هَلْ في قِطارِ النَّصْرِ نسرٌ واقعٌ
أَو في مَسَالِحَهَ سِماكٌ أَعْزَلُ
Is there a falling eagle in the train of victory,
Or a weaponless warrior among its arms?
أَودعت من قِطعِ السّحائبِ شِبْهَهَا
فالبَرْقُ يُصْلِتُ والرَّوَاعِدُ تَصْهلُ
The clouds borrowed its likeness,
So lightning flashes and thunder rumbles.
يَا آلَ عِمْران بدائِعُ فضلِكُمْ
بالفعلِ تستوفي المقال وتُفْضِلُ
O House of Imran, the marvels of your nobility
In deeds fully realize words and excel.
فلآل عمران على كلِّ الورى
فضلٌ به نطقَ الكتابُ المُنْزَلُ
For the House of Imran has a preference over all people
As the revealed Book has declared.
ما مَرَّ في التنزيلِ فضلٌ أَوَّلٌ
إِلا ومعناهُ لَكُمْ يُتَأَوَّلُ
No excellence was first mentioned in revelation
Except that its meaning pertains to you.
أَتُرَاهُمُ عَلِموا الذي لَمْ يَعْلَمُوا
في الدِّينِ أَو عَمِلُوا الذي لم يَعْمَلُوا
Did they know what they did not know
In religion or do what they did not do?
أَما الملوكَ فإِنهم خولٌ لكم
حقًا وإِنْ عظُمَ الذي قد خُوِّلُوا
Kings are but deputies for you,
Though exalted is he who was deputized.
أَبداً سُيُوفُكُمُ تُسلُّ فَتَحْتَوِي
أَملاكَهُمْ ويبيحُها مَنْ يَسْأَلُ
Forever your swords give victories
And conquer their realms however much asked.
لَكُمُ التقدَّمُ بالتأَخُّرِ بَعْدَهُمْ
كم آخِرٍ تلقاهُ وهو الأَوَّلُ
Yours is precedence though coming last after them.
How many a last one did you meet who was first!
أَوليسَ سادَ الأَنبياءُ جميعَهُمْ
وأَتى أَخيرَهُمْ النبيُّ المُرْسَلُ
Did not the last of prophets lead them all
And the messenger prophet come at the end?
كلُّ الزمانِ بكم ضَحوكٌ مُسْفِرٌ
تَنْدَى معاطِفُهُ أَغَرُّ مُحَجَّلُ
All time smiles through you, radiant,
Its coats grow lighter, more splendidly adorned.
سيَّرْتَمُوهُ لنا نهاراً مُشْرِقًا
أَو هَلْ مَع البَدْرَيْنِ لَيْلٌ أَلْيَلُ
You made it for us a bright day
Unless the two moons are a dark night.
بدرانِ قد وَقَفَ الكمالُ عليهما
والبدرُ ينقصُ بالمِحاقِ ويَكْمُلُ
Two full moons whose perfection has halted them
While the moon wanes with loss and grows full.
ومُهَنَّدَانِ جَلاهُما شَرَفاهُما
بِيضٌ مُهَنَّدَةٌ وسُمْرٌ ذُبَّلُ
And two Muhannads whose nobility exalted them,
White and tawny, splendid and magnificent.
فمحمدٌ منه المحامِدُ تَعْتَلِي
وأَبو السعودِ به السعادَةُ تُشْمَلُ
Muhammad derives glories from it
And Abul Saoud, through it, gains good fortune.
وغَضَنْفَرَانِ وإِنَّما عاباهما
بيض مهندة وسمر ذبلُ
Branches whose lawful and pleasing union
Joined them in power and towering glory.
فرعانِ ضَمَّهُمَا الحلالُ المُرْتَضَى
في العِزِّ والشرفُ الرفيعُ الأَطْوَلُ
Bilal and his son made firm their rule
Thus shouldering the past and future.
وأَقرَّ مُلْكَهُما بِلالٌ وابْنُهُ
فتكفَّلا الماضِي وما يُسْتَقْبَلُ
The martyr's successor glad eyes
Stream down joyous faces.
خَلَف السَّعيدُ به الشَّهيدَ فأَعْيُنٌ
مُنْهَلَّةٌ في أَوجُهٍ تَتَهَلَّلُ
A departed king yet his glory remains,
While the sayer of his glory departs.
ملكانِ ذلك راحِلٌ وثناؤهُ
باقٍ وذا باقٍ ثَنَاهُ يَرْحَلُ
Time reaped its harvest, then came Lias's
His endeavors plucked from its yield.
كان الزمانُ جَنَى فجاءَ لياسرٍ
ونصولُهُ ممَّا جَنَى تَتَنَصَّلُ
The sun of daybreak shone on his brow—
A crown studded with rare stars.
وَأَغرَّ فوقَ جبينِهِ شمْسُ الضُّحَى
تاجٌ بأَفرادِ النجومِ مُكَلَّلُ
Noblest in nature, though the gracious
May sometimes affect graciousness.
متكفلٌ أَعلى المكارِمِ شِيمَةً
ولَرُبَّما يتكلَّفُ المُتَكَفِّلُ
Long may he kiss the ground whose carpet
Is not worn by the passage of time.
لمُقَبِّلٍ طولَ الزمانِ بساطَهُ
والورد لَيْسَ مَدَى الزَّمانِ يُقَبَّلُ
He breathes content, a firmly rooted mountain,
And flows generosity, a flaming fire.
يَهْفُو ارتياحاً وهو طودٌ ثابتٌ
ويسيلُ جوداً وهو نارٌ تُشْعَلُ
His brilliance grows in the gloom of woes
And perfume emerges from the embers.
ويزيدُ في ظُلَمِ الخطوبِ ضِياؤُهُ
في الجَمْرِ أَجْدَرُ أَن يفُوحَ المَنْدَلُ
His softness reveals the ruggedness of aloofness
And water runs pure and untroubled.
ويشِفُّ عن صَلَفِ الخُشُونَةِ لِينُهُ
والماءُ يُشْرِقُ وَهْوَ عَذْبٌ سَلْسَلُ
It startles when the delight of his face shines
As a whetstone startles when it sharpens.
وتَرُوعُ حينَ يروقُ بَهْجَةُ وَجْهِهِ
ولقَدْ يروعُ كما يروقُ المُنْصلُ
His happiness adorns the glances of eyes
As though it lined them with kohl.
ويزينُ أَلحاظَ العيونِ رُواؤُهُ
فكأَنما هي من سناهُ تُكْحَلُ
He hits his mark though his archer’s arrows go astray,
And every arrow deals death to a foe.
ويصيبُ والرامي تطيشُ سِهامُه
فلكلِّ سهمٍ من عدُوٍّ مَقْتَلُ
Towns and lands nearly transfer to be near him.
Why wouldn’t he travel ceaselessly?
ويكادُ ينتقلُ البلادُ وأَهْلُهَا
شوقاً إِليه فكيفَ لا يَتَنَقَّلُ
With his sharpened blade he opens them all
And with its opening he shuts them.
بحُسامِهِ المشحوذِ يُفْتَحُ كُلُّها
وبَحدِّهِ المفتوحِ منها يُقْفَلُ
The House of Zuray planted through him an orchard
Whose vegetation and springs grew verdant.
زَرَعَتْ به آلُ الزُّرَيْعِ حَدِيقةً
رقَّ النباتُ بها ورقَّ المَنْهَلُ
To establish his rule they made him firm
As if he were unshakable Mount Thahlan.
واسْتَثْبَتَتْهُ لمُلْكِها فكأَنَّه
ثَهْلانُ ذو الهَضباتِ لا يَتَحَلْحَلُ
Faithful to them, behind him is a lion cub,
Honeycomb to the wolves among stallions.
ووفَا لها منه هِزَبْرٌ خَلْفَه
طُلْسُ الذِّئابِ مع الذَّوابِلِ تَعْسِلُ
Like a lofty-saddled mule he bears his saddle—
Towering, as the mule grew up strong.
كالأَجْدَلِ الغِطْرِيفِ يَحْمِلُ سَرْجَهُ
سامِي التَّليلِ كما اشْرَأَبَّ الأَجْدَلُ
He appears, now a finger pointing to him
In reverence, now an onlooker reflecting.
يبدو فإِمَّا إِصْبَعٌ يُومِي بها
لِجَلاَلِهِ أَو ناظِرٌ يَتَأَمَّلُ
Greetings on the Feast of the Sacrifice, no,
Greetings to him through whom every feast comes first.
أَهلاً بعيدِ النَّحْرِ بلْ أَهلاً بمَنْ
منه بعيدِ النَّحْرِ عيدٌ أَوَّلُ
Encampments lie close as pearls on a thread
Joined in merriment, settled like flies.
بُزْلٌ كأَمثالِ الدِّنانِ تجانَسَتْ
مَعَهَا على طَرَبٍ ذباب نُزَّلُ
Scenes of battle line the field of fervor
Where a mauled lion lies alongside the wounded.
ومواقِفٌ ضُرِبَتْ على خَطِّ الوَغَى
فجريحُ لَبَّاتٍ بها ومُجَدَّلُ
Attempts whose lengthy strains leveled out
Equally frustrating the abridger and elaborater.
وتطوُّلٌ طالَ القرائِح فاسْتوَى
في العَجْزِ عنه مُقَصِّرٌ ومُطَوِّلُ
Among the noble deeds is to abridge them,
As the spokesman fell short of what was done.
ومِنَ المكارِمِ أَنْ يكونَ مُقَصِّراً
فيهِنَّ باعُ القول عمَّا يَفْعَلُ
