حَمائِمُ البشرِ بِالتّبشيرِ قَد صَدحت

وَلِلصّدورِ بِحُسنِ الصّدحِ قَد شرَحت

The doves of joy have cooed aloud with glad tidings,

and by their lovely song have opened hearts wide.

وَأَنجمُ الأُفقِ بِالأَفراحِ راقِصة

وَنَفحَةُ السّعدِ بِالإِسعادِ قَد نَفَحت

The stars upon the horizon dance for joy,

and felicity’s breath has wafted forth, bringing delight.

وَبانَ بَدرُ الهَنا بِالبشرِ مُتّشحاً

يا حُسنَ طَلعَتِهِ فيما بِهِ اِتّشَحت

The full moon of happiness has appeared, mantled in gladness—

how lovely his countenance in the robe he has put on!

وَأَصبَحَ الكَونُ بِالأَفراحِ مُمتَلِئاً

وَزالَ ما كانَ بِالأَكوانِ وَاِنصلَحت

The universe has become filled with rejoicing,

and what had afflicted all creation has vanished, leaving it restored.

أَتَى البشيرُ إِلَينا ثمَّ بَشّرنا

وَاللّهِ فيما بِهِ الأَرواح قَد فَرِحَت

The herald came to us and gave us the good news;

by God, the spirits rejoiced at what he brought.

أَتى يُبَشِّرنا فيما نُؤَمّله

وَبِالّذي نَحوه أَنظارنا طَمَحت

He came announcing that for which we had hoped,

that toward which our eyes had aspired:

فَقالَ سُلطاننا المَحمود مَن حمدَت

مِنهُ مَزاياهُ أَسنى الحمدِ وَاِمتَدحت

“Our praised sultan—the one whose

virtues have earned the highest praise and been extolled—

مَحمودٌ الشّهم لا زَالَت مؤبّدة

في الدَّهرِ دَولتهُ بِالعزِّ لا بَرِحَت

Mahmud, the valiant: may his rule remain forever

through time, never departing from its might;

دامَت مُؤيَّدةً لِلضدِّ قاهرةً

بِالضدِّ ظافرةً بِالنّصرِ قَد منحت

enduring and divinely aided, subduing every foe,

triumphing over foes, endowed with victory;

جادَت مَراحِمُهُ فاضَت قَريحَتهُ

سَحَّت مَكارِمُهُ فَضلاً وَقَد سَمحت

whose mercies pour generously and whose inspiration overflows,

whose noble gifts rain down in bounty and munificence—

وَأَنعَمت مِن سنيِّ الفَضلِ مَكرمة

بِرُتبَةِ العزِّ مِن أَوجِ العُلى اِتّضَحت

has bestowed, from the splendor of his grace, an honor

made manifest as a glorious rank at the summit of grandeur.

وَإِنّها ميرميران سَمت وَعَلت

وَنَحوها بِالعلى كلّ السعود نَحَت

It is the rank of Mīr-i Mīrān—Commander of Commanders—risen and exalted,

toward which every good fortune inclines in loftiness,

عَلى حُسين أَخي العَلياءِ في شَرفٍ

وَمَن بِعَليائِهِ الآفاق قَد طَفحت

upon Husayn, brother of high glory in honor,

whose eminence has made the horizons overflow;

وَمَن مَعاليهِ في ذا العَصرِ قَد نَسَخت

كلّ المَعالي الّتي مِن قَبلِها وَمَحت

whose lofty qualities in this age have effaced

all earlier glories and wiped them away;

الأَمجد الفَخم شَمس المَجدِ مَن بَزغَت

مِن مَطلع العزِّ نَحو المَجدِ قَد جَنحت

the most glorious, the magnificent, the sun of majesty, who rose

from glory’s dawning place and inclined toward majesty;

الأَفخم الشّهم وَالممدوح في شِيم

وَمَن شَمائِلهُ بِالحُسنِ قَد مُدِحَت

the most splendid, the valiant, praised for his virtues,

whose qualities have been commended for their beauty;

الضّيغَم اللّيث مَن في الحَربِ سَطوتهُ

قَطعاً عَلى سَطَواتِ الأُسْدِ قَد رَجَحَت

the lion, the fierce lion, whose force in war

assuredly outweighs the assaults of lions;

وَمَنْ مَضابثهُ وَهيَ السّيوف غَدَت

تُردِي الأُسودَ وَإِن لَو لَم تَكن جَرَحَت

whose sword-strokes—swords themselves—have become

death to lions, even without inflicting a wound;

وَلَو رَأَتهُ أُسودُ الغابِ كافَحَها

فَرّت مَخافاً وَعَن أَغيالِها نَزَحَت

had the lions of the wild seen him confront them,

they would have fled in fear and abandoned their lairs;

بَحر النّدى وَالسّخا مَنْ جودُ راحَتِهِ

كُلّ العُفاةِ بِهِ لا شكّ قَد سَبَحَت

an ocean of largesse and generosity—from the bounty of his hand,

all who seek gifts swim in it, beyond doubt.

يُنسي اِبنَ زائِدة لَو كانَ قَبل لما

أمّ العفاةُ لَمعن لا ولا مَدَحت

He would consign Ibn Zāʾida to oblivion, had he come before;

petitioners would never have sought Maʿn, nor praised him.

الأَحنف الحلم لَم يَغلبهُ مِن غَضَب

لِنَصرِ نَفسٍ لَه حتّى وَلو جَمحت

An al-Ahnaf in forbearance, no anger could overcome him

in defense of his own person, even if rage ran wild.

إِنّا سُررنا بِما قَد نالهُ فرحاً

إِنّ الصدورَ بهِ دونَ اِمتِرا اِنشَرَحَت

We rejoiced at what he attained, rejoicing deeply;

hearts opened to it without the least doubt.

يا أَيّها الشّهم فَاِهنَأ نِلتَ مَرتبةً

لَها صَلُحْتَ كَما حَقّاً لَكم صَلحت

O valiant one, rejoice—you have attained a rank

for which you are fit, just as it truly suits you.

وَيا لَها رُتبة ما إِن لَها شَبه

فَالأذنُ ما سَمِعَت وَالعَين ما لَمَحَت

What a rank it is! It has no equal:

no ear has heard of one, nor has any eye glimpsed one.

تَدومُ بِالعزِّ وَالإِقبالِ زاهيةً

تَنحو السعود إِلَيها الدّهرَ حيثُ نَحَت

May it endure, radiant with might and prosperity;

may good fortunes turn toward it wherever through time it goes.

وَالسّعد يَخدِمُها وَاليمنُ يَلزَمها

وَخيل مَوكِبها بالعزِّ قَد ضبحَت

Felicity serves it, and auspiciousness cleaves to it,

while the horses of its procession pant proudly in might.

عَلى التّقى أسست بِالعدلِ قَد قرنت

أَرخت جدا بِتَوفيقٍ لَقَد منحت

Founded upon piety, it has been joined with justice.

I set its date: “By success, indeed, it was bestowed.”

أُوصيكَ فيها بِتَقوى اللَّه خالِقنا

فَذي نَصيحتها منّي بِها نُصِحت

I counsel you in it to fear God, our Creator;

this is the counsel I have sincerely given you.

وَاِسلَم وَدُم في أَمانِ اللَّهِ مُرتَقياً

فَوقَ السّهى رُتَباً بِالرّفعَةِ اِتَّشَحَت

Peace—and abide in God’s protection, ever ascending

in ranks above al-Suhā, robed in exaltation,

ما لاحَ بَرقٌ وَما هَبَّ النّسيم وما

عَينُ السّحابِ لِدَمعِ الوبلِ قَد سفحَت

as long as lightning flashes, the breeze blows, and

the cloud’s eye spills the tears of pouring rain;

ما الورقُ غنّى وَفي الأَغصانِ أَنشَدَنا

حَمائم البشرِ بِالتبشيرِ قَد صَدحت

as long as the gray dove sings and chants to us among the boughs:

‘The doves of joy have cooed aloud with glad tidings.’