لكَ في الملوك خوارقُ العاداتِ

لكَ في الملوك خوارقُ العاداتِ

وغرائبٌ من صالح الفِعلاتِ

وغرائبٌ من صالح الفِعلاتِ

Yours, among kings, are marvels that defy custom,

You have extraordinary feats among kings,

And rare wonders of worthy deeds.

And strange good deeds.

حَسنت بك الدنيا وعاد سناؤها

حَسنت بك الدنيا وعاد سناؤها

فالعيش صافٍ والسرورُ مواتي

فالعيش صافٍ والسرورُ مواتي

Through you the world grew beautiful, and its splendor returned;

You have made the world beautiful again, and its glory has returned,

Life is untroubled, and joy readily at hand.

So life is pure, and happiness comes easily,

والخلق شكراً للذي أوليتهم

والخلق شكراً للذي أوليتهم

لك بالدعاء تضج بالأصوات

لك بالدعاء تضج بالأصوات

And the people, grateful for what you bestowed on them,

And the people thank the one who rules them,

Raise their voices in resounding prayers for you.

Praying for you loudly.

ثق بالالهِ فإِنَّ ربك غافرٌ

ثق بالالهِ فإِنَّ ربك غافرٌ

ودعاؤهم لك أَعظم القرباتِ

ودعاؤهم لك أَعظم القرباتِ

Trust in God, for your Lord is forgiving,

Trust in God, for your Lord forgives,

And their prayers for you are the greatest means of drawing near to God.

And their prayers for you are the greatest offerings.

فاجعل صنيعك فيهمُ كفارةً

فاجعل صنيعك فيهمُ كفارةً

تمحو مآثرَ سائرِ الهفَواتِ

تمحو مآثرَ سائرِ الهفَواتِ

So make your beneficence toward them an atonement

So make your deeds for them an atonement

That erases the traces of all missteps.

That erases the marks of past mistakes.

ما هذهِ الدنيا بدارِ إقامةٍ

ما هذهِ الدنيا بدارِ إقامةٍ

فاغنْم لنفسكَ صالحَ الدعواتِ

فاغنْم لنفسكَ صالحَ الدعواتِ

This world is no permanent dwelling,

This world is no place for staying,

So secure worthy prayers for yourself.

So earn for yourself the reward of prayers.

وقد استجيبَ دعاؤهم لك إذ دعوْا

وقد استجيبَ دعاؤهم لك إذ دعوْا

ودليلهَ التوفيقُ في الحركاتِ

ودليلهَ التوفيقُ في الحركاتِ

Their prayers for you were indeed answered when they prayed,

Their prayers for you were answered when they prayed,

And the proof is divine favor in your actions.

Its proof is the success in your movements.

أَو ما تراك إِذا هممتَ بصالحٍ

أَو ما تراك إِذا هممتَ بصالحٍ

نفذَ القضاءُ به نفوذَ بتاتِ

نفذَ القضاءُ به نفوذَ بتاتِ

Or do you not see that, when you intend a good deed,

Or have you not seen that when you intend good,

The decree fulfills it with irrevocable finality?

Fate swiftly fulfills it completely?

ومتى يخادعَك المشيرُ بضلةٍ

ومتى يخادعَك المشيرُ بضلةٍ

والمرءُ لم يعصمْ من الغَفلاتِ

والمرءُ لم يعصمْ من الغَفلاتِ

And whenever an adviser deceives you with a misguided plan—

And if an advisor misguides you with error,

For no person is protected from heedlessness—

No man is safe from neglect.

أَتتِ العوائقُ دونها وشواغلٌ

أَتتِ العوائقُ دونها وشواغلٌ

دونَ القضا لفوائتِ الأوقاتِ

دونَ القضا لفوائتِ الأوقاتِ

Obstacles arise to bar it, and distractions

Obstacles came up, and preoccupations

Block its completion as timely chances slip away,

Beside fate, due to the loss of time.

حتى يبين لك الصوابُ فتنثى

حتى يبين لك الصوابُ فتنثى

عنها وتقلع صادقَ العزماتِ

عنها وتقلع صادقَ العزماتِ

Until the right course becomes clear to you, and you turn

Until truth becomes clear to you, and you turn away

Away from it and desist, sincere in your resolve.

From it, taking the path of true determination.

ملكَ يدبرهُ المهيمنُ لا تخفْ

ملكَ يدبرهُ المهيمنُ لا تخفْ

فيه على الآرا من العَثراتِ

فيه على الآرا من العَثراتِ

A kingdom governed by the Guardian—do not fear

A kingdom arranged by the Guardian cannot be feared

That its counsels may stumble into error.

For mistakes in opinions.

للهِ فيكَ عنايةٌ تكفي بها

للهِ فيكَ عنايةٌ تكفي بها

عن حسنِ تدبيرِ وكيدِ عُداةِ

عن حسنِ تدبيرِ وكيدِ عُداةِ

God's care attends you; through it you are spared

God watches over you enough

The need for skillful planning and the schemes of foes.

To suffice without the good management and cunning of enemies.

وسعادةٌ أغنتك عن ضربِ الطلا

وسعادةٌ أغنتك عن ضربِ الطلا

وطراد فرسانٍ وطَعنُ كماةِ

وطراد فرسانٍ وطَعنُ كماةِ

And good fortune has spared you the striking of necks,

And a happiness that makes you not need to seek

The pursuit of horsemen and the spearing of armored warriors.

Glory, or the spears of horsemen and swords of warriors.

فارقتنا والنَّخلُ يؤتى أُكلَهُ

فارقتنا والنَّخلُ يؤتى أُكلَهُ

والقطرُ لم يصدع ربىً بنباتِ

والقطرُ لم يصدع ربىً بنباتِ

You left us as the palms were granted their fruit,

You left while the palm trees were still being pollinated

And rain had not cleft the hills with vegetation.

And rain had not yet split the plants open.

والجدب مغرٍ بالشقاقِ ومركب

والجدب مغرٍ بالشقاقِ ومركب

أهلَ الفساد مراكب الهَلكاتِ

أهلَ الفساد مراكب الهَلكاتِ

Drought incited discord and set

And drought still excited discord, and the ships

The corrupt upon mounts of destruction.

Of corrupt people were ships of doom.

ورأوا هناك وقد نأيتُم أَنهم

ورأوا هناك وقد نأيتُم أَنهم

يفدون موتاً حاضراً بمماتِ

يفدون موتاً حاضراً بمماتِ

And there, once you had gone far away, they saw that they

And there they saw, when you distanced yourself,

Were buying off imminent death with death.

That they rushed to imminent death with death.

فتعاقدوا والله ينقضُ عهدَهم

فتعاقدوا والله ينقضُ عهدَهم

وتواعدوا من أَوعدوا ببياتِ

وتواعدوا من أَوعدوا ببياتِ

So they made a pact, while God undid their pledge,

So they pledged, but God demolishes their pledge,

And agreed on a night attack against those they had threatened.

And they agreed on their nighttime conspiracies.

وإِذا السمآء تصبُّ فوق رؤوسهم

وإِذا السمآء تصبُّ فوق رؤوسهم

ما عمَّ شملُ جميعهم بشتاتِ

ما عمَّ شملُ جميعهم بشتاتِ

And behold, the sky poured down above their heads

And so the sky pours down upon their heads

What scattered their entire company.

What divides all of them into fragments.

فتفرّقوا شذراً الخراب مزارع

فتفرّقوا شذراً الخراب مزارع

ألقت عليهم ذِلةَ الأموَاتِ

ألقت عليهم ذِلةَ الأموَاتِ

So they scattered in fragments; wastelands became fields

So they split into scattered ruins; destruction laid waste

That cast upon them the abasement of the dead.

To the farms and cast upon them the disgrace of the dead.

فدروا بأن لكم وراء جنودِكم

فدروا بأن لكم وراء جنودِكم

جندٌ من الأَمطار والبركاتِ

جندٌ من الأَمطار والبركاتِ

So they realized that, behind your armies, you have

And so they knew that behind your armies, you have

An army of rains and blessings.

An army of rain and blessings.

وإِذا تولّى الله أَمر محاولٍ

وإِذا تولّى الله أَمر محاولٍ

أمراً فما يخشى ابتلا بِفواتِ

أمراً فما يخشى ابتلا بِفواتِ

And when God takes charge of one pursuing

And when God takes over the matter of one who attempts

An aim, he fears no ordeal of failure.

Something, nothing need be feared lost.

من لم ينل ما نلتَ من حبِّ الورى

من لم ينل ما نلتَ من حبِّ الورى

لم يدرِ ما للمُلكِ من لَذاتِ

لم يدرِ ما للمُلكِ من لَذاتِ

Whoever has not won such love from humankind as you have

One who does not attain what you attained of the people's love

Does not know the pleasures kingship holds.

Does not know the pleasures of kingdom.

يبدو بوجه عمَّ بالفضل الورى

يبدو بوجه عمَّ بالفضل الورى

فإِذا بدَا فدوهُ بالمهِجاتِ

فإِذا بدَا فدوهُ بالمهِجاتِ

He appears with a face whose bounty embraces humankind,

He appears with a face the people fill with favor,

And when he appears, they ransom him with their lifeblood.

Yet when he appears, they ransom him with their lives.

يفديكَ عنهم كلُّ ملكٍ جائرِ

يفديكَ عنهم كلُّ ملكٍ جائرِ

لا يأمن الدعواتِ في الخلواتِ

لا يأمن الدعواتِ في الخلواتِ

May every unjust king be your ransom in their stead—

Every unjust king would ransom you from them,

Never safe from prayers uttered in solitude.

Not feeling safe from prayers even in solitude.

لم يرضَ عبدُ الله إِذعانَ الورى

لم يرضَ عبدُ الله إِذعانَ الورى

بالخوفِ دونَ الحبِّ في الطاعاتِ

بالخوفِ دونَ الحبِّ في الطاعاتِ

Abd Allah was not content with people's submission

God's servant did not accept the people's submission

Through fear rather than love in their obedience.

Through fear without love in obedience.

الأبلجُ المنصورُ من جازى الورى

الأبلجُ المنصورُ من جازى الورى

في المكرماتِ فأحرَزَ القَصباتِ

في المكرماتِ فأحرَزَ القَصباتِ

The radiant al-Mansur, who repaid humankind

Al-Ablaj al-Mansur, who rewarded the people

With noble deeds, and won the victor's stakes.

With gifts, so he won the reed-beds.

وأَطاعها نفساً تحنُّ إِلى العلى

وأَطاعها نفساً تحنُّ إِلى العلى

حيثُ النفوسُ تحنُّ للشَّهواتِ

حيثُ النفوسُ تحنُّ للشَّهواتِ

And he obeyed his soul, which yearns for the heights,

And he obeyed a soul that longs for the Most High,

Where other souls yearn for sensual pleasures.

Where souls long for passions.

فأَصاب مرماهُ وقد ظهرت لَهُ

فأَصاب مرماهُ وقد ظهرت لَهُ

بدلالةِ التوفيقِ في مرآةِ

بدلالةِ التوفيقِ في مرآةِ

So he attained his aim, already revealed to him

So he attained his goal, and success in it

Through the guidance of divine favor, in a mirror.

Appeared to him in the mirror of being granted success.

خذ من زمانِك ما أَثابك واغتنم

خذ من زمانِك ما أَثابك واغتنم

فرض الثنا نوافلَ الحسناتِ

فرض الثنا نوافلَ الحسناتِ

Take what your time has rewarded you with, and seize the chance;

Take from your time what rewarded you and make use

Praise has made voluntary good deeds obligatory.

Of the extra good deeds.

فاللهُ راض والبريةُ كلهُمْ

فاللهُ راض والبريةُ كلهُمْ

راضوان فاستكثر من الخيراتِ

راضوان فاستكثر من الخيراتِ

For God is pleased, and all creation

For God is pleased, and all the people

Is pleased; so multiply your good deeds.

Are pleased, so increase your good things.