تُناضِلُ عَنْ دينِ الهُدى وتُدافِعُ

كَأنَّكَ في الهَيْجا أبُوكَ مُدافِعُ

You struggle for the religion of guidance and defend it

As if in battle your father is its defender

وتَثْبتُ يَوْمَ الرَّوْعِ في حَوْمَةِ الوَغَى

كَأنَّكَ ثَهْلانٌ بِها أَوْ مُتَالِعُ

And on the day of turmoil, you stand firm in the fray

As if you are its resident or frequent visitor

وَتَغزُو العِدَى في عُقْرِها مُتَتابِعاً

وحَسْبُكَ غَزْوٌ في العِدَى مُتَتابِعُ

And you raid the enemies in succession

And raiding the enemies in succession suffices you

فَتُلْفِي دِيارَ المُشْرِكِينَ ولَم تَزَلْ

أَواهِلَ قَدْ أصْبَحْنَ وَهيَ بَلاقِعُ

So you destroy the lands of the polytheists, which have not ceased

To be empty and desolate in the early dawn

وَما هُمْ ولا البُلْدان إِلا وَدَائِعٌ

وَعَما قَرِيبٍ تُسْتَرَدّ الوَدَائِعُ

And they and their lands are but trusts

To be soon reclaimed, those trusts

تَقَدَّمَك الرُّعْبُ الذِي ما لَهُمْ بهِ

قَرارٌ ولا في العَيشِ مِنْهُم مَطامِعُ

Terror precedes you, giving them no rest

Nor hope of survival from it

فَضَاقَ عَلَيْهِم أفْقُهُمْ وهوَ واسِعٌ

وأَكْثَبَ مِنْهُم حيْنُهُمْ وهوَ شاسِعُ

So their horizon narrowed, though vast

And their days darkened, though expansive

وَلاذُوا بِأَعْلَى الرَّاسِياتِ تَوَقُّعاً

لِما سَوْفَ يَغْشاهُم وَما حُمَّ واقِعُ

And they took refuge in the highest fortresses

In fear of what will befall them, and what is bound to happen

فَلَمْ تَألُ هَدّاً أَرْضَهُم واسْتِبَاحَةً

تُجَاذِبُهُم أطْرَافَهَا وتُنازِعُ

Yet you did not stop devastating their lands

As its parts vie with each other over them

يَمِيناً بِما قَدَّمْتَ مِن حَسَنٍ لَقَدْ

حَمَيْتَ ذِمارَ الدِّينِ والدِّينُ ضائِعُ

By what you have brought of good deeds, indeed

You have protected the pillars of religion, while religion was in peril

وَقُمْتَ بِأَعباءِ الإِمارَةِ نَاهِضاً

تُجالِد عَنها مَنْ عَتا وَتُقارِعُ

And you shouldered the burdens of leadership, rising up

To battle for it against whoever transgresses and contends

فَلا صامِتٌ إِلا بِشُكْرِكَ نَاطِقٌ

وَلا خالِعٌ إِلا لأَمْرِكَ خَانِعُ

So none remains silent but by praising you speaks

And none remains aloof but to your command submits

ولَيْسَ بِأُفْقِ الشِّرْكِ إِلا مُبادِرٌ

بِطَاعَتِهِ يَرْجُو القَبُولَ مُسارِعُ

And the horizons of polytheism have none

But those racing to obey you, hoping to be accepted

وقَدْ عَلِمَ الإيمانُ أَنَّكَ حاصِدٌ

بِمُنْصُلِكَ الماضِي لِما الكُفْرُ زارِعُ

And faith knows that you are one who reaps

With your advancing sword what disbelief had sown

وأَنَّك لِلْمَنْكورِ مُذْ كُنْتَ خَافِضٌ

وأَنَّكَ لِلْمَعروفِ مُذْ كُنْتَ رافِعُ

That you have always been one to lower the forbidden

And raise the enjoined good

بَسَطْتَ مِن الأَنْوارِ ما تُقْبَضُ الدُّنَى

إذَا انْصَرَمَتْ آمَادُها وهوَ قاطِعُ

You have spread such lights that when

Their course ends, it cuts through the darkness

عُنِيتَ بِما يُعْنَى بِهِ كُلُّ خَاشِعٍ

فَلِلَّهِ بَرٌّ مِنْكَ للَّهِ خاشِعُ

You have attended to what every devout attendee attends to

So, by God, you are righteous, God-fearing

صَلاةٌ وَصَوْمٌ واحْتِسابٌ وَخَشْيَة

وَعَدْلٌ وإِحْسَانٌ لَها الغَزْو سابِعُ

Prayer, fasting, piety, reverence

Justice, benevolence – and jihad makes seven

وَفِي كُلِّ حالٍ لا تَزال مُوَفَّقاً

تُوَاصِلُ في مَرْضاتِهِ وتُقَاطِعُ

And you remain guided in every state

Continuing in His pleasure, abstaining from His displeasure

يَسُرُّ بَنِي العَبَّاس خَلْعُكَ مَنْ غَدَا

لِدَعْوَتِهِم مِنْ قَبْلِهَا وهوَ خالِعُ

It pleases the Abbasids that you have shed

The allegiance to those who had called you to it before

وَكَوْنُكَ في أبْناءِ سَعْدٍ مُشايِعاً

لآل رَسولِ اللَّهِ فِيمَنْ يُشَايِعُ

And that you stand with the Sa`dis, supporting

The Household of the Messenger of Allah among their supporters

وأَنَّكَ أَرْيٌ لِلمُحالِفِ نافِعٌ

وأَنَّكَ شَرْيٌ لِلْمُخَالِف ناقِعُ

And that you are beneficial to the ally

And harmful to the adversary you subdue

وللَّهِ مِنْ أبْناءِ سَعْدٍ عِصَابَةٌ

إِذا غابَ كَهْلٌ مِنْهُمُ قام يافِعُ

By the Sa`dis is a group of youths

When an elder among them is gone, a youth takes his place

ملُوكٌ بِهَا ليلٌ كِرام أَعِزَّةٌ

لَهُمْ شِيَمٌ مَرْضِيَّةٌ ومَنَازِعُ

They are kingly lions, honorable nobles

Whose manners are agreeable, though contentious

ليُوثٌ إِلَى حَرْبِ الأَعادِي دَوالِفٌ

نُجومٌ بِآفاقِ المَعالي طَوالِعُ

Lions heading into battle with the enemies

Stars rising on the horizons of glory

إِذَا بَطَشَتْ يُمْناكَ يَوْماً فَإِنَّهُم

لِرَاحَتِها العُلْيا هُناكَ أَصابِعُ

When your right hand unleashes on a day

They are its fingers in the lofty repose

أَيَرْجو النَّصارَى في زَمانِكَ نُصْرَةً

وَقد كَثُرَتْ فِيهِمْ لَعَمْرِي الوَقائِعُ

Do the Christians hope for victory in your time

When, by my life, many catastrophes have befallen them

فأَعْيُنُهُم بَعدَ الهُجوع سَواهِدٌ

وأَعْيُنُنا بعد السُّهاد هَوَاجِعُ

So after withdrawal, their eyes are sleepless

While after prowess, our eyes find repose

وكَيْفَ يَرُومُ الرُّومُ طُولَ تَمَتُّعٍ

وأنْتَ رَدَاهَا والمَواضِي القَوَاطِعُ

And how can the Romans enjoy longevity

When you have repelled them, you splitter of the sturdy mountains

وجُنْدٌ كُماةٌ لا العُداةُ أَوَامِنٌ

بِأَسْيافِهِمْ وَلا الوُلاةُ جَوازِعُ

An army of reserve when the enemies are not safe

From their swords, nor the governors safe from their assault

إِذا وَقَفُوا قُلْتَ الهِضَابُ الفَوارِعُ

وإِنْ زَحَفُوا قُلْتَ الرِّياحُ الزّعازِعُ

When they halt, you say they are impassable mountains

When they march, you say they are gusting winds

تَحُفُّ بِزَيَّانِ الأَمِيرِ كَأَنَّهُ

فُؤَادٌ وَهُمْ فَوْق الفُؤَادِ أَضالِعُ

They throng around their magnificent commander as if

He is a heart while they are its enclosing ribs

أَميرٌ كَسَوْهُ بِالجَميلِ لأَنَّهُ

جَميلٌ حَميدٌ كُلُّ ما هُوَ صانِعُ

A commander characterized by beauty, for he

Is beautiful, praiseworthy in all he undertakes

بإِمْرَتِهِ ازْدانَ الزَّمانُ وَأَصْبَحَتْ

مُوَدَّعَةَ الآمالِ وَهْيَ رَواجِعُ

By his leadership, time became adorned and

Abandoned hopes retreated

لِرَايَتِهِ السَّوْداءِ في كُلِّ مَشْهَدٍ

قِيَامٌ بِنَصْرِ الحَقِّ أبْيَضُ نَاصِعُ

For his black banner, in every arena

There is, in supporting truth, a gleaming white defiant

ثُغُورُ ثُغُورِ المُسْلِمِين بَوَاسِمٌ

بِهِ وَرِقابُ المُشْرِكين خَواضِعُ

The borders of Muslim lands smile

Through him, and the necks of the polytheists bow

يُفيضُ عَلَيها الخَيْرَ والشَّرُّ دائِمٌ

ويَقْبِضُ عَنْهَا الجُهْدَ والجُهْدُ شَائِعُ

Goodness and evil ever flow to them

And hardship and exhaustion are shared among them

فَتَدْبيرُهُ في حالَةِ السِّلْمِ نَاجِعٌ

وَتَشْميرُهُ في حالَةِ الحَرْبِ نَافِعُ

So his planning in times of peace is beneficial

And his preparation in times of war advantageous

أَميرَ العُلى أَرْجُو ومِثْلُكَ سامِحٌ

أميرَ العُلى أَدْعُو ومِثْلُكَ سامِعُ

Supreme commander I hope for, and one like you is forbearing

Supreme commander I supplicate, and one like you is hearing

وأَشدُو بِما طَوَّقْتَنِي مِنْ صَنائِعٍ

جِسامٍ كَما تَشْدُو الحَمامُ السَّواجِعُ

And I sing of what you have graced me with of great deeds

As the doves sing of past loves

فَيَصْدَعُ مِنِّي بِاعْتِمادِك صَادِحٌ

ويَصْدَحُ مِنِّي بِامْتِدَاحِكَ صادِعُ

So from me emerges with your support one who cries out loudly

And from me emerges with your praise one who proclaims

وَدُمْ رَحْمَةً لِلعالَمينَ وَعِصْمةً

عَدُوُّكَ مَصْروعٌ وبَأْسُكَ صارِعُ

And last with mercy upon all the worlds, and victory

Your enemy is vanquished, and your might overwhelming