أريجُ مَجدٍ منَ الرَيّانِ حَيّانا

أَهدى لَنا نَشرُهُ رَوحاً وَرَيحانا

A fragrance of glory from al-Rayyan has greeted us,

Its diffusing scent gifting us with spirit and sweet basil.

اِسمٌ حكاهُ مُسَمّاهُ وَطابَقَه

فَكَم شَفى مِن أُوامِ العُدمِ عَشطانا

A name whose bearer mirrors and matches it perfectly,

How often has he cured a thirsty soul from the burning heat of destitution.

فِدىً لهُ القَلعَةُ الزَهرا وَساكِنُها

وَالغوطَتانِ وَمَلهى شَعبِ بَوّانا

May the Radiant Citadel and its dweller be a ransom for him,

Along with the two Ghoutas and the pleasure-grounds of Shi'b Bawwan.

تَناوَحَت فيهِ أَرواحُ النَدى فَسَرَت

حَتّى لَكادَت تُعيدُ الشيبَ شُبّانا

Within him, the breezes of generosity blew to and fro, flowing

Until they well-nigh turned gray-haired elders back into youths.

وَالجودُ وَالبَاسُ ما حَلّا بِمَنزِلَةٍ

إِلّا أَشادا لها في المَجدِ بُنيانا

Generosity and martial might never settled in a dwelling,

Without raising for it a towering edifice in the realm of glory.

قَد شَرَّف اللَهُ أَرضا أَنتَ ساكِنُها

وَفاخَرَت بِحَصاها الغَضِّ عِقيانا

God has ennobled the land where you reside,

So that its fresh pebbles boasted over pure gold.

بَحرٌ تَبَعَّقَ في أَرجائِهِ كَرماً

يَعلو الرَوابيَ لا نَقعاً وَغُدرانا

He is a sea whose shores burst forth with munificence,

Surging over the hilltops, not merely filling stagnant pools and hollows.

وَضَيغَمٌ عَبَثَت بِالأُسدِ عاثيَةً

كَفّاهُ حَتّى لَخِلنا الأُسدَ حُملانا

A lion whose palms have toyed with other lions in havoc,

Until we imagined those lions were merely lambs.

لَولا أَواصِرُ يَرعاها وَيَحفَظُها

لَكانَ غَيرُ الذي بِالأَمسِ قد كانا

Were it not for bonds of kinship he tends and preserves,

The outcome would have been far different from what passed yesterday.

لأَنَّهُ من أُناسٍ مِن سَجِيَّتِهِم

مَحوُ الصَغائِرِ إِجمالاً وَإِحسانا

For he descends from a people whose inherent nature

Is to wipe away petty offenses with grace and benevolence.

لكِن لهُم فَتكاتٌ عِندَ غَضبَتِهِم

تَشجي العَدُوَّ وَتُخلي مِنهُ أَوطانا

Yet they possess lethal strikes when their anger is roused,

That choke the enemy and leave homelands empty of them.

ياِبنَ الأُلى طَوَّقَ الأَعناقَ فَضلُهُمُ

فَقَرَّطوا لَهمُ بِالمَدحِ آذانا

O son of those whose bounty has adorned necks like necklaces,

So that people, in return, adorned their ears with earrings of praise.

سَمَوتَ لِلمَجدِ إِذ كُنتَ الخَليقَ بهِ

حَتّى لَأَرغَمتَ آناقاً وَأَذقانا

You ascended to glory, being the one most worthy of it,

Until you forced the noses and chins of the proud to bow.

وَلَيسَ سارٍ إِلى نَيلِ العَلاءِ كَمَن

أَضحى بِنَومِ المُنى وَالعَجزِ وَسنانا

The one who journeys to attain greatness is not like the one

Who lies drowsy in the slumber of wishful thinking and impotence.

يَحسَبونَ العُلا تُجنى أَزاهِرُها

بِغَيرِ سَيفٍ وَبَذلِ المالِ مَجّانا

They suppose the blossoms of eminence can be plucked

Without a sword or the free giving of wealth.

وَالناسُ قَد فاوَتَت أَقدارَهُم هِمَمٌ

وَقد أَقامَت عَلى ما قُلتُ بُرهانا

It is ambition that distinguishes the ranks of men,

And this truth has established clear proof of what I say.

كَما بِهِمَّتِكَ العُليا بَنَيتَ بِها

لِلمَجدِ وَالفَضلِ أَعلاماً وَأَركانا

Just as you, with your lofty ambition, have built

Landmarks and pillars for glory and merit.

قالوا هُوَ النَدبُ عَبدُ اللَهِ قُلتُ لَهُم

لَو كانَ عِندَ سِواكُم عُدَّ سُلطانا

They said, "He is the noble Abdullah." I replied to them,

"If he were among any but you, he would be deemed a Sultan."

فَاَدعوا لهُ بِالبَقا تَبقى سَعادَتُكُم

إِذ كانَ روحاً وَكانَ الغَيرُ جُثمانا

So pray for his longevity, that your own happiness may endure,

For he is the spirit, while others are merely the body.

لاتُخرِجوهُ بِكرهٍ عَن سَجِيَّتِهِ

فَاللَيثُ لا يَعرِفُ البُقياءَ غَضبانا

Do not force him, through provocation, away from his nature;

For the lion knows no mercy when he is enraged.

إِنّي أَقولُ وَخيرُ القَولِ أَصدَقُهُ

وَلَيسَ مَن قالَ صِدقاً مِثلَ مَن مانا

I speak—and the best of speech is the truest—

And he who speaks the truth is not like he who lies.

لَقَد حَبا اللَهُ أَرضاً كانَ مالِكَها

مِنهُ بِغَيثٍ يَسُحُّ الجودَ هَتّانا

God has surely blessed the land of which he is master

With rain from him that pours forth generosity in torrents.

يُسيمُ مُثريهَمُ فيهِ وَمُقتِرَهُم

لَم يَخشَ مِن غَيرِهِ ظُلماً وَعُدوانا

Wherein both the wealthy and the destitute find pasture;

Fearing neither injustice nor aggression from any other source.

فَيا لها نِعمَةً ما كانَ أَكبَرَها

فَهَل تُصادِفُ مِنّا اليَومَ شُكرانا

Oh, what a blessing it is! How immense is its scale!

Will it find, from us today, true gratitude?

إِن لَم تُفَدِّكَ مِنّا أَنفُسٌ كَرُمَت

فَقَد جَحَدناكَ ما أَولَيتَ كُفرانا

If noble souls among us do not offer themselves as your ransom,

Then we have ungratefully denied the favors you bestowed.

أَقَمتَ لِلمَجدِ أَسواقاً مُعَطَّلَةً

تُعَدُّ قَبلَكَ شَيئاً بانَ إِذ كانا

You have revived the long-idle marketplaces of glory,

Which, before you, were counted as things vanished and gone.

كُنّا سَمِعنا في الغابِرينَ فَمُذ

أَتَيتَ كانَت بُعَيدَ الوَهمِ أَعيانا

We used to hear tales of the ancients, but since

You arrived, those illusions became witnessed realities.

لَو صَوَّرَ اللَهُ شَخصاً مِن مَكارِمِهِ

صُوِّرتَ مِن كَرَمِ الأَخلاقِ إِنسانا

If God were to fashion a person purely from His noble traits,

You would be that human, molded from the noblest of morals.

لَمّا مَدَحتُكَ قالَ الناسُ كُلُّهُمُ

الآنَ مَدحُكَ بِالمَمدوحِ قَد زانا

When I sang your praises, all the people declared:

"Now your praise is beautified by the one being praised."

فَاللَهُ يُبقيكَ مَحروساً وَمُغتَبِطاً

آلاً وَحالا وَأَولادا وَإِخوانا

So may God preserve you, guarded and joyous,

In family, state, children, and brethren.

ثُمَّ الصَلاةُ عَلى مَن كانَ مَبعَثُهُ

لَنا سَعادَةَ دُنيانا وَأُخرانا

Then, blessings be upon him whose mission was

The source of happiness for our world and our hereafter.

وَآلهِ الغُرِّ وَالأَصحابِ كُلِّهِمُ

ما قَطَّعَ اللَيلَ تَسبيحاً وَقُرآناً

And upon his noble family and all his companions,

As long as the night is pierced by prayer and Quranic recitation.