سُعُودُكَ لاَ مَا تَدَّعِيِهِ الْكَوَاكِبُ

وَجُودُكَ فِينَا لاَ السَّحَابُ السَّوَاكِبُ

Your good fortune lies not in what the stars claim,

But your bounty within us, not the freely flowing clouds.

يَغَصُّ الْغَمَامُ الْجَوْنُ يَوْمَ انْسِكَابِهِ

إِذَا صَدَرَتْ عَنْ رَاحَتَيْكَ الْمَوَاهِبُ

The clouds thicken with bounty on the day they pour down,

When gifts flow freely from your comfort.

وَيَصْغُرُ عِنْدَ الشَّمْسِ في رَوْنَقِ الضُّحَى

سَنَاهَا إِذَا دَارَتْ عَلَيْكَ الْمَوَاكِبُ

And the sun seems small at dawn in its splendor,

When the planets revolve around you.

بِكَ ارْتَاحَ ديِنُ اللهِ فِي عُنْفُوَانِهِ

وَشيدَ رُكْنٌ مِنْهُ وَاعْتَزَّ جَانِبُ

Through you the religion of God was comforted in its prime,

And one of its pillars was erected and a side strengthened.

وَأَصْبَحَتِ الأَيَّامُ رَائِقَةَ الْحُلَى

وَقَدْ حُلِّيَتْ مِنْهَا الطُّلاَ وَالتَّرَائِبُ

And the days became tastily sweet,

Adorned with fresh henna and perfume.

وَفَاخَرَ بَعْضُ الأَرْضِ بَعْضاً فَأَصْبَحَتْ

مَشَارِقُهَا تُزْري عَلَيْهَا الْمَغَارِبُ

And parts of the earth vied with each other, until

Its easts were outshining its wests.

لِوَاءُكَ مَنْصُورٌ وَحِزْبُكَ ظَافِرٌ

وَمُلْكُكَ مَحْفُوظٌ وَحِزْبُكَ غَالِبُ

Your banner is triumphant and your party victorious,

Your kingdom preserved and your party dominant.

وَرِفْدُكَ مَوْهُوبٌ وَعَزْمُكَ نَافِذٌ

وَبَأْسُكَ مَرْهُوبٌ وَسَهْمُكَ صَائِبُ

Your aid is granted and your resolve carried out,

Your might feared and your arrow accurate.

مَجَازُ الْمَعَانِي الْغُرِّ فِيكَ حَقِيقَةٌ

وَحُبُّكَ فَرْضٌ فِي الْعَقَائِدِ وَاجِبُ

The lofty meanings in you are reality,

And love for you is duty in firm beliefs.

فتهدي بك الأمداح قصد صوابها

إذا أغوزتها في سواك المذاهب

Through you praises are guided to the right path

When they wander into ways other than yours.

سَمَا بِكَ فِي الأَنْصَارِ بَيْتٌ سَمَا بِهِ

إِلى ذِرْوَةِ الْبَيْتِ الَّرفِيعِ الْمنَاسِبُ

Through you a house in the Helpers ascended

To the pinnacle of the lofty, suitable house.

وَأَطْلَعَ سَعْدٌ مِنْكَ بَدْرَ خَلاَفِةٍ

تُنِيرُ بِهِ الدُّنْيَا وَتُجْلَى الْغَيَاهِبُ

And Saʿd brought forth from you the full moon of caliphate

Which illuminates the world and reveals obscured matters.

وَمَنْ ذَا لَهُ فَخٌر كَسَعْدٍ عَلَى الْوَرَى

فَسَعْدٌ وَزِيرٌ للنَّبِيّ وَصَاحِبُ

And who else has pride like Saʿd among mankind,

For Saʿd is minister to the Prophet and his companion.

مَكَارِمُ لَمْ تَخْلَقْ عَلَى بُعُدِ الْمَدَى

وَلاَ شَابَ مِنْهَا الْخَالِصَ الْبَحْتَ شَائِبُ

Noble traits were not created in the distant horizons,

Nor did the pure essentials mix with any shameful defects.

لَكَ اللهُ مِنْ لَيْثٍ حَمَى حَوْزَةَ الْهُدَى

وَعَضْبٍ يَمَانٍ لَمْ تَخُنْهُ الْمَضَارِبُ

Through you coats of honor are purified

Of what stains defilements have contaminated them with.

وَبَدْرِ كَمَالٍ ضاءَ تَلْتَاحُ حَوْلَهُ

مِنَ الأَمَرَاءِ الْغَالِبينَ الْكَوَاكِبُ

And breezes blow your sweet fragrance to the corners of the land,

Blown by the morning breeze and gentle winds.

إِذَا ذُكِرَ الأَمْلاَكُ مَنْ مِثْلُ يُوسُفٍ

يُسَالِمُ فِي ذَاتِ الْهُدَى وَيُحَارِبُ

Is it melted musk at the courtyard of the morning breeze,

Or your highest traits’ remembrance it has awakened?

وَيُعْطي الرِّمَاحَ السَّمْهَرِيَّةَ حَقَّهَا

وَيَضْمَنُ عُتْبَى الدَّهْرِ وَالدَّهْرُ عَاتِبُ

By your life, we know not, when your lofty,

Majestic assembly of ascending ranks assembles us.

وتضفو على أعطافه حُلَلُ الحُلي

مطهرة ما دَنَّسَتها المَعايِب

And eyes are restrained by your visage

And the judicious, eloquent tongue by your speech.

وَتَخْتَرِقُ الأَرْجَاءَ مِنْ طِيبِ ذِكْرِهِ

جنَائِبُ تَحْدُوهَا الصَّبَا وَالْجَنَائِبُ

Are those inclusiveness and sincerity or beauty,

And is it fresh, sweet discourse or intricately constructed prose?

هَلِ الْمِسْكُ مَفْتُوتٌ بِمَدْرَجَةِ الصَّبَا

أَمِ ادَّكرَتْ مِنْكَ الْعُلَى وَالْمَنَاقِبُ

Awe of a kingdom in the imagination of mercy,

As clouds freely pour down amidst lightning flashes.

لَعَمْرُكَ مَا نَدْرِي إِذَا مَا سَمَتْ بِنَا

بِمَجْلِسِكَ السَّامِي الْجَلاَلِ الْمَرَاتِبُ

But, by the sailing ships amidst turbulent seas

Ridden by rhyming poets until rhymes disappear.

وَقَرَّتْ بِمَرْآكَ الْعُيُوِنُ وَقُيِّدَتْ

بِمِنْطقِكَ الْفَصْلِ الْحِسَانِ الْغَرَائِبُ

When the sea of the family roils at the morning breeze’s gust,

Then they are mirages wandering with no landmarks.

أَتِلْكَ شَمُولٌ صِرْفَةٌ أَمْ شَمَائِلٌ

وَهَلْ ضَرَبٌ عَذْبُ الْجَنا أَمْ ضَرَائِبُ

They traversed the arid expanse to the Ancient House sincerely,

Crossing deserts from which misfortunes do not escape.

مَهَابَةُ مُلْكِ فِي مَخيلَة رَحْمَةٍ

كَمَا اسْتَرْسَلَتْ عِنْدَ الْبُرُوقِ السَّحَائِبُ

For you are the pillar of the kingdom – and God is its Raiser –

And you are the sword of the religion – and God is its Wielder.

أَمَا وَالْقِلاَصِ الْبُدْنِ فِي لُجَجِ الْفَلاَ

غَوَارِبَ حَتَّى مَا تَبينَ الْغَوَاربُ

You summoned the lands and their peoples to security,

With no heart but duty makes it anxious.

إِذَا هَاجَ بَحْرُ الآلِ مِنْ هَبَّةِ الصَّبَا

فَهُنَّ طَوافٍ فِي السًّرَابِ رَوَاسِبُ

And you calmed the tumultuous sea and the surging, swelling wave,

With continuously coming crests, one riding the next.

قطَعْنَ إلى الْبيْتِ الْعَتِيقِ عَلَى الْوَجَى

مَفَاوِزَ لاَ تَنْجُو بِهِنَّ النَّجَائِبُ

And you connected to the rightly guided path the fluctuating doubts,

In which conjectures were stoned as liars.

لأَنْتَ عِمَادُ الْمُلْكِ وَالله رَافِعٌ

وَأَنْتَ حُسَامُ الدِّيِنِ وَاللهُ ضَارِبُ

And you clarified the ways of truth for creation after

Its traces faded and its schools were erased.

نَدَبْتَ إلَى الأَمْنِ الْبِلاَدَ وَأَهْلَهَا

وَلاَ قَلْبَ إِلاَّ بِالْمَخَافَةِ وَاجِبُ

And the month of fasting departed from you, not from weariness,

For its righteous deeds from it were complete.

وَسَكَّنْتَ بَحْرَ الْخَطْبِ وَاللَّجُّ مزْبِدٌ

وَمَوْجْ الرَّدَى آِتيُّهُ مُتَرَاكِبُ

And the Feast of Breaking Fast came to you, traversing far,

And for it platforms were set up in your domain.

وَصُلْتَ عَلَى الشَّكِّ الْمُلَجْلِج بِالْهُدَى

وَقَدْ رُجِمَتْ فِيهِ الظُّنُونُ الْكَوَاذِبُ

And it came only from your restraint – it came to you,

With yearnings the sublime aspirations arouse in you.

وَأَوضَحْتَ طُرْقَ الْحَقِّ لِلْخَلْقِ بَعْدَمَا

عَفَتْ مِنْهُ آثَارٌ وَمُحَّتْ مَذَاهِبُ

My compositions – take them in your praise, returning,

Jealous of seeing them, the most beautiful lyrical odes.

وَوَافَقَ شَهْرُ الصَّوْمِ مِنْكَ خَلِيفةً

لَهُ فِي مَقَامِ الذِّكْرِ قَلْبٌ يُرَاقِبُ

And a garden in bloom, its leaves flourished,

Watered from your clouds pouring down.

وَأَزْمَعَ عَنْكَ الشَّهْرُ لاَ عَنْ مَلاَلَةٍ

فَقَدْ كَمُلَتْ بِالْبِرِّ مِنْهُ الْمَآرِبُ

You continue to reap victory from the spearwood tree,

Fulfilling hopes while they are difficult pursuits.

وَوَافَاكَ عيدُ الْفِطْرِ يَطْوِي لَكَ الْمَدَى

وَحُطَّتْ لَهُ فِي مُنْتَداكَ الرَّكَائِبُ

And you bow down the platforms with your sublime deeds,

Even if they were silent, the cases would sing your praises.

وَمَا هُوَ إِلاَّ مِنْ عُفَاتِكَ قَدْ أَتَى

تُرَغِّبُهُ فِيمَا لَدَيْكَ الَّرغَائِبُ

أَمَوْلاَيَ خُذْهَا فِي امْتِدَاحِكَ غَادَةً

تَغَارُ بِمَرْآهَا الْحِسَانُ الْكَوَاعِبُ

وَرَوْضَ بَنَانٍ أَيْنَعَتْ وَرَقَاتُهُ

وَقَدْ سَحَّ فِيهَا مِنْ بَنَانِكَ سَاكِبُ

وَلاَ زِلْتَ تَجْنِي النَّصْرَ مِنْ شِجَر الْقَنَا

وَتُدْنِي الأَمَانِي وَهْيَ شُمسٌ مَصَاعِب

وَتُثْنِي بِعَلْيَاكَ الَّركَائِبُ في السُّرىَ

وَلَوْ سَكَتُوا أثْنَتْ عَلَيْكَ الْحَقَائِبُ