هَل لِعَهدٍ قَد مَضى وَالدَهرُ سَمحُ
رَجعَةٌ يَوماً وَفي الأَيّامِ فَسحُ
Is there a return for an era passed when time was generous,
while the days still hold room for hope?
كَي أُداوي القَلبَ مِن بَرحِ الأَسى
إِنَّ صَفوَ الدَهرِ يَوماً مِنهُ رِبحُ
That I might heal my heart from the severity of grief;
truly, a single day of time's purity is a prize.
يا نَدامايَ وَيا أَهلَ الوَفا
أَنتُمُ لي دونَ مَن أَهواهُ نُصحُ
O my boon companions, O people of fidelity,
you are my true counselors regarding the one I desire.
كَرِّروا أَخبارَ سِلعٍ وَالحِمى
حَيثُ في تَكريرِها لِلهَمِّ نَزحٌ
Repeat to me the tidings of Sala‘ and al-Hima,
for in their repetition lies the draining away of sorrow.
أَو فَمُرّوا بي عَلى رَسمٍ عَفا
كانَ لي فهِ مع اللَذّاتِ صُلحُ
Or take me past a ruined campsite, now effaced,
where I once held a truce with life’s pleasures.
لَعِبَت هائِجَةُ الريحِ بِهِ
وَمُسِفٌّ وَدقُهُ هَطلٌ وَسحُّ
The raging winds have toyed with it,
as has the low-hanging cloud pouring forth its torrential rain.
كَم تَمَشّى فيهِ غيدٌ كالمَها
هُيَّفُ الأَوساطِ وَالأَكفالُ رُجحُ
How often have maidens walked there like wild oryxes,
slender of waist and heavy of hip.
إِن تَبَدَّت فَبُدورٌ طُلَّعٌ
قَد كَساها مِن أَثيثِ الفَرعِ جُنح
If they appeared, they were rising full moons,
clothed in the darkness of thick, flowing hair.
أَو تَثَنَّت فَكَأَغصانِ النَقا
هَزَّها مِن خَمرَةِ الإِعجابِ رَنحُ
Or if they swayed, they were like boughs upon a sand dune,
shaken by the intoxicating sway of admiration.
ذاكَ أَيّامَ الصِبا سُقيَ الصِبا
حينَ لَيلُ الفَودِ لم يَنسَخهُ صُبحُ
That was in the days of youth—may youth be blessed with rain—
when the night of my hair had not yet been erased by the dawn of age.
تَوبَةً رَبّي وَغُفراناً لِما
قُلتُ شِعراً وَهوَ تَشبيبٌ وَمَزحُ
I ask repentance, my Lord, and forgiveness for what
I spoke in poetry of amatory prelude and jest.
وَخُذوا مَدحَ الهُمامِ المُجتَبي
مِن أَرومٍ سَعيُهُم لِلدّينِ نُجحُ
Receive instead the praise of the chosen hero,
from a lineage whose endeavor for the Faith brings success.
هُم أَشادوا لِلهُدى أَعلامَهُ
وَعَلا مِنهُم بهِ في الأَرضِ صَرحُ
They raised high the banners of guidance,
and through them, a lofty edifice rose upon the earth.
وَجَنوا بِالسُمرِ أَثمارِ العُلا
إِنَّ أَثمانَ العُلا سَيفٌ وَرُمحُ
They harvested the fruits of glory with tawny spears;
indeed, the price of glory is the sword and the lance.
صَحِبوا الدُنيا فَكانوا حُسنَها
وَهمُ فيها لَها عِزٌّ وَفَتحُ
They accompanied the world and became its beauty;
they are its might and its victory.
وَتَوَلّى بَعدَهُم روحُ العُلا
لِلهُدى يُعلي وَلِلأَوثانِ يَمحو
The Spirit of Exaltation took command after them,
raising up guidance and obliterating idols.
مَلِكٌ لَو كانَ في عَصرٍ مَضى
لَم يَكُن في غَيرِهِ لِلنّاسِ مَدحُ
A King who, had he lived in an era passed,
would have left no praise for any other among men.
مَلكَ الدُنيا فَلَم يَبخَل بِها
لا وَلم يَسمَع عَذولاً لَو يُلِحُّ
He possessed the world yet hoarded it not,
nor did he heed the scolder, no matter how he persisted.
إِنَّما عَبدُ العَزيزِ المُفتَدى
مِن عَظيمِ المَنِّ إِحسانٌ وَمَنحُ
Verily, Abdulaziz, the ransomed one,
is but beneficence and a gift from the Great Bestower.
وَكَذا أَنجالهُ أُسدُ الوَغى
حينَ رجعُ القَولِ تَندابٌ وَضَبح
And likewise his sons, lions of the fray,
when the only exchange of speech is the wailing of war and the panting of steeds.
قَد سَبَرنا مَجدَ قَومٍ قَد مَضى
لَهُمُ في الأَرضِ إِيغالٌ وَكَدحُ
We have gauged the glory of a people passed,
who strove deep and toiled hard upon the earth.
وَنَظَرنا مَجدَ قَومٍ بَعدَهُم
نَظَراً ما فيهِ إِفراطٌ وَشَطحُ
And we observed the glory of those who followed,
with a gaze free from excess or exaggeration.
فَعَلا مَجدُ سُعودٍ مَجدَهُم
إِنَّهُ في كَسبِهِ العَليا مُلِّحُ
Thus the glory of Saud rose above their glory;
truly, he is relentless in the pursuit of eminence.
أَريحيٌّ إِن سَطا أَو إِن عَطا
فَهوَ لَيثٌ فهوَ شُؤبوبٌ يَسُحُّ
A magnanimous soul—when he strikes, he is a lion;
when he gives, he is a torrential rain.
رامَ قَومٌ أَن يَنالوا سَعيَهُ
فَإِذا هُم في صَحاري العَجزِ رُزحُ
Others sought to reach his stride,
only to find themselves fallen in the deserts of incapacity.
مِسعرُ الهَيجاءِ في يَومِ الوَغى
مُمطِرُ النَعماءِ وَالأَيّامُ كُلحُ
The kindler of battle on the day of war,
the rain-bringer of grace when the days are grim and frowning.
ذُخرُهُ جُردُ المَذاكي جَريُها
في دَمِ الأَعداءِ يَومَ الرَوعِ سَبحُ
His store is the sleek-coated steeds,
swimming through the blood of enemies on the day of terror.
لا يَنالُ المَجدَ غِرٌّ بِالمُنى
لا وَلا مَن طَبعُهُ جُبنٌ وَشحُّ
Glory is not attained by the naive through mere wishes,
nor by him whose nature is cowardice and greed.
سَل بِهِ مِصراً وَمَن في صُقعِها
تَدرِ كَيفَ الفَخرُ وَالمَجدُ الأَصَحُّ
Ask Egypt and all within her bounds of him,
and you shall know the meaning of true pride and authentic glory.
عَكَفوا زَحماً عَلى اَبوابِهِ
زَحمَ وِردِ الخَمس إِذا يَحدوهُ لَفحُ
They crowded in throngs at his gates,
like thirsty camels crowding the water trough, driven by the scorching wind.
ما رَأوا مِن قَبلِهِ شِبهاً لهُ
حارَتِ الأَلبابُ وَالأَبصارُ طُمحُ
Never before had they seen his like;
minds were bewildered and eyes fixed in awe.
نَظَروا لَيثاً وَبَدراً طالِعاً
وَبناناً بِالعَطا وَطفا تَسُحُّ
They beheld a lion and a rising moon,
and fingers that poured forth generosity like rain.
مَدَّتِ النِيَلنِ في أَرجائِها
يا لهُ فَخرٌ لها ما دامَ لمحُ
His bounty extended the two Niles across her lands—
oh, what pride is hers as long as vision lasts.
وَتَفاوَتا في الجَريَ ذا تِبرٌ وَذا
فِعلُهُ في الأَرضِ إِشكالٌ وَمِلحُ
They differed in their currents: the one is gold dust,
while the other leaves a mark of wonder and grace upon the earth.
يا بَني الإِسلامِ هَل مِن سامِعٍ
لِمَقالٍ ما بهِ هَزلٌ وَمَزحُ
O sons of Islam, is there one who will listen
to words that hold no jest nor mockery?
قَد رَأى فيهِ الإِمامُ المُرتَضى
أَنَّهُ لِلدّينِ وَالدُنيا يَصِحُّ
The approved Imam has deemed it
sound for both the Faith and the world.
أَسنِدوا الأَمرِ إِلَيهِ وَاِسمَعوا
أَنَّ ذا شَرطٌ لهُ في الدينِ شَرحُ
Entrust the command to him and obey,
for this is a condition clearly expounded in the Faith.
وَصلاةُ اللَهِ رَبّي دائِماً
تَتَغَشّى المُصطَفى ما اِهتَزَّ سَرحُ
And may the blessings of Allah, my Lord, eternally
envelop the Chosen One, as long as the tall trees sway.
وَكَذا أَصحابَهُ مَع آلهِ
ما عَلا في مُرجَحِنِّ الدَوحِ صَدحُ
And likewise his Companions and his Kin,
as long as the birdsong rises from the dense, dark boughs.
