قَصرَ الأَعِزَّةِ ما أَعَزَّ حِماكا
وَأَجَلَّ في العَلياءِ بَدرَ سَماكا
The palace of glory, how glorious is its protection!
It shone brightly in the heights like a full moon.
تَتَساءَلُ العربُ المُقَدَّسُ بَيتُها
أَأُعيدَ باني رُكنِهِ فَبَناكا
The sanctified Arabs question whether
the builder of its pillar has been restored to rebuild it.
وَتَقولُ إِذ تَأتيكَ تَلتَمِسُ الهُدى
سِيّانِ هَذا في الجَلالِ وَذاكا
When they come to you seeking guidance, they say
“They are equal in majesty, both this one and that.”
يا مُلتَقى القَمَرَينِ ما أَبهاكَ بَل
يا مَجمَعَ البَحرَينِ ما أَصفاكا
O meeting place of two moons, how splendid you are!
Rather, o gathering place of two seas, how clear you are!
إِنَّ الأَمانَةَ وَالجَلالَةَ وَالعُلا
في هالَةٍ دارَت عَلى مَغناكا
Authority, sovereignty and supremacy
revolved in a halo around your brain.
ما العِزُّ إِلّا في ثَرى القَدَمِ الَّتي
حَسَدَت عَلَيها النَيِّراتُ ثَراكا
Glory is only in the ground whose soil
the brilliant stars envied for having you as its interred.
يا سادِسَ الأُمَراءِ مِن آبائِهِ
ما لِلإِمارَةِ مَن يُعَدُّ سِواكا
O sixth of the princes from his forefathers!
Who deserves to be counted as prince other than you?
التُركُ تَقرَأُ بِاِسمِ جَدِّكَ في الوَغى
وَالعُربُ تَذكُرُ في الكِتابِ أَباكا
The Turks invoke the name of your grandfather in calamity
and the Arabs mention your father in scripture.
نَسَبٌ لَوِ اِنتَمَتِ النُجومُ لِعِقدِهِ
لَتَرَفَّعَت أَن تَسكُنَ الأَفلاكا
A lineage - if the stars were strung to form its line
they would be too proud to inhabit the celestial spheres.
شَرَفاً عَزيزَ العَصرِ فُتَّ مُلوكَهُ
فَضلاً وَفاتَ بَنيهمُ نَجلاكا
The pride of the noble era, a wrap for its kings,
superiority which surpassed their youth.
لَكَ جَنَّةُ الدُنيا وَكَوثَرُها الَّذي
يَجري بِهِ في المُلكِ شَرطُ غِناكا
You have the paradise of the world and its Abundance
which flows through the kingdom, a condition of your wealth.
وَلَكَ المَدائِنُ وَالثُغورُ مَنيعَةً
في مَجمَعِ البَحرَينِ تَحتَ لِواكا
The fortified cities and strongholds belong to you,
in the place where two seas meet, under your banner.
مُلكٌ رَعَيتَ اللَهَ فيهِ مُؤَيَّداً
بِاِسمِ النَبِيِّ مُوَفَّقاً مَسعاكا
A kingdom in which you shepherded the people of God, supported
by the name of the Prophet, granted success, your hearing sharp.
فَأَقَمتَ أَمراً يا أَبا العَبّاسِ مَأ
مونَ السَبيلِ عَلى رَشيدِ نُهاكا
You established an order, O Abu Al-‘Abbas, defense
against prodigality upon mature, guided principles.
إِن يَعرِضوهُ عَلى الجِبالِ تَهُن لَهُ
وَهِيَ الجِبالُ فَما أَشَدَّ قُواكا
If they present it to mountains, they would be gentle before it -
yet they are mountains, so how severe is your strength!
بِسِياسَةٍ تَقِفُ العُقولُ كَليلَةً
لا تَستَطيعُ لِكُنهِها إِدراكا
With politics that stop minds still like a lifeless night,
unable to fathom its profundity.
وَبِحِكمَةٍ في الحُكمِ تَوفيقِيَّةٍ
لَكَ يَقتَفي فيها الرِجالُ خُطاكا
And with God-given wisdom in ruling
men follow your footsteps in it.
مَولايَ عيدُ الفِطرِ صُبحُ سُعودِهِ
في مِصرَ أَسفَرَ عَن سَنا بُشراكا
My lord, the dawn of its felicity
shone upon Egypt with the Fasting-Breaking Festival’s joy.
فَاِستَقبِلِ الآمالَ فيهِ بَشائِراً
وَأَشائِراً تُجلى عَلى عَلياكا
So receive hopes through it and omens
that reveal themselves upon your summit.
وَتَلَقَّ أَعيادَ الزَمانِ مُنيرَةً
فَهَناؤُهُ ما كانَ فيهِ هَناكا
Meet the festivals of time radiantly -
its prosperity was not like it was there.
أَيّامُكَ الغُرُّ السَعيدَةُ كُلُّها
عيدٌ فَعيدُ العالَمينَ بَقاكا
Your noble white days are all
a holiday - so the holiday of two worlds is your permanence!
فَليَبقَ بَيتُكَ وَليَدُم ديوانُهُ
وَليَحيَ جُندُكَ وَلتَعِش شوراكا
May your house endure, your council continue
may your army live and your good fortune delight!
وَليَهنِني بِكَ كُلُّ يَومٍ أَنَّني
في أَلفِ عيدٍ مِن سُعودِ رِضاكا
And may every day gladden me that I am
in a thousand holidays from the joy of your approval.
ياأَيُّها المَلِكُ الأَريبُ إِلَيكَها
عَذراءَ هامَت في صِفاتِ عُلاكا
O exotic king - the maiden
soared in qualities of your summit towards you.
فَطَوَت إِلَيكَ البَحرَ أَبيَضَ نِسبَةً
لِنَظيرِهِ المَورودِ مِن يُمناكا
She crossed the sea, white in lineage,
to its counterpart coming from your Yemen.
قَدِمَت عَلى عيدٍ لِبابِكَ بَعدَما
قَدِمَت عَلَيَّ جَديدَةً نُعماكا
She arrived at your doorstep for a feast after
arriving to me newly blessed.
أَوَ كُلَّما جادَت نَداكَ رَوِيَّتي
سَبَقَت ثَنايَ بِالارتِجالِ يَداكا
Or does your munificence, whenever it runs freely,
precede my odes in improvisation with your hand?
أَنتَ الغَنِيُّ عَنِ الثَناءِ فَإِن تُرِد
ما يُطرِبُ المَلِكَ الأَديبَ فَهاكا
You are needless of praise - so if you wish for what entertains
the scholarly king, well here it is!
