هَناءٌ كعَرف الزّهْرِ للمُتَنَسّمِ

وبُشْرَى كنورِ الزّهرِ للمُتَوسّمِ

A delight like the scent for one who inhales,

And good tidings like the glow for one adorned.

فقد قامَت الدنيا على قدَمِ الرّضَى

تهنّئُ موْلانا بأسْعَدِ مَقْدَمِ

So the world rose on the foot of pleasure,

Congratulating our Master on the happiest arrival.

وقد لهِجَ الإسْلامُ حتّى كأنّهُ

يُشيرُ لعُلْياهُ بكفِّ مُسَلّمِ

And Islam has resounded as if

It gestures to its heights with a submitting palm.

ورَقّ ثناءً كُلُّ لَفْظٍ مُمَنَّعٍ

وراقَ انْثِناءً كُلُّ غُصْنٍ منعَّمِ

And praise, every guarded utterance, has fluttered,

And every pliant branch has swayed with devotion.

لذلك عَرْفُ الروْضِ عنْها مُتَرْجمٌ

وترْجيعُ شَدْوِ الطائِرِ المترنِّمِ

So the meadow's fragrance interprets it,

And the warbling of the singing bird modulates it.

لمالَقَةٍ حقَّ التَّشَرُّفُ إذ لَها

بناصِر دين اللهِ فضْلُ التّقدُّمِ

For the encounter is truly an honor, since for it

The supporters of Allah's religion have precedence.

ومُحْدَثُها جادَ الحَيا معْهَداً لهُ

وعهْداً كريماً فيهِ غيْرَ مُذَمَّمِ

And its initiator traveled the horizons, pledging

A generous covenant in which there is no blemish.

فلِلهِ منهُ منزِلٌ جاءَ أُفْقُهُ

ببَدْرٍ من الوَجْهِ الكَريمِ مُتَمَّمِ

So to Allah belongs a station he arrived, its horizon

Fulfilled with a moon from the perfect, noble face.

ولكنّ من شأن البُدورِ انتقالُها

وما الكرُّ إلا للجَوادِ المُطهَّمِ

But it is the nature of full moons to move on,

As running is only for the noble horse with stamina.

وغرْناطَةٌ للهِ منها مَعاهِدٌ

تعيرُ الخليّ القَلبِ وجْدَ المُتيَّمِ

And Granada, Allah has made with it a covenant

That saddens the heart and fills the grieving with sorrow.

وغرْناطَةٌ دارُ الخِلافةِ لمْ تَزَلْ

مجالاً لأفراسِ الخَميسِ العَرَمرَمِ

Granada, seat of the Caliphate, has never ceased

To be a racecourse for the five Pigeon horses.

أيُجْهَلُ في مِصرٍ وشامٍ حديثُها

وشمْسُ الضحى ما نورُها بمُكتَّمِ

Can its tale be unknown in Egypt and Levant

While the morning sun, its light is not concealed?

لقد حل بالحَمراءِ هالَةَ مُلْكِه

ولاحَ بها بَدْراً يُحَفُّ بأنجُمِ

Indeed, its kingdom's halo settled on the Red City,

And with it shone a moon encircled by stars.

أيُنْسبُ للبَدْرِ المُتَمّمِ نورُهُ

وقد يختفي في جَوّهِ المُتغيِّمِ

Can its light be attributed to the perfected moon

When it can disappear in the clouded atmosphere?

أيُرْوَى عن الرّوضِ الأنيقِ ثَناؤُهُ

ومنهُ اسْتفادَ الزهْرُ طيبَ التّنسُّمِ

Can its praise of the elegant garden be watered

When the blossoms have benefited from its sweet scent?

أتُعْزى إلى الغَيْثِ الملثِّ يَمينُهُ

وما ساجَلَتْها في ندىً وتكرُّمِ

Can its bounty be traced to the pouring rain

When it has never competed with it in dew and generosity?

ندَى يدِهِ العُلْيا غَمامٌ وسَيفُهُ

وَميضٌ بأفْقٍ للعجاجَةِ مُظْلِمُ

The clouds of its rain threaten to shed tears

When the light of the smiling lightning flashes.

كذلك سُحْبُ الغيْثِ تَهمي دُموعُها

إذا لاحَ نورُ البارق المُتَبسّمِ

When it bared its blade on the day of battle,

The religion donned a garb of power and banners.

إذا هو في يوْمِ الوغَى جرّدَ الظّبا

غَدا الدّينُ في ثَوْبٍ من العِزِّ مُعْلَمِ

And when it raised red banners as signals,

It folded every quarter for the enemy and its flags.

وإن نشرَ الأعْلامَ حُمْراً خَوافِقاً

طَوَى كُلَّ ربْعٍ للعَدوّ ومَعْلَمِ

My Lord, your achievements that are

Like meteors cannot be counted by my mouth or my fingers.

أمَولايَ لا يُحْصي مآثِرَك التي

هيَ الشهْبُ تُسْتَجْلَى بَناني ولا فَمِي

And what can this servant set forth of them, when

Your praise has come in decisive, binding scripture?

وماذا ينُصُّ العبْدُ منها وقدْ أتى

ثَناؤكَ في نصٍّ من الذّكْر مُحْكَمِ

If I heed them like the abundant rain,

My words will go like the resolved, piercing sword.

وإنّ يَراعي كالذوابِلِ شُرَّعاً

ولفْظيَ يمْضي كالحُسامِ المُصَمِّمِ

My heart has not been shaken by tribulations, after

I turned about in your blessings, O best Granter.

وما روّعتْ قلبي الحوادثُ بعْدَما

تقلّبْتُ في نعماكَ يا خيرَ مُنْعِمِ

But I fear the saying of a slanderer

Who casts at me from the untruth of speech, arrows.

ولكنّني أخْشى مقالَةَ حاسِدٍ

رَمانِيَ من زُورِ الكلامِ بأسْهُمِ

So I hope in your mercy upon your graced slave,

That you will restrain whoever transgresses,

فرُحْماكَ في ممْلوكِ نعْمتِكَ التي

أتى قاطِعاً أسْبابَها كُلّ مُجْرِمِ

And I stretch out the palm of the hopeful complainant,

Offering it to the best Object of request.

فهَا أنا أرْجو أن تكُفّ مَنِ اعْتَدَى

وأبْسُط كَفّ الآمِل المُتظلّمِ

And I have plucked it from my breast’s nipple,

To direct it from your abode, O best Director.

ودونَكها من خِدْرِ فكْريَ غادةً

تُيمِّمُ من مثْواكَ خيْرَ مُيمَّمِ

And I presented it to you as eulogies,

Like well-arranged, threaded pearls.

وأهْديْتُها قِدماً إليْكَ مَدائحاً

كزهْرٍ نضيرٍ أو كدُرٍّ مُنظَّمِ

I have not been ignorant that you own the lands,

For my Lord made me aware of that.

ولمْ أكُ ذا جَهْلٍ بأن تملِكَ الوَرَى

فقدْ كان مَولانا بذلِكَ مُعْلِمِي

And you blessed me with favor, O Guide to righteousness,

You began with fine work, so perfect it.

وأوْلَيْتَني النُّعْمى فَيا ملِكَ الهُدَى

بَدأتَ به صُنْعاً جميلاً فتمّمِ

You let me look upon the beautiful face, and have not

Repeated it, so who can I look to after it, or speak of it?

وأوْرَيْتَني الوجْهَ الجميلَ ولمْ تُعِدْ

فمن لي برُؤيا بعْدَها أوْ تكلُّمِ

The slave is not forbidden if prohibited from meeting,

If he desires or imagines it.

وما يُمْنَعُ المَمْلوكُ إن مُنِعَ اللِّقا

إذا يتمنّى أو يَرى بالتّوهُّمِ