1. سلامٌ وتسليمٌ بدا وثناءُ

    وإخلاصُ وُدٍّ لم يَشُبْهُ رِياءُ

    Peace, salutations, and praise arise,

    And sincere affection, untainted by pretense,

  2. وحُسن ودادٍ مُخلصٍ ومودَّةٌ

    ومحضُ تحيَّاتٍ به وصَفاءُ

    And the beauty of sincere love and affection,

    And pure greetings within it, and sincerity,

  3. وذِكرُ أيادٍ من عظيم كرامةٍ

    ونُبل هوىً لا يعتريه فنَاءُ

    And remembrance of favors born of great generosity,

    And noble love that never dies,

  4. ومحضُ مديحٍ ليس يُحصىً عِدادُهُ

    خلاصة وُدٍّ زانَهُ ووفاءُ

    And pure praise whose tally cannot be reckoned,

    The essence of affection that adorned it, and fidelity—

  5. إلى ملِكٍ لم يَسْلُني عنه غيره

    وإن عَمَّني منه نَدّى وسخاءُ

    To a king whom no other has made me forget,

    Even if bounty and generosity from him should envelop me;

  6. إلى ملِكٍ لم أَنْسَهُ قط ساعةً

    مدَى الدَّهرِ حتى لا يكونَ جفاءُ

    To a king I have never forgotten for a single hour,

    Throughout all time, so that no estrangement may arise;

  7. إلى ملكٍ زانَتْ بطلعة وجهه

    أماكن ما مرَّت عليها ذُكاءُ

    To a king whose countenance has adorned

    Places over which the sun has never passed;

  8. ومَن مالُه مالي ومالي مالُه

    ومَن مدحه بعد الصلاة دعاءُ

    And one whose wealth is mine, and mine is his,

    And one whose praise after prayer is a supplication.

  9. هو الملك القَرْم الجواد بَلَعْربٌ

    له الحمدُ والمدحُ اللُّبابُ جزاءُ

    He is the king, the noble chief, the generous Balʿarab;

    Thanks and the choicest praise are his recompense.

  10. بنفسي كريمٌ حازَ مجداً وسؤدَداً

    وآباؤه أمثالُه كُرَماءُ

    My life for a noble man who gained glory and eminence,

    And his forefathers are noble men like him.

  11. فَصِيحٌ متى ينطِقْ يجد كل مُفصحٍ

    أخا منطق تعنو له الفُصَحاءُ

    Eloquent—whenever he speaks, every articulate speaker finds

    A master of speech to whom the eloquent bow.

  12. بليغٌ متى تبدُو البلاغةُ منه في

    ندىِّ المعالي يَخْجَلُ البُلغَاءُ

    Eloquent—whenever his eloquence appears in

    The assembly of lofty virtues, the eloquent are abashed.

  13. وعن وصف جَدْواه ومدح خِلاله

    تجىءُ بلاغاتٌ لها الشعراءُ

    And in describing his bounty and praising his virtues,

    The poets bring forth eloquent utterances for them.