أبى الله إلا أن تُعانَ وتُنصرا

أبى الله إلا أن تُعانَ وتُنصرا

وتظفرَ حتى لقّبوك المظفَّرَا

وتظفرَ حتى لقّبوك المظفَّرَا

God willed only that you be aided and granted victory,

God willed that you be supported and aided

And triumph, till they named you al-Muzaffar, the Victorious.

And be granted victory, so they titled you “the Victorious”

وتُصبحَ سيفاً مثلَ نعتك قاطعاً

وتُصبحَ سيفاً مثلَ نعتك قاطعاً

مُحلَّى بأصنافِ الفَخارِ مُجوهَرَا

مُحلَّى بأصنافِ الفَخارِ مُجوهَرَا

And become a keen-edged sword, true to your epithet,

And you become a sword, as your name suggests, cutting

Adorned with manifold glories, bejeweled.

Adorned with varieties of gems made radiant

يراك حديدُ الهندِ أشرفَ قيمةً

يراك حديدُ الهندِ أشرفَ قيمةً

وأعظمَ آثاراً وأكرمَ عُنصُرَا

وأعظمَ آثاراً وأكرمَ عُنصُرَا

India's steel sees you as nobler in worth,

They see you as the finest Indian steel

And greater in impact, and nobler in origin.

Of the greatest effects and most precious origin

إذا أنت صاحبتَ الحُسامَ إلى الوغى

إذا أنت صاحبتَ الحُسامَ إلى الوغى

وكلَّفتَهُ فيها مضاكَ فقصَّرا

وكلَّفتَهُ فيها مضاكَ فقصَّرا

When you accompany the keen sword into battle,

Whenever you accompany the swords to battle

And demand your own keenness of it there, it falls short.

And send them into it, though they fall short

وقد مارست منك الأعادِى ممارِساً

وقد مارست منك الأعادِى ممارِساً

لها حازماً إن أوردَ الأمرَ أصدرَا

لها حازماً إن أوردَ الأمرَ أصدرَا

And in you your foes have met a seasoned adversary,

You have contended with the enemies in ways

Resolute against them: if he undertakes a matter, he sees it through.

That, if matters escalated, you’d be most apt to address

ترى خلفَه من قادةِ النَّاسِ عسكراً

ترى خلفَه من قادةِ النَّاسِ عسكراً

وقُدَّامَه من صادِق البأسِ عسكرا

وقُدَّامَه من صادِق البأسِ عسكرا

Behind him you see an army of the leaders of men,

Behind him you see an army of leaders

And before him, an army of true valor.

Before him sincere warriors in multitudes

أخو العزِّ ينفى الجبنَ عنه مضاؤُهُ

أخو العزِّ ينفى الجبنَ عنه مضاؤُهُ

وذو الحزِم يكفيه الثَّباتُ التَّهوُّرا

وذو الحزِم يكفيه الثَّباتُ التَّهوُّرا

A brother of glory—his resolve banishes cowardice from him;

The light of courage denies him cowardice

And a man of prudence—steadfastness spares him rashness.

And his wisdom suffices for his valiance and temerity

وحسبُ الأعادى منك بالأمس وقعةً

وحسبُ الأعادى منك بالأمس وقعةً

قضى اللهُ أن يُنسَى الزّمانُ وتُذكرا

قضى اللهُ أن يُنسَى الزّمانُ وتُذكرا

And yesterday's battle with you was enough for your foes—

It was enough for the enemies yesterday’s battle

God decreed that time be forgotten and you remembered.

Where God ordained time would forget yet you’d recall

وأقبَلتَها نحوَ الصَّعيدِ فلو تَشا

وأقبَلتَها نحوَ الصَّعيدِ فلو تَشا

هناك منَعتَ النّيلَ أن يَتَحدَّرا

هناك منَعتَ النّيلَ أن يَتَحدَّرا

And you led them toward Upper Egypt; had you wished,

You approached the Sa’eed, and if you wished

There you would have stopped the Nile from flowing down.

There to forbid the Nile from flowing onward

كتائبُ يُوهى جَندلَ الأرضِ سيرُها

كتائبُ يُوهى جَندلَ الأرضِ سيرُها

ويذروهُ حتى يملأَ الأرضَ عِثيَرَا

ويذروهُ حتى يملأَ الأرضَ عِثيَرَا

Battalions whose march wears down the earth's stones,

Battalions that shake the ground as they march

And scatters them till it fills the earth with dust.

And stir it up until the land fills with dust

وما يومُ مروانَ الحمارِ بنَحوِها

وما يومُ مروانَ الحمارِ بنَحوِها

بأعظمَ من يوم الحمارِ وأشهَرَا

بأعظمَ من يوم الحمارِ وأشهَرَا

Nor was Marwan the Ass's day, in those parts,

Marwan al-Himar’s day was not like it

Greater or more renowned than the day of the ass.

Being far greater than the donkey’s famed day

غدا ابنُ مصالٍ للصَّوارِمِ حاسراً

غدا ابنُ مصالٍ للصَّوارِمِ حاسراً

وراحَ وقد ألبَستَهُ الدَّمَّ مِغفَرَا

وراحَ وقد ألبَستَهُ الدَّمَّ مِغفَرَا

Ibn Masal went forth in the morning, bareheaded before the swords,

Ibn Masal tomorrow will be devastating to the swords

And returned at evening, clad by you in a helmet of blood.

As you dressed him in blood-drenched mail

وظنَّ الوغى مُستَنزَهَ الصَّيدِ والظّبا

وظنَّ الوغى مُستَنزَهَ الصَّيدِ والظّبا

حَوائمَ طيرٍ بالصَّوارِم نُقَّرَا

حَوائمَ طيرٍ بالصَّوارِم نُقَّرَا

And he thought the fray a hunting pleasure-ground, and the blades

He thought the fray a preserve for hunting prey

Wheeling birds, pecking with the swords.

With the swords as hawks trained to strike

فأقدمَ عن جَهلٍ بها لا شجاعةٍ

فأقدمَ عن جَهلٍ بها لا شجاعةٍ

وعاجَلَهُ المقدورُ أن يتأخَّرَا

وعاجَلَهُ المقدورُ أن يتأخَّرَا

So he advanced out of ignorance of it, not courage,

So ignorantly, not courageously, he approached

And fate overtook him before he could retreat.

And providence hastened what he’d put off

فَإن كان نجم الدين حقًّا كما دَعَوا

فَإن كان نجم الدين حقًّا كما دَعَوا

فإنَّك شمسُ الدّينِ أخفَته أن يُرى

فإنَّك شمسُ الدّينِ أخفَته أن يُرى

So if he truly was Najm al-Din, the Star of the Faith, as they claimed,

If Najm al-Deen is truly as he claimed

Then you are the sun of the faith, which hid him from sight.

Then you are the sun, dimming him from sight