عرض تقضى لم يمس الجوهرا

فالحمد للمولى على ما قدرا

An affliction passed away without touching the essence;

so praise be to the Lord for what He decreed.

صانت فؤادك من لدنه عناية

جعلت شفاءك للعناية مظهرا

Providence from Him guarded your heart,

making your recovery a manifestation of that care.

وأرتك من حب السرائر آية

في غير هاتكة السرائر لا ترى

And showed you a sign of the love concealed in hearts,

unseen except in what lays those secrets bare.

يا نيرا جرؤ السقام فناله

عجبا أيقتحم السقام النيرا

O luminary, whom sickness dared to strike—

how astonishing! Can sickness assail a luminary?

خلنا مكانتك السنية مأمنا

من بلغ الأدواء هتيك الذرى

We thought your lofty station a safe refuge;

who brought ailments up to those heights?

هزت لحادثك الربى وتحركت

لجج الأثير وروعت مهج الورى

The hills were shaken at your misfortune, and there stirred

the ether's deeps; the hearts of humankind were terrified.

وكأنما في كل صدر غصة

مما عرا الصدر الأبر الأطهرا

And it was as though every breast held a choking grief

at what befell the most righteous, purest breast.

ريب تغشى كالغمام فما انجلى

حتى انثنى صوت النذير مبشرا

Uncertainty spread like clouds and did not lift

until the warner's voice returned bearing glad tidings.

هدأت نفوس الجازعين وبدلت

فرحا بما شاب الصفاء وكدرا

The souls of the distraught grew calm, and were given

joy in place of what had marred and clouded their serenity.

فاغنم حياتك بالشباب مجددا

والعيش أرغد ما عهدت وأنضرا

So savor your life, renewed with youth,

with life more easeful and fresher than you have ever known.

واستأنف الأيام بعد متابها

في نعمة أوفى ومجدا أوفرا

And begin the days anew after their repentance,

in fuller well-being and more abundant glory.

وأعد إلى هذا الحمى أعياده

تزهو وتزهر في المدائن والقرى

And restore to this protected land its festivals,

shining and blossoming in the cities and villages.

لا غرو أن يهوى الأمير المفتدى

شعب رأى فيه الكمال مصورا

No wonder the prince, for whom lives would be given, is loved

by a people who saw perfection embodied in him,

ورأى حميد بلائه في نصره

حتى نجا من رقه وتحررا

and saw his praiseworthy efforts to aid them,

until they escaped their bondage and became free,

ورآه للشورى ظهيرا صادقا

مذ ساس في الملك الأمور ودبرا

and saw him as a sincere supporter of consultation,

since he governed and directed the affairs of the realm.

مستعصم بالله يقفو دائما

سيرا بها العظماء زانوا الأعصرا

Seeking refuge in God, he always follows

the ways with which the great adorned the ages.

مهما يجشمه هواه لقومه

من طائل لا يلفه متعذرا

Whatever his love for his people bids him undertake

of worthy endeavors, he finds none unattainable.

إيمانه يحميه في بأسائه

والصبر عدته إلى أن يظفرا

His faith protects him in his adversity,

and patience is his resource until he triumphs.

آدابه لم يؤتها إلا امرؤ

صفى شمائله التلاد وكررا

His refined manners are granted only to a man

who refined his inherited traits, then refined them again.

فيرى الذي يسمو إليه طرفه

روضا من الشيم الحسان منورا

Thus one who lifts his gaze toward him sees

a flowering garden of beautiful virtues.

يا من له من نبعتيه عزة

ليست تسامى مظهرا أو مخبرا

O you, whose two ancestral roots confer a dignity

unequaled in outward bearing or inward worth.

في كل شأنك والوصاية بعضه

كنت النزيه الحازم المتبصرا

In all your affairs—and guardianship is one of them—

you were upright, resolute, and discerning.

وجلوت للدنيا خلال إمارة

جعلتك في كل القلوب مؤمرا

And you revealed to the world the qualities of princely rule

that made you a ruler in every heart.

للعلم والآداب منك رعاية

أكدتها بمآثر لا تمترى

Learning and letters enjoy your patronage,

which you confirmed by noble deeds beyond dispute.

أشرعن فكرك للقرائح موردا

وجعلن شكرك للمدائح مصدرا

They opened your thought as a wellspring for gifted minds,

and made gratitude to you a source of praises.

وإلى الفنون صرفت فطنة جهبذ

يتخير الأحرى بان يتخيرا

And to the arts you turned the discernment of a connoisseur

who chooses what most deserves to be chosen.

بين الطريفة والعتيقة تنتقى

ما هيأته يد الصناع ليذخرا

Among the new and the antique you select

what the artisan's hand has fashioned to be treasured.

طوفت في شرق البلاد وغربها

مستطلعا مستقصيا مستخبرا

You roamed through the lands, east and west,

exploring, investigating thoroughly, seeking information.

تفري الفرا ولا مرد لهمة

جبت البرور بها وجزت الأبحرا

You work wonders, and there is no checking a resolve

with which you traversed the lands and crossed the seas.

وبوصفك الأسفار في أسفارها

أحضرتها من فاته أن يحضرا

And by describing journeys in their volumes,

you brought them to those who missed the chance to be there.

كم من مغالق للعقول فتحتها

لله درك باحثا ومفكرا

How many mysteries that baffled minds you have unlocked!

God be praised for your excellence as a researcher and thinker!

أنى على طيب الزمان وخبثه

ممن يعمر وده ما عمرا

I, through time's kindness and malice,

am one whose affection lives as long as he does.

وسجيتي رعي الذمام لمجمل

أأقل من إجماله أو أكثرا

And my nature is to honor the obligations owed to a benefactor,

whether he bestowed little kindness or much.

هيهات أن أنسى يدا لك طوقت

عنقي وشمية من وفى أن يذكرا

Far be it that I should forget a favor of yours that encircled

my neck; and it is the loyal person's nature to remember.

قلدتها وبنو أبي وعشيرتي

قدما فقلدنا الفخار الأكبرا

I was adorned with it, as were my father's sons and my clan,

long ago; thus we were adorned with the greatest glory.

ولقد شكرت بما استطعت وحاجتي

ما دمت حيا أن أعود فأشكرا

And I have indeed given thanks as best I could; my wish,

as long as I live, is to return and give thanks again.

عود السلامة كان أيمن نهزة

لأبث مولاي الولاء المضمرا

The return of health was the most auspicious opportunity

for me to express to my lord the loyalty held within.