أَجَل إِنهُ رَبعُ الحَبيبِ فَسَلِّم
وَقِف نَتَبَيَّن ظاعِناً مِن مُخَيِّمِ
Yes, this is the abode of the beloved, so offer your greeting,
And pause, that we may distinguish the departing traveler from the dweller.
مَعاهِدُ حَلَّ الحُسنُ فيها نِطاقَهُ
وَقُرَّةُ عَينِ الناعِمِ المُتَغَنِّمِ
Abodes where beauty has unfastened its belt and settled,
The delight of the prosperous eye, the joy of the fortunate.
عَهِدت بِها بيضاً أَوانِسَ كَالدُمى
غَرائِرَ مَلهىً لِلمُحِبِّ المُتَيَّمِ
I knew within them fair maidens, friendly as statues,
Innocent in their play, beloved to the enthralled heart,
عَوابِثَ بِالأَلبابِ مِن غَيرِ ريبَةٍ
نَوافِرَ بِالأَبدانِ عَن كُلِّ مَأثَمِ
Toying with minds without any suspicion,
Their bodies shrinking away from every sin.
وَقَفنا جُنوحاً بِالرُبوعِ فَواجِمٌ
وَآخَرُ قَد أَدمى الأَصابِعَ بِالفَمِ
We stood at the ruins as the sun inclined to set, silent in grief,
While another bit his fingers until they bled in regret.
فَقُلتُ لِصَحبي رَفِّعوا العيسَ وَالطِموا
بِأَخفافِها ظَهرَ الصَعيدِ المُرَكَّمِ
So I said to my companions, 'Lift the camels' reins and strike
With their hooves upon the surface of the heaped earth.'
بَحائِبُ لَولا أَن عَرَفنا فُحولَها
لَقُلنا لِهَيقٍ خاضِبِ الساقِ أَصلَمِ
Swift she-camels; were their sires not known to us,
We would have mistaken them for earless ostriches with dyed legs.
طَوَينا بِها حَزنَ الفَلا وَسُهولَهُ
وَقَد خَضَّبَتهُ مِن ظِلافٍ وَمَنسِمِ
We folded the rough and smooth terrain with them,
Until their hooves and pads were dyed by the ground.
إِذا ما أَدَرنا كَأسَ ذِكرِكَ بَينَنا
يَكَدنَ يَطِرنَ بَينَ نَسرٍ وَمِرزَمِ
When we pass the cup of your memory among us,
They almost fly between the constellations of the Eagle and the Lion.
يُرِدنَ المَكانَ الخِصبَ وَالمُلِكَ الذي
إِلَيهِ بَنو الآمالِ بِالقَصدِ تَرتَمي
They seek the fertile land and the King towards whom
The sons of hope cast their aspirations with purpose.
إِمامَ بَني الدُنيا الذي شَهِدَت لَهُ
عَلى رَغمِها أَملاكُها بِالتَقَدُّمِ
The Imam of the people of the world, to whose precedence
Its kings have testified, even against their will.
هُوَ المَلِكُ الحامي حِمى الدينِ بِالتُقى
وَسُمرِ العَوالي رُكِّبَت كُلَّ لَهذمِ
He is the King who protects the sanctuary of religion with piety
And with brown spears mounted on every sharp point.
لَهُ هَزَّةٌ في الجودِ تُغني عُفاتَهُ
وَأُخرى بِها حَتفُ الكَمِيِّ المُعَلَّمِ
He has an impulse in generosity that enriches those who ask,
And another impulse that brings death to the distinguished warrior.
لَهُ سَلَفٌ يَعلو المَنابِرَ ذِكرُهُم
وَيَنحَطُّ عَنهُ قَدرُ كُلِّ مُعَظَّمِ
He has ancestors whose remembrance ascends the pulpits,
While the status of every other great man falls short of them.
هُمُ أَوضَحوا لِلنّاسِ نَهجَ نَبِيِّهِم
بِمُحكَمِ آياتٍ وَشَفرَةِ مِخذَمِ
They clarified for the people the path of their Prophet,
With decisive verses and the edge of a sharp sword.
لُيوثٌ إِذا لاقَوا بُدورٌ إِذا اِنتَدَوا
غُيوثٌ إِذا أَعطوا جِبالٌ لِمُحتَمِ
Lions when they meet in war, full moons when they assemble,
Rains when they give, mountains for those seeking refuge.
وَإِن وَعَدوا أَوفَوا وَإِن قَدَروا عَفَوا
وَإِن حَكَّموهُم أَقسَطوا في المُحَكَّمِ
If they promise, they fulfill; if they have power, they forgive;
And if asked to judge, they are just in their ruling.
يَصونونَ بِالأَموالِ أَعراضَ مَجدِهِم
إِذا ضَنَّ بِالأَموالِ كُلُّ مُذَمَّمِ
They preserve the honor of their glory with their wealth,
When every blameworthy miser is stingy with money.
وَهُم يُرخِصونَ الروحَ في حَومَةِ الوَغى
إِذا كَعَّ عَنها كُلُّ لَيثٍ غَشَمشَمِ
And they hold their souls cheap in the heat of battle,
When every reckless lion recoils from it.
أولئِكَ أَوتادُ البِلادِ وَنورُها
صَنائِعُهُم فيها مَواقِعُ أَنجُم
Those represent the pegs of the land and its light;
Their deeds within it are like the positions of stars.
مَضَوا وَهُمُ لِلنّاسِ في الدينِ قادَةٌ
مَفاتيحُ لِلخَيراتِ في كُلِّ مَوسمِ
They passed away while being leaders of the people in religion,
Keys to goodness in every season.
فَلَمّا غَشانا بَعدَهُم لَيلُ فِتنَةٍ
بِهِ عَمَّ نَهبُ المالِ وَالسَفكُ لِلدَّمِ
So when the night of strife covered us after them,
In which looting of wealth and shedding of blood became universal,
أَغاثَ إلهُ العالَمينَ عِبادَهُ
بِمَن شادَ رُكنَ الدينِ بَعدَ التَثَلُّمِ
The God of the worlds aided His servants
Through the one who raised the pillar of religion after it had crumbled.
إِمامُ الهُدى عَبدُ العَزيزِ بنُ فَيصَلٍ
سِمامُ العِدى بَحرُ النَدى وَالتَكَرُّمِ
The Imam of Guidance, Abdulaziz bin Faisal,
The poison of enemies, the sea of generosity and nobility.
هُمامٌ أَقادَتهُ القَنا وَسُيوفُهُ
وَهِمّاتُهُ أَن يَمتَطي كُلَّ مَعظَمِ
A hero led by spears and his swords,
And by ambitions to mount every great difficulty.
هُوَ القائِدُ الجُردَ العَناجيجَ شَزَّباً
وَكُلَّ فَتىً يَحمي الحَقيقَةَ ضَيغَمِ
He is the leader of short-haired, lean horses,
And every youth who protects the truth is a lion.
جَحافِلُ يَغشى الطَيرَ في الجَوِّ نَقعُها
وَيُزعِجنَ وَحشَ الأَرضِ مِن كُلِّ مَجثَمِ
Armies whose dust covers the birds in the sky,
And disturbs the wild beasts of the earth from every den.
فَأَمَّنَها بِاللَهِ مِن أَرضِ جِلَّقٍ
إِلى عَدَنٍ مُستَسلِماً كُلُّ مُجرِمِ
So he secured the land, by God, from the region of Damascus
To Aden; every criminal surrendered.
فَلا مُتهِمٌ يَخشى ظُلامَةَ مُنجِدٍ
وَلا مُنجِدٌ يَخشى ظُلامَةَ مُتهِمِ
No accused fears the injustice of a helper,
Nor does a helper fear the injustice of an accuser.
فَما أَعظَمَ النُغمى عَلَينا بِمُلكِهِ
وَلكِنَّ بَعضَ الناسِ عَن رُشدِهِ عَمي
How great is the blessing of his reign upon us,
Yet some people are blind to his right guidance.
لَكَ الفَضلُ لَو تُرغِم أُنوفَ معاشِرٍ
سَرَوا في دُجىً مِن حالِكِ الجَهلِ مُظلِمِ
You have the merit, even if you humble the noses of groups
Who traveled in the darkness of pitch-black ignorance.
يَعيبونَ بِالشَيءِ الذي يَأخذونَهُ
فَوا عَجَباً مِن ظالِمٍ مُتَظَلِّمِ
They criticize the very thing they take benefit from;
How strange is the oppressor who acts as if oppressed!
تَنَزَّهتَ عَن فِعلِ المُلوكِ الذينَ هُم
دُعوا أُمراءَ المُؤمِنينَ بِمَحكَمِ
You are far above the actions of kings who were
Called 'Commanders of the Faithful' by mere decree,
فَلا شارِباً خَمراً وَلا سامِعاً غِنىً
إِذا نُقِرَت أَوتارُهُ لِلتَرَنُّمِ
Neither drinking wine nor listening to singing
When strings are plucked for melody.
وَلا قَولَ مَأمونٍ نَحَلتَ وَلا الذي
أَتى بَعدَهُ في عَصرِهِ المُتَقَدِّمِ
You hold not the doctrine of Al-Ma'mun that you falsely adopted,
Nor that which came after him in his preceding era.
وَكُلُّهُمُ يُدعى خَليفَةَ وَقتِهِ
وَطاعَتُهُ فَرضٌ عَلى كُلِّ مُسلِمِ
Yet each of them was called the Caliph of his time,
And obedience to him was a duty upon every Muslim.
وَلكِن نَصَرتَ الحَقَّ جُهدَكَ وَاِعتَلَت
بِكَ السُنَّةُ الغَرّاءُ في كُلِّ مَعلَمِ
But you supported the Truth with your utmost effort, and through you
The glorious Sunnah rose high in every landmark.
فَأَصبَحَتِ الدُنيا وَريفاً ظِلالُها
عَروساً تُباهي كُلَّ بِكرٍ وَأَيِّمِ
So the world became lush in its shadows,
A bride boasting over every virgin and widow.
وَأَلَّفتَ شَملَ المُسلِمينَ وَقَد غَدَوا
أَيادي سَبا ما بَينَ فَذٍّ وَتَوأَمِ
You united the gathering of Muslims when they had become
Scattered like the hands of Saba, between individuals and twins.
عَفَوتَ عَنِ الجاني وَأَرضَيتَ مُحسِناً
وَعُدتَ بِإِفضالٍ عَلى كُلِّ مُعدِم
You pardoned the criminal and pleased the doer of good,
And you returned with bounty to every destitute person.
فَلَو أَنَّهُم أَعطوا المُنى في حَياتِهِم
وَقَوكَ الرَدى مِنهُم بِكُلِّ مُطَهَّمِ
If they were granted their wishes in their lives,
They would redeem you from death with every noble horse.
فَلَولاكَ لَم تَحلُ الحَياةُ وَلم يَكُن
إِلَيهِم لَذيذاً كُلُّ شَربٍ وَمَطعَمِ
Were it not for you, life would not be sweet,
Nor would any drink or food be delicious to them.
بَنَيتَ بُيوتَ المَجدِ بِالبيضِ وَالقَنا
وَسُدتَ بَني الدُنيا بِفَضلِ التَكَرُّمِ
You built the houses of glory with swords and spears,
And you mastered the people of the world through the virtue of generosity.
وَما الجودُ إِلّا صورَةٌ أَنتَ روحُها
وَلَولاكَ أَضحى كَالرَميمِ المُرَمَّمِ
Generosity is but an image of which you are the soul;
Were it not for you, it would have become like decaying bones.
وَطابَ لِأَهلِ المَكَّتَينِ مَقامُهُم
وَقَبلَكَ كانوا بَينَ ذُلٍّ وَمَغرَمِ
Life became good for the people of the Holy Sanctuaries,
Whereas before you, they were between humiliation and penalty.
يَسومونَهُمُ أَعرابُهُم وَوُلاتُهُم
مِنَ الخَسفِ سَومَ المُستَهانِ المُهَضَّمِ
Their Bedouins and their governors imposed upon them
Humiliation, the treatment of the despised and oppressed.
فَأَضحَوا وَهُم عَن ذا وَذاكَ بِنَجوَةٍ
مُحِلُّهُمُ في أَمنِهِ مِثلُ مَحرِمِ
Now they have become safe from this and that,
Their dwelling place in its security is like a sanctuary.
فَسَمعاً بَني الإِسلامِ سَمعاً فَما لَكُم
رَشادٌ سِوى في طاعَةِ المُتَيَّمِ
So listen, O sons of Islam, listen! For you have
No right guidance except in obeying this beloved leader.
أَديموا عِبادَ اللَهِ تَحديقَ ناظِرٍ
بِعَينَي فُؤادٍ لا بِعَينِ التَوَهُّمِ
Prolong, O servants of God, the gaze of the observer
With the eyes of the heart, not the eye of illusion.
وَقوموا فُرادى ثُمَّ مَثنى وَفَكِّروا
إِذا ما عَزَمتُم فِكرَةَ المُتَفَهِّمِ
Stand individually and in pairs, and think,
Once you have resolved, with the thought of one who understands.
إِذا لَم يَكُن عَقلٌ مَعَ المَرءِ يَهتَدي
بِه رَبُّهُ في الحادِثِ المُتَغيهِمِ
If a man has no intellect by which
His Lord guides him in the darkening calamity,
وَيَنظُرُ في عُقبى العَواقِبِ عارِفاً
مَصادِرَهُ في المَورِدِ المُتَقَحَّمِ
And by which he looks at the ultimate consequences, knowing
His sources in the dangerous watering place,
وَلا يَحمَدُ المَرقى إِذا ما تَصَعَّبَت
مَسالِكُهُ عِندَ النُزولِ فَيَندَمِ
He will not praise the ascent if its paths become difficult
During the descent, and he will regret.
فَإِنَّ الفَتى كُلَّ الفَتى مَن إِذا رَأى
لهُ فُرصَةً أَهوى لها غَيرَ محجِمِ
For the true youth, the complete youth, is he who, when he sees
An opportunity, rushes towards it without hesitation.
فَإِن خافَ بِالإِقدامِ إيقاظَ فِتنَةٍ
تُغِصُّ بريقٍ أَو تَجيءُ بِمُؤلِمِ
But if he fears that advancing will wake a strife
That chokes the throat or brings something painful,
تَرَقَّب وَقتَ الإِقتِدار فَرُبَّما
يُغاثُ بِيَومٍ لِلمُعادينَ أَشأَمِ
He watches for the moment of power; for perhaps
Relief will come on a day that is most unlucky for the enemies.
فَما كَلَّفَ اللَهُ اِمرءاً غَيرَ وُسعِهِ
كَما جاءَ نَصّاً في الكِتابِ المُعَظَّمِ
God has not burdened a soul beyond its capacity,
Just as it came textually in the Great Book.
وَما العَقلُ إِلّا ما أَفادَ تَفَكُّراً
بِمُستَقبَلٍ أَو عِبرَةً بِالمُقَدَّمِ
And intellect is nothing but what provides reflection
On the future or a lesson from what has passed.
لَكُم زائِدٌ عَنكُم بِسَيفٍ وَمُنصَلٍ
وَرَأيٍ كَمَصقولِ الجُزازِ المُصَمِّمِ
You have a defender acting on your behalf with sword and blade,
And an opinion like a polished, decisive cutter.
قِفي رَأيِهِ إِصلاحُ ما قَد جَهِلتُمُ
وَفي سَيفِهِ سُمٌّ يَدافُ بِعَلقَمِ
In his opinion is the correction of what you were ignorant of,
And in his sword is poison mixed with colocynth.
أَلَيسَ الذي قَد قَعقَعَ البيضَ بِالقَنا
وَخَضَّبَها مِن كُلِّ هامٍ وَلَهذَمِ
Is he not the one who clattered swords against spears,
And dyed them with the blood of every skull and sharp point?
وَأَنعَلَ جُردَ الخَيلِ هامَ عِداتِهِ
كَأَنَّ حَواميها خُضِبنَ بِعَندَمِ
And he shod the short-haired horses with the skulls of his enemies,
As if their hooves were dyed with dragon's blood.
دَعوا اللَيثَ لا تَستَغضِبوهُ فَرُبَّما
يَهيجُ بِدَهيا تَقصِمُ الظَهرَ صَيلَم
Leave the Lion alone, do not anger him, for perhaps
He will be stirred by a calamity that breaks the back.
فَما هُوَ إِلّا ما عَلِمتُم وَما جَرى
بِأَسماعِكُم لا بِالحَديثِ المُرَجَّمِ
He is exactly what you have known and what has run
Through your hearing, not merely conjectured talk.
وَقائِعُ لا ما كانَ بِالشِعبِ نِدُّها
وَلا يَومُ ذي قارٍ وَلا يَومُ مَلهَمِ
Battles to which neither the Battle of the Pass was equal,
Nor the Day of Dhi Qar, nor the Day of Malham.
يُحَدِّثُ عَنها شاهِدٌ وَمُبَلِّغٌ
وَيَنقُلُها مُستَأخرٌ عَن مُقَدَّمِ
A witness and a reporter speak of them,
And the later generation transmits them from the earlier.
لَها أَخواتٌ عِندَهُ إِن تَصَعَّرَت
خُدودٌ بِتَسويلِ الغَرورِ المُرَجِّمِ
He has similar battles in reserve if cheeks turn away
Due to the seduction of deceitful arrogance.
جَوادٌ بِما يَحوي بخيلٌ بِعِرضِهِ
وَإِن ضَرَّسَتهُ الحَربُ لَم يَتَأَلَّمِ
He is generous with what he possesses, stingy with his honor,
And if war bites him, he feels no pain.
أَخوها وَما أَوفَت عَلى العَشرِ سِنُّهُ
يَحُشُّ لَظاها بِالوَشيجِ المُقَوَّمِ
He is war's brother; before his age reached ten,
He was fueling its flames with straightened spears.
إِلَيكَ إِمامَ المُسلِمينَ زَفَفتُها
لَها بِكَ فَخرٌ بَينَ عُربٍ وَأَعجُمِ
To you, O Imam of the Muslims, I have driven this poem;
It takes pride in you among Arabs and non-Arabs.
إِذا أُنشِدَت في مَحفِلٍ قالَ رَبُّهُ
أَعِدها بِصَوتِ المُطرِبِ المُتَرَنِّمِ
If it is recited in a gathering, its master says:
'Repeat it with the voice of a chanting singer.'
يَقولُ أُناسٌ إِنَّما جاءَ مادِحاً
لِيَحظى بِسَجلٍ مِن نَداكَ المُقَسَّمِ
People say he only came praising
To gain a bucket of your divided generosity.
وَما عَلِمَ الحُسّادُ أَنّي بِمَدحِكُم
شَرُفتُ وَعِندي ذاكَ أَكبَرُ مَغنَمِ
The envious ones did not know that I am honored by praising you,
And that, to me, is the greatest spoil.
وَكَم رامَهُ مِنّي مُلوكٌ تَقَدَّموا
وَقَبلَكَ ما عَرَّضتُ وَجهي لِمُنعِمِ
How many kings who passed before sought this from me,
But before you, I never turned my face to a benefactor.
وَكَم جَأجَاوا بي لِلوُرودِ فَلَم أَكُن
لِأَشرَبَ مِن ماءٍ وَبٍ مُتَوَخِّمِ
How often they called me to the watering place, but I was not one
To drink from unhealthy, stagnant water.
وَلَولاكَ أَمضَيتُ الرِكابَ مُبادِلاً
عَلَيهِنَّ أَو سُفنٍ عَلى البَحرِ عوَّمِ
Were it not for you, I would have sent the riding camels away,
Exchanging them for others, or for ships swimming the sea.
وَصَلِّ عَلى المُختارِ رَبّي وَآلِهِ
وَأَصحابِهِ وَالتابِعينَ وَسَلِّم
My Lord, send blessings upon the Chosen One and his family,
And his companions and the followers, and grant them peace.
