قِفا فاسْأَلا في ساحَةِ الأجْرَعِ الفَرْدِ

مَعالِمَ محّتْها الغَمائِمُ منْ بَعْدي

Stop, and ask in the wilderness of Al-Ajraʿ Al-Fard

About its landmarks which the clouds have erased after me

وجرّتْ علَيْها الرّامِساتُ ذُيولَها

على أنّها تزْدادُ طِيباً على البُعْدِ

And the twilights have flowed over it

As if it becomes more fragrant from afar

وعُوجا علَيْها فاسْأَلا عنْ أنيسِها

وإنْ كانَ تسْآلُ المَعالِمِ لا يُجْدي

And bend over it, then ask about its companion

And if questioning landmarks is fruitless

ولكنّها نَفْسٌ تَجيشُ ونَفْثَةٌ

تُروِّحُ منْ بَثٍّ وتُطْفِئُ منْ وَجْدِ

It is a soul that surges and an outburst

That cools from misery and extinguishes from passion

مَرابِعُ أُلاّفِي وعهْدُ أحِبّتي

سَقى اللهُ ذاكَ العَهْدَ مُنْسَكِبَ العِهْدِ

The dwellings of those I loved and the covenant of my loved ones

May Allah water that covenant overflowing with loyalty

وجادَ بِها منْ جودِ كفِّ محمّدٍ

مُلِثٌّ هَمولٌ دونَ بَرْقٍ ولا رَعْدِ

And it flowed from the generosity of Muhammad's palm

Pouring, thundering without lightning or thunder

وإنّ أحَقَّ الغيْثِ أنْ يَرْوِيَ الثّرَى

لَغَيْثٌ زكيٌّ صابَ منْ مَنْشإِ المجْدِ

And the most deserving of rain is that which waters the earth

A virtuous rain from the source of glory

إمامُ هُدىً منْ آلِ سَعْدٍ نِجارُهُ

ونَصْرُ الهُدى ميراثُهُ لبَني سعْدِ

The imam of guidance from the family of Saʿd, its carpenter

And the victory of guidance is its inheritance for the children of Saʿd

غَمامُ نَدىً جادَ البِلادَ فأصْبَحَتْ

تُجرِّرُ ذيْلَ الخصْبِ والعِيشةِ الرّغْدِ

A cloud of dew that brought abundance to the countries until they

Dragged the tail of fertility and comfortable living

وفرْعٍ زدكيٍّ منْ أصولٍ كريمَةٍ

حَباها كما قُدَّ الشِّراكُ منَ الِجلْدِ

And a virtuous branch from generous roots

Endowed like an ankle is solidly attached to a shin

فتُلْحَظُ منْ أنْوارِهِ سورَةُ الضُّحى

وتُحْفَظُ منْ آثارِهِ سورَةُ الحَمْدِ

From its lights you see the surah of Ad-Duha

And from its effects you learn the surah Al-Fatihah

منَ النَّفَرِ الوضّاحِ والسّادَةِ الأُلى

يُغيثونَ في الجُلّى ويوفونَ بالعَهْدِ

Among the outstanding and eminent nobles

Who bring rain in times of drought and fulfill promises

محمّدُ قد أحْيَيْتَ دينَ محمّدٍ

وأنْجَزْتَ من نصْرِ الهُدَى سابِقَ الوَعْدِ

Muhammad, you have revived the religion of Muhammad

And fulfilled the victory of guidance, precedent of promise

طَلَعْتَ على الدُّنْيا بأيْمَنِ غُرّةٍ

أضاءَ بها نورُ السّعادَةِ في المَهْدِ

You rose over the world with the blessings of a new moon

Which illuminated the light of happiness in the cradle

وكمْ رصَدَتْ منّا العُيونُ طُلوعَها

فحُقِّقَ نصْرُ اللهِ في ذلِكَ الرّصْدِ

And how many eyes of ours anticipated its rising

So the victory of Allah was realized in that anticipation

هَنيئاً لمُلْكٍ فاتَحَتْكَ سُعودُهُ

وعِزٍّ على الأيّامِ مُنْتَظِمِ العِقْدِ

Congratulations on a kingdom whose good fortune opened for you

And honor over days precisely threaded

وعُقْدَةِ مُلْكٍ كانَ ربُّكَ كالِئاً

لَها وأصيلُ السّعْدِ يُغْني عنِ النّقْدِ

And the knot of a kingdom your Lord has guaranteed

And the noble origin of Saʿd suffices instead of payment

جمَعْتَ بِها الأهْواءَ بعْدَ افتِراقِها

فقَدْ كانَ فيها الضِّدُّ يأنَسُ بالضِّدِّ

You united them after their separation

So opposites became intimate with opposites

أمَوْلايَ هَذا الأمْرُ جِدٌّ وإنّما

يَليقُ بِه مَنْ عامَلَ الجِدَّ بالجِدِّ

My master, this matter is serious, and it only befits

One who deals with seriousness, seriously

ودونَكَها منْ ناصِحِ الجيْبِ مُخْلِصٍ

وصيّةَ صِدْقٍ أعْرَبَتْ لكَ عنْ وُدِّ

And he imparted it from the sincere adviser

A true bequest expressing affection for you

أفِضْ في الرّعايا العَدْلَ تحْظُ بحُبِّها

وحَكِّمْ علَيْها الحَقَّ في الحَلِّ والعَقْدِ

Dispense justice among the subjects to gain their love

And judge them by truth, whether binding or loosing

وما منْ يَدٍ إلا يَدُ اللهِ فوقَها

ومنْ شِيَمِ الموْلَى التّلطُّفُ بالعَبْدِ

No hand but God's is above it

And it is characteristic of the Master to be gentle with servants

فكُنْ لهُمْ عَيْناً على كلِّ حادِثٍ

وكُنْ فيهمُ سمْعاً لدَعْوَةِ مُسْتَعْدي

So be for them an eye on every incident

And be among them an ear for the call of the supplicant

وأنْتَ ثِمالُ اللّهِ فابْسُطْ نَوالَهُ

إذا بسَطَ المُحْتاجُ راحةَ مُسْتَجْدي

You are God's trustee, so extend His gifts

When the needy extend the palm of the beseecher

وأوْجِبْ لأرْبابِ السّوابِقِ حقَّها

ولا تمْنَعِ المعْروفَ مَنْ لكَ منْ جُنْدِ

And oblige the people of precedence their due rights

And do not deny kindness to those of your soldiers

همُ الحَدُّ في نحْرِ العدوِّ وهلْ تَرى

دِفاعاً لمَنْ يَلْقى العدوَّ بِلا حدِّ

They are the limit in slaying the enemy, do you see

Any defense for one who encounters the enemy unprepared?

وشاوِرْ أولي الشّورى إذا عنّ مُعْضِلٌ

فمَنْ أعْملَ الشّورى فَما ضَلّ عنْ قَصْدِ

Consult the people of consultation when an issue is complicated

For whoever consults attains no error in his aim

وكُنْ بكِتابِ اللهِ تأتَمُّ دائِماً

هوَ الحقُّ والسّورُ المُبينُ الذي يَهْدي

Always adhere to the Book of God

It is the truth and the clear chapter that guides

ألا لا يَرُعْ منّا الزّمانُ عِصابَةً

مؤكَّدَةَ الميثاقِ مرْهَفةَ الحدِّ

Lo! May time not strip us of a band

Bound by pact, keen of limit

تُقابِلُ أمْرَ اللهِ بالبِشْرِ والرِّضى

وتلْقى الذي ترْضاهُ بالشُّكْرِ والحمْدِ

That meets the command of God with joy and acceptance

And meets what pleases Him with thanks and praise

وتَخْلُفُ فيمَنْ خلّفَتْهُ مُلوكُها

برَعْي الذِّمامِ الحُرِّ والحِفْظِ للعَهْدِ

And in those kings left behind

Tending to the honorable covenant and preserving the promise

وما هيَ إلا أنْفُسٌ مُسْتَعارةٌ

ولابدّ يوْماً للعَواريِّ منْ رَدِّ

They are but borrowed souls

That will one day return what was lent

غَنينَا عنِ البحْرِ الذي غاضَ بالحَيا

وعنْ كوْكَبِ العَلْياء بالقَمَرِ السّعْدِ

We are needless of the sea that withdrew in fury

And the star of highness with the felicitous moon

حياةٌ جَناها النّهْرُ منْ شجَرِ الرّدى

سَريعاً ووِجْدانٌ تكوّنَ عنْ فَقْدِ

A life the river reaped from the tree of harmony

Quickly, and an intellect formed from loss

وسَيْفانِ هَذا سَلَّهُ الدّهْرُ ماضِياً

صَقيلاً وهَذا رَدُّهُ الدّهْرُ في غِمْدِ

These two swords: time has sharpened one long ago

Polished, and time now returns the other to its sheath

وقَتْ مُلْكَكَ المَحْروسَ منْ كُلِّ حادِثٍ

عِنايَةُ مَنْ يُغْني عن الآلِ والجُنْدِ

Your protected kingdom, safe from every misfortune

By the care of the One who suffices instead of supporters and soldiers

ودونَكَها منْ بحْرِ فِكري جَواهِراً

تُقلَّدُ في نَحْرٍ وتُنْظَمُ في عِقْدِ

And I have harvested from the sea of my thoughts pearls

To be threaded into a necklace and assembled into a strand

رَكَضْتُ بِها خيْلَ البَديهَةِ جاهِداً

وأسْمَعْتُ آذانَ المَعاني على بُعْدي

I raced the steeds of poetry determinedly

And made the ears of meanings listen in my distance

فَجاءَتْ وفي ألْفاظِها لَفَفُ الكَرى

سِراعاً وفي أجْفانِها سِنَةُ السُّهْدِ

So they came, and in its phrases folds of mysteries

Hastening, and in its eyelids the mark of joy

وإنّي وإنْ أطْنَبْتُ فيكَ لَقاصِرٌ

ومَنْ ذا يُطيقُ الرّمْلَ بالحَصْرِ والعَدِّ

And even if I spoke long about you I fall short

For who can contain sand with counting and enumerating?