هُوَ الفَتْحُ أَدْنى حَوْزِهِ المَغْرِبُ الأقْصَى
عَنِ الصَّوْلِ يُسْتَقْضَى وبِالعَدْلِ يُسْتَقْصَى
He is the opener, the West being the limit of his conquests
Wrongdoing is suppressed through him, and justice established
تَنَافَسَ فِي إِهْدَائِهِ المَاءُ والثَّرَى
بِما عَمَّ إِسْعاداً مُعاداً وَما خَصَّا
Water and soil compete in offering tribute
To both friend and foe in plenty and dearth
يُسِيمُ ويُرْوِي النَّاسَ مِنْهُ بِأنْعُمٍ
تَحَامَتْ ضُروباً أنْ تُعَدَّ وأَنْ تُحْصَى
He gives drink and pasture to people through favors
Too numerous to count or reckon
تَعَرَّضَ مِنها كالأَعارِيضِ لِلْمُنَى
أَفانِينُ لا غَمْطاً قَرَتْها وَلا غَمْصَا
He exposes himself to hopes like visions
Perfect, complete, brooking no diminution
فَكَامِلُها لا يَدْخُلُ الخَزْلُ جَزْلَهُ
وَوافِرُها لا يَقْبَلُ العَقْلَ والْعَقْصَا
Abundant, beyond reason or reckoning
The guidance of Yahya the Chosen revived guidance
هِدَايَةُ يَحْيَى المُرْتَضَى أحْيَتِ الهُدَى
فَهَدَّمَ ما أرْسَى الضَّلالُ وَما رَصَّا
Destroying the structures of misguidance consolidated
His call humbled the lowly in obedience
وَدَعْوَتُهُ دانَتْ بِطَاعَتِهَا الدُّنَى
فَمنْ مَجْمَع البَحْرَيْنِ لِلمَسْجِدِ الأَقْصَى
So one traveling from sea to Holy Sanctuary
Greetings to the blessed ones through their rectitude
هَنِيئاً لأُولِي الحَضْرَتَيْنِ بِرُشْدِهَا
إِلى الحَقِّ إِحْضَاراً إِذَا اسْتَقْصَرَتْ نَصَّا
And the truth to which they guide when ways seem short
They wronged not their charges yet did no injustice
أهانَتْ ولَمْ تَظْلِمْ عَرَارَ رُعَاتِهَا
لِظُلْمٍ وَعُدْوَانٍ بهِ امْتَازَ واخْتَصَّا
By aggression and enmity he was marked and distinguished
Announcing deposition of the transgressor eloquently
وبَاحَتْ بِخَلْعِ المُسْتَبيحِ وأَفْصَحَتْ
وقَدْ فَحَصَتْ عَنْهُ فَمَا أحْمَدَتْ فَحْصَا
When his scrutiny found no virtue to praise
His name she casts down and away from her pulpits
تَحُطُّ وَتَذْرِي عن مَنَابِرِهَا اسْمَهُ
وسِيمَاهُ صِلاً في عَوَادِيهِ أو لِصَّا
A miscreant in his habits or description
Banishing him, estranged from her minions
وَتُقْصِيهِ طَرْداً عَنْ ذرَاها عِصِيّهَا
جَدِيراً بِأَنْ يُقْصَى خَلِيقاً بِأنْ يُعْصَى
Worthy of banishment, fitting to be disobeyed
So if the Trinity suffers privation
فَإِنْ شَقِيَ التَّثْلِيثُ مِنها لِغُصَّةٍ
فَقَدْ شُفِيَ التَّوْحِيدُ مِمَّا بِهِ غَصَّا
The oneness is cured of what pained it
The religion's foe allies with paganism
وإنَّ عَدُوَّ الدِّينِ مَنْ ظَاهَر العِدَى
لِيَخْذُلَهُ فَاسْتَنْصَرَ الشِّرْكَ واسْتَقْصَى
Abandoned, so aids himself through idolatry
Traducing Ahmad’s community to aid Jesus’ worshippers
بعُبَّادِ عِيسَى هَاضَ أُمَّةَ أحْمَدٍ
لأَشْيائِهَا بَخْساً وأعْيُنِهَا بَخْصا
Belittling their wares and spying their chastity
So if he comes defeated, failed and vanquished
فَإنْ حَانَ مَنْكُوباً ونَكَّبَ حَائِناً
لَقَدْ حَصَّ مُنْفَلاً وَأفْلَتَ مَنْحَصَّا
He had hoped to gain but is himself gained
The Arab Hassan knew facing him
دَرَى الأَسْوَدُ القَيْسِيُّ أَنَّ أمَامَهُ
رَدَى الأَسْودِ العَنْسِيِّ مُشْبِهِهِ خَرْصا
Was the Arab Ansari, resembling him in valor
He wished to disobey his passion defiantly
فَوَدَّ لَو اسْتَعْصَى عِنَاداً عَلَى الهَوَى
بِحَيْثُ رَأَى المَنْجَى عَلَيْهِ قَدِ اسْتَعْصَى
When he saw safety lying in disobedience
He fled Fes in escape, leaving it to your horses
وأَمْعَنَ عَنْ فَاسٍ فِرَاراً وَدَعَّهُ
بخَيْلِكَ فَاسٌ يَحْذَرُ الفَرْسَ والفَرْصا
While Fes fears cavalry and cavalryman
He has in Marrakesh no peace
وَلَيْسَتْ لَهُ مَرَّاكشٌ بِقَرارَةٍ
وأَنَّى ومَازَالَتْ مُظَاهِرَةً حِمْصَا
Where or how when it resists staunchly?
It will strike him with strange blows
سَتَضْرِبُهُ ضَرْبَ الغَرَائِبِ وَارِداً
لِتَحْرِمَهُ في شرْبِها العَبَّ وَالمَصَّا
Denied drink there, debarred from sweetness
It makes brotherhood with the crucifers like itself
وَتُسْلِمُ إخْوَانَ الصَّليبِ كَأُخْتِها
لِضَارِبِهِمْ هَبْراً وَطَاعِنِهِمْ قَعْصَا
Surrendering them to its smiter, its piercer
No wonder that compared to them are these
ولا غَرْوَ أنْ قِيسَتْ عَلَى تِلْكَ هَذِهِ
فَكَمْ مِنْ قِيَاسٍ في عِدَاكَ غَدا نَصَّا
What comparisons shall tomorrow bring to pass?
Woe to the progeny of foreigners! Whenever
فَيَا وَهْيَ أسْبَابِ السَّبَاسِبِ كُلَّمَا
أذِيقُوا الرَّدَى قَبْضاً وَسِيقُوا لَهُ قَبْصا
Afflicted and herded to it, hemmed about
Woe to the dumb idols he enacted for them
وَيا خَرَسَ الفُصْحِ الذي سَنَّهُ لَهُم
وغَادَرَ فيهِ القُسُّ يَعْرضُ مَا قَصَّا
Forsaking the eloquent who stated what he related
For glad tidings of guidance its meteor shining
لِحمْصٍ مِنَ البُشرَى مُجيلاً قِدَاحَهَا
بِهَبَّتِهَا تَسْعَى لِمَحْصِ الهُدَى مَحْصا
Seeks by its gift the essence of guidance
Hail to Chefchaouen, the isle, hail to them
وَيَا لشَرِيشٍ والْجَزِيرَةِ يَا لَهَا
ومَكْنَاسَةٍ والقَصْرِ عَزَّ فَلا وَهْصَا
Meknes, and Qasr of dear independence
It found the rule of bliss to be its garb
وَلاقَتْ علَى حُكْمِ السَّعَادَةِ بُرْدَها
ومَا بَرِحَتْ أثْنَاءَ شِقْوَتِهَا رَهْصا
Never moving during its wretchedness to dance
It roused prayer to its Lord to suffice anxiety and doubt
وَأَثَّتْ رِياشاً فاسْتَحَثَّتْ لِدَعْوَةٍ
عَلَى رَبِّها أَن يَكْفِي الحَسِّ والحَصَّا
Did it not buy great victory with an oath
Firm, neither retracting nor drawing back?
أَمَا ابْتَاعَتْ الفَوْزَ العَظيمَ بِبَيْعَةٍ
مُؤَكَّدَةٍ لا نَكْثَ عَنْهَا وَلا نَكْصَا
It persisted on the straight path, proceeding
To an imam protecting it from attacks and gaps
وَعَاجَتْ عَلَى النَّهْجِ القَوِيمِ فَيَمَّمَتْ
إمَاماً وَقَاهَا يُمْنهُ الوَقْمَ وَالوَقْصَا
Of the people some loved the prayer niche and war sincerely
Elite in effort and sublimity, a chosen essence
مِنَ القَوْمِ للْمِحْرَابِ والحَرْبِ أَخْلَصُوا
كِرَامَ المَساعِي والعُلَى صَفْوَةً خُلْصا
They built only four mosques
And fired no passion save shields of calamity as armor
فَمَا عَمَرُوا إِلا المَسَاجِدَ أرْبُعاً
ولا اسْتَشْعَرُوا إِلا دُرُوعَ الوَغَى قُمْصَا
Fine youth equal in perfection, glorious
In the scions’ disposition to describe the exemplar
تَشَابَهَ نَجْلٌ في الكَمَالِ ونَاجِلٌ
وفي نَزَعَاتِ الفَرْعِ مَا يَصِفُ الأَصَّا
His serenity made leaders despair of attaining it
Far from the lofty peak to resemble the lowland
سَكِينَتُهُ أَعْيَا الأَئِمَّة نَيْلُهَا
وَهَيْهَاتَ جَلَّ الطَّوْد أّنْ يُشْبِهَ الدّعْصا
He roams bearing the burden of holy war, sword bared
Each nationality bearing spear and burden
يهِيمُ بِحَمْلِ الخِرْصِ والسَّيْفِ سَالِياً
هَوَى كُلِّ خَوْدٍ تَحْمِلُ الشَّنْفَ والخُرْصَا
His feats of valor conversed mouth to mouth
This one cheek to cheek, and that one closely
فَقَدْ حَمَلا عَنْهُ أحَادِيثَ بَأسِهِ
يُشَافِهُ ذا خَدّاً لِخَدٍّ وَذَا قَصَّا
He refused while striding mightily to advance cowardice
In fortunes of his palm deeming ease cowardice
أبَى وَهُوَ المَاضِي العَزِيمَةِ رُخْصَةً
بِحَاليَةٍ مِنْ كَفِّهَا عَنَماً رَخْصَا
Nor left for past or future in knowledge, forbearance and bounty
Share or diminution
وَلَمْ يَتْرُكَن في العِلْمِ والحِلْم والنَّدَى
لِمَاضٍ وآتٍ بَعْدُ حَظّاً ولا شِقْصَا
This is the Mahdist call, deriving for itself
Injunctions of the Riser, the Guide - thereby sincerity
هِيَ الدَّعْوَةُ المَهْدِيَّةُ اسْتَخْلَصَتْ لَها
نُهَى القائِمِ الهَادِي فكَان لَهَا خِلْصا
In declaring it Abu Hafs ar-Rida exhorted
His sons, fulfilling what he enjoined them
بإِظْهارِها وَصَّى أبو حَفْصٍ الرِّضى
بَنِيهِ فَوَفَّى دُونَهُمْ مَا بهِ وَصَّى
The heir apparent's guardian reinforced its apparatus
As the trait of mischief to injure the flanks
وَوَلَّى وَلِيّ العَهْدِ ضُرَّ عُدَاتِهَا
ومِنْ عادَةِ الضِّرْغامِ أنْ يُضْرِيَ الحَفْصَا
The full moon of guidance made truth shine
Plunging into the fray with the sun obscured entirely
لَقَدْ أوْضَحَ العَلْيَاءَ بَدْرُ هدَايَةٍ
بِخَوْضِ الوَغَى والشَّمْسِ قَدْ خَفِيَتْ قُرْصَا
Eager for the religion’s victory, not coveting
Worldly possessions with dissimulation and greed
حَرِيصاً علَى الدِّينِ الحَنِيفِ ونَصْرِهِ
ولَيْسَ علَى الدُّنيا بِمُسْتَبْطِنٍ حِرْصا
With his red standard provoking the enemies
To his white faith, enraged and resolute
بِرَايَتِهِ الحَمراء يَصْطَلِمُ العِدَى
لِمِلَّتِهِ البَيْضَاء غَضْبَانَ مُقْتَصَّا
The deluded hoped in vain for his five towers
So their steeds met the wastes' expanse
وَمَا أَمَّلَ العَافُونَ خَمْسَ بَنَانِهِ
فَلاقَتْ مَطَايَاهُم بِطَيِّ الفَلا خَمْصا
His shade suffices you seeking bounty
In shade lies what suffices you to await high noon
تَهَلُّلُهُ يُغْنيَكَ أنْ تَطْلُبَ الغِنَى
وفِي الظِّلِّ ما يَكْفيك أنْ تَرْقُبَ الشَّخْصا
O state of letters and knowledge, forgive
One eloquent, surpassing in those sweets when eloquent
أَيَا دَولَةَ الآدابِ والعِلْمِ سَامِحِي
بَليغاً إِذا أَفْضى لتِلكَ الحُلَى أفْصَى
Endure in splendor for the age and adornment
Your plenty does not please us to withhold remotely
ودُومِي بَهاءً لِلزَّمانِ وَزِينَةً
وجُودُك لا يَرْضَى لَنَا فَيْضُهُ القَبْصَا
No perfection is safe from loss
But this perfect being secures against loss
فَكُلُّ تَمامٍ لَيْسَ يُؤْمَنُ نَقْصُه
وَهذا تَمامٌ باهِرٌ يَأمَنُ النَّقْصَا
