اِنزِل لِتَلثِمَ ذا الصَعيدَ مُقَبِّلاً
شَرَفاً وَإِجلالاً لِمَولى ذا المَلا
Descend to kiss this land, bowing down
In honor and reverence of the Lord of Glory
وَقُلِ السَلامُ عَلَيكَ يا مَن لَم يَزَل
كَنزاً لِأَبناءِ الهُمومِ وَمَعقِلا
Say, "Peace be upon you, O eternal treasure
For the afflicted, and their mighty stronghold."
وَاِشكُر أَيادِيَهُ الَّتي أَولاكَها
فَلَقَد أَطابَ لَكَ العَطاءَ وَأَجزَلا
Thank the hands that endowed you,
For he has granted you generous boons.
وَأَشِر إِلَيهِ بَعدَ ذاكَ مُوَدِّعاً
تَوديعَ لا مَلَلٍ عَراكَ وَلا قِلى
After that, bid him farewell,
A farewell without boredom or hardship for you.
أَفديهِ مِن مَلِكٍ لَقَد أَضحى بِهِ
جَدُّ المَكارِمِ وَالأَكارِمِ مُقبِلا
I ransom with my life this gracious king;
He is the epitome of noble ancestry.
ما كُنتُ آمُلُ مِن نَداهُ أَنالَني
فَأَنا لَهُ رَبُّ العُلى ما أَمَّلا
He fulfilled my hopes beyond what I wished;
Before I met him, my nights were starless.
أَلفا مُصَتَّمَةٍ أَجازَ وَبَغلَةً
تَشأى النَعامَةَ وَالحَرونَ وَقُرزُلا
A thousand polished horses he bestowed on me,
That vie with ostrich, zebra, and onager.
وَمِنَ المَلابِسِ خِلعَةً لَو قابَلَت
رَوضَ الحِمى أُنُفاً لَكانَت أَجمَلا
And robes that if laid in a garden,
Would seem more beautiful than the garden.
وَوَراء ذَلِكُمُ اِعتِذارٌ أَنَّهُ
لَولا أُمُورٌ جَمَّةٌ ما قَلَّلا
And after that, apologies that duties
Kept him from granting more, though he wished to give.
وَأَحَبُّ مِن هَذا إِلَيَّ لِقاؤُهُ
لِي مُسفِراً عَن بِشرِهِ مُتَهَلِّلا
And what I love more than this is to meet him,
His face lit up, grinning ear to ear.
وَسُؤالُهُ لِي كَيفَ أَنتَ وَقَولُهُ
أَهلاً أَتَيتَ وَزالَ نَحسٌ وَاِنجَلى
And him asking me, "How are you?" and saying,
"Welcome! Your bad luck has gone and good fortune come."
فَأَضاءَ في عَيني النَهارَ وَقَبلَ أَن
أَلقاهُ كانَ عَلَيَّ لَيلاً أَليَلا
He made my day as bright as if the night
Had not enveloped me in darkness beforehand.
وَشَكَرتُ حادِثَةً أَرَتني وَجهَهُ
لَو كانَ نَزعُ الرُوحِ مِنها أَسهَلا
I thanked the incident which showed me his face;
Had death taken me then, it would have been easy.
وَغَفَرتُ زَلَّةَ ظالِمَيَّ لِكَونِها
سَبَبَ اللِقاءِ وقلتُ أَيسَرُ مَحمَلا
I forgave the wrong done me, because it
Was the cause of this meeting. How simple the burden!
إِن كانَ قَد أَبقى حَسُودي باهِتاً
فَلَأُبقِيَنَّ حَسُودَهُ مُتَمَلمِلا
If my envier remains confounded,
I will leave him increasingly confused.
وَلَأَكسُوَنَّ عُلاهُ ما لا يَنطَوي
أَبَدَ الزَمانِ وَلا يُلِمُّ بِهِ البِلى
And I will dress his highness in a cloak
Time and wear cannot diminish or consume.
وَلَأعقِدَنَّ عَلى ذُؤابَةِ مَجدِهِ
تاجاً مِنَ الدُرِّ الثَمينِ مُفَصَّلا
And on his brow, glory's diadem
I will shape with precious, jeweled pearls.
وَلَأَضرِبَنَّ بِجُودِهِ الأَمثالَ كَي
يَشدُو بِها مَن شاءَ أَن يَتَمثّلا
And his munificence, I will set as the example
Which those who wish may sing and chant.
بِأَبي الهُمامِ أَبي الفَضائِلِ ذي العُلى
وَالمَكرُماتِ فَما أَبَرَّ وَأَفضلا
By the magnanimous father of sublime traits,
Most generous and gracious! None can surpass!
كُن أَيُّها الساعي لِإدراكِ العُلى
كَأَبي الفَضائِلِ في النَدى أَو لا فَلا
Be, O seeker of greatness, like the father
Of virtues in bounty, or do not attempt it.
وَأَما لَعَمرُ اللَهِ لَستُ بِمُدرِكٍ
شَأوَ الأَميرِ وَما عَسى أَن تَفعَلا
By God! I cannot attain the prince's glory
Or match what he has done.
لِلّهِ بَدرُ الدِينِ مِن مَلِكٍ فَما
أَوفى وَأكفى لِلخُطُوبِ وَأَحمَلا
By Allah! Bedr al-Din, what a king! None
More faithful or able amidst adversities.
مَلِكٌ أَنَختُ بِهِ الرَجاءَ مُؤَمِّلاً
فَرَجَعتُ مِن جَدوى يَدَيهِ مُؤَمَّلا
A king in whom I placed my hopes, expectant,
And from his open hands I returned laden.
أَيّامُهُ غُرٌّ مُحَجَّلَةٌ وَقَد
ضَمنَ الأَخيرُ بِأَن يَفُوقَ الأَوَّلا
His days are successive pearls, and the last
Vowed to surpass the excellence of the first.
زَهَت البِلادُ بِهِ فَما مِن بَلدَةٍ
إِلّا تَمَنَّت أَن تَكُونَ المَوصِلا
The lands flourished through him. Every domain
Wished it could be the Abode of Peace.
مَن مُبلغ ساداتِ قَومي أَنَّني
لاقَيتُ بَعدَهُم الجَوادَ المُفضِلا
You who reach the nobles of my people, tell them
I met the most generous and noble afterwards.
وَنَزَلتُ حَيثُ المَكرُماتُ وَقُمتُ في
حَيثُ اِبتَنى المَجدَ المُؤَثَّلَ وَالعُلى
I stayed where bounties reside, I stood where
Glory established its towering edifice.
يَفديكَ بَدرَ الدِينِ كُلُّ مُسَربَلٍ
بِاللُؤمِ غايَةُ حَزمِهِ أَن يَبخَلا
They ransom you with their disreputable selves,
Badr al-Din! The height of their wisdom was to withhold.
حَفِظَ الحُطامَ وَسَلَّ سَيفاً دُونَهُ
وَأَضاعَ مِنهُ العِرضَ تَضيِيعَ السَلا
They preserved their broken blades but wasted
Honor, throwing it away like old shoes.
فَغَدَت تُمزِّقُهُ الرِجالُ وَتَختَطي
لُجَجَ البِحارِ بِهِ وَأَجوَازَ الفَلا
So men tear them apart and traverse
The seas' expanses and deserts' emptiness.
يا أَيُّها المَلِكُ الَّذي في كَفِّهِ
بَحرٌ أَرانا كُلَّ بَحرٍ جَدولا
O King who holds the ocean in his palm,
We have seen every sea as a brook through you.
لا تَحسَبَنَّ ثَنايَ لِلمالِ الَّذي
خَوَّلتَنيهِ فَلَم أَزَل مُتَمَوِّلا
Think not my lyrics praise the wealth
You granted me. I have not ceased being wealthy.
وَالمالُ عِندَكَ كَالتُرابِ مَحَلُّهُ
تَحبُو بِهِ مَن هانَ قَدراً أَو عَلا
For wealth to you is like dust; you sift it
To those high or lowly, as you see fit.
لَكِن رَأَيتُ خَلائِقاً ما خِلتُني
أَحظى بِرُؤيَةِ مِثلِها في ذا المَلا
Rather, I saw morals the likes of which
I have never witnessed in this kingdom before.
لَولا النُبُوَّةُ بِالنَبِيِّ مُحَمَّدٍ
خُتِمَت لَقُلتُ أَرى نَبِيّاً مُرسَلا
If not for prophethood in Muhammad
The sealed prophet, I would call you a prophet sent.
قُل لِي أَمَلكٌ أَنتَ أَم مَلكٌ فَمَن
نَظَرَ العُجابَ فَحَقُّهُ أَن يَسأَلا
Tell me, are you angel or mortal king? For he
Who observes this marvel is right to ask.
ما هَذِهِ الأَخلاقُ في بَشَرٍ وَلا
هَذا السَماحُ إِذا اللَبِيبُ تَأَمَّلا
What is this character in a mortal? What
Is this generosity, if the wise contemplate?
فَبَقيتَ ما بَقِيَ الزَمانُ لِذا الوَرى
كَهفاً نَلُوذُ بِهِ وَسِتراً مُسبَلا
You remain as long as the world remains, for people
A cave where we take refuge and covered passage.
وَبَقيتَ لِلمَعرُوفِ أَيضاً وَالعُلا
أَبَداً بَقاءَهُما ثَبيرَ وَيَذبُلا
And you remain forever bounty and nobility,
Lasting as long as they last, before they wither and fade.
وَأَراكَ رَبُّكَ ما تُحِبُّ وَعاشَ مَن
يَشناكَ يَهوى المَوتَ مِن جَهدِ البَلا
May your Lord show you what you love, and give long life
To those who hate you until death cuts short their misery.
