أَمِنَ الْمُلْكِ حَسْبُكَ مِنْ أَمِينِ

أَمِنَ الْمُلْكِ حَسْبُكَ مِنْ أَمِينِ

وُقِيتَ نَوائِبَ الزَّمَنِ الْخَؤُونِ

وُقِيتَ نَوائِبَ الزَّمَنِ الْخَؤُونِ

O Amin al-Mulk, what a worthy trustee you are!

Is kingship enough for you, O faithful one

May you be shielded from the blows of treacherous Time.

You escaped the turns of fickle time

لِيَهْنِ الْمُلْكَ أَنَّكَ بِتَّ مِنُْ

لِيَهْنِ الْمُلْكَ أَنَّكَ بِتَّ مِنُْ

بِمَنْزِلَةِ الْخَدِينِ مِنَ الْخَدِينِ

بِمَنْزِلَةِ الْخَدِينِ مِنَ الْخَدِينِ

May the realm rejoice that you have become to it

So that the kingdom would be serene since you are

what one close companion is to another.

Like a necklace on a neck

وَلَوْ تُحْبا بِقَدْرِكَ كُنْتَ مِنْهُ

وَلَوْ تُحْبا بِقَدْرِكَ كُنْتَ مِنْهُ

مَكانَ التّاجِ مِنْ أَعْلى الْجَبِينِ

مَكانَ التّاجِ مِنْ أَعْلى الْجَبِينِ

And were you honored according to your worth, you would be to it

Had you been loved as you deserve

what the crown is to the top of the brow.

You would have been instead of a crown at the top of the forehead

سَمَوْتَ بِهِمَّتَيْ عَزْمٍ وَحَزْمٍ

سَمَوْتَ بِهِمَّتَيْ عَزْمٍ وَحَزْمٍ

وَطُلْتَ بِشِيمَتَيْ كَرَمٍ وَدِينِ

وَطُلْتَ بِشِيمَتَيْ كَرَمٍ وَدِينِ

You rose through the twin aspirations of resolve and prudence,

You rose with resolute determination and wisdom

and excelled through the twin traits of generosity and piety.

And excelled in nobility and faith

فَما تَنْفَكُّ مِنْ فَضْلٍ عَمِيمٍ

فَما تَنْفَكُّ مِنْ فَضْلٍ عَمِيمٍ

عَلَى الْعافِي وَمِنْ فَضْلٍ مُبِينِ

عَلَى الْعافِي وَمِنْ فَضْلٍ مُبِينِ

So you are never without all-embracing bounty

So you do not cease to have abundant grace

toward the supplicant, nor without manifest excellence.

Upon the healthy and obvious grace

كَأَنَّكَ مُطْلَقُ الْحَدَّيْنِ ماضٍ

كَأَنَّكَ مُطْلَقُ الْحَدَّيْنِ ماضٍ

أَفاضَتْ ماءهُ أَيْدِي الْقُيُونِ

أَفاضَتْ ماءهُ أَيْدِي الْقُيُونِ

You seem a keen, unsheathed, double-edged sword,

As if you were unleashed, energetic,

whose watery sheen the smiths' hands have poured forth.

Whose water was poured by pouring hands

صَفاءُ خلائِقٍ وَبَهاءُ خَلْقٍ

صَفاءُ خلائِقٍ وَبَهاءُ خَلْقٍ

فَسَعْداً لِلْقُلُوبِ وَلِلْعُيُونِ

فَسَعْداً لِلْقُلُوبِ وَلِلْعُيُونِ

Purity of character and beauty of form—

The purity of manners and beauty of character

what joy for hearts and for eyes!

So happiness to hearts and eyes

كَأَيّامِ الصِّبا حَسُنَتْ وَرَقَّتْ

كَأَيّامِ الصِّبا حَسُنَتْ وَرَقَّتْ

وَأَيّامِ الصَّبابَةِ وَالشُّجُونِ

وَأَيّامِ الصَّبابَةِ وَالشُّجُونِ

Lovely and tender as the days of youth,

Like the days of youth when it was beautiful and fluttered

and the days of ardent love and sorrow.

And the days of boyhood and passion

ظَنَنْتُ بِكَ الْجَمِيلَ فَكُنْتَ أَهْلاً

ظَنَنْتُ بِكَ الْجَمِيلَ فَكُنْتَ أَهْلاً

لِتَصْدِيقِي وَتَصْدِيقِ الظُّنُونِ

لِتَصْدِيقِي وَتَصْدِيقِ الظُّنُونِ

I thought well of you, and you proved worthy

I thought well of you, so you were worthy

of vindicating me and proving my expectations true.

Of my belief and the belief of suspicions

وَما شيِمَتْ سَحابُ نَداكَ إِلاّ

وَما شيِمَتْ سَحابُ نَداكَ إِلاّ

سَحَبْتُ ذَلاذِلَ الْحَمْدِ الْمَصُونِ

سَحَبْتُ ذَلاذِلَ الْحَمْدِ الْمَصُونِ

And whenever your bounty's clouds were watched for rain,

The clouds of your bounty only gathered

I trailed the hems of treasured praise.

So I drew the ropes of protected praise

فَما بالِي جُفِيتُ وَكُنْتُ مِمَّنْ

فَما بالِي جُفِيتُ وَكُنْتُ مِمَّنْ

إِلَيْهِ الشَّوْقُ مَجْلُوبُ الْحَنِينِ

إِلَيْهِ الشَّوْقُ مَجْلُوبُ الْحَنِينِ

Why, then, have I been shunned, when I was among those

Why was I deprived when I was among those

to whom longing, with its yearning, was drawn?

To whom longing pulls, full of yearning

أَبَعْدَ تَعَلُّقِي بِكَ مُسْتَعيذاً

أَبَعْدَ تَعَلُّقِي بِكَ مُسْتَعيذاً

وَأَخْذِي مِنْكَ بِالْحَبْلِ الْمَتِينِ

وَأَخْذِي مِنْكَ بِالْحَبْلِ الْمَتِينِ

After I clung to you, seeking refuge,

After my attachment to you seeking refuge

and grasped the firm rope from you,

And my taking from you the strong rope

يُرَشَّحُ لِلْعُلى مَنْ لَيْسَ مِثْلِي

يُرَشَّحُ لِلْعُلى مَنْ لَيْسَ مِثْلِي

وَيُدْعى لِلغِنى مَنْ كانَ دُونِي

وَيُدْعى لِلغِنى مَنْ كانَ دُونِي

is one not my equal selected for high rank,

One who is not like me is nominated for highness

and one beneath me summoned to wealth?

And one who is below me is called to wealth

أَرى عِيدانَ قَوْمٍ غَيْرَ عُودِي

أَرى عِيدانَ قَوْمٍ غَيْرَ عُودِي

مِنَ الأَثْمارِ مُثْقَلَةَ الْغُصُونِ

مِنَ الأَثْمارِ مُثْقَلَةَ الْغُصُونِ

I see other men's trees—not my own—

I see the staves of other people that are not my wont

their branches weighed down with fruit.

Laden with fruits, bent boughs

وَمالِي لا أَذُمُّ إِلَيْكَ دَهْرِي

وَمالِي لا أَذُمُّ إِلَيْكَ دَهْرِي

إِذا الْمُتَأَخِّرُونَ تَقَدَّمُونِي

إِذا الْمُتَأَخِّرُونَ تَقَدَّمُونِي

And why should I not complain to you of my times,

Why do I not devote my lifelong time to you

when those who lagged behind have overtaken me?

When those behind me have gone ahead of me

وَما إِنْ قُلْتُ ذا حَسَداً لِحُرٍّ

وَما إِنْ قُلْتُ ذا حَسَداً لِحُرٍّ

أَفاقَ الدَّهْرُ فِيهِ مِنَ الْجُنُونِ

أَفاقَ الدَّهْرُ فِيهِ مِنَ الْجُنُونِ

And I did not say this out of envy of a noble man

I do not say this out of envy for the free man

for whom Time has recovered from madness.

Whose time transcended him with madness

وَلكِنَّ الْعُمُومَ مِنَ الْغَوادِي

وَلكِنَّ الْعُمُومَ مِنَ الْغَوادِي

أَحَقُّ بِشِيمَةِ الْغَيْثِ الْهَتُونِ

أَحَقُّ بِشِيمَةِ الْغَيْثِ الْهَتُونِ

Yet for the morning showers to embrace everyone

But general abundance is more deserving

better befits the nature of steadily pouring rain.

Of the quality of pouring rain

لَقَدْ قَبَضَ الزَّمانُ يَدِي وَأَعْيَتْ

لَقَدْ قَبَضَ الزَّمانُ يَدِي وَأَعْيَتْ

عَلَيَّ رِياضَهُ الْحَظِّ الْحَرُونِ

عَلَيَّ رِياضَهُ الْحَظِّ الْحَرُونِ

Time has indeed gripped my hand, and it has proved too hard

Indeed, time has tied my hands and exhausted me

for me to tame stubborn fortune.

With its fields of fleeting luck

وَما اسْتَصْرَخْتُ فَيْضَ نَداكَ حَتّى

وَما اسْتَصْرَخْتُ فَيْضَ نَداكَ حَتّى

عَنانِي مِنْهُ بِالْحَرْبِ الزَّبُونِ

عَنانِي مِنْهُ بِالْحَرْبِ الزَّبُونِ

I never cried to the flood of your bounty for help until

I did not implore your flowing bounty until

Time assailed me with its raging war.

It distracted me with constant war

بَقِيتَ لِرَوْحِ مَكْرُوبٍ لَهِيفٍ

بَقِيتَ لِرَوْحِ مَكْرُوبٍ لَهِيفٍ

دعاكَ وَفَكِّ مأْسُورٍ رَهِينِ

دعاكَ وَفَكِّ مأْسُورٍ رَهِينِ

May you live on to relieve an anguished, grief-stricken man

You remained for the soul of a weary, frail being

who called on you, and to free a captive held in pledge.

Who called you - so release a captive, detained

وَعِشْتَ مُحَسَّدَ الأَيّامِ تَسْمُو

وَعِشْتَ مُحَسَّدَ الأَيّامِ تَسْمُو

إِلى الْعَلْياءِ مُنْقَطِعَ القَرِينِ

إِلى الْعَلْياءِ مُنْقَطِعَ القَرِينِ

And may you live, envied for your days, ascending

And you lived as the envied days ascended

to the heights, without a peer.

To the Most High, alone