خميسُ اليمنِ توّج عام خمس

خميسُ اليمنِ توّج عام خمس

وهنّأ تونسَ الخضرا بأنسِ

وهنّأ تونسَ الخضرا بأنسِ

A Thursday of good fortune crowned the year five,

The crescent of Yemen crowned the year five

and greeted Tunis the Green with joy.

And congratulated green Tunisia with intimacy

أَبانَ هلالهُ طلقَ المحيّا

أَبانَ هلالهُ طلقَ المحيّا

مُديلاً سعده من كلّ نحسِ

مُديلاً سعده من كلّ نحسِ

Its crescent shone forth, bright of countenance,

Its crescent manifested, dawn broke clearly

its good fortune replacing every misfortune.

Wiping away its good fortune from every misfortune

يحيّي الصادقَ الأسمى حيياً

يحيّي الصادقَ الأسمى حيياً

لِما قَد مرَ مختوماً بأمسِ

لِما قَد مرَ مختوماً بأمسِ

It greets the most exalted al-Sadiq, abashed

It celebrates the most truthful and exalted celebration

for what has passed, now sealed within yesterday,

For what has passed sealed with the eve

وَيعلنُ أنّها كُربٌ تجلّت

وَيعلنُ أنّها كُربٌ تجلّت

تجلّي السحبِ عن إشراقِ شمسِ

تجلّي السحبِ عن إشراقِ شمسِ

and declares that those sorrows have cleared away,

And it declares that they were sorrows that appeared

as clouds clear from the radiance of a sun.

Like the clouds revealing the radiance of the sun

وَإنّ المكفهرّ صبيرُ جودٍ

وَإنّ المكفهرّ صبيرُ جودٍ

مُصرّاةً عزاليهِ ليحسي

مُصرّاةً عزاليهِ ليحسي

And that the lowering cloud is a mass of bounteous rain,

Verily, the thunderous is the patient rain of generosity

its rain-spouts pent up, ready to give drink.

Insisting on solitude to sense

تقضّى منهُ إبراقٌ ورعدٌ

تقضّى منهُ إبراقٌ ورعدٌ

وَذا الشرّ الدرور بغيرِ بسِّ

وَذا الشرّ الدرور بغيرِ بسِّ

Its flashes of lightning and thunder have passed,

From it passed lightning and thunder

and so has that evil which poured forth unbidden.

And the evils of harm without limitation

وَكَم قد أحمد المسرى صباحٌ

وَكَم قد أحمد المسرى صباحٌ

وَأعقَب راحةً إلحاح نسِّ

وَأعقَب راحةً إلحاح نسِّ

And how often has morning vindicated the night journey,

How often the journey welcomed the morn

and relentless driving brought rest in its wake.

And comfort followed persistent insomnia

سَتُصبحُ تونس حرماً أميناً

سَتُصبحُ تونس حرماً أميناً

لَه تَهوي مساقطُ كلّ رأسِ

لَه تَهوي مساقطُ كلّ رأسِ

Tunis will become a secure sanctuary,

Tunisia will become a safe sanctuary

before which every head will bow.

To it the falls of every head incline

وَلم لا وَالّذي فيها مليكٌ

وَلم لا وَالّذي فيها مليكٌ

تَرى فيه حُلى ملكٍ بأنسِ

تَرى فيه حُلى ملكٍ بأنسِ

And why not, when the one who reigns there is a king

Why not, by He who has a king in it

in whom you see an angel's graces in human form?

You see in him the adornment of a king with intimacy

حُنوٌّ مبرّأ عن حظّ نفسٍ

حُنوٌّ مبرّأ عن حظّ نفسٍ

وَحلم محقّر للذنب مُنسِ

وَحلم محقّر للذنب مُنسِ

Compassion free from any selfish gain,

Affection cleared of the fortune of a soul

and forbearance that makes sin small and forgotten;

And dream belittling sin forgotten

وَهمّةُ أريحيّ ذي فعالٍ

وَهمّةُ أريحيّ ذي فعالٍ

لها الدنيا جَميعا قاب قوسِ

لها الدنيا جَميعا قاب قوسِ

and the resolve of a magnanimous man of deeds,

And the ambition of one at ease with deeds

for which the whole world is but a bow's length away;

For him the whole world is but a bowshot away

إِلى خُلقٍ لو اِنّ البحرَ مدّ

إِلى خُلقٍ لو اِنّ البحرَ مدّ

لِمطريه سَرى فيهِ بيبسِ

لِمطريه سَرى فيهِ بيبسِ

alongside a character that, were the sea supplied

To a manner, if the sea were ink

to its praiser, he would traverse it dry-shod.

For his rain, it would run out and dry up

أَلا أيّها الملكُ المفدّى

أَلا أيّها الملكُ المفدّى

بِأنفُس مَن رَعى وهمُ كنفسِ

بِأنفُس مَن رَعى وهمُ كنفسِ

Ah, O king, ransomed

Oh king ransomed

by the lives of those he tends, who are as one soul,

With the selves of those he shepherded and they his selves

يَخصُّكَ بِالهناءِ هلالُ عامٍ

يَخصُّكَ بِالهناءِ هلالُ عامٍ

يَعمّ بما يسرّك كلّ جنسِ

يَعمّ بما يسرّك كلّ جنسِ

the new year's crescent singles you out for joy,

The crescent of a year singles you out for congratulations

reaching every people with what delights you.

It blesses with what gladdens you every race

يُسائِلك التبسّط في جنانٍ

يُسائِلك التبسّط في جنانٍ

عَلى رهنٍ لإعدام وأبسِ

عَلى رهنٍ لإعدام وأبسِ

It asks you to spread gladness within hearts

It asks you for openness in gardens

held hostage to destitution and harshness:

For the ransom of execution and affliction

أشائم قَد لَحاهُم بَل سَحاهم

أشائم قَد لَحاهُم بَل سَحاهم

بِوَطء صرف دهرهم وضرسِ

بِوَطء صرف دهرهم وضرسِ

luckless souls, already chastised—nay, flayed—

Evils which it erased and made disappear

by the trampling and biting of their time's vicissitudes.

With the change of time and its bareness

تُطوِّحهم سَوائحهُ ببؤسٍ

تُطوِّحهم سَوائحهُ ببؤسٍ

يُطرّحُهم مطارحَ كلِّ بأسِ

يُطرّحُهم مطارحَ كلِّ بأسِ

Its calamities toss them into misery;

Its misfortunes will toss them in misery

it casts them into every haunt of suffering.

Casting them to every terrible predicament

فَدارِك من نفوسهمُ ذماءً

فَدارِك من نفوسهمُ ذماءً

يَكادُ يُقال أمس طيّ أمسِ

يَكادُ يُقال أمس طيّ أمسِ

So save the last flicker of life in their souls,

So protect from their souls the defects

almost called 'yesterday,' folded into yesterday.

That it could almost be said the eve has folded the eve

وَأورِف للرعيّة ظلّ فضلٍ

وَأورِف للرعيّة ظلّ فضلٍ

يُعيدُ لَهم عوازبَ كلِّ غرسِ

يُعيدُ لَهم عوازبَ كلِّ غرسِ

And spread for your subjects a broad shade of bounty

And present to the flock the shade of grace

that restores to them what has vanished from every planting.

Returning to them the yields of every planting

فَخيرٌ من توالي الخصبِ رفقٌ

فَخيرٌ من توالي الخصبِ رفقٌ

وَإجرارٌ لأرسانٍ بقسِّ

وَإجرارٌ لأرسانٍ بقسِّ

For better than unbroken plenty are gentleness

For better than the succession of fertility is gentleness

and slackening the halters during harsh driving.

And dragging anchors with force

وَإِنّك من دروا حلماً وبأساً

وَإِنّك من دروا حلماً وبأساً

وَشيكٌ مِنهما أممٌ بمسِّ

وَشيكٌ مِنهما أممٌ بمسِّ

And you are the one they know for clemency and might,

You truly combine forbearance and courage

both swift and close at hand to the touch.

And nations are at your command

وَإِنّك قد قتلتَ الدهرَ خبراً

وَإِنّك قد قتلتَ الدهرَ خبراً

وَلستَ مقاذفاً قدراً بعكسِ

وَلستَ مقاذفاً قدراً بعكسِ

And you have mastered time through experience,

You have killed fate with experience

nor pit yourself against fate in defiance.

And you are no striker of fate conversely

وَلستَ بِضائقٍ ذرعاً بأمرٍ

وَلستَ بِضائقٍ ذرعاً بأمرٍ

يَنوءُ بضاربٍ خمساً بسدسِ

يَنوءُ بضاربٍ خمساً بسدسِ

Nor are you left helpless by a matter

You are not straitened with any matter

that burdens one who sets five against six.

Bowing with one hitting five with six

فَكَم عَرضت لَك الجلّى وأجلت

فَكَم عَرضت لَك الجلّى وأجلت

عَنِ العزمِ المؤيّد روح قدسِ

عَنِ العزمِ المؤيّد روح قدسِ

For how often has mighty calamity faced you and revealed

So how often did the manifest offer itself to you and you postponed

a resolve upheld by a holy spirit

The supported resolve of the holy spirit

وَلطفٍ غيرِ محتسبٍ ينادي

وَلطفٍ غيرِ محتسبٍ ينادي

بأنّ بكَ العنايةَ دون لبسِ

بأنّ بكَ العنايةَ دون لبسِ

and unforeseen grace, crying aloud

And undeserved favor calls

that providence is with you, beyond all doubt.

That providence is with you without confusion

وَمهما حامَ حولَ حِماكَ ريبٌ

وَمهما حامَ حولَ حِماكَ ريبٌ

وَظنّ به الظنونَ هوى بركسِ

وَظنّ به الظنونَ هوى بركسِ

And whatever menace circles round your sanctuary

And whatever doubts roamed around your care

and harbors suspicions of it falls headlong in ruin.

And suspicions suspected it has fallen headfirst

فَلا زالت سعودكَ في صعودٍ

فَلا زالت سعودكَ في صعودٍ

وَلا ضيعت شَوارقها لغمسِ

وَلا ضيعت شَوارقها لغمسِ

So may your fortunes never cease to rise,

Still your good fortune is in ascent

and may their rising lights never sink from sight;

And its rays are not lost to setting

وَلا بَرِحت بكَ الخضرا تُباهي

وَلا بَرِحت بكَ الخضرا تُباهي

وَتُشرقُ من جَبينك ضوءَ شمسِ

وَتُشرقُ من جَبينك ضوءَ شمسِ

and may the Green never cease to glory in you,

And with you the verdant remains prideful

and shine with a sun's light from your brow.

And from your forehead radiates the light of the sun