كذا فليد من نازع الخضر الندى
وألا كما يسمو علي إلى العلى
Thus let whoever vies with al-Khidr in generosity give.
Thus the dew competes with the verdure's green,
Otherwise, [let him rise] as Ali rises to the heights.
Yet upwards my aspirations higher lean,
هما أسدا غيل وغثيا غمامة
وسيفان لا ذما من النقع صقيلا
They are two lions of a thicket, and two showers from a cloud,
Two lions they, fearless in danger's midst,
And two swords that never disdained battle-dust as a burnisher.
Swords that with flawless blades the foe demean,
لقد دافعا عن دولة المجد والهوى
عدواً حسيراً أو عدواً مضللا
They have indeed defended the realm of glory and love
Defending a state where glory love entwine,
Against an exhausted enemy, or an enemy led astray.
Repelling the erring or misguided's spleen,
فظافرها ما زال في الحرب ظافراً
وأفضلها من ساير الخلق أفضلا
So its Zafir has never ceased to be victorious in war,
Victorious in war and nobler than all others,
And its Afdal has always been more excellent than the rest of creation.
Their fame the wide world fills, as though sustaining
لعم نداه العالمين كأنما
تكلف أرزاق الورى وتكفلا
His bounty has indeed embraced all the worlds, as though
The livelihood of mankind they underwrite,
He had taken on humankind's sustenance and pledged to provide it.
Never abandoning them, the honored sustaining,
فلا خذلته المشرفية غضة
من الماء خضراً والأنابيب ذبلا
So may the Mashrafi swords never fail him, fresh
Green as water are their banners midst the fray,
And green with water, nor the dry spear-shafts.
While lances withered and the spears decay.
Sol 6.1