ركبتُ متونَ اللّجِّ وهي لها رَجْفُ

وأرواحُها بالسّابحات لها عَصْفُ

I rode the waves of the sea, and it surged beneath me,

Its spirits blowing with the swimmers - it roared.

ولي منه أهوالٌ يودّ رهينُها

وقد خَشِيَ الإِغْلاَقَ لو جاءه الحَتْفُ

And it had terrors that wished to take me captive,

Fearing death if it should overtake me.

ولكنّني ما زلت أمزج مُرَّها

بِحُلْوِ رَجَاءٍ طاب منه ليَ الرَّشْفُ

But still I mingled its bitterness

With the sweetness of hope, soothing to taste.

عسى مُقلتي تَحْظَى بأنوار غُرَّةٍ

على غرّة الرّائي سَناها له عطف

Maybe my star will gain the lights of joy

Upon the joyous star - it shone its affection.

خليفةُ ربّ العالمين وَظِلُّهُ

إذا اشتدّ بَأْسُ الدّهرِ فهو له كهف

The Caliph of the Lord of the Two Worlds and his shade -

When the evil of fate intensifies, he is a cave for it.

فإنّي صَرَفْتُ الوجهَ نَحْوَ فِنَائِهِ

وأَنْزَلْتُ رَحْلِي حيث يمتنع الصَّرفُ

So I turned my face toward his courtyard,

And dismounted my ride where expenditure is refused.

إلى حضرة السّلطانِ محمودٍ الذي

ملوكُ الورى رِقٌّ لدولته صِرف

To the court of Sultan Mahmud, whom

The kings of the world are humbled by his state.

أيا عزّةَ الإِسلام إن خاف ذلّةً

ويا مَفزَعَ الأملاك إن مَسَّهم وَجْفُ

Oh pride of Islam, if you fear disgrace,

And oh haven of kingdoms, if dryness touches them!

لك الأرضُ مُلْكٌ والسّماءُ مُؤَازِرٌ

وعونُ إلهِ العرش رُمْحُكُ والسَّيْفُ

To you belong the land as property, and the sky as supporter,

And the aid of the God of the Throne - your spear and sword.

فما ثَمَّ فوق الأرض مَنْ لم يكن له

رجاء أياديك الجليلةِ والْخَوْفُ

None above the earth fails to have

Hopes in your noble hands and fears.

يُرَجِّيكَ مسكينٌ ويخشاك قاهرٌ

فَلِلأَوَّلِ الْجَدْوَى وللآخَرِ الْقَصْفُ

A poor man appeals to you, and a conqueror fears you,

So the former gains reward, and the latter, prevention.

لَكَ الْحَمْدُ في كلّ البسيطة عابقٌ

له مَشْرِقُ الدّنيا ومَغْرِبُها أَنْفُ

For you is praise in every plain, abounding,

The east of the world and its west turn to it.

بذكرك تهتزّ المنابرُ بَهْجَةً

وباسمك أفواهُ الدّعاء لها هَتْف

Pulpits shake with joy at the mention of you,

And tongues of prayer - for them there are shouts.

إذا ما دَعَوْا بالنّصر مُدَّتْ ضراعةً

أكُفٌّ ونحو العرش مُدَّ لها طَرْفُ

If they call for victory, they extend with submission,

Palms, and their gaze stretches toward the Throne.

خُصوصاً لدى البيت العتيق وروضةٍ

لِكونِ سَحَابِ الجُودِ منك لَهَا وَكْفُ

Especially at the Ancient House and a garden

For the clouds of your generosity to have for them rain.

فأَخْصَبَ بعد الجَهْدِ والجَدِب عيشُهم

ومِن بحرك الطّامي تَأَتّى لهم غرف

So after hardship and drought, their life flourished,

And from your boundless sea, provision came to them.

وكَمْ لك يا مولاي من حُسْنِ خلّةٍ

تُوَحَّدُ إن عُدَّتْ وفي ضمنها ألف

And oh my Master, how much good company you have

That if counted, includes a thousand.

تُذَكِّرُ أسلافاً كِراماً تَقَدَّموا

سلاطينَ جاءتنا بأنبائها الصُّحْفُ

It reminds of honorable ancestors long gone -

Sultans whose stories have come to us in books.

بدولتهم جاء الكتاب مُنَبِّهاً

وفي الأنبيا عند الختام أتى الوصف

With their state, the Book came mentioning,

And among the prophets, in conclusion, there was description.

وإن فاتح الأرض سليمان جنده

لهم دون أجناد الورى إرْثُها وَقْفُ

Indeed the Conqueror of the Earth, Solomon - his troops -

Apart from the troops of the world, their inheritance was endowment.

تمتّعَ أهل الدّين في روض عهدهم

كما انتقضت للكفر أَفْئِدَةٌ غُلْفُ

The people of religion enjoyed themselves in the meadow of their era

Just as the hearts of blasphemers exploded with rage.

وفاتح إسلامبولُ جاء مديحُه

عن المصطفى رَفْعاً وليس به وقف

And the Conqueror of Istanbul - his praise came

Elevating the Chosen One - and there was no cessation.

مَضوْا ومزيد اللّطف لم يمض حيثما

سليلُهُمُ المحمودُ آثارَهم يقفو

They passed away, and the increase of grace did not pass where

Their noble descendant Mahmud follows their traces.

نعم يا إمامَ المسلمين وكهفَهم

إذا مَسَّهُمْ ضُرٌّ فمنك له كَشْفُ

Yes! Oh Imam of the Muslims and their refuge -

If harm touches them, then from you comes its removal.

أَتيْتُكَ ضَيْفاً مستغيثاً وشأنُكم

إغاثةُ لهفانٍ وأن يُكْرَمَ الضَّيْفُ

I came to you a guest appealing, and your way is

To help yearning souls, and to honor the guest.

توالى علينا الضّعفُ من كلّ جانب

وما زال ذاك الضّعفُ يتبعه ضُعْفُ

Weakness upon weakness befell us from every side,

And that weakness continues to follow weakness.

فجئناك نبغي العفوَ واللّطفَ والرّضى

وهل مِنْ سواك العفوُ يُطْلَبُ واللّطفُ

So we came to you seeking pardon, kindness and pleasure -

And who but you is sought for pardon and kindness?

فعيشةُ مَنْ ترضى عليه هنيئةٌ

وكيف لِعَيْشٍ دون عَفْوِكَ أن يصفو

The life of one whom you are pleased with is blissful,

And how can a life without your pardon be clear?

رِضاكَ رضى المولى لأنّك ظِلُّهُ

وللظلّ من أوصاف صاحبِه وَصْفُ

Your pleasure is the pleasure of the Master, for you are His shade,

And for shade, the attributes of its source are descriptive.

أدام لنا الْمَوْلَى إضاءَةَ شَمْسِهِ

وليس لها يوماً غروبٌ ولا كَسْفُ

May the Master sustain the illumination of His sun for us,

Without a day for it having setting or eclipse -

بِجَاهِ نبيِّ اللّهِ سيّدنا الذي

له خُلُقٌ يقضي عليه بأن يعفو

By the status of Allah’s Prophet, our liegelord who

Has a nature that necessitates He pardons.

عليه صلاةُ اللّه ما ذرّ شارقٌ

وما خُطَّ بالأقلام في طِرْسِها حَرْفُ

Upon him, Allah’s prayers as long as the dawn gleams

And what the pens have written on their pages in letters.

وللآل والأصحابِ طيبُ تحيَّةٍ

يفوح على الأتباع من نشرها عَرْفُ

And good greetings to the Household and Companions,

Its fragrance diffusing upon the followers with its aroma’s diffusion.