أَبداً تُنَكِّبُ عَن ضَلالٍ سادراً

بِثُقوبِ زِنْدِكَ أَو تَدُلّ على هُدَى

Never have you strayed from the right path

With the holes of your spear or pointed to guidance

سُدْتَ الكُهُولَ مِنَ الملوكِ مُراهِقاً

وشَأَوْتَ شِيبَهُم البوازِلَ أَمردا

You surpassed seasoned kings in your youth

And outshone their white hair while still a lad

إِنْ شيَّدوا صَرْحاً أَنافَ مَناره

أَو أسجدوا لِلكَأسِ جَدَّد مَسْجِدا

If they built a palace scraping the sky

Or prostrated to the chalice renewing allegiance

وَإِذا اسْتَهَزَّتهم قلائدُ مَعْبَدٍ

هَزَّتْهُ مَوعِظَةٌ فعرفَ مَعبدا

And if their necklaces in the temple mocked them

A sermon admonished it and it knew the temple

قَسَماً لِشامِ الشامِ مِنك مهنَّدٌ

أَرضاهُ مَشهوراً وَراعَ مُقلّدا

By the Crescent, a praiseworthy part of you from Damascus

Pleased it renowned and followed by the indebted

وَتَمَسَّك الإِسلام مِنكِ بعُرْوَةٍ

اللَّهُ أبْرَمَ حَبْلَها فَاِستَصَحدا

And Islam held fast to a handhold from you

That God tied its rope so it sought refuge

أَشفى فَكنت شِفاءَه مِن حادِثٍ

غاداهُ عارِضُهُ مُرَدَّى بِالرَّدا

You were its healing from an affliction

That relapsed upon it collapsed in recidivism

كُنتَ الصَّباحَ لِلَيلِهِ لَمّا دَجا

والغَوْث كَفَّ لظاهُ حينَ توقَّدا

You were the dawn to its night when it darkened

And salvation when the kindling flared up

اللَّه يَومَ أَطلعتك بهِ النَّوَى

يَجتابُ مِن مُهَجِ الأَصافِر مجسّدا

God, the day He brought you forth with purpose

He picks from the meadows of lions embodied

نَشوانَ غنَّتْكَ الظُّبَى مَفلولَة

وَأَمالَ عِطْفَيْك الوشيح مقصّدا

The antelope sang your praises headlong

And the oryx eyed your kindness intended

في مَعرَكٍ ما قامَ بَأْسُكَ دونَهُ

إِلّا أَقامَ المُشركينَ وَأَقْعَدا

In a battle, your might never fell short

But rather subjugated the polytheists and humbled

ولَكَمْ مكرّ قمتَ فيهِ معلّماً

أَرضى إِلهَكَ وَالمَسيحَ وَأَحمَدا

And how many times you cunningly schemed

Pleasing your God, Jesus, and Ahmad

يَومَ العُرَيمَةِ وَالحَطيمِ وَحارِم

وَشِعابِ باسوطا وَهاب وَصَرْخدا

The day of al-‘Uraymah, al-Hatiim, and Hārim

And the valleys of Bāsūṭā, Hāb, and Sarakhid

لا يَعدم الإِشراك حَدَّك إِنَّهُ

ما سَلّ فيهم حاكِماً إِلّا اِعتَدى

Oppression never lacked your edge, indeed

No ruler among them asked but tyrannized

أَهمَدتهم مِن بَعدِ ما مَلأوا الملا

رجلاً فَهل كانَت سُيوفُكَ مرقدا

You stifled them after they had filled the land

With men, were your swords ever sheathed?

طَلَعتْ نُجومُ الحَقِّ مِن آفاقِها

وَأَعادها كَرُّ العصورِ كَما بَدا

The stars of truth rose from their horizons

And the cycle of time returned them as they began

وَهَوى الصَّليبُ وحِزْبُهُ وَتَبخترَ الْ

إسْلامُ مِن بَعدِ التساقف أَغيَدا

And the Cross fell with its partisans, and Islam swaggered

After the bishopric, no longer feeble

سَبَقَ المُجَلّي للخُطَى فرفعه

نَسَق بِثمّ وَقد رُفعتْ بِالاِبتِدا

Al-Mujalli preceded in footsteps, so he raised him

To the position, and he too was raised gradually