ما فَوقَ شَأوِكَ في العُلا مُزدادُ

فَعَلامَ يُقلِقُ عَزمَكَ الإِجهادُ

Your glory in the heights still grows

Why should toil trouble your strength's repose?

هِمَمٌ ضَربنَ عَلى السَّماءِ سَرادِقاً

فَالشُّهبُ أَطنابٌ لَها وَعِمادُ

Ambitions pitched a tent upon the sky

So meteors are their ropes, pillars on high

أَنتَ الَّذي خَطَبَت لَهُ حُسّادُهُ

وَالفَضلُ ما اِعتَرَفَت بِهِ الحُسّادُ

You are the one whose enviers have proclaimed

Excellence is what even enviers have named

قامَ الدَّليلُ وَسَلَّمَ الخَصمُ اليَلَنْ

دَدُ وَاِنجلى لِلآثر الإِسنادُ

Evidence stood up and the opponent surrendered gentle

Chains gave way and dew became the guide

زَهَرت لِدَولَتِكَ البِلادُ فَرَوحُها

أَرِجُ المَهَبِّ وَدَوْحُها مَيّادُ

Your state has brought the countries into bloom and their spirit

Is the perfume of love, their bosom friends.

أَحيا رَبيعُ العَدلِ مَيتَ رُبوعِها

فَالبُرنضُ نَجمٌ وَالهَشيمُ مُرادُ

The spring of justice brought to life its dead plains

So the moth is a star and the firebrand a yearned-for goal.

فَالعَيشُ إِلّا في جَنابِكَ مِيتَةٌ

وَالنَّومُ إِلّا في حِماكَ سُهادُ

Life, except in your shadow, is but death

And sleep, except in your protection, is weariness.

وَإِذا العِدا زَرَعوا النِّفاقَ وَأَحصَدوا

كَيداً فَعَزمُكَ ناقِضٌ حَصَّادُ

And if enemies sow hypocrisy and reap

Ruses, your resolve is a reaper of harvesters.

بِالمَقرباتِ كَأَنَّ فَوقَ مُتونِها

جنّ المَلا وَكَأنَّها أَطوادُ

With favors you are like above their backs

Jinn of power, as if they arecamels in a file.

تَدأى وَمِن وَحيِ الكماةِ صفورُها

فَالزَّحرُ قَيدٌ وَالنَّدى قَيّادُ

You surpass, inspired by the pinnacle of perfections

So jewelry is a fetter and dew a leader.

سُحبٌ إِذا سَحَبت بِأَرضٍ ذَيلَها

فَالحَزْنُ سَهلٌ وَالهِضابُ وِهادُ

Clouds, when they trail their hems over a land

Sorrow is smooth and the hills are gently rounded.

يَهدي النَّواظِرَ في دُجُنَّةِ نَقعِها

بَدرٌ بِسَرجِكَ نيِّرٌ وَقّادُ

It guides viewers in the darkness of its heavy shower

A full moon by your saddle, shining and driving away shadows.

أَلبَستَ دينَ مُحمَّدٍ يا نورَهُ

عِزَّاً لَهُ فَوقَ السّهادِ أُسادُ

You have clothed the faith of Muhammed, its light,

With glory, lions above the sleepy lions.

مازِلتَ تَسمِكُهُ بِميَّادِ القَنا

حَتّى تَثَقّفَ عودُهُ المَيّادُ

You have continued to water it with springs of resolve

Until its wet branches soaked up the watering places.

لَم يَبقَ مُذْ أَرهفتَ عَزمكَ دونَهُ

عَددٌ يُراعُ بِهِ ولا اِستِعدادُ

No number remains since you determined to aid it

That would be feared or even considered.

إِنَّ المَنابِرَ لَو تُطيقُ تَكَلُّماً

حَمَدَتكَ عَن خُطَبائِها الأَعوادُ

Truly if pulpits could speak

The staffs would praise you beyond preachers.

وَلَئِن حَمَتْ مِنكَ الأَعادي مهله

فَلَهُم إِلى المَرعى الوَبيِّ مَعادُ

If enemies have spared you for a respite

For them is the returning to the pasture of loss.

وَلكَمْ لَكُمْ في أَرضهِم مِن مَشهَدٍ

قامَت بِهِ لِظُباكُمُ الأَشهادُ

And how often you have had in their lands

Scenes where their routed remnants lie as corpses.

مُلْقٍ بِأَطرافِ الفِرِنجَةِ كَلكَلاً

طرفاهُ ضَربٌ صَادِقٌ وَجِلادٌ

Thrown down on the fringes of battle their skulls

Severed by a true sword and punishing blades.

حاموا فَلَمّا عايَنوا حَوضَ الرّدَى

حاموا بِرائِشِ كَيدِهم أَو كادوا

Arms that struck with them and with resolve

From the community of Ahmed blows that crush tyrants.

وَرجا البِرنس وَقَد تَبَرنَسَ ذِلَّةً

حَرماً بِحارِم وَالمصاد مصادُ

They took root in Aleppo and from its branches

Baghdad reaps the fruits of its security.

ضَجَّت ثَعالِبُهُ فَأَخرَسَ جَرسَها

بيضٌ تَناسَب في الحديدِ حدادُ

O you when the upheavals of your might storm

The fires of polytheism subside, now embers.

وَسَواعِدٌ ضَرَبت بِهِنَّ وَبِالقَنا

مِن دون مِلَّةِ أَحمَد الأَسدادُ

Strange are the people who opposed you and opposed

A staff that evaded them as they desired it.

يَركُزنَ في حَلَبٍ وَمِن أَفنانِها

تَجني فَواكِهَ أَمنِها بَغدادُ

And they saw the banner of victory flying above you

So their hearts in their breasts were stilled.

يا مَن إِذا عَصَفَت زَعازِعُ بَأسِهِ

خَمَدت جَحيمُ الشّركِ فَهيَ رَمادُ

How could one who denies that the torrent destroy the ruins

And its time the repeating assailant.

عَجَباً لِقَومٍ حاوَلوكَ وَحاوَلوا

عوداً فَواتاهَم إِلَيهِ مُرادُ

Or that the eclipse return the sun whose orb

Is fired by that flaming meteor.

وَرَأَوا لِواءَ النصرِ فَوقَكَ خافِقاً

فَأَقامَ مِنهُم في الضّلوعِ فُؤادُ

It avails not fathers what they established of

Glory unless the sons raise it high.

مِن مُنكِرٍ أَن يَنسِفَ السَّيْلُ الرُّبَى

وَأَبوهُ ذاكَ العارِضُ المَدّادُ

A king bound by both his hopes and his fears

And rarely do opposites come together.

أَو أَن يُعيدَ الشّمسَ كاسِفَة السّنا

نارٌ لها ذاك الشّهاب زنادُ

لا يَنفَعُ الآباءَ ما سَمَكوا مِنَ ال

عَلْياءِ حَتّى ترْفَعَ الأولادُ

مَلكٌ يُقيِّدُ خَوفُهُ وَرَجاؤُهُ

ولَقَلَّما تَتَظافَرُ الأَضدادُ