luminaries take pride.

and second to life-giving rain, the two luminaries take pride.

فَلا تَجْهَلَنَّكَ زُهْرُ النُّجُومِ

فَلا تَجْهَلَنَّكَ زُهْرُ النُّجُومِ

فَإِنَّكَ مِنْها عَلى الْبُعْدِ دانِ

فَإِنَّكَ مِنْها عَلى الْبُعْدِ دانِ

Let the radiant stars never fail to recognize you,

So let the bright stars never fail to recognize you;

for you are of their company—near, though far away.

for, though far away, you are near to them.

فَيا سَيِّدَ الرُّؤَساءِ الَّذِي

فَيا سَيِّدَ الرُّؤَساءِ الَّذِي

نَ سادُوا وَسَيِّدَ أَهْلِ الزَّمانِ

نَ سادُوا وَسَيِّدَ أَهْلِ الزَّمانِ

O master of the chiefs who

O lord of the chiefs who

have held sway, and master of the people of this age;

have held sway, and lord of the people of this age,

وَيا خَيْرَ مَنْ وَلَدَ الْمُنْجِبُونَ

وَيا خَيْرَ مَنْ وَلَدَ الْمُنْجِبُونَ

وَأَكْرَمَهُمْ شائِداً بَعْدَ بانِ

وَأَكْرَمَهُمْ شائِداً بَعْدَ بانِ

O best of all whom noble sires begot,

and O best of those whom noble sires begot,

and noblest among them, raising high what earlier builders built.

and noblest among them, a builder following a builder.

دَعانِي نَداكَ فَكَمْ نِعْمَةٍ

دَعانِي نَداكَ فَكَمْ نِعْمَةٍ

تَقَلَّبْتُ فِي ظِلِّها مُذْ دَعانِي

تَقَلَّبْتُ فِي ظِلِّها مُذْ دَعانِي

Your generosity summoned me—and how many a blessing

Your bounty called me; how many a blessing

have I enjoyed beneath its shade since it summoned me!

have I dwelt in the shade of since it called me!

إِذا ما سَأَلْتُ أَفادَ الْغِنى

إِذا ما سَأَلْتُ أَفادَ الْغِنى

وَإِنْ لَمْ أَسلْ جادَنِي وَابْتَدانِي

وَإِنْ لَمْ أَسلْ جادَنِي وَابْتَدانِي

Whenever I ask, it bestows wealth;

Whenever I asked, it bestowed wealth;

and if I do not ask, it showers me freely and takes the initiative.

and if I did not ask, it lavished gifts on me unbidden.

وَإِنْ أَنا أَغْبَبْتُهُ زائِراً

وَإِنْ أَنا أَغْبَبْتُهُ زائِراً

تَعَهَّدَنِي تائِقاً واقْتَضانِي

تَعَهَّدَنِي تائِقاً واقْتَضانِي

If ever I let time pass between my visits to him,

And if I visited it only at intervals,

he seeks me out in longing and summons me back:

it sought me out eagerly and summoned me.

مَواهِبُ تُنْتَجُ قَبْلَ المخا

مَواهِبُ تُنْتَجُ قَبْلَ المخا

ضِ جُوداً وَتُثْمِرُ قَبْلَ الأَوانِ

ضِ جُوداً وَتُثْمِرُ قَبْلَ الأَوانِ

gifts brought forth before even the onset of

Gifts brought forth before the pangs

labor—sheer bounty—and bearing fruit before their season.

of birth, through generosity, and bearing fruit before their time.

فَمالِي تُطاوِلُنِي حاجَةٌ

فَمالِي تُطاوِلُنِي حاجَةٌ

عَنانِيَ مِنْ شأْنِها ما عَنانِي

عَنانِيَ مِنْ شأْنِها ما عَنانِي

Why, then, should any need persist against me,

So why should a need loom over me,

a need whose affair has caused me all the trouble it has?

its affairs having troubled me as they have?

وَكَيْفَ يُحَلِّئُنِي مَنْ شَفَى

وَكَيْفَ يُحَلِّئُنِي مَنْ شَفَى

أُوامِي وَيُهْمِلُنِي مَنْ رَعانِي

أُوامِي وَيُهْمِلُنِي مَنْ رَعانِي

How could he bar me from the spring, he whose lips

And how could one deny me water, who quenched

have quenched my burning thirst—and neglect me, he who tended me?

my burning thirst, or one who cared for me neglect me?

وَكَمْ باتَ يَخْذُلُنِي مَنْ أَعا

وَكَمْ باتَ يَخْذُلُنِي مَنْ أَعا

نَ فَضْلِي وَيُسْلِمُنِي مَنْ حَمانِي

نَ فَضْلِي وَيُسْلِمُنِي مَنْ حَمانِي

How often one whom my favor had

And how often has one come to forsake me who upheld

aided has failed me, while one who protected me abandons me!

my merit, and abandon me who protected me!

وَما كُنْتُ آمُلُ أَنِّي لَدَي

وَما كُنْتُ آمُلُ أَنِّي لَدَي

كَ أَلْجا إِلى غَفْلَةٍ أَوْ تَوانِ

كَ أَلْجا إِلى غَفْلَةٍ أَوْ تَوانِ

I never thought that, in your presence, I

And I never expected that, with

would have recourse to neglect or delay.

you, I would have to resort to neglect or delay.

وَلَوْ شِئْتُ إِذ رابَنِي ما يَرِيبُ

وَلَوْ شِئْتُ إِذ رابَنِي ما يَرِيبُ

هَزَزْتُكَ هزَّ الْحُسامِ الْيَمانِي

هَزَزْتُكَ هزَّ الْحُسامِ الْيَمانِي

Had I wished, when cause for doubt unsettled me,

And had I wished, when troubling things disturbed me,

I would have shaken you as a Yemeni sword is shaken.

I would have shaken you like a keen Yemeni sword.

أُدِلُّ عَلَيْكَ وَأَشْكُو إِلَيْ

أُدِلُّ عَلَيْكَ وَأَشْكُو إِلَيْ

كَ نَبْوَةَ حَظٍّ شَدِيدِ الْحرانِ

كَ نَبْوَةَ حَظٍّ شَدِيدِ الْحرانِ

I claim a favorite’s privilege with you, and complain to

I take liberties with you, and complain to

you of my fortune’s recoil, stubborn in its refusal.

you of a rebuff from a stubbornly balking fortune.

وَيُطْمِعُنِي فِيكَ أَنَّ الثنا

وَيُطْمِعُنِي فِيكَ أَنَّ الثنا

ءَ ما زالَ مِنْكَ مَكِينَ الْمَكانِ

ءَ ما زالَ مِنْكَ مَكِينَ الْمَكانِ

What gives me hope in you is that

And what gives me hope in you is that praise

praise has always held an honored place among you.

still has a secure place with you.

بَقِيتَ لإحْسانِكَ الْمُرْتَجى

بَقِيتَ لإحْسانِكَ الْمُرْتَجى

بَقاءَ الْمَدائِحِ فِيكَ الْحِسانِ

بَقاءَ الْمَدائِحِ فِيكَ الْحِسانِ

May you endure, your benevolence ever the object of hope,

May you live on to grant your hoped-for kindness,

as long as the lovely praises sung of you endure.

as long as the beautiful praises of you endure.

وَعِشْتَ لِراجِيكَ فِي النّائِبا

وَعِشْتَ لِراجِيكَ فِي النّائِبا

تِ فَلاًّ لِعادٍ وَفكَّاً لِعانِ

تِ فَلاًّ لِعادٍ وَفكَّاً لِعانِ

May you live for those who hope in you amid

And may you live for those who hope in you in adversity,

calamities—breaking every aggressor and freeing every captive.

breaking aggressors and freeing captives.

فَكَمْ لَكَ مِنْ نِعْمَةٍ ضَخْمَةٍ

فَكَمْ لَكَ مِنْ نِعْمَةٍ ضَخْمَةٍ

لَدَيَّ وَمَنٍّ بِغَيْرِ امْتِنانِ

لَدَيَّ وَمَنٍّ بِغَيْرِ امْتِنانِ

How many immense blessings of yours I bear,

For how many a great blessing you have bestowed

and favors bestowed without reproach!

on me, and bounty without reminding me of your favors!

أَراكَ أَماناً مِنَ الْحادِثاتِ

أَراكَ أَماناً مِنَ الْحادِثاتِ

فَلا زِلْتَ مِنْ صَرْفها فِي أَمانِ

فَلا زِلْتَ مِنْ صَرْفها فِي أَمانِ

I see you as a refuge from calamities;

I see you as a refuge from calamities;

may you remain safe from all their vicissitudes.

so may you ever be safe from their vicissitudes.

وَشَدَّ لَكَ الأزْرَ رَبٌّ حَباكَ

وَشَدَّ لَكَ الأزْرَ رَبٌّ حَباكَ

بِنَجْلَيْنِ نَسْلِ الأَغَرِّ الْهِجانِ

بِنَجْلَيْنِ نَسْلِ الأَغَرِّ الْهِجانِ

And may the Lord who gifted you strengthen your arm

And may the Lord strengthen your back, having blessed you

with two sons, offspring of the illustrious, pure-bred noble,

with two sons, offspring of the radiant, pure-bred one,

إِلى أَنْ تُرى قَمَراً طالِعاً

إِلى أَنْ تُرى قَمَراً طالِعاً

عَلَى الْخَلْقِ يَحْجُبُه الْفَرْقَدانِ

عَلَى الْخَلْقِ يَحْجُبُه الْفَرْقَدانِ

until you see a moon rising

until you are seen as a rising moon

over all creation, screened by the two Farqad stars.

over creation, screened by the two Farqad stars.