تَنَفَّسَ الرَّوْضُ عَنْ نُوَّارِهِ الأَرِجِ

وَأَسْفَرَ الصُّبْحُ عَنْ لأْلاَئِهِ البَهجِ

The garden breathed out its bright lights,

And dawn unveiled its radiant pearls.

بُشْرى بِأَيْمَنِ مَوْلُودٍ لِغُرَّتِهِ

هَزَّتْ يَدُ الدَّهْرِ مِنَّا عِطْفَ مُبْتَهج

Good tidings of a blessed newborn,

Whose charm made fate extend a joyous hand.

وافَتْ به لَيْلَةَ الاثْنَيْنِ مُخْبِرَةً

بِاثْنَيْنِ جاءَ كَرِيمٌ مِنْهُمَا وَيَجِي

Monday night brought the news,

Of two honorable ones, one of whom arrived.

لَمْ يَنْظُر المَجْدُ مِنْ عَلْيَاهُ عَنْ حَوَرٍ

حَتَّى تَبَسَّمَ مِنْ مَرْآهُ عَنْ فَلَج

Glory never looked down from its heights,

Until it smiled at its reflection in the water.

هِلاَلٌ سَعْدٍ يُجَلِّي كُلَّ دَاجِيَةٍ

ظَلاَمُها لَيْسَ يُمْشَى فِيه بِالسُّرُج

A crescent of fortune dispelling all gloom -

Its darkness cannot be traversed with lamps.

ونُطْفَةٌ مِنْ صَمِيمِ الْفَخْرِ ما بَرَحَتْ

تَجُولُ مِنْ مَشَجٍ زَاكٍ إلَى مَشَجِ

An essence of pure nobility never ceased

Roaming from glorious origin to origin.

تَفَرَّعَتْ بَيْنَ أَصْلَيْ سُؤْدُدٍ وَعُلاً

تَقَاسَمَا طَيِّبَ الأَثْمَارِ وَالأَرَج

Branching between two roots of glory and might,

Sharing the good fruits and meadows between them.

أَبٌ وَخَالٌ أَبَانَا مِنْ رِئَاسَتِه

ما أَحْرَزا عَنْ خُلَيْفٍ أَوْ أَبِي الْفَرَجِ

A father and uncle who proved their leadership,

Never attaining it through an heir or crown prince.

مَنَاسِبٌ كَاطِّرَادِ الْمَاءِ ما انْبَعَثَتْ

إلاَّ رَأَيْتَ بِحَارَ الأَرْضِ كَالْخُلُج

Continuous like flowing water, nothing emerged

Except you'd see earth's seas swirling.

تَرَفَّعَتْ بِبَنِي سَعْدٍ ذُرَى شَرَفٍ

كما سَمَتْ بِنَدِيٍّ غايَةَ الدَّرَجِ

The heights of glory rose with Sa'd's sons,

As stars reached the farthest zenith.

مَفَاخِرٌ قَدْ خُصِصْتُمْ يا جُذَامُ بِِها

فَخَاصِمُوا وثِقُوا بِالفَلْجِ في الْحُجَجِ

You are honored, O Judham, with such glories -

So dispute and rely on eloquence in your disputes.

ما زِلْتُمُ بِمَنَارِ اليُمْنِ مِنْ يَمَنٍ

حَتَّى تَقَوَّمَ من مَيْلٍ وَمِنْ عِوَجِ

You never strayed from Yemen's minaret,

Until all crookedness and leaning was corrected.

كَمْ مَسْلَكٍ بِكُمُ قَدْ عادَ مُتَّسِعاً

وكانَ مِنْ قَبْلُ ذا ضِيقٍ وَذَا حَرَجِ

Through you many a path was widened,

Which before was narrow and constricted.

وقاصِدٍ قَدْ تَلَقَّى السَّيْرَ نَحْوَكُمُ

بِحَمْدِ مُبْتَكِرٍ مِنْهُ ومُدَّلِجِ

With praise a traveller came seeking you,

Glorifying at dawn and darkening at dusk.

وَبَحْرِ حَرْبٍ قَطَعْتُمْ لُجَّ زاخِرِه

بأَنْصُلٍ لُجِّجَتْ في الخَوْضِ في اللُّجَجِ

You crossed the turbulent sea of war,

With swords plunging into the depths amidst the waves.

بمَعْرَك لا تَرَى منه العيونُ سِوَى

شُهْبٍ مِنَ السَّيْرِ في ليلٍ منَ الرَّهَجِ

A battle in which eyes see only

Meteors of cavalry in a dark night of clamour.

حيثُ الدِّماءُ عُقارٌ يُسْتَحَثُّ على

ما شِئْتَ من زَجَلٍ للخَيْلِ أَو هَزَجِ

Where blood is an elixir to incite

Any warhorse or steed to zeal and agitation.

والهامُ قد أَوْسَعَتْهَا البِيضُ عَرْبَدَةً

لمَّا أّدارَتْ عليها خَمْرَةَ المُهَج

And dreams expand the egg to be an ostrich,

When the wine of passion whips it into fervor.

من كُلِّ ذي جَوْهَرٍ ما زالَ مُنْتَظِماً

لِلْقِرْنِ في لَبَّةٍ منه وفي وَدَجِ

Every being of value proceeded in order,

In rings of mane and locks of hair.

وكلِّ مُنْعَطِفٍ كالنَّهْرِ مُطَّرِداً

بَيْنَ الأَباطِحِ في أَثْنَاءِ مُنْعَرَج

And every winding turn like a river,

Flowing between dunes amidst the bends.

في كَفِّ كُلِّ كَمِيٍّ ما بَصَرْتَ به

إلاَّ تَنَزَّهْتَ في عَقْلٍ وفي هَوَجَ

In the palm of every protector what you saw

Would delight your mind and impassion you.

أَولئك الرّايةُ العَلْياءُ من يَمَنٍ

فاركنْ إلى ظِلِّها تَأْمَنْ مِنَ الوَهَجِ

They are the lofty standard of Yemen,

So seek shade in its shadow and safety from heat.

وَرَدْتَ منها بِبَحْرٍ إنْ تَهُبَّ به

رِيحُ السؤالِ على عِلاَّتِها يَهجِ

And you will gain from it a sea, if

The winds of questioning blow harshly upon it.

جَمِّ العوارِفِ طامٍ غير مُحْتَبِسٍ

عَذْبِ المَشَارِبِ صافٍ غَيْرِ مُمْتَزِجِ

Pure drinking waters, clear and unmixed -

Gathering of rare virtues not to be contained.

وساكنِ الجَأْشِ ما يَنْفَكُ عزمته

يلقي الخُطوبَ بلا طَيْشٍ ولا زَعَجِ

Whose resolve in peril does not waver,

Meeting misfortunes without panic or alarm.

اِهْنَأْ أَبا الحَسَن السّامي بخير فَتًى

مُحَسَّنٍ لم يَدَعْ من مَنْظَرٍ بَهَجَ

Congratulate Abu Al-Hassan the Sublime, a fine youth

Who left no pleasing spectacle without beautifying.

يُكْنَى أَبا الفَضْلِ وَهْوَ الفَضْلُ أَجْمَعُهُ

وتِلْكَ بُشْرَى بها الأَيَّام في لَهَجِ

Nicknamed Abu Al-Fadl, and he is all virtue embodied,

Good tidings the days murmur of.

ما زلْتَ في المجدِ والعلياءِ منفَرِداً

حتى كُسيتَ به أَوصافَ مُزْدَوَجِ

You remained unmatched in glory and nobility

Until you were clothed in dual attributes.

فاسْحَبْ على النجمِ ذَيْلَ التِّيهِ مفتخراً

فَأَنتَ بالتِّيهِ والفخرِ القديمِ حَجِ

So trail the hem of your cloak upon the stars proudly,

For you are of old prestige and pride.

بَقِيتُما كوثَرَيْ عُرُفٍ ومَعْرِفَةٍ

وَجَنَّتَيْ فَرَحٍ للناس أَو فَرَجِ

You remain like two meadows of nobility and knowledge,

And gardens of joy for people, or relief.