قَدِمتَ قدومَ الخير من بعد غيبةٍ

قَدِمتَ قدومَ الخير من بعد غيبةٍ

كما غابَ بدرٌ ثمَّ أشْرَقَ وانْجلى

كما غابَ بدرٌ ثمَّ أشْرَقَ وانْجلى

You came as goodness comes, after a long absence,

You came with goodness after absence,

As a full moon, once hidden, rises, shines, and clears the dark.

Like the full moon that was eclipsed then shone brightly.

وأقبلتَ إقبالَ السَّعادة كلّها

وأقبلتَ إقبالَ السَّعادة كلّها

علينا فحيَّا الله وجهك مقبلا

علينا فحيَّا الله وجهك مقبلا

You approached as all happiness itself approaches us;

You came with all happiness,

May God welcome your face as you draw near.

So may God honor your coming face.

فكنت كصوب المزن صادفَ ممحلاً

فكنت كصوب المزن صادفَ ممحلاً

وكنَّا بك الظمآن صادفَ منهلا

وكنَّا بك الظمآن صادفَ منهلا

You were like a raincloud’s downpour finding parched earth,

You were like rain clouds that found a place to unload,

While through you we were like a thirsty man finding a watering place.

While we the thirsty found a watering hole.

وشِمْنا سنا برقِ المنى غير خلَّبٍ

وشِمْنا سنا برقِ المنى غير خلَّبٍ

تهلَّلَ يمري العارض المتهلّلا

تهلَّلَ يمري العارض المتهلّلا

We glimpsed the radiance of hope’s lightning—no false flash;

We smelled the scent of wishes without deception,

It beamed forth, drawing rain from the smiling cloud.

As the pleasing full moon smiles.

تنقَّلتَ من دارٍ لدارٍ تنقُّلاً

تنقَّلتَ من دارٍ لدارٍ تنقُّلاً

ومن عادة الأَقمار أنْ تنتقلا

ومن عادة الأَقمار أنْ تنتقلا

You journeyed from land to land,

You moved from house to house moving,

For it is the nature of moons to move from place to place.

And it is the custom of moons to move.

وجئتَ إلى بغداد تكشفُ ما بها

وجئتَ إلى بغداد تكشفُ ما بها

من الضُّرِّ حتَّى ترجع الحال أولا

من الضُّرِّ حتَّى ترجع الحال أولا

And you came to Baghdad to remove the affliction within it,

You came to Baghdad to uncover the harm in it

Until its condition returns to what it was at first.

Until things return to how they were before.

فأهلاً وسهلاً ما أقمتَ ومرحباً

فأهلاً وسهلاً ما أقمتَ ومرحباً

عزيزاً بأكناف المعالي مبجَّلا

عزيزاً بأكناف المعالي مبجَّلا

Welcome and ease be yours for as long as you remain—most warmly welcome,

Welcome, welcome to stay and greetings,

Honored amid the realms of glory, held in reverence:

Dear one in the bosom of glories, revered.

بأصدق من وافى من الرّوم لهجة

بأصدق من وافى من الرّوم لهجة

ومن بعث السلطان عيناً وأرسلا

ومن بعث السلطان عيناً وأرسلا

The most truthful in speech of all who have come from Rome,

With the most truthful one who came from Rome in dialect

And one whom the Sultan dispatched as his watchful agent and envoy;

And the one the Sultan sent as both eyes and messenger.

أمينٌ على العمال تخذلُ ظالماً

أمينٌ على العمال تخذلُ ظالماً

وتنصر مظلوماً وتنقذ مبتلى

وتنصر مظلوماً وتنقذ مبتلى

A faithful guardian over the officials, forsaking the oppressor,

Trustworthy over workers, forsaking the unjust

Supporting the oppressed and rescuing the afflicted.

And aiding the oppressed and saving the afflicted.

فقلنا غداةَ استبشر النَّاس كلُّهم

فقلنا غداةَ استبشر النَّاس كلُّهم

عسى هذه الأَحوال أنْ تتبدَّلا

عسى هذه الأَحوال أنْ تتبدَّلا

So, on the morning when all the people rejoiced, we said:

So we said the next morning all the people rejoiced,

Perhaps these circumstances will now be transformed.

“May these conditions change.”

وفي ضمن لحن القول لولا موانعٌ

وفي ضمن لحن القول لولا موانعٌ

دقائق لا تخفى على من تأمَّلا

دقائق لا تخفى على من تأمَّلا

And beneath the subtle cadence of our words—were there no restraints—

And in the subtlety of words, if not for obstacles,

Lie fine points not hidden from anyone who reflects.

Delicate secrets not hidden from one who contemplates.

وكم فرج لله من بعد شدَّةٍ

وكم فرج لله من بعد شدَّةٍ

تعللنا فيه الأَماني تعلُّلا

تعللنا فيه الأَماني تعلُّلا

How often God sends relief after hardship!

And how much relief God has brought after hardship,

With that hope, we consoled ourselves by fond wishes.

In which we wished wishes of longing.

فنحنُ وأنْ لم يُحسن الكشف حالنا

فنحنُ وأنْ لم يُحسن الكشف حالنا

شتتاً خرقاء واهية الكلا

شتتاً خرقاء واهية الكلا

For even if the inquiry has not improved our condition, we remain

As for us, though exposing our state did not go well,

Scattered—our affairs inept and their protection frail.

Scattered, torn, weak in speech.

ومن نظر الأَشياء نظرةَ عارفٍ

ومن نظر الأَشياء نظرةَ عارفٍ

رآها لديه مجملاً ومفصَّلا

رآها لديه مجملاً ومفصَّلا

Whoever regards things with the gaze of one who knows

And whoever examines things with knowledgeable eyes

Sees them before him both as a whole and in detail.

Sees them summarized and detailed through him.

وحسبُ الفتى ذي اللُّبِّ متن إشارة

وحسبُ الفتى ذي اللُّبِّ متن إشارة

يرى شرحها لو كانَ شرحاً مطوَّلا

يرى شرحها لو كانَ شرحاً مطوَّلا

For an intelligent man, the bare text of a hint is enough;

It is enough for the intelligent lad an indirect hint,

He perceives its explanation as though it were set out at length.

Its explanation he would see if it were to be prolonged.

وما اختصَّك السُّلطان إلاَّ لعلمه

وما اختصَّك السُّلطان إلاَّ لعلمه

بأنَّك لن تُرشى ولن تتبرطلا

بأنَّك لن تُرشى ولن تتبرطلا

The Sultan singled you out only because he knew

The Sultan chose you only for knowing

That you would neither accept bribes nor be bought.

You would neither be bribed nor seek power.

فمن فضله والله يجزي بفضله

فمن فضله والله يجزي بفضله

علينا أميرَ المؤمنين تفضّلا

علينا أميرَ المؤمنين تفضّلا

This is of his bounty—and God rewards bounty with bounty—

By His grace, and may God reward with His grace

A favor bestowed upon us by the Commander of the Faithful,

The Commander of the Faithful with favor.

لتذهب عنَّا البغيَ جيئة راشد

لتذهب عنَّا البغيَ جيئة راشد

ونحمد فيه آملاً ومؤمَّلا

ونحمد فيه آملاً ومؤمَّلا

So that the coming of a rightly guided man might drive oppression from us,

To remove from us tyranny entirely

And in him we praise both one who hopes and one in whom hope is placed.

And we hope in it with aspirations and expectations.

وننتظر العقبى فإنَّ وراءها

وننتظر العقبى فإنَّ وراءها

من اللُّطف ما يحظى به سائرُ الملا

من اللُّطف ما يحظى به سائرُ الملا

We await the outcome, for beyond it lies

We await the outcome, for behind it

Such grace as all humankind may enjoy.

Is a gentleness attained by all rulers.

فلا زالَ ظلُّ الله يأتي بعدله

فلا زالَ ظلُّ الله يأتي بعدله

وما ولي الأَحكام إلاَّ ليعدلا

وما ولي الأَحكام إلاَّ ليعدلا

May God’s Shadow ever continue to bring his justice;

The shadow of God continues to bring justice,

He was entrusted with judgments only that he might judge justly.

And the judge of matters is none but the just.

ولم أرَ مثل الفضل يرفع أهْلَه

ولم أرَ مثل الفضل يرفع أهْلَه

ولا حلية كالصدق في القول من حُلى

ولا حلية كالصدق في القول من حُلى

I have seen nothing like merit for raising up its possessors,

I have not seen the like of merit raise its people,

Nor any ornament among jewels like truthfulness in speech.

Nor a jewel like honesty in speech from jewelry.

فقل ما تشا والقول في ما تقوله

فقل ما تشا والقول في ما تقوله

جليٌّ ويأبى الله أن تتقوَّلا

جليٌّ ويأبى الله أن تتقوَّلا

So say whatever you wish: what you say

Say what you want, and speech in what you say

Is plain, and God forbids that you should speak falsely.

Is clear, and God refuses you dissemble.

ودمْ وابقَ واسلمْ ترتقي كلّ منصبٍ

ودمْ وابقَ واسلمْ ترتقي كلّ منصبٍ

إلى قلّة العلياء تعلو وتوقلا

إلى قلّة العلياء تعلو وتوقلا

Endure, remain, and prosper; may you ascend through every rank,

Stay, remain, submit, and rise to every position

Climbing ever upward to glory’s highest summit.

To the heights of glory, rising and climbing.