فَيا مَنْ يؤمِّلُ هذا الجَنابَا

فَيا مَنْ يؤمِّلُ هذا الجَنابَا

أنَخْتَ بعَقْوَةِ رَعْي العُهودْ

أنَخْتَ بعَقْوَةِ رَعْي العُهودْ

O you in whom this august court places its hopes,

O you who set your hopes upon this court,

I have made my camel kneel in its inner court, honoring old covenants.

you have made your mount kneel in the precinct of honored pledges.

بَلَغْتَ بيوسُفَ مَثْوى الضّيوفِ

بَلَغْتَ بيوسُفَ مَثْوى الضّيوفِ

وَوِرْدَ النّدى ومُناخَ الوفودْ

وَوِرْدَ النّدى ومُناخَ الوفودْ

Through Yusuf I reached the lodging place of guests,

Through Yusuf you have reached the guests' abode,

the watering place of bounty and the encampment of delegations—

and bounty's watering place and the delegations' encampment.

ثِمالُ الفَقيرِ ويُسْرُ العَسير

ثِمالُ الفَقيرِ ويُسْرُ العَسير

وكَهْفُ الغَريبِ ومأوى الطّريدْ

وكَهْفُ الغَريبِ ومأوى الطّريدْ

the poor man’s mainstay and the hard-pressed man’s relief,

A refuge for the poor, and relief for the distressed,

the stranger’s refuge and the fugitive’s shelter.

and the stranger's shelter and the outcast's refuge.

تَقَيّلَ أخْلاقَ كسْبِ الثّناءِ

تَقَيّلَ أخْلاقَ كسْبِ الثّناءِ

فأيّدَ طارفَها بالتّلِيدْ

فأيّدَ طارفَها بالتّلِيدْ

He took on virtues to earn acclaim,

He emulated the virtues that win praise,

fortifying their fresh splendor with inherited glory.

and strengthened his newly won merits with ancestral ones.

ولمّا استَتَمّ بناءَ العُلى

ولمّا استَتَمّ بناءَ العُلى

وأحْرزَ شأْوَ الَلالِ البَعيدْ

وأحْرزَ شأْوَ الَلالِ البَعيدْ

And when he had completed the edifice of grandeur

And when he had completed the edifice of eminence,

and reached the farthest mark of the long, weary course,

and attained the distant goal of [an unclear word],

وأيْقَنَ أنْ لمْ يَدَعْ غايَةً

وأيْقَنَ أنْ لمْ يَدَعْ غايَةً

لراجٍ ولا موْضِعا للمَزيدْ

لراجٍ ولا موْضِعا للمَزيدْ

and knew with certainty that he had left no goal

and knew that he had left no goal

for any aspirant, nor room for any increase,

for any aspirant, nor any room for more,

وأنّ الدّيارَ جُسومُ الجُسومِ

وأنّ الدّيارَ جُسومُ الجُسومِ

تولّى إقامَةَ قصْرٍ مَشيدْ

تولّى إقامَةَ قصْرٍ مَشيدْ

and that dwellings are bodies for bodies,

and that dwellings are the bodies of bodies,

he undertook to raise a lofty palace.

he undertook to raise a lofty palace.

تخيّرَ أعْظَمَهُ مَرْمَرا

تخيّرَ أعْظَمَهُ مَرْمَرا

فجاءوا بكُلِّ قويٍّ شَديدْ

فجاءوا بكُلِّ قويٍّ شَديدْ

He chose the most magnificent marble for it,

He chose marble for its bones,

and they brought every mighty, massive block,

so they brought blocks stout and strong,

لتُحْكَمَ قوّةُ ترْكيبِه

لتُحْكَمَ قوّةُ ترْكيبِه

بطَبْعٍ صَحيحٍ وعُمْرٍ مَديدْ

بطَبْعٍ صَحيحٍ وعُمْرٍ مَديدْ

so that its strength might make the structure firm,

to ensure the strength of its construction,

sound in nature and long-lived.

with a sound constitution and a long life.

وجاءَتْ تجُرُّ إليْهِ الصّخورَ

وجاءَتْ تجُرُّ إليْهِ الصّخورَ

عَمالقَةٌ منْ كُفاةِ الحُشودْ

عَمالقَةٌ منْ كُفاةِ الحُشودْ

Then the rocks came, dragged toward it

And there came, dragging rocks to him,

by giants from among the able throngs.

giants among the able men of the assembled hosts.

إذا جَذَبوها إليْهِمْ حَنَوْا

إذا جَذَبوها إليْهِمْ حَنَوْا

ظُهوراً ومَدّوا له كُلَّ جِيدْ

ظُهوراً ومَدّوا له كُلَّ جِيدْ

When they hauled them in, they bent

When they hauled them toward themselves, they bent

their backs and stretched every neck toward it,

their backs and strained every neck for it,

كأنّهُمُ عَبَدوا صَخْرَةً

كأنّهُمُ عَبَدوا صَخْرَةً

وذلِكَ هَيْنَمَةٌ بالسّجودْ

وذلِكَ هَيْنَمَةٌ بالسّجودْ

as though they worshipped a rock,

as though they worshipped a rock,

and that was a low murmuring in prostration.

and their murmuring accompanied their prostration.

كأنّ الأساطينَ مهْما نظَرْتَ

كأنّ الأساطينَ مهْما نظَرْتَ

إلَيْها موَسَّدةً فوقَ عُودْ

إلَيْها موَسَّدةً فوقَ عُودْ

The columns, whenever you looked

The columns, whenever you looked

at them, seemed laid upon a timber beam—

at them, pillowed upon a wooden beam,

مُهودٌ توسّدَها توْأَمٌ

مُهودٌ توسّدَها توْأَمٌ

مُقَمّطَةٌ منْ بَناتِ الصّلودْ

مُقَمّطَةٌ منْ بَناتِ الصّلودْ

cradles upon which a twin pair lay pillowed,

seemed cradles where twins lay pillowed,

swaddled daughters of adamant rock.

swaddled daughters of unyielding rocks.

كأنّ بأفْلاكِ أعْجالِها

كأنّ بأفْلاكِ أعْجالِها

سَحاباً بِها قِطَعٌ منْ جَليدْ

سَحاباً بِها قِطَعٌ منْ جَليدْ

As though their cartwheels’ circling spheres

As though upon their circling wheels

held clouds laden with chunks of ice—

were clouds holding chunks of ice.

سَفائِنُ تَخْرِقُ بحْرَ الفَلا

سَفائِنُ تَخْرِقُ بحْرَ الفَلا

وتَلْحَقُ نحْوَكَ بِيداً فَبيدْ

وتَلْحَقُ نحْوَكَ بِيداً فَبيدْ

ships cleaving the sea of the open waste

Ships cleaving the sea of the wilderness,

and making toward you through wilderness after wilderness;

and overtaking desert after desert on their way to you,

كأنّ الصّواري على ظهْرِها

كأنّ الصّواري على ظهْرِها

طُرِحْنَ مَخافةَ هوْلٍ شَديدْ

طُرِحْنَ مَخافةَ هوْلٍ شَديدْ

as though the masts upon their decks

as though the masts upon their backs

had been struck down for fear of some dreadful terror.

had been laid down for fear of some mighty terror.

وإمّا أُعِدّتْ فأعْجازُ نَخْلٍ

وإمّا أُعِدّتْ فأعْجازُ نَخْلٍ

تفطّرَ عنْ طَلْعِ يُمْنٍ نَضيدْ

تفطّرَ عنْ طَلْعِ يُمْنٍ نَضيدْ

Or, once set upright, they are palm trunks,

And when made ready, they were palm trunks,

bursting with dense-clustered shoots of good fortune.

bursting with close-set blossoms of good fortune.

تولّى عُطارِدُ إتْقانَها

تولّى عُطارِدُ إتْقانَها

وقابَلَها منْكَ سَعْدُ السّعودْ

وقابَلَها منْكَ سَعْدُ السّعودْ

Mercury undertook to perfect them,

Mercury undertook their perfecting,

and from you Saʿd al-Suʿūd—the Luck of Lucks—greeted them.

and in you Sa'd al-Su'ud greeted them.

وعُجْمُ مَهاً ماعرَفْنَ الكلامَ

وعُجْمُ مَهاً ماعرَفْنَ الكلامَ

عَذارَى بُنيّاتُ أمٍّ وَلودْ

عَذارَى بُنيّاتُ أمٍّ وَلودْ

Mute oryx-maidens who had never known speech,

And mute oryx-does that had never known speech,

virgins, little daughters of a prolific mother—

virgins, little daughters of a prolific mother,

كَواعِبُ تُخْجِلُ حُورَ الحِجالِ

كَواعِبُ تُخْجِلُ حُورَ الحِجالِ

بِيضُ الجُسومِ طِوالُ القُدودْ

بِيضُ الجُسومِ طِوالُ القُدودْ

nubile maidens who put the houris of curtained bowers to shame,

budding-breasted maidens, shaming the wide-eyed beauties of bridal chambers,

white of body and tall of stature.

white of body and tall of stature.

لَبِسْنَ رِداءَ الصّباحِ الجَديدِ

لَبِسْنَ رِداءَ الصّباحِ الجَديدِ

وجَرّرْنَ ذَيْلَ الزّمانِ الجَديدْ

وجَرّرْنَ ذَيْلَ الزّمانِ الجَديدْ

They donned the robe of newborn dawn

They donned the mantle of the new morning

and trailed the train of the new age,

and trailed the hem of the new age.

وقُلْنَ بْشِري بلِقاءِ الإمامِ

وقُلْنَ بْشِري بلِقاءِ الإمامِ

فجاءَتْ مُيَمِّمةً بالصّعيدْ

فجاءَتْ مُيَمِّمةً بالصّعيدْ

crying, “Glad tidings of meeting the Imam!”

And they said, "Rejoice at meeting the imam!"

Then the glad tidings came, making straight across the open plain.

so it came, making its way across the plain.

أمَوْلايَ عَبْدُكَ ما إنْ لَهُ

أمَوْلايَ عَبْدُكَ ما إنْ لَهُ

مَدى الدّهْرِ عنْ بابِكُم منْ مَحيدْ

مَدى الدّهْرِ عنْ بابِكُم منْ مَحيدْ

O my lord, your servant has no

O my lord, your servant has no

turning from your gate for as long as time endures.

turning from your door, for all time.

أتَتْكَ تُقَرِّرُ عُذْرَ البَديهِ

أتَتْكَ تُقَرِّرُ عُذْرَ البَديهِ

على أنّها ذاتُ نَهْجٍ سَديْد

على أنّها ذاتُ نَهْجٍ سَديْد

I have come to you to plead the excuse of improvisation,

It came to you, pleading the excuse of improvisation,

though it keeps to a sound and upright course.

though it follows a sound course.

ولو أمْهَلَ الوقْتُ تَنْقيحَها

ولو أمْهَلَ الوقْتُ تَنْقيحَها

لجاوَزْتُ غايةَ عبْدِ الحَميدْ

لجاوَزْتُ غايةَ عبْدِ الحَميدْ

Had time allowed leisure to polish it,

And had time allowed its revision,

it would have surpassed even ʿAbd al-Hamid’s utmost reach.

I would have surpassed Abd al-Hamid's highest achievement.

فَلا باغَبيِّ ولا بالعَيِيِّ

فَلا باغَبيِّ ولا بالعَيِيِّ

ولا بالبَطيِّ ولا بالبَليدْ

ولا بالبَطيِّ ولا بالبَليدْ

For it is neither dull-witted nor tongue-tied,

For I am neither foolish nor inarticulate,

neither slow nor sluggish.

neither slow nor dull-witted.

بَقيتَ لبَذْلِ نَوالٍ وجُودٍ

بَقيتَ لبَذْلِ نَوالٍ وجُودٍ

ونَشْرِ بُنودِ ونَصْرِ جُنودْ

ونَشْرِ بُنودِ ونَصْرِ جُنودْ

May you remain, bestowing largesse and generosity,

May you endure, bestowing gifts and generosity,

unfurling banners and granting victory to armies.

and unfurling banners and granting armies victory.