أَبَدرٌ بَدا أَم سَنا باهِرٌ

وَعِطرٌ سَرى أَم ثَنى عاطِرُ

Is it the radiant dawn that appeared, or glowing brightness?

Is it sweet-scented perfume that flowed, or fragrant breeze?

أَم اِنبَلَجَت غُرَّةَ العيدِ حَتّى

تَزاهى بِها وَجهُهُ السافِرُ

As if the prime of Eid has shone with radiance

So his travelling face prides itself with it

وَفَتقٌ فيهِ نَوافِجُ مَدحٍ

أَريجُ العَطايا بِهِ ذافِرُ

Openings in it, of sincere praises

Aromatic gifts with it overflowing

فَاِنعَم بِهِ عيدُ يُمنٍ جَلا

هُمومَ الوَرى بِشَرِّهِ الظاهِرُ

With it, Eid of blessings was delightful

Worries of people with its evil vanished

وَأَنساهُمُ اليَومَ نُعماهُ ما

يَعنَتهُ أَمسُهُ الدابِرُ

And forgot the day’s blessings what

Distressed them yesterday fading away

فَلا الخَلقَ في دَهرِهِم ضاجِرونَ

وَلا الدَهرُ في خَلقِهِ جائِرُ

So neither are creatures noisy in their time

Nor is time unjust to its creatures

فَهَل غَفَلَ الدَهرُ في العيدِ أَم

تَغافَلَ عَن أَنَّهُ داهِرُ

Did time neglect during Eid or

Disregarded that it is destructive?

مَآثَرَ طابَت بِهِنَّ النُفوسُ

جَميعاً وَقرَ بِها الناظِرُ

Praiseworthy achievements with them the souls prospered

Together and the onlooker felt close with them

تَبَدَّدَ جَيشُ الهُمومَ بِها

لَدى كِسرَةَ ما لَها جابِرُ

The army of worries with them scattered

At the destruction of what has no mender

أَغارَ عَلَيهِ سُرورَ الوَرى

وَسَعدُ السُعودِ لَهُ ناصِرُ

It attacked the people’s cheer

And the luck of fortune supported it

وَلَيسَ سِوى هِزَّةَ عامِلٍ

وَلَيسَ سِوى مِنَّةَ ضامِرُ

And nothing but a worker’s effort

And nothing but a striver’s favor

فَأَينَ النِكالَ الأَكولَ الَّذي

توعِدُنا الزَمَنَ الفاجِرُ

So where is the greedy disaster that

Threatens us, the villainous time?

إِذا كانَ يَأتي عَلى سالِفِ

بِلادِهِ وَيَسطو لَهُ غابِرُ

If it comes to its predecessor’s

Lands and overwhelms it fading away

فَقَد صارَ يَأتي عَلَيهِ الَّذي

جَناهُ وَيَعنو لَهُ حاضِرُ

That which protected him now comes to him

And cares for him attending

أَلا وَالمَعالي وَبيضُ العَوالي

لَئِن ناصَبَ الحادِثِ القاهِرُ

Beware, the heights and whiteness of heights

If the powerful event poses as hostile

فَلَسنا وَلَسنا بِمَن يَحذَرونَ

إِذا الذَمرَ مِن حادِثِ حاذِرُ

We are not, we are not, of those who are cautious

When the cautious of events take caution

وَأَنا وَأَنا لِقَومٍ إِذا

فَخِرنا فَما في الوَرى فاخِرُ

And I, I belong to a people, when

We pride, none in the world prides more

نُباهي المَلا كُلَّ يَومٍ بِما

حَباهُ بِنا السَيِّدُ الطاهِرُ

We confront the angels everyday with what

Gifted us the Pure Master

عَوافرِفَ بَحرٍ لَها نائِلُ

مَعارِفَ عِضَّ لَها آثِرُ

Seas of cognizance, harvesting it

Realms of knowledge, leaving its vestige

فَضائِلُ بِرٍّ لَها مادِحٌ

فَواضِلُ حَرٍّ لَها شاكِرُ

Virtues of righteousness, praising it

Excesses of decency, thanking it

تَظَلُّ البَرايا تُنَوِّلُ مِن

نَداهُ الَّذي مالَهُ آخِرُ

The wilderness continues to alternate from

Its light that has no similar

مَنائِحَهُ غَبطَةَ المُعتَفي

مَدائِحَهُ المِثلُ السائِرُ

Its achievements are the envied’s joy

Its praises the ideal flows

فَلَيسَ لِأَفضالِهِ جاحِدٌ

وَلَيسَ بِنَعمائِهِ كافِرُ

So, none denies His virtues

Nor disbelieves His favors

مَديدَ النُهى قَولَهُ كامِلٌ

طَويلَ اللَهى طولُهُ وافِرُ

His advice lasts long, his words complete

His hopes long, his length abundant

حَقيقٌ بِتَمديحِ كُلِّ الوَرى

عَلى أَنَّ كُلِّ ثَنا قاصِرُ

Deserving of every world’s praises

While every other praise falls short

فَكَم بِتُّ أَنضى لَهُ خاطِري

فَما ظَلَّ أَن خانَني الخاطِرُ

How many bright ideas occurred to me

Yet the idea did not stay faithful to me

وَما زِلتُ عَن وَصفِهِ عاجِزاً

عَلى أَنَّني المَدرُهُ الشاعِرُ

And I remained incapable of describing Him

Despite my being the skilled poet

إِلّا دُمتَ بِالخَيرِ مُستَمسِكاً

يَنارُ بِكَ الوَطَنُ العامِرُ

Unless you continue holding onto good

The prospering nation will shine through you

سَعيدُ الجُدودِ جَديدُ السُعودِ

يَغارُ لَكَ الفَرقَدُ الزاهِرُ

Happy ancestry, novel fortunes

For you the blooming tent is jealous