ما رأى الناسُ مثلَ مُلككَ مُلْكا

مَلأَ الخافقينِ للحربِ تُركا

No one has seen a kingdom like yours,

That filled the horizons, seeking war,

وَجُيوشاً لو صادَمَتْ جَبَلَ الشّرْ

كِ لدكتهُ بالسّنابك دكّا

With armies, if they collided with mountains,

Would shatter them with spears and make them dust.

عَزْمةٌ أرعَدَتْ فَرائصَ أرغو

ن فأمسى للخوفِ لا بتلكّا

A resolve that thundered, terrifying the plains of Argnon,

So fear itself was left with no refuge.

شامَ برقاً بالشّامِ بيضُكَ لمّا

ضَحكَتْ منهُ بالسّواحل ضحْكا

Your lightning in Damascus flashed white,

The coasts laughed out at it with joy.

أي برقٍ غيوثُهُ النبْلُ يُصمي

كُلَّ قَلْبٍ ناواكَ شقاً وسَكاً

What lightning helped by arrows keeps safe,

Every heart closed to you, split open and yielded.

فقضى خيفَةً وقتلُ أعادي

ك بأوهامهم أشد وأنكا

So it finished off any apprehension, and killed hostile thoughts,

More firmly than their illusions could make them.

أيُّها الأشرفُ الذي شرّف الدن

يا وقد أصبحت له الأرضُ مُلكا

O Most Noble, who ennobled the world,

And it has become your kingdom by morning.

أنتَ أذكى الملوكِ نَشراً وإن حا

ولتَ أمراً فأنتَ في الرأي أذكى

You are the most intelligent of kings in management,

And if you consider a matter you are most wise in counsel.

وثبات في البأس عزماً وحزماً

وثبات في الناس حلماً وَنُسْكا

Steadfast in courage, resolved and deliberate,

Steadfast among the people, forbearing and upright.

قد رأينا ونت أنت صلاح الدّ

ين ما كانَ عَن سَميكَ يُحكى

We have seen you to be the sincerity of religion,

Nothing but your loftiness was related.

صدتَ صيدا قنصاً وصورَ وعثلي

تَ وَبَيْروتَ بعدَ فتحكَ عَكا

You hunted Sidon and Sur and Athlith as prey,

And Beirut, after you conquered Acre.

حجر بَهرَجُ الملوك قديماً

في التماسٍ حتى رأوه مَحَكّا

The rock of Bohraj that frustrated kings of old,

Seeking it until they saw it yield.

وَنَظَمتَ الرؤوسَ بالطّعن حتى

ظنَّ قوم تلكَ الذَّوابلَ سلكا

You strung up the heads with spears until

Some people thought those flowing locks were plaited strands.

راعَ بابَ الثورين أَسدُ عَرين

ضارياتٍ تَدحي الفريسةَ دعكا

The lion of the lair sprang against the Gate of the Two Columns,

Pouncing on meek victim.

شُرُفات بَدَتْ كأسنمة العي

س وباتَتْ على المفاوز بُركا

High rocks seemed like the necks of stalwart heroes,

And spent the night in the wilderness bowed down.

قبّلَتْ هَيْبَةً لمقْدمَكَ الأر

ضَ ومادَتْ بِشدَّة الخوف منكا

The earth kissed your mighty advent in awe,

And yielded to intense fear of you.

لو رأى الباب يوم صلّى صلاة

الموت والقومُ في ذُرى الباب هُلكا

If the Gate had seen the prayers of death

And the people in the midst of the Gate destroyed,

لرأى أَنَّ رأيهُ كان رأياً

فاسداً كأتخاذه الدين إفكا

It would have seen that its view was corrupt,

Like its taking religion to be lies.

ولكم قد أَظَلّهم ذلك الشي

خُ وأضحى على العصا يتوكّا

But for long that Shaykh sheltered them,

Relying on his staff.

ساقَهم كالأنعام براً وبحراً

فَقطين بعض وَبَعض مُذكى

He led them like cattle by land and sea,

Some overfed and some bleating.

كُل علجٍ أَعطى قفاهُ وولّى

في انهزامٍ فَحَقُّهُ أَنْ يُسَكَا

Every stubborn one turned tail and fled

In a rout, and deserved to be checked.