Sol 6

  1. Splendid deeds too great to be counted

    have appeared in Ifriqiya in this age.

  2. Its people exulted in them and stirred with gratitude,

    and its inhabitants boasted of them before every other land.

  3. A gallant, noble lord bestowed this on us,

    seeking a kingly ambition and undying remembrance.

  4. He is Muhammad al-Sadiq Pasha, the marshal,

    a man of many good deeds and singular eminence.

  5. Among them is this bridge, beautiful and splendid,

    so firmly built that it will endure through time.

  6. The valley shone with it, and it appeared as though it were

    a bracelet on an arm or a belt around a waist.

  7. A person crosses it joyful and safe,

    though once he was always mindful of its rushing current.

  8. O Wadi al-Zarqa, flow beneath his command

    gently, as other rivers have flowed.

  9. Obey, bowing in thanks, repentant and praising,

    with pebbles that put precious pearls to shame.

  10. And you, passerby, say: Lord, reward him

    with the fullest honor and victory You can grant.

  11. Protect his family and guard the lions among his soldiers

    and his mighty army on land and sea.

  12. Preserve him for this country, to revive its landmarks;

    his works are a crown upon the brow of glory.

  13. And when he revealed its wondrous completion, say

    as it attained its splendor: Date it, ‘Win the honor that is due.’

Sol 6