مُرَّاكشٌ مُتفَاخِرٌ مُتَبَاهِ

بشَريفِه مولاي عَبدِ اللهِ

Marrakech, vaunting, proud and glorying,

in her noble one, my lord Abdallah—

ألبُوكلِي فَخرِ المجَالِس زينَةِ ال

حمَرا برَوضِ علائها تَيَّاه

al-Bukili, pride of gatherings, adornment of al-

Hamra; through the garden of his eminence she struts.

ألآمِرِ النَّاهِي بها أعظِم به

من آمِرٍ أعظِم به مِن نَاه

The one who commands and forbids there—how great is he!

How great a giver of commands, how great a giver of prohibitions!

مَازادهُ اسمُ خليفَةٍ قَدرا علَى

قَدرٍ على ما عِندَه مِن جَاه

The title khalifa added no measure of worth

to the worth and eminence already his.

لكنَّ جِيدَ الغِيد والعِقَد النَّفي

سَ كِلاَهُما بكِلَيهما مُتَزَاه

But the fair one’s neck and the precious neck-

lace—each is adorned by the other.

جَمُّ الوقارِ إلى النفُوس مُحَبَّبٌ

ومُغِيثُ مَدهِيٍّ دَهَتهُ دَوَاه

Abounding in dignity, beloved by every soul,

and rescuer of the bewildered whom calamities assail.

لم أنسَ سَاعاتٍ قضَيتُ برَوضهِ

عن صَفوِنا طَرفُ النوائِب سَاه

I have not forgotten the hours I spent in his garden,

heedless of fortune’s turns and calamity’s onset.

ألراقصاتُ غصونُه عن وَقَع أن

غَام الطيُور وعَن خَرير مِيَاه

Its branches dancing to the cadence of the melo-

dies of birds and to the murmur of waters.

ألصَّادِرون الوَاردون ضُيوفُه

ووُقُوتُهُنَّ زواهرٌ وزَوَاه

Those departing and arriving are his guests,

their fare radiant and resplendent.

روضٌ يُظِلُّكَ فيه سِحرُ الفن حتَّى

تُرشِدنَّك مُعجزَات الطَّاهي

A garden where art’s enchantment shades you, until

the chef’s marvels themselves guide you onward.

يلقَاك بالتَّرحَاب رَبُّه باسما

في رِقَّةٍ للسَّلسِبيل تُضَاهِي

Its master meets you with welcome, smiling,

with a gentleness that rivals Salsabil.

يَزهُو بِأوقاتِ الفَراغِ فإن دَنَت

أوقاتُ جِدٍّ لم يَكن باللاَّهِي

He glories in hours of leisure; but when

hours of earnest work draw near, he is no idler.

لا ذو تُقىً في ظاهِرٍ مُتَجنبٌ

لأوَامرٍ مُتتَبِّعٌ لِنَوَاه

No man of merely outward piety, shunning

commands while eagerly following prohibitions.

هذِي سِنونَ مَضَت لِرؤيَتِه ولَ

كن لم يَزل طَرفِي يَرَاهُ تُجَاهِي

Years have now passed since I saw him, but—

still my eyes behold him there before me.

لا زالَ مِن قِدَم العُصور ثَنَاؤُهُم

يَجرِي علَى الأسمَاعِ والأفوَاه

From ages past, may their praise never cease

to flow through ears and mouths.

وإليكَها والوُدُّ رائدُها ودُم

في نِعمةِ تسمُو وحِفظِ اللهِ

Here it is for you, with affection as its guide; abide

in ever-rising grace and in God’s protection.