اللهُ جارُكَ ظاعِناً ومُقيما

وضمينُ نَصرِكَ حادثاً وقَديما

God is your ally in adversity and prosperity

And the guarantor of your triumph in old and new struggles

إنْ تَسْرِ كان لك النَّجاحُ مُصاحباً

أو تَبْقَ كان لك السُّرورُ نَديما

If you travel you will be accompanied by success

If you stay you will have happiness as your boon companion

تَغشاكَ بارِقَةُ السَّحابِ إذا سرَتْ

غيثاً وتلقاكَ الرِّياحُ نَسيما

The clouds rain down on you when they are filled

Bringing plentiful rain while the winds blow gently

أنتَ الربيعُ الطَّلْقُ إن شاءَ الثَّرى

وتَزَحَّلُ الأنواءِ سَرَّ قُدوما

You are the radiant spring if the land so desires

And the seasons change to your joyous arrival

للهِ هِمَّتُكَ التي رَجَعَتْ بها

هِمَمُ الملوكِ الصَّاعِداتُ هُموما

Your ambition to which the ambitions of kings return

Is for their mounting anxieties to become tribulations

ورياحُكَ اللاتي تَهُبُّ جَنائباً

ولربَّما أجريتَهُنَّ سَمُوما

And your winds which blow violently from the south

And at times you make them lethal poison

وخلالُكَ الزُّهْرُ التي أنِفَتْ لها

قِمَمُ المَراتبِ أن تكونَ نُجوما

And your peaks are blossoms which peaks of ranks disdained

Lest they become stars

كم من عظيمِ القَدْرِ قد لقَّيْتَه

خَطْباً بأطرافِ الرِّماحِ عَظيما

How many men of great worth have you met

With the tips of spears bringing great calamity

ومُشهَّرٍ يُدعى الكَريمَ تَركتَه

يُدْعَى وقد هَطَلَتْ يَداكَ لَئيما

And a braggart called generous you left

Called generous though your hands had debased him

أَفنَتْ ظُباكَ الرُّومَ حتّى أنها

لم تُبْقِ إلا ظَبيةً أو رِيما

Did your lions not finish off the Romans

Leaving just a foolish or runty one

ومَحَوْتَ آثارَ الصَّليبِ فلم تَدَعْ

للعينِ منها مَعلَماً مَعلوما

And you erased all trace of the cross

Leaving no landmark for the eye that was known

خَيْلٌ تُثابُ على تَتابُعِ كَرِّها

نَدْباً على لَبَّاتِها وكُلوما

Horses compensated for attacking in relays

With grievous injuries from their hoofs and fetlocks

وظُباً مُحرَّمَةٌ على أَغْمادِها

حتى تُبيحَ من الضَّلال حَريما

And forbidden prey so their sheaths

Allowed them to violate sanctuaries

ومكارمٌ أنصَفتَ فيهِنَّ العُلى

وتركتَ مالَك بينها مَظْلوما

And you brought justice regarding acts of valor

While leaving your share among them deprived

مَنَحَتْكَ طاعتَها القبائلُ رَهبةً

فمنحتَ جَمرَةَ عِزّها تَضريما

The tribes granted you their obedience in awe

So you granted the embers of their glory more fuel

أعطاكَ أَصعَبُها الخِطامَ ولم يَكُنْ

ليقودَ غَيرُكَ صعبَها مَخطوما

The most difficult of them gave you the bridle

And none but you could steer their most intractable

فغدَتْ سَوامُكَ لا تُحاوِلُ نَبوَةً

أبداً ولا تَبْغي سِواكَ مُسيما

So your vultures do not aspire to prophecy

Nor seek other than you to select

يَستَمطِروهُ مَواهِباً ومَواعِداً

لم تَعْدُ منك سَحائباً وغُيوما

They entreat you for more talents and promises

That no longer shower from you as clouds and rain

أَسَمِيَّ مُرهَفَةِ السُّيوفِ فَضَلْتَها

شِيَماً إذا جَدَّ القِراعُ وَخيما

The epitomes of unsheathed swords which you surpassed

In courage when carnage was imminent

وأَرى الأراقِمَ قَلَّدَتْكَ أمورَها

فدَعَتْكَ مُذْ فَقَدَتْ أباكَ زَعيما

And I see the dynasties garlanded you with their affairs

And called you leader after your father passed

أَلبَسْتَني نِعَماً رَأيتُ بها الدُّجى

صُبْحاً وكنتُ أرى الصَّباحَ بَهيما

You adorned me with blessings by which I saw the darkness

As morning, while I used to see morning as bleak

فغَدَوْتُ يَحسُدُني الصَّديقُ وقبلَها

قد كانَ يَلقاني العَدُوُّ رَحيما

So I came to be envied by a friend though before

Even a foe would show me mercy

فملأتُ آفاقَ البِلادِ بمَنْطِقٍ

لولا الثَّناءُ عليكَ عادَ وُجُوما

I filled the horizons with words

Were it not for praising you they would be meaningless

عبق تنازعه الرواة كأنما

يتنازعون بنفسجا مغموما

A perfume rivals vie over as if

They vie over unplucked hyacinth

فسَلِمْتَ من نُوَبِ الزَّمانِ ولا غَدَا

شانيك من معنى السَّليمِ سَليما

So you were spared by the woes of fate and no longer

Does your distinction suffer any blemish

طلبَ الملوكُ غُبارَ شأوِكَ فانثَنَوا

صِفْرَ اليَدَيْنِ وخائماً وذَميما

Kings sought the dust of your threshold so they withdrew

Empty-handed, with seal rings and rags

إنْ يَسمَحُوا في الحِينِ أو يَتكَلَّفوا

كَرَمَ النُّفوس فقد خُلِقْتَ كَريما

Whether they be gracious for the moment or pretend

Generosity of spirit for you were created generous