حَلَّتْ حُلَى حَسَنِ الْحُلَى زَيْدَانِ

حَامِي الْحِمَى مَا حَلَّ مِنْ بُلْدَانِ

The ornaments of beauty have adorned Zaydan

The finest of beautiful ornaments have adorned Zaydan,

Protector of reverence, unmatched in any land

the protector of the sanctuary, in whatever lands he settles.

إِنْ حَلَّ فِي بَلَدٍ غَدَا مِنْ حِينِهِ

يَسْمُو بِبَهْجَتِهِ عَلَى بَغْذَانِ

When he arrives in a country, it flourishes from that moment

If he alights in a town, from that very moment it becomes

And glows with his splendor above all else

exalted in its splendor above Baghdad.

أَوْ زَارَ أُفْقَ مَدِينَةٍ قَمَراً زَرَتْ

زَهْواً بِطَلْعَتِهِ عَلَى غُمْدَانِ

Or if he visits a luminous city, it shines

Or should he visit a city's horizon as a moon, it would surpass

Radiantly with his rising, above its towers

in the pride of his countenance, the palace of Ghumdan.

بَاهَتْ بِهِ أَوْطَانُهُ فَاساً بِمَا

قَدْ حَلَّهِا بَدْراً بِلاَ نُقْصَانِ

His homelands shine through him, outshining

His homelands boasted of him to Fes, because

The full moon with no loss of light

he alighted upon them as a flawless full moon.

زَادَتْ فَضَائِلُهُ وَكَانَتْ جَمَّةً

بِزِيَادَةِ الآنَاءِ وَالأَحْيَانِ

His virtues increased and accumulated

His virtues increased—and they were already abundant—

With the passage of time and days

with the increase of passing hours and times.

فَلِذَاكَ سَمَّوْهُ بِزَيْدَانٍ عَلَى

فَعْلاَنَ لِلْإِمْعَانِ فِي الرُّجْحَانِ

Thus they named him Zaydan, excelling

That is why they named him Zaydan, upon

Over others, insisting on preference

the morphological pattern 'Fa'lan', to emphasize his profound superiority.

إِذْ زِيدَ مَصْدَرُ زَادَ وَالتَّذْيِيلُ لِل

تَّكْثِيرِ فِي مَعْنَاهُ بِالْبُرْهَانِ

As Zayd means increase, and the suffix denotes

For 'Zayd' is the verbal noun of 'Zada' (to increase), and the suffix serves

Emphasis on its meaning as proof

to multiply its meaning, with clear proof.

فَأَفَادَنَا أَنَّ الْمُسَمَّى مُفْرَدٌ

بِزِيَادَةٍ عَنْ سَائِرِ الأَعْيَانِ

Indicating the one named is unmatched

Thus it shows us that the one bearing this name is unique

In increase over all people

with an increase in stature over all other noblemen.

كَزِيَادَةِ الإِيغَالِ فِي نَفْعِ الْوَرَى

بِزِيَادَةِ الإِفْضَالِ وَالإِحْسَانِ

Like increased effort in benefiting mankind

Like his increase in striving to benefit mankind,

With increased generosity and kindness

with an increase in grace and benevolence.

وَزِيَادَةِ التَّدْرِيجِ فِي دَرَجِ الْعُلاَ

بِزِيَادَةِ التَّفْرِيجِ لِلأَشْجَانِ

And increased progression in ascending ranks

And an increase in ascending the steps of glory,

With increased relief for the anguished

with an increase in dispelling sorrows.

وَزِيَادَةِ الإِيقَادِ فِي غَيْظِ الْعِدَى

بِزِيَادَةِ الإِخْمَادِ للِنِّيرَانِ

And increased ignition of the enemy’s rage

And an increase in kindling the rage of enemies,

With increased extinguishing of fires

with an increase in extinguishing fires of strife.

وَزِيَادَةِ الإِقْدَامِ فِي الْمَيْدَانِ

وَزِيَادَةِ الإِحْجَامِ عَنْ عُدْوَانِ

And increased daring in battle

And an increase in boldness on the battlefield,

And increased restraint from aggression

and an increase in refraining from transgression.

وَزِيَادَةِ الإِسْعَادِ لِلْمَكْرُوبِ فِي الْ

أَزَمَاتِ وَالإِنْقَاذِ لِلَّهْفَانِ

And increased happiness for the distressed in times

And an increase in aiding the distressed during

Of crisis, and rescue for the yearning

crises, and rescuing the desperate.

وَزِيَادَةِ التَّوْقِيرِ لِلْأَعْيَانِ

وَزِيَادَةِ التَّوْفِيرِ لِلشُّجْعَانِ

And increased reverence for the eminent

And an increase in honoring the notables,

And increased encouragement for the brave

and an increase in rewarding the brave.

وَزِيَادَةِ التَّهْذِيبِ لِلْإِخْوَانِ

وَزِيَادَةِ التَّأْدِيبِ لِلْعُبْدَانِ

And increased refinement for brethren

And an increase in refining his brethren,

And increased discipline for servants

and an increase in disciplining his servants.

فَمَنَاقِبُ الْمَوْلَى عَلَى حَسَبِ اسْمِهِ

جَلَّتْ وَقَدْ أَغْنَتْ عَنِ التِّبْيَانِ

Thus the master's virtues match his name

So the master's virtues, true to his name,

Manifest, rendering explanation superfluous

are majestic and need no further explanation.

مِنْ أَجْلِهَا أَجْلَلْتُ قَدْرَ خِطَابِهَا

بِعَزَائِهِ بِأَخٍ لَهُ ذِي شَانِ

For this I revere the status of her words

Because of them, I revered the value of addressing him

Consoling a brother of high stature

to offer condolences for his brother, a man of high distinction.

هَشَّتْ لِلُقْيَاهُ الْجِنَانُ وَحُورُهَا

مُتَسَرْبِلاً بِمَلاَبِسِ الرِّضْوَانِ

The gardens and their maidens rejoiced to meet him

Paradise and its houris rejoiced at meeting him,

Dressed in garments of divine pleasure

as he arrived clad in the garments of divine pleasure.

وَرَأَيْتُ أَنَّ عَزَاءَهُ بِمُصَابِهِ

لِصَحِيفَةِ النُّقْصَانِ كَالْعُنْوَانِ

And I saw consoling him for his affliction

And I felt that offering him condolences for his affliction

Was like a title page for loss

would be like a title for a scroll of deficiency.

إِذْ ذَاكَ يُوهِمُ أَنَّهُ مُتَخَشِّعٌ

لِنَوَائِبِ الأَزَمَاتِ وَالأَزْمَانِ

This gives the impression that he is humble

For that would give the illusion that he is humbled

Towards the blows of fate and time

by the calamities of crises and the passage of time.

مِنْ أَجْلِ أَنَّ جَدَاهُ فِي حُكْمِ النُّهَى

أَنْجَادُ قَلْبٍ مُزَلْزَلِ الأَرْكَانِ

Since his grandfather, by law, forbids

Because its benefit, in the judgment of wise minds,

A heart that shakes the pillars of faith

is the rescuing of a heart whose foundations are shaken.

بَلْ ذَاكَ عِنْدِي حَيْثُ لاَ جَزَعٌ يُرَى

أَخْنَى مِنَ الْهَذَيَانِ مِنْ نَشْوَانِ

Rather, in my view, he is one who shows no panic

Rather, doing so in my view—where no panic is seen—

Saner than the insane in joy or grief

is more unseemly than the delirium of a drunkard.

فَإِذَا أَنَا عَزَّيْتُهُ أَدْخَلْتُهُ

حَاشَاهُ بَابَ مُصَدَّعِ الْبُنْيَانِ

So when I console him, I lead him

For if I were to offer him condolences, I would be placing him

Away from the door of the crumbling edifice

—God forbid!—at the door of a cracked foundation.

وَالظَّنُّ أَوْ هُوَ الْمُحَقَّقُ أَنَّهُ

مَا إِنْ لَهُ فِي صَبْرِهِ مِنْ ثَانِ

And the belief, or rather confirmed reality, is

And the belief—or rather, the certainty—is that he

He has no second in patience

truly has no equal in his patience.

فَلَهُ عَلَى وَلَدِ الْمُلُوكِ مَزِيَّةُ

كَمَزِيَّةِ الْيَاقُوتِ وَالْعِقْيَانِ

For he has an advantage over royal sons

For he holds a distinction over the sons of kings,

Like the ruby over common stones

like the superiority of rubies and pure gold.

أَبْقَى إِلَهِي جُودَهُ وَوُجُودَهُ

مُتَعَارِفاً بِحِمَايَةِ السُّلْطَانِ

My God, perpetuate his generosity and existence

May my God preserve his generosity and his existence,

Known for protecting the sultanate

widely renowned for his sovereign protection.

نَصَرَ الإِلَهُ جُنُودَهُ وَبُنُودَهُ

نَصْراً يَذِلُّ لَهُ ذَوِيِ التِّيجَانِ

May God grant victory to his armies and elite

May God grant victory to his armies and his banners,

A victory that humiliates those with crowns

a victory that forces the wearers of crowns to bow.