1. الحمد لله حمداً ليس يحصيه

    هذا الزمان الذي كنا نرجيه

    Praise be to God, with praise beyond the reckoning

    of this age, the age we had hoped for.

  2. عشنا إليه فشاهدنا بأعيننا

    محاسن الدولة الغرا التي فيه

    We lived to reach it, and saw with our own eyes

    the splendors of the illustrious state within it.

  3. وعاودت أوجه الايام بهجتها

    بملك أحمد إذ شيدت مبانيه

    And radiance returned to the faces of the days

    under Ahmad's rule, as its edifices were raised.

  4. الناصر الملك الميمون طائره

    من ليس ملك على الدنيا يكافيه

    Al-Nasir, the king of auspicious omen,

    whom no king in the world can equal.

  5. لقد أسفت لاخوان لنا سلفوا

    وعيشنا الغض لم نقطف مجانية

    Indeed, I have grieved for brothers of ours who went before us,

    while we had not yet plucked the fruits of our tender life.

  6. مضوا ولم تأخذ الإيام زينتها

    ولا جرى الماء منها في مجاريه

    They passed away, and the days had not yet donned their finery,

    nor had their water flowed through its channels.

  7. يال يت أعينهم بعد الممات ترى

    كرامة نحن فيها من أياديه

    Oh, if only their eyes could see after death

    the honor we enjoy through his benefactions!

  8. لقد ملا الأرض عدلا بعدهم ملك

    لا شيء غير رضى الرحمن يرضيه

    Indeed, after them a king has filled the earth with justice,

    whom nothing pleases but the All-Merciful's approval.

  9. وأنعما جددت من بعد ما سلفت

    قد ألبستنا لباسا ليس نبليه

    And blessings, renewed after those that came before,

    have clothed us in a garment we will not wear out.

  10. وكف أيدى العدا عنا وأيدينا

    عنهم وأمنّ كلا من أعاديه

    He restrained our foes' hands from us, and our hands

    from them, and made each safe from his enemies.

  11. فالذيب والشاة في أيامه اصطلحا

    صلحا نفى المتعدى عن تعديه

    Thus the wolf and the sheep made peace in his days,

    a peace that turned the aggressor from his aggression.

  12. وكل يوم لجداوه ونائله

    في ماله غارة شعواء توهيه

    And each day his bounty and his largesse

    mount a fierce raid upon his wealth, weakening it.

  13. فما له والمعادى منه في تعب

    فلا يسل واحدا عما يقاسيه

    Thus his wealth and his foe both suffer because of him;

    so let no one ask either what he endures.

  14. أخاف أعداءه حتى لقد غبطوا

    من مات إذا مات لا تخشى مواضيه

    He so terrified his enemies that they envied

    the dead: after death, his keen blades are no longer feared.

  15. كذلك المال لولا السيف يجمعه

    كانت عطاياه يوم الجود تفنيه

    Likewise his wealth: were it not for the sword that gathers it,

    his gifts on the day of generosity would exhaust it.

  16. محاسن وسجايا فيه قد جمعت

    خيرا كثيرا وفضلا ليس يخطيه

    The virtues and innate qualities within him have gathered

    abundant goodness and excellence that never eludes him.

  17. مهذب الطبع زاكي المجتني يقظ

    لا تخرج الكلمة العوراء من فيه

    Refined in nature, wholesome in the fruit he yields, vigilant,

    no blemished word comes from his mouth.

  18. من المكاسر صعب حين تغضبه

    حلو الشمائل سهل حين ترضيه

    Of stern mettle when you anger him,

    sweet in manner, gentle when you please him.

  19. فليحذرن المعادي منه طارقه

    فالسيل بالليل لا ينجو مفاجيه

    So let the foe beware his night assault,

    for no one surprised by a torrent at night escapes.

  20. وليعتصم منه بالتقوى محاربه

    فانها منه قبل الأسر تنجيه

    And let his foe in war seek refuge from him in piety,

    for it saves him from the king before captivity.

  21. جافي المضاجع مصغى السمع منتصب

    يجيب مسألة من لا يناديه

    Shunning his beds, inclining his ear, standing upright,

    he answers the request of one who does not call to him.

  22. لا يختشيى كذبا في القول مادحه

    ولا يرى خيبة في القصد راجيه

    His panegyrist fears no falsehood in his speech,

    nor does one who hopes in him find disappointment in seeking him.