1. أَلا هَكَذَا فَلْيَسْمُ للمجدِ مَنْ سَما

    ويَحْمِ ذِمارَ الملكِ والدينِ مَنْ حَمى

    Behold, let whoever rises rise thus to glory,

    and let whoever defends defend the honor of kingship and faith.

  2. وإِلّا فللمنصورِ غاياتُ مَا شَآ

    إِلَيْهِ بَني الدنيا وأَغراضُ مَنْ رَمى

    Otherwise, al-Mansur has the ultimate goals toward which he outstripped

    the sons of this world, and the targets of whoever has aimed.

  3. وحَقٌّ لِمَنْ لاقى فأَقدمَ سَيْفُهُ

    عَلَى غَمَراتِ الموتِ أَن يَتَقَدَّمَا

    And he who faced battle, whose sword plunged forward

    into the depths of death, deserves to take the foremost place.

  4. ومن حَقَرَتْ مستعظَمَ الهولِ نَفْسُهُ

    إِذَا الخيلُ كرَّتْ أَن يكونَ المعظَّما

    And he whose soul scorned the enormity of terror

    when the horses charged deserves to be exalted.

  5. ومن مَلَّ أُنْسَ المالِ حَتَّى تحَكَّمَتْ

    عَلَى مَا حَوَتْ كفَّاهُ أَن يَتَحَكَّما

    And he who tired of wealth's companionship, until his hands ruled freely

    over all they held, deserves himself to rule.

  6. ومَنْ حَمَتِ العِلْقَ النَّفيسَ سيوفُهُ

    من الضيمِ أن تختارَ مُرتَبَعَ الحَما

    And he whose swords guarded the precious treasure

    from oppression deserves that they choose the sanctuary's spring pasture.

  7. ومن تَيَّمَتْهُ أَوْجُهُ المجدِ أَن يُرى

    وقلبُ العلا صَبّاً إِلَيْهِ مُتَيَّما

    And he whom glory's countenances enthralled deserves to be seen

    while the heart of eminence yearns for him, enslaved by love.

  8. ولله يَا منصورُ آراؤُكَ الَّتِي

    بنيتَ بِهَا نحوَ الكواكِبِ سُلَّما

    Wondrous, by God, O Mansur, are those counsels of yours

    with which you built a ladder toward the stars.

  9. وهذا عظيمُ الشِّرْكِ قَدْ جاءَ خاضِعاً

    وأَلقى بكفَّيْهِ إِلَيْكَ مُحَكِّما

    And this mighty lord of idolatry has come submissively,

    and surrendered to you with both his hands, making you his judge.

  10. سليلُ ملوكِ الكفرِ فِي ذِرْوَةِ السَّنا

    ووارِثُ ملكِ الرُّومِ أَقْدَمَ أَقْدَما

    A scion of the kings of unbelief at the summit of splendor,

    and heir to Roman dominion, reaching ever further into antiquity.

  11. توسَّطَ أَنسابَ القياصِرِ فانتمى

    من الصِّيدِ والأَملاكِ أَقرَبَ مُنْتَمى

    He stood amid the Caesars' lineages and traced his descent,

    claiming the closest kinship to proud nobles and kings.

  12. ولما تقاضى غَرْبُ سيفِكَ نَفْسَهُ

    وحاطَتْ لَهُ الأَقدارُ مُحْتَقَنَ الدِّمَا

    And when the edge of your sword demanded his life,

    and fate safeguarded for him his unspilled blood,

  13. وَلَمْ يستطِعْ نحوَ الحياةِ تأَخُّراً

    بِفَوْتٍ ولا نحوَ النَّجاةِ تَقَدُّما

    and he could not retreat toward life

    by escaping, nor advance toward deliverance,

  14. تدارَكُهُ المقدارُ فِي قبضةِ الردى

    وخاطَبَهُ حنَّاً عَلَيْهِ فأَفْهَمَا

    destiny came to his rescue in death's grip,

    and spoke to him compassionately, making him understand.

  15. وبشَّرَهُ التَّأْمِيلُ منكَ بعَطْفَةٍ

    تلقَّى بِهَا رَوْحَ الحياةِ تَنَسُّما

    Hope brought him glad tidings of compassion from you,

    through which he breathed in the refreshing breeze of life.

  16. فأَشْرَعَ أرْماحَ التَّذَلُّلِ ظاعِناً

    وأَصْلَتَ أَسيافَ الخضوعِ مُصَمِّما

    So he set out, leveling the lances of abasement,

    and resolutely unsheathed the swords of submission.

  17. وقابَلَهُ النصرُ الَّذِي لَكَ صَفوُهُ

    مع السَّعدِ حَتَّى احتازَهُ لَكَ مَغْنَما

    Victory, whose purest portion is yours, met him

    together with good fortune, until it secured him for you as booty.

  18. وقادَ لحبلِ الرِّقِّ نحوكَ نَفْسَهُ

    فلاقاكَ مُمْتَنّاً ووافاكَ مُنْعِما

    He led himself toward you, to the rope of bondage,

    and found you gracious when he met you, generous when he reached you.

  19. وحَفَّتْ بِهِ للحاجِبِ القائِدِ الَّذِي

    أَبى الدهرُ إِلّا مَا أَمَرَّ وأَحْكَما

    And around him gathered, from the chamberlain-commander—

    for whom Time accepted only what he ratified and secured—

  20. حمايَةُ آباءٍ ومنعةُ قادرٍ

    يتَيهُ عَلَى صرفِ الزمانِ مُحَرَّمَا

    the protection of fathers and the invulnerability of a mighty man,

    who stands proudly above time's reversals, inviolate.

  21. فَراحَ ذليلاً ثُمَّ أَضحى مُبَجَّلاً

    وأَمسى مُهاناً ثُمَّ أَصبحَ مُكْرَما

    Thus he departed abased, then came to be revered;

    he passed the evening humiliated, then dawned honored.

  22. وأَصبحَ من حظِّ السلامةِ وافِراً

    بأَن راحَ من عزِّ الإِمارَةِ مُعْدِما

    And his share of safety became abundant,

    because he departed bereft of princely power.

  23. ولاقاكَ فاسْتَخْذى لديكَ تذلُّلاً

    ليحتازَ من أدنى رضاكَ تَرَحُّما

    He met you and humbled himself before you in submission,

    to gain compassion from the least measure of your approval.

  24. لئن خَفَرَتْهُ منكَ ذمَّةُ قادرٍ

    لقد فارقَ الكُفْرَ الخَذُولَ مُذَمَّما

    If a mighty man's pledge from you has protected him,

    he has indeed left the unbelief that failed him, discredited.

  25. لئن سُمْتَهُ البأْساءَ فِي عُقْرِ دارِهِ

    لقد عُضْتَهُ فِي دارِ ملكِكَ أَنْعُما

    Though you subjected him to hardship in the heart of his home,

    you repaid him with blessings in the seat of your kingship.

  26. لَئِنْ خاضَ فِي اسْتِقبالِكَ الجودَ والنَّدى

    لَقَدْ خاضَ فِي آثارِكَ النَّقع والدِّما

    Though he waded through bounty and generosity coming to meet you,

    he had already waded in your wake through battle-dust and blood.

  27. ومَرَّ يُبَكِّي من معاهِدِ مُلكِهِ

    معالِمَ عَفَّتْها السيوفُ وأَرْسُما

    He passed, lamenting among his kingdom's old haunts

    the landmarks and traces the swords had effaced.

  28. تُراعُ بِهَا الأَجبالُ من رَنَّةِ الصَّدى

    ويُذْعَرُ فِيهَا الطيرُ أَن يَتَرَنَّما

    There the mountains tremble at the ringing of the echo,

    and the birds are terrified to sing.

  29. بسطْتَ لَهُ أَمْناً وَقَدْ بَسَطَ القنا

    ثَرَى أَرضِه من هَلَّهَا بكَ أَعظُما

    You extended safety to him, though the spears had spread

    his land's soil with its people's bones, through you.

  30. سقيتَ بِهِ الإِسلامَ أَرْياً وطالما

    سقاهُمْ بكأْسِ الموتِ صاباً وعلقما

    Through him you gave Islam honey to drink, though so often

    he had given them bitter sap and colocynth in death's cup.

  31. وها هُوَ ذَا فِي راحَتَيْكَ مُذَلَّلاً

    رهيناً لما أَمْضَيْتَ فِيهِ مُحْكَّما

    Now here he is, humbled in your two palms,

    a hostage to whatever you decree concerning him, with you as judge.

  32. رمَى نفسَهُ قَسْراً إِلَى المَلِكِ الَّذِي

    رأَى الدهرَ مملوكاً لَهُ فَتَعَلَّما

    He cast himself, compelled, before the king whose

    slave he saw Time to be, and thus learned his lesson.

  33. ولولا سيوف النصرِ حينَ انْتَضَيْتَها

    لقد جلَّ هَذَا الصُّنعُ أن يُتَوَهَّما

    Were it not for the swords of victory when you drew them,

    this deed would have been too sublime even to imagine.

  34. فجاءَ وقَيْدُ الرَّوْعِ يَقصُرُ خطوَهُ

    ويَمْتَدُّ فِي حبلِ الخضوعِ تَقَدُّما

    So he came, fear's fetter shortening his stride,

    yet strained forward along the rope of submission.

  35. يخاطِبُ عن رعْبٍ وإِن كَانَ مفصحاً

    ويُفْصِحُ عن ذعرٍ وإِن كَانَ أَعجما

    He speaks out of terror, though he is eloquent,

    and voices his alarm, though he speaks a foreign tongue.

  36. إِذا راعَهُ هولُ الجنودِ فأَحْجَما

    تدارَكَهُ ذِكرى رِضاكَ فأَقدما

    When the terror of the armies frightened him and he drew back,

    the memory of your approval rescued him, and he advanced.

  37. وَمَا كرَّ رجْعَ الطرفِ إِلّا وضَيغَمٌ

    يُساوِرُ فِي رُعْبِ الأَسِنَّةِ ضيغما

    He never turned his gaze, even briefly, without a lion

    assailing another lion amid the terror of spearheads,

  38. وأَرْقَمُ يسطُو بالهواءِ اضْطِرابُهُ

    يناهِسُ فِي ليلٍ من النقعِ أَرقما

    and a spotted snake, its writhing lashing the air,

    biting another snake in a night of battle-dust,

  39. وعِقبانُ أَعلامٍ تَمُرُّ يخالُها

    عَلَى نفسِهِ فِي مَعْرَكِ الحربِ حُوَّما

    and eagles on standards passing by, which he imagined

    circling over him in the field of war.

  40. فلله يومٌ جلَّ قدرُ عديدِهِ

    وعُدَّتِهِ عن مِثْلَما وكأَنَّما

    By God, a day whose host's vast numbers,

    and armament, surpassed all 'like' and 'as though'!

  41. جنودٌ كَأَنَّ الأَرضَ من لَمَعانِها

    بروقٌ تلالا أَوْ حَريقٌ تَضَرَّما

    Armies whose glitter made the earth seem

    flashing lightning or a fire blazing up.

  42. سحابٌ من البيضِ الخوافِقِ قَدْ عَلا

    وبحرٌ من السَّرْدِ المضاعَفِ قَدْ طَمى

    A cloud of fluttering white banners had risen,

    and a sea of doubled chain mail had surged.

  43. بكلِّ كَمِيٍّ عامِرِيٍّ كَأَنَّما

    تَسَرْبَلَ من شمس الضِّحى وتَعَمَّمَا

    With every armored Amiri warrior, as though he

    had robed himself in the forenoon sun and made it his turban,

  44. يُحَيِّي الأَميرَ بالحياةِ مُبَشِّراً

    وإِن كَانَ قَدْ فاجاهُ بالموتِ مُعْلِما

    greeting the prince with good tidings of life,

    though he had once surprised him, heralding death.

  45. وَقَدْ طالَما لاقاهُ قِرْناً مُساوِراً

    فَوَشْكَانَ مَا لاقاهُ حِزْباً مُسَلِّما

    Often he had met him as a rival, springing to attack;

    how swiftly he met him as an ally, offering peace!

  46. كَأَنَّ النجومَ الزُّهْرَ حَفَّتْ بوجْهِهِ

    فأَدَّتْهُ محروساً إِلَى قَمَرِ السَّما

    As though the bright stars had gathered around his face,

    and brought him under guard to the moon of heaven.

  47. فقابَلَ وجهاً بالجمالِ مُتَوَّجاً

    وقبَّلَ كَفّاً بالسماحِ مُخَتَّما

    He faced a countenance crowned with beauty,

    and kissed a hand ringed with generosity.

  48. فَهُنِّيت يَا منصورُ سَعْداً مُجَدَّداً

    وإِقبالَ صُنعٍ بالبقاءِ مُتَمَّما

    May you be congratulated, O Mansur, on good fortune renewed,

    and on favor's happy advent, perfected by continuance.

  49. ومُلِّيتَ من أَسباطِ مَجْدِكَ حاجِباً

    يباشِرُ منه المجدُ والفخرُ مَقْدِما

    May you long enjoy a chamberlain among the scions of your glory,

    whose coming glory and pride embrace.

  50. رَمَيْتَ بِهِ بحرَ الضلالَةِ فانْتهى

    وجَشَّمْتَهُ عِبْءَ العُلا فَتَجَشَّما

    You hurled him into the sea of error, and he reached its limit;

    and made him shoulder the burden of eminence, so he shouldered it.