اتتكَ القوافي ما لها عنكَ مذهبُ

اتتكَ القوافي ما لها عنكَ مذهبُ

فأنتَ بها برٌوأنت لها أبُ

فأنتَ بها برٌوأنت لها أبُ

The rhymes have come to you; they have no path away from you.

The rhymes came to you though they had no path to you

For you are kind to them, and you are their father.

Yet you are righteous with them and a father to them

وما وجدتْ مثلي لها اليومَ شاعراً

وما وجدتْ مثلي لها اليومَ شاعراً

أياديكَ تمليها عليَّ فأكتبُ

أياديكَ تمليها عليَّ فأكتبُ

And today they have found no poet like me;

I have not found anyone like me today who is a poet for it

Your favors dictate them to me, and so I write.

Your hands dictate it to me so I can write

وهل كلساني إن مدحتُكَ مبدعٌ

وهل كلساني إن مدحتُكَ مبدعٌ

وهل كبياني ساحراً حين أنسبُ

وهل كبياني ساحراً حين أنسبُ

And is there a creator like my tongue when I praise you?

Can my tongue be creative if I praise you?

And is anything as enchanting as my eloquence when I sing of love?

Can my rhetoric be magic when I compose poetry?

دع الشعرَ تقذفهُ من البحرِ لجةٌ

دع الشعرَ تقذفهُ من البحرِ لجةٌ

إليكَ ويلقيهِ من البر سبسبُ

إليكَ ويلقيهِ من البر سبسبُ

Let the sea's deep waters hurl poetry

Leave poetry, the sea throws it as jetsam

To you, and the land's vast plain cast it forth.

And the land casts it as flotsam

فإن يممَ الغرُّ الميامين مكةً

فإن يممَ الغرُّ الميامين مكةً

حجيجاً فهذي كعبة الشعرِ يثربُ

حجيجاً فهذي كعبة الشعرِ يثربُ

For if the radiant, blessed ones turn toward Mecca

When pilgrims turn to Mecca from all lands

As pilgrims, then here is poetry's Kaaba: Yathrib.

This is the Kaaba of poetry in Yathrib

طلعتْ عليها طلعة البدرِ بعد ما

طلعتْ عليها طلعة البدرِ بعد ما

تجللها من ظلمةِ الظلمِ غيهَبُ

تجللها من ظلمةِ الظلمِ غيهَبُ

You rose over it like the full moon, after

The full moon rose over it after

The pitch-dark gloom of injustice had enshrouded it.

The darkness of darkness veiled it

بوجهٍ لو أن الشمس تنظرُ مرةً

بوجهٍ لو أن الشمس تنظرُ مرةً

إليه لكانت ضحوةُ الصبحِ تغربُ

إليه لكانت ضحوةُ الصبحِ تغربُ

With a face that, if the sun looked once

With a face, if the sun saw it once

Upon it, the brightness of morning would set.

The glow of dawn would set

فجليتَ عنها ما أدلهمَّ وأبرقتْ

فجليتَ عنها ما أدلهمَّ وأبرقتْ

أسارير كانتْ قبلَ ذلكَ تقطبُ

أسارير كانتْ قبلَ ذلكَ تقطبُ

So you dispelled its thick darkness, and there shone

You uncovered from it what had darkened them

Brows that had frowned before.

And the platforms that were folded before that opened

وهل كنتَ إلا ابن الذي فاضَ برُهُ

وهل كنتَ إلا ابن الذي فاضَ برُهُ

عليها كما انهلَّ الغمام وأعذبُ

عليها كما انهلَّ الغمام وأعذبُ

And were you not the son of him whose kindness overflowed

Were you not the son of him whose righteousness overflowed

Upon it like pouring rainclouds, yet sweeter still?

Upon it as the clouds poured and freshened?

فكنْ مثلُهُ عدلاً وكُن مثلهُ تقىً

فكنْ مثلُهُ عدلاً وكُن مثلهُ تقىً

وصن لبنيهِ ما يد الدهرِ تنهبُ

وصن لبنيهِ ما يد الدهرِ تنهبُ

So be like him in justice, and be like him in piety.

So be like him in justice and be like him in piety

And safeguard for his sons what the hand of time plunders.

And guard for his sons what the hand of fate would usurp

سما بكَ أصلٌ طبقَ الأفقَ ذكرهُ

سما بكَ أصلٌ طبقَ الأفقَ ذكرهُ

وسارتْ بهِ الأمثالُ في الأرضِ تضربُ

وسارتْ بهِ الأمثالُ في الأرضِ تضربُ

An ancestral root raised you high, its fame filling the horizon,

A lineage named after you covered the horizon

And proverbs invoking it traveled across the earth.

And parables about it spread in the land

وقومٌ همُ الغرُّ الكواكب كلما

وقومٌ همُ الغرُّ الكواكب كلما

تغيبَ منهم كوكبٌ لاح كوكبُ

تغيبَ منهم كوكبٌ لاح كوكبُ

And a clan who are radiant stars: whenever

A people who were stars whenever

One of their stars sets, another shines forth.

A star set, a star rose

وهم معشر الفاروقِ من كل أغلبٍ

وهم معشر الفاروقِ من كل أغلبٍ

نماهُ إلى ليث العرينةِ أغلبُ

نماهُ إلى ليث العرينةِ أغلبُ

They are al-Faruq's clan, each a mighty lion

They were the company of the Farooq from every conquest

Whose lineage another mighty lion traced to the lion of the lair.

Nurtured into the lion of the thicket, Al-Ghlib

حفظتَ لهم مجداً وكانَ مضيعاً

حفظتَ لهم مجداً وكانَ مضيعاً

وأبقيتَ فخراً كانَ لولاكَ يذهبُ

وأبقيتَ فخراً كانَ لولاكَ يذهبُ

You preserved for them a glory that had been neglected,

You preserved glory for them though it was lost

And kept a pride alive that, but for you, would have vanished.

And kept pride that without you would vanish

ونالكَ فضلُ الله والملكِ الذي

ونالكَ فضلُ الله والملكِ الذي

أرى كل ملكٍ دونهُ يتهيبُ

أرى كل ملكٍ دونهُ يتهيبُ

And the favor of God and of the king has reached you,

The grace of God and kingship came to you

Before whom I see every king stand in awe.

Which I see every king but him fears

إذا ذكروهُ كبرَ الشرقُ بهجةً

إذا ذكروهُ كبرَ الشرقُ بهجةً

وإن لقبوهُ أكبرَ الشرقِ مغربُ

وإن لقبوهُ أكبرَ الشرقِ مغربُ

When they mention him, the East proclaims God's greatness in joy,

If they mention him, the East exults in joy

And when they give him titles, the West exalts the East.

And when they title him, the West of the East exalts

يصدعُ قلبَ الحاسدينَ وإنهُ

يصدعُ قلبَ الحاسدينَ وإنهُ

إلى كل قلبٍ في الورى لمحببُ

إلى كل قلبٍ في الورى لمحببُ

He rends the hearts of the envious, yet he

It rives the hearts of enviers yet it

Is indeed beloved of every heart among humankind.

Is beloved to every heart in existence

ويرضي رعاياهُ فيردي عدوهُ

ويرضي رعاياهُ فيردي عدوهُ

وما زالَ في الحالينِ يُرجى ويُرهبُ

وما زالَ في الحالينِ يُرجى ويُرهبُ

And he pleases his subjects, and so lays his enemy low.

It satisfies his subjects so he subdues his foe

And in both conditions he remains a source of hope and fear.

And he has not ceased being hoped for and feared

حباكَ بها غراءَ يفترُ ثغرها

حباكَ بها غراءَ يفترُ ثغرها

وكنتَ لها بعلاً وغيركَ يخطبُ

وكنتَ لها بعلاً وغيركَ يخطبُ

He bestowed her on you, radiant, her mouth parting in a smile;

You have bound it with a firm pact whose lips

And you were her husband while others sought her hand.

Tremble, and you were its husband while others sought it

وكم أمَّلتها أنفسٌ فتحجبتْ

وكم أمَّلتها أنفسٌ فتحجبتْ

وبنتُ العلا إلى عن الكفءِ تحجبُ

وبنتُ العلا إلى عن الكفءِ تحجبُ

And how many souls hoped to win her, yet she veiled herself!

How many souls desired it but it veiled itself

And the daughter of high rank is veiled from all but her equal [wording uncertain].

The daughter of glory veils herself from the unfit

سموتَ إليها وما ونيتَ وقد أرى

سموتَ إليها وما ونيتَ وقد أرى

ذوائبَ قومٍ دونها تتذبذبُ

ذوائبَ قومٍ دونها تتذبذبُ

You rose toward her and never faltered, while I see

You ascended to it though you did not hanker, and I see

The crests of other men wavering below her.

The train of a people below it wavering

فطر فوقها ما العزّ عنكَ بمبعدٍ

فطر فوقها ما العزّ عنكَ بمبعدٍ

وفضلُ أمير المؤمنينَ مقربُ

وفضلُ أمير المؤمنينَ مقربُ

So soar above her; glory is not far from you,

So soar above what is too high for you in might

And the favor of the Commander of the Faithful brings you near.

And the favor of the Commander of the Faithful brings near

كأني بربِّ الروضةِ اليومَ باسماً

كأني بربِّ الروضةِ اليومَ باسماً

وصدِّيقهُ يزهى وجدكَ يعجبُ

وصدِّيقهُ يزهى وجدكَ يعجبُ

It is as though I see the master of the Garden smiling today,

It is as if the Lord of the garden were named today

And his truthful companion beams with pride, while your forefather marvels.

And his companion exults and your presence amazes him

ويثربُ مما أدركتْ من رجائها

ويثربُ مما أدركتْ من رجائها

بمقدمكَ الميمون باتتْ ترحبُ

بمقدمكَ الميمون باتتْ ترحبُ

And Yathrib, for the hopes she has realized,

And Yathrib for what it attained of its hopes through

Spent the night welcoming your auspicious arrival.

Your blessed arrival has come to welcome you