قُل لَأَقنى يَرمي إِلى المَجدِ طَرفا

ضَرِمٍ يُعجِلُ الطَرائِدَ خَطفا

Say to the one who aspires for glory with a glance

Of a fiery warrior who hastens prey with a snatch

طارَ يَستَشرِفُ المَواقِعَ حَتّى

وَجَدَ العِزَّ مَوقِعاً فَأَسَفّا

He soared surveying positions until

He found glory a position so he regretted

يا عِمادَ الدينِ الَّذي رَفَعَ المَج

دَ وَقَد مالَ بِالعِمادَينِ ضُعفا

O pillar of the religion who raised glory

And it leaned on the two pillars out of weakness

وَمُغيثُ الأَنامِ وَاِبنَ مُغيثِ ال

خَلقِ طَودٌ رَسا وَطَودٌ تَعَفّى

And savior of the people, and son of the savior of

Creation, a towering mountain that was firm and a mountain that folded

وَمُجاري الزَمانِ خَطباً فَخَطباً

سابِقاً خَطوَهُ وَصَرفاً فَصَرفا

And flowing with the eras, disaster after disaster

Preceding its step and evading disaster after disaster

أَنتَ ثاني جِماحِها يَومَ لا يَم

لِكُ كَفٌّ لِجامِحِ الخَطبِ كَفّا

You are the second wing on a day when

No palm can restrain the ferocity of disasters

في رِواقٍ مِنَ القَنا لا تُرى في

هِ سِوى البيضِ وَالعَوامِلِ سَقفا

In corridors made of reeds where nothing can be seen

Except whiteness and pillars as ceilings

كافَأَت أَرضُهُ السَماءَ عَلى المُز

نِ وَأَهدَت لَها قَساطِلَ وُطفا

Its land rewarded the sky for rain

And gifted it rainwater and showers

تُتبِعُ الطَعنَ فيهِ طَعناً عَلى الأَع

ناقِ شَزراً وَالضَربَ ضَرباً طِلَحفا

If you criticize it, spears follow on the necks

And the hits continue as continuous strikes

لاثَ أَبطالُهُ عَمائِمَ بيضاً

لَبِسوا تَحتَها قَتيراً وَزَغفا

Its three heroes wore white turbans

And wore under them soft Yemeni shawls

رَسَبوا في غِمارِها وَلَوَ اِنَّ ال

طَودَ يُمنى بِها لَذَلَّ وَخَفّا

They waded into its darkness, and if

The towering mountains were inclined by it, they would have bent and knelt

قَد كُفيتَ السَعيَ الطَويلَ وَتَأبى

أَن يَرى المَجدُ مِنكَ حِلساً وَقُفّا

You have been spared the long fatigue and glory refuses

To see any laziness or standing still from you

بَينَ جَدٍّ بَذَّ الجُدودَ فَأَوفى

وَأَبٍ ضُمَّنَ العَلاءَ فَوَفّى

Between a grandfather who exhausted munificence to the utmost

And a father who included the heights and fulfilled

قامَ فيهِ يَلُفُّ خَطباً بِخَطبٍ

لا نَؤوماً وَلا شَؤوماً أَلَفّا

He stood among you turning glorious situations,

Neither inauspicious nor ominous

يَلبَسُ الهِمَّةَ العَلِيَّةَ لِلأَع

داءِ دِرعاً وَيَركَبُ العَزمَ طِرفا

Wearing the lofty enthusiasm as armor for the enemies

And riding determination as a glance

مِن رِجالٍ جَنَوا لَكُم ثَمَرَ المَج

دِ عَريضاً وَعاقَروا المَوتَ صِرفا

Of men who brought you the fruits of glory in abundance

And made death barren and repelled

عَقَدوا بَينَكُم وَبَينَ المَعالي

قَبلَ يَعلو الرِجالُ عَقداً وَحِلفا

They tied between you and the heights

A pact before men mounted the ascent and swore allegiance

رَكِبوا صَعبَةَ العُلى أَوَّلَ النا

سِ فَمَن جاءَ بَعدَهُم جاءَ رِدفا

They undertook the most difficult ascent, so whoever came after them came coasting

The house of munificence wherein disasters are remedied

بَيتُ جودٍ تُكفى النَوائِبُ فيهِ

وَجِفانُ القِرى بِهِ لَيسَ تُكفا

And the cheeks of the honorable are not dried by it

In it is the fire kindled by the flash of the sword

عِندَهُ النارُ أوقِدَت بِاليَلَنجو

جِيِّ تُذكى عَرفاً وَتُجزَلُ عُرفا

To give light to virtue and make virtue plentiful

The enemies have tested you with sweetness and bitterness

قَد بَلاكَ الأَعداءُ حُلواً وَمُرّاً

وَبَلَوا شيمَتَيكَ ليناً وَعُنفا

And tested your two qualities, softness and harshness

So they saw you as the cutting sword, strong and firm

فَرَأَوكَ الحُسامَ قَدّاً وَقَطّاً

وَرَأَوكَ الغَمامَ وَبلاً وَوَكفا

And saw you as the rain-laden cloud, affliction and sufficiency

They turned over the coverings of your morals like

قَلَّبوا الغُرَّ مِن سَجاياكَ تَقلي

بَ اليَمانيَّ بُردَهُ المُستَشَفّا

The Yemeni blanket its lined side taken out and opened

They deemed it pretentious so they saw it

حَسِبوها تَصَنُّعاً فَرَأَوها

كُلَّ يَومٍ تَزدادُ ضِعفاً وَضِعفا

Every day increasing in weakness and weakness

The envious denied its necessities

جَحَدَ الحاسِدونَ مِنها الضَرورا

تِ وَأَخفَوا دَرارِياً لَيسَ تُخفى

And concealed streaming tears not hidden

Like the crescent of the clouds, it disappeared until

كَهِلالِ السَحابِ ما غابَ حَتّى

رَقَّ عَن وَجهِهِ الغَمامُ فَشَفّا

The clouds parted from its face so it appeared

They lied. You are the most benevolent of people

كَذَبوا أَنتَ أَسبَقُ الناسِ إِحسا

ناً وَأَندى يَداً وَأَمطَرُ كَفّا

And most generous of hand and most raining of palm

A steadfast moral when the ages

خُلُقٌ ثابِتٌ إِذا غَيَّرَ الدَه

رُ رِجالاً أَخلاقُهُم تَتَكَفّا

Change men, their morals fold back

If they forget the remembrance of munificence by nature

إِن تَناسَوا تَذَكُّرَ الجودِ طَبعاً

أَو تَوَلَّوا ثَنى إِلى المَجدِ عَطفا

Or turn away from the path of glory bending

The bridle of poetry came from me, and if not for it

رامَ مِنّي قَودَ القَريضِ وَلَولا

هُ لَقَد جاذَبَ الزِمامُ الأَكُفّا

The reins would have been seized by the palm

It stirred from the sleep of languor toward it

هَبَّ مِن رَقدَةِ الفُتورِ إِليهِ

بَعدَما غَضَّ ناظِرَيهِ وَأَغفى

After lowering its gaze and dozing off

It is a back that willingly obeys the rein

هُوَ ظَهرٌ يَنقادُ طَوعاً عَلى اللَي

نِ وَيَأبى القِيادَ إِن قيدَ عَسفا

And refuses to be led if coerced unjustly

And a sword whose sheath was chosen by your

وَبُرودٌ غالى بِهِنَّ أَبوكَ ال

قَرمُ فَاِختارَها الأَشَفَّ الأَشَفّا

Esteemed father, so he chose the finest and most eloquent

It has a crown for the crowned from its glow

إِنَّ مِن ضَوئِها لِذي التاجِ تاجاً

وَلِرَبِّ الأَطواقِ طَوقاً وَشَنفا

And a necklace and prominence for the lord of necklaces

So unleash it upon disasters, making the eyes

فَاِبقَ لِلخَطبِ مُقذِياً مِنهُ عَيناً

كُلَّ يَومٍ وَمُرغِماً مِنهُ أَنفا

Weep every day, and making the noses sniffle

You are too lofty to be congratulated for power

أَنتَ أَعلى مِن أَن تُهَنَّأَ بِالعِز

زِ إِذا ما ضَفا عَلَيكَ وَرَفّا

If it settles upon you, fluttering

But the garments of power should be congratulated that you

بَل تُهَنّا مَلابِسُ العِزِّ أَن أَب

قَيتَ فيها نَشراً وَأَعبَقتَ عَرفا

Wore them, spreading fragrance and aromatic scent

And the stairs of ascent that you climbed them

وَمَراقي العُلى بِأَن بِتَّ تَعلو

ها وُثوباً إِذا عَلا الناسُ زَحفا

As clothes when people crawl

Join the pride of the most glorious kingdom, a sword

صِل بِفَخرِ المُلكِ الأَغَرِّ حُساماً

تَجمَعِ الماضِيَينِ عَضباً وَكَفّا

That combines the rage of the past and palm

The pillar of the kingdom the day it leaned

داعِمُ المُلكِ يَومَ مالَ وَلاقى

مَوَجاناً مِنَ الخُطوبِ وَرَجفا

And met waves of disasters and earthquake

And healer of supremacy from the illness of humiliation

وَمُداوي العَلاءِ مِن عِلَّةِ البُؤ

سِ وَقَد أَعجَزَ الطَبيبَ وَأَشفى

When the doctor despaired and was helpless

You will never see the like of him as long as

لَن تَرى مِثلَهُ اللَيالي وَهَيها

تَ لَقَد أَجمَلَ الزَمانُ وَأَصفى

Nights come and go. Indeed, time is most beautiful and purest