مَحَوْتَ بسَيف سَطوتك الفَسادا

بحكْمٍ قَد أَرَحْتَ به العبادا

You erased corruption with the sword of your authority

With a rule that brought relief to the servants

دَخَلْتَ البصرة الفيحاءَ صُبحاً

ونارُ الشّرِّ تَتَّقِدُ اتّقادا

You entered Basra the fragrant in the morning

And the fire of evil burned kindling

وقد عَبَثَتْ يدُ الأَشرار فيها

وطالَ فسادهم فيها وزادا

The hands of evildoers toyed with it

And their corruption in it increased and multiplied

لقد حَكَمَتْ بها جُهَّال قومٍ

يَرَوْنَ الغيَّ يومئذٍ رشادا

Ignorant people had ruled it

Who saw misguidance that day as righteousness

عَمُوا عمَّا بَصُرْتَ به وصَمُّوا

فما بلغوا بما صنعوا مرادا

They were blind to what you saw

So they never achieved what they wanted

فلو عُرِضَ الصَّوابُ إذَنْ عليهم

بحالٍ أَعْرَضوا عنه عنادا

If truth was presented to them

They would stubbornly turn away from it

وهل تثِقُ النفوسُ بعين راءٍ

يرى لونَ البياض بها سوادا

And can souls trust the sight of someone

Who sees the color white as black?

تفاوَتَتِ العُقول بما نراه

مَداركُها قياساً واطّرادا

Minds differed in what we see

Their perceptions differ in reasoning and consistency

ومن حقّ الرّئاسة أنْ نراها

لأَورى النَّاس إنْ قَدَحَتْ زنادا

And the right of leadership that we see

Is to the one of soundest opinion, if opinions clash

وأَعلاها لدى الآراء رأياً

وأرفعها وأطولها عمادا

And highest among views

With the firmest and tallest pillar

خطوبٌ ما مضى منهنَّ خطبٌ

بطارقِ ليلةٍ إلاَّ وعادا

Misfortunes of the past nights except

That returned at daybreak

وكم هَدَرَتْ دماءٌ من أُناسٍ

وأموالٌ لهم نَفِدَت نفادا

And how much blood of people was spilled

And wealth of theirs exhausted

بحيثُ الأَشقياء استضعفتهم

وَقدْ طال الشقا وقد تمادى

Until the miserable were weakened

And misery prolonged and persisted

ولمَّا ساءَت الأَحوال فيهم

ولا نَفَعَ الحِفاظُ ولا أفادا

And when conditions worsened among them

And precautions did not benefit or help

ولم يُرَ مَنْ يُسَدُّ به خِلالٌ

إذا ما أَعْوَزَ الأَمر السدادا

And no one was seen who could mend

That which lacked integrity, if matters needed rectifying

وباتَ النَّاس في وَجَلٍ عظيم

يُريعُ السَّمعَ منه والفؤادا

And people were in tremendous turmoil

That shocked the hearing and hearts

دُعيتَ لكشفِ هذا الضرّ عنها

ولا يُدعى سواك ولا يُنادى

You were called to relieve this harm from it

And none but you is called or appealed to

ومنذُ قَدِمْتَ مدعوًّا إليها

أَرَحْتَ بما قَدِمْتَ به العبادا

And since you arrived, invited to it

You brought relief with your arrival to the servants

عَلِمْنا أنَّ رأيَك فلْسفيٌّ

وأنَّك تَكشِفُ الكُرَبَ الشدادا

We knew your opinion to be philosophical

That you reveal the most severe afflictions

وتَنْظُرُ بالفَراسة مِن يقينٍ

فَتَنْتَقِدُ الرِّجالَ بها انتقادا

And look with insight and certainty

Critiquing men thereby

وما قَلَّدتهم بالرأي منهم

وَلَمْ تحكُم لهم إلاَّ اجتهادا

And you did not arbitrarily appoint them over it

Except by striving for what's right

لقد أَخمدْتَ نيراناً تَلَظَّى

وتلك النار قد أمستْ رمادا

Indeed you extinguished blazing flames

And those flames have turned to ashes

وقَرَّتْ أعيُنٌ لولاك باتَتْ

على وَجَلٍ ولم تذق الرقادا

And eyes that - were it not for you - would stay

Awake in turmoil, not tasting sleep

جُزِيتُم آل راشد كلَّ خيرٍ

ففيكُمْ تعرِفُ النَّاس الرشادا

May you - House of Rashid - have all good

For through you people recognise righteousness

لكم صَدْرُ الرئاسة في المعالي

وأَنتُمْ في بني العليا فُرادى

Yours are the noble traits

And you amongst the highbred are unique

تدين لك الأَقاصي والأَداني

وتنقادُ الأُمور لك انقيادا

Far and near submit to you

And matters are obedient to you

وقُدْتَ صِعابها ذُلُلاً وكانتْ

على الأَيَّام تأبى أنْ تقادا

You overcame its formidable aspects till they

Yielded, having refused to be tamed before

لقد فازَ المشيرُ بك اتّكالاً

عَلَيْك بما يُؤَمّل واعتمادا

The counselor, relying upon you

Hoping and depending on you, prevailed