أُحبُّ شموساً قد تقلدن أنجما

أُحبُّ شموساً قد تقلدن أنجما

وأرْسَلْن فيناناً من الشَعرْ مُظلِما

وأرْسَلْن فيناناً من الشَعرْ مُظلِما

I love suns that have worn stars about their necks,

I love suns that donned stars

And let fall luxuriant masses of dark hair.

And sent veil of poetry, darkened,

وبَدّلْنَنَي بالوصلِ منهنّ جفوةً

وبَدّلْنَنَي بالوصلِ منهنّ جفوةً

فاجرين ماءَ الدّمعِ من مقلتي دَما

فاجرين ماءَ الدّمعِ من مقلتي دَما

They gave me estrangement in place of union with them,

And changed their union with me into estrangement

So they made the water of tears flow from my eye as blood.

So tears flowed from my eyelids blood

من الخَفرات البيض يسكن بالحمى

من الخَفرات البيض يسكن بالحمى

وتحمى بيض الهند والأسل الظِماء

وتحمى بيض الهند والأسل الظِماء

Among the modest, fair women dwelling in the protected precinct,

In the white deserts dwells fever

Guarded by India's bright blades and thirsty spears.

And fever keeps the white eggs and the thirsty camels warm

هي الشمس لكن بالهلالِ تطوقت

هي الشمس لكن بالهلالِ تطوقت

هي البانة الملدا عَذْبِيَّةُ إللما

هي البانة الملدا عَذْبِيَّةُ إللما

She is the sun, yet wears the crescent moon about her neck.

She is the sun but with crescent adorned herself

She is the supple bān tree, with sweet, dark-tinted lips.

She is the white, sweetly smiling moon

تريك الدّجَى والنورَ والغصْنَ والنقا

تريك الدّجَى والنورَ والغصْنَ والنقا

وتحكي وَميضَ البرقِ إنِ ابتسمت فَما

وتحكي وَميضَ البرقِ إنِ ابتسمت فَما

She shows you darkness, light, the bough, and the sand dune.

She shows you the darkness, light, branch and chant

And her mouth mirrors lightning's flash when she smiles.

And tells of lightning’s glow if she smiles, so what a mouth!

وفي لَفْظِها سِحْرٌ وفي لحظاتِهَا

وفي لَفْظِها سِحْرٌ وفي لحظاتِهَا

وفي خدها من حسنها جُذوةُ ومَاء

وفي خدها من حسنها جُذوةُ ومَاء

There is magic in her speech, and in her glances,

In her words is magic and in her glances

And in her cheek, from her beauty, are an ember and water.

In her cheek, of her beauty is a burning coal and water

ولو أنها نادت بحسنِ كلامِها

ولو أنها نادت بحسنِ كلامِها

من القبر ميتاً ثاوياً لتكلّمَا

من القبر ميتاً ثاوياً لتكلّمَا

And were she, with her lovely speech, to call

And if she called out with the beauty of her speech

A dead man lying in the grave, he would surely speak.

A dead man in his grave would have spoken

عسى وطنٌ يدنو بهم ولَعَلّمَا

عسى وطنٌ يدنو بهم ولَعَلّمَا

وإنْ تُعْقِبِ الابامُ وَصْلاً فربما

وإنْ تُعْقِبِ الابامُ وَصْلاً فربما

Perhaps a homeland will bring them near—perhaps.

May a homeland bring them close and perhaps

And if the days bring reunion—perhaps they may.

If sorrows follow a union, then maybe

يقينيَ وسيفُ الدين هذا محمدٌ

يقينيَ وسيفُ الدين هذا محمدٌ

حَمِيدٌ ومنه الفعلُ ليس مذمما

حَمِيدٌ ومنه الفعلُ ليس مذمما

He protects me; and Sayf al-Din, this Muhammad,

My certainty, this sword of the faith, Muhammad

Is praiseworthy, and his deeds are not blameworthy.

Praiseworthy, and from him no act is condemnable

وسيفُ الملوك المرتضى سيف ديننا

وسيفُ الملوك المرتضى سيف ديننا

وأشرفُ من حاز التّقى والتكُرمُا

وأشرفُ من حاز التّقى والتكُرمُا

The chosen sword of kings, the sword of our faith,

And the sword of the chosen king, the sword of our faith

And the noblest to possess piety and generosity.

And most noble of those who won piety and generosity

فاسيافُه حمرٌ وُدُهْمُ جفانُه

فاسيافُه حمرٌ وُدُهْمُ جفانُه

وسَاحاتُه خُضْرٌ بها الوفدُ خَيّمَا

وسَاحاتُه خُضْرٌ بها الوفدُ خَيّمَا

His swords are red, and his great bowls black.

So his swords are red and their blades Indian steel

And his courtyards are green; there the delegation has camped.

And his battlefields are green, on them the deputation pitched camp

ومفترسٌ أُسْدَ الفوارس فارسٌ

ومفترسٌ أُسْدَ الفوارس فارسٌ

إذا رَكبَ الطِرفَ الجوادَ المطهما

إذا رَكبَ الطِرفَ الجوادَ المطهما

And a horseman who devours the lions among horsemen,

A lion, the lion of horsemen, a horseman

When he mounts the swift, well-formed, noble steed.

When he rode his lively, swift-running steed

وطاعِنُ الفٍ والقنا يقرع القنا

وطاعِنُ الفٍ والقنا يقرع القنا

ومطعمُ ألفٍ لا عدمناه مُطْعما

ومطعمُ ألفٍ لا عدمناه مُطْعما

And he spears a thousand, as lances clash with lances,

Spear-thrusting a thousand, he thrusts the spear

And feeds a thousand—may we never lose him as a provider.

Feeding a thousand, we never found him to lack as a feeder

عجبتُ له في النائبات وأنّه

عجبتُ له في النائبات وأنّه

ليُحْسَبُ جيشا في الهياج عَرَمْرَما

ليُحْسَبُ جيشا في الهياج عَرَمْرَما

I marveled at him amid calamities, and at how he

I wondered at him in tribulations, that he

Is indeed reckoned a vast army in the tumult of battle.

Would be accounted an army amidst the melee

ولم ترعينٌ منه أَشجعَ مُقدما

ولم ترعينٌ منه أَشجعَ مُقدما

إذا هز عَسّالا وجرّد مِخْذما

إذا هز عَسّالا وجرّد مِخْذما

And no eye has seen one braver than he in the charge,

And I did not see a braver vanguard

When he brandishes a quivering spear and unsheathes a keen blade.

When he shook the fleeter horse and bared the sharper blade

تتوّجَ بالدين الذي خذل العِدى

تتوّجَ بالدين الذي خذل العِدى

فلا زال منصوراً أميناً معَظّمَا

فلا زال منصوراً أميناً معَظّمَا

He crowned himself with the faith that left the foes helpless;

He is crowned by the faith which let down the enemies

So may he remain victorious, trustworthy, and revered.

So he remained victorious, trusted, respected

لقد شكَر المَلْكُ المظفّر سعيَه

لقد شكَر المَلْكُ المظفّر سعيَه

وكان وجيهاً عندَه ومُقَدَّما

وكان وجيهاً عندَه ومُقَدَّما

King al-Muzaffar indeed commended his efforts,

Indeed, the King al-Muẓaffar thanked his efforts

And he was esteemed by him and given precedence.

And he was eminent to him and preferred

وأثنى عليه والثناءُ عنه شائعٌ

وأثنى عليه والثناءُ عنه شائعٌ

غدا مُنجداً في كلّ أرضٍ ومُتهِمَا

غدا مُنجداً في كلّ أرضٍ ومُتهِمَا

And he praised him; praise of him is widespread,

And he praised him and praise of him became well-known

Spreading through every land, reaching Najd and Tihāma.

He rose helping in every land and concerned