Sol 5.6

  1. Lofty rank, glory, forbearance, and wisdom give joy;

    and they are the marks of exalted nobility.

  2. Long-lived is the lord, the foremost dignitary: men fear

    his onslaught, yet hope for his generosity and favors.

  3. Generous: when the clouds withhold their bounty,

    a palm of his pours forth, and fingertips give freely.

  4. His twin supremacy in valor and generosity is attested

    by laden clouds whose rain pours down—and by sword blades.

  5. Thus, in a year of drought, his guest enjoys abundance,

    while on the day of war, the foe who meets him suffers.

  6. Modest, for all his bold advance and daring;

    everyone avouches his praise and stands its guarantor.

  7. Like a lion of al-Sharā, he holds both modesty and valor;

    and like a Yemeni blade, supple in body but cleaving.

  8. His prowess and his bounty deal death and life,

    when his enemies muster with all their means.

  9. Like the dark cloud—life-giving rain and thunderbolt—

    and the Euphrates’ sweet water, thirst-quenching yet deadly.

  10. So congratulate him on this blessed Eid, and on others to come,

    throughout all time, while downpours slake the earth’s thirst:

  11. a prayer of loyalty, not a prayer for coveted gain,

    though his kindness increase and his bounty pass all bounds.

Sol 5.6