مَقامُكَ مرْفوعٌ على عَمَدِ السّعْدِ

وحمْدُكَ مسْطورٌ على صُحُفِ المجْدِ

Your station is raised on pillars of good fortune,

And your praise engraved on sheets of glory.

وحُبُّكَ أشْهى في القُلوبِ منَ المُنى

وذِكْرُكَ أحْلى في الشِّفاهِ منَ الشّهْدِ

Love for you is the most delicious in hearts,

And your mention the sweetest on lips than honey.

كرُمْتَ إلى أنْ كادَ يَسْألُكَ الحَيا

وصُلْتَ إلى أنْ هابَكَ السّيْفُ في الغِمْدِ

You bestowed generosity until life almost asked you,

And you connected ties until the sword withdrew into its sheath.

وجَمَّعَ فيكَ اللّهُ مُفْتَرِقَ العُلى

وشتّى المَعاني الغُرِّ في عَلَمٍ فَرْدِ

God gathered for you the scattered heights,

And the various exquisite meanings under one banner.

وأحْيَيْتَ آثارَ الخَلائِفِ سابِقاً

جِيادَ المَدى فِيما تُعيدُ وما تُبْدي

You revived the relics of the previous caliphs,

Galloping through times - what you repeat and originate.

ولا مِثْلَ شَفّافِ الضِّياءِ بَنَيْتَهُ

على الطّائِرِ الميْمونِ والطّالِع السّعْدِ

None can equal the translucent glow you built,

Over the auspicious bird and the rising good fortune.

توشّحَ منْ زُهْرِ النّجومِ قِلادَةً

ومنْ قَلَقِ الإصْباحِ أصْبَحَ في بُرْدِ

Adorning a necklace of star blossoms,

And the disturbance of dawn wore on your cheek.

مَقامُ النّدى والبأسِ والعدْلِ والتّقى

ومُسْتَوْدَعُ العَلْياءِ والشّرَفِ العِدِّ

The abode of dew, might, justice and piety,

And repository of the noble and valued honor.

دَحَيْتَ من الزُّلِّيجِ صفْحَةَ أرْضِهِ

بلَوْنَيْنِ مُبْيَضِّ الأديمِ ومُسْوَدِّ

You spread over its rugged land two colors,

Whitening the hide and blackening.

كَما رُقِمَ الكافورُ بالمِسْكِ والتَقَتْ

ذَوائِبُ منْ شَعْرٍ أثِيثٍ على خدِّ

As camphor is dotted with musk - so hairs' braids meet,

Over cheeks polished smooth like a sword's sheath.

وأرْسَلْتَ فيها جَدْوَلَ الماءِ سائِلاً

كما سُلّ مَصْقولُ الغِرارَيْنِ منْ غِمْدِ

And you let flow a stream of water meandering,

As the polished scabbard is drawn from the sheath.

تقابَلَ بَيْتاهُ وقد أبْرزَتْهُما

منَ الدِّينِ والدُّنْيا عُلاكَ على حَدِّ

Its two houses meet and you brought them out,

From religion and life - your ascent over both.

فألْبَسْتَ هذا حُلّةَ المُلْكِ والغِنى

وألْبَسْتَ هذا شَمْلَةَ النُّسْكِ والزُّهْدِ

So you dressed this one in the garb of kingdom and wealth,

And dressed that one in the cloak of devotion and asceticism.

وكَمْ عِبْرَةٍ أبْدَيْتَ تلْعَبُ بالنُّهى

فتَنْحَرِفُ الأذْهانُ منّا عنِ القَصْدِ

And how many lessons you demonstrated playing with prohibitions,

So minds deviate from us from rectitude.

فكمْ غادَةٍ تخْتالُ تحتَ منصَّةٍ

مُعَصْفَرَةِ السِّرْبالِ مصْقولَةِ الخَدِّ

So how many beauties walk proudly under a platform,

Yellow of dress, smooth of cheek.

منَ الصُّفْرِ إلا أنّها عرَبيّةٌ

إذا اجْتُلِيَتْ فيها سِماتُ بَني سَعْدِ

Of saffron, but Arabic -

When her attributes in Bani Saad are examined.

حبَتْها دمَشْقُ الشّامِ كلَّ زُجاجَة

أرَقّ منَ الشّكْوى وأصْفى منَ الوُدِّ

Damascus of Syria loved her every transparent bottle,

More gentle than complaint, purer than affection.

رأيْنا بِها كُرْسيَّ كِسْرَى وتاجَهُ

نُلاحِظُهُ عَيْناً على قِدَمِ العَهْدِ

We saw through her the throne of Chosroes and its crown,

Which we observe as fresh as past times.

وكمْ رامِحٍ للفُرْسِ فيها ونابِلٍ

وراحٍ نُعاطِيها مُهَفْهَفَةَ القَدِّ

And how many lancers of Persia in it and archers,

And tents whose peaks we serve gently swaying.

ومِنْ سُرُرٍ مَرْفوعَةٍ وأرائِكٍ

كما رقَمَتْ أيْدي الغَمامِ صَبا نَجْدِ

And of raised thrones and couches,

As hands of clouds lined in the morning of Al-Najd.

يُذكِّرُ مَرآها قُلوبَ أولِي النُّهى

بما وُعِدَ الأبْرارُ في جنّةِ الخُلْدِ

Its sights remind the hearts of people of prohibitions,

Of what the righteous are promised in the eternal garden.

حَدائِقُ دِيباجٍ سَقَتْها منَ الحَيا

سَحائِبُ أفْكارٍ مهنّأةِ الوِرْدِ

Gardens of brocade watered from life,

By clouds of delighted ideas and roses.

فَما شِئْتَهُ منْ نَرْجِسٍ وبنَفْسَجٍ

وآسٍ وسُوسانٍ نَضيرٍ ومنْ وَرْدِ

Whatever narcissus, pansy, myrtle, lily and roses you desired,

And winds of victory blew in their sides,

وهَبّتْ رِياحُ النّصْرِ في جَنَباتِها

فأنشأنَ سُحْبَ العَنْبَرِ الوَرْدِ والنَّدِّ

So they originated clouds of pink pearls and dew.

A chase of horsemen, a run of swimmers,

مَطارِدُ فُرْسانٍ ومَجْرَى سَوابِحٍ

ومَكْنِسُ غِزْلان وغابَةُ ذي لِبْدِ

And a broom of gazelles and a jungle of ibexes.

The justice of Caliph Yusuf surrounds it,

تكنّفَها عدْلُ الخليفَةِ يوسُفٍ

فترْعَى الظِّباءُ العُفْرُ فيها معَ الأُسْدِ

So the antelopes and lions graze together.

An imam of guidance from the family of Saad, its carpenter,

إمامُ هُدىً منْ آلِ سَعْدٍ نِجارهُ

ونَصْرُ الهُدى مِيراثُهُ لبَني سَعْدِ

And the victory of guidance is his inheritance to Bani Saad.

His feats roam the horizons of loftiness,

مآثِرُهُ تلْتاحُ في أفُقِ العُلى

وآثارُهُ تسْتَنُّ في سُنَنِ الرُّشْدِ

And his effects emulate the ways of righteousness.

So from his lights the Chapter of the Morning is observed,

فتُلْحَظُ منْ أنْوارِهِ سورَةُ الضُّحى

وتُحْفَظُ منْ آثارِهِ سورَةُ الحَمْدِ

And from his relics the Chapter of The Opening is preserved.

Of the leading brilliant and exalted masters,

منَ النَّفَرِ الوُضّاحِ والسّادةِ الأُلى

يُغيثونَ في الجُلّى ويوفونَ بالعَهْدِ

Who come to aid in hardships and fulfill promises.

If they narrate, the narrators relay their words,

إذا حدّثوا تَرْوي الرّواةُ حَديثَهُمْ

عنِ الأسْمَرِ الخَطّيّ والأبيَضِ الهِنْدي

About the dark-skinned African and the fair-skinned Indian.

Supporters of God's religion and son of its supporter,

أَناصِرَ دين اللهِ وابْنَ نَصيرِهِ

على حينَ لا يُغْني نَصيرٌ ولا يُجْدي

At a time when neither supporter nor wealth can avail.

You rose over the world with the good omen of a crescent,

طَلَعْتَ على الدُّنيا بأيْمَنِ غُرّةٍ

أضاءَ بِها نورُ السّعادَةِ في المَهْدِ

Which illuminated with it the light of fortune in the cradle.

And how many eyes of us kept watch for its rising,

وكمْ رصَدَتْ منّا العُيونُ طُلوعَها

فحُقِّقَ نصْرُ اللهِ في ذلكَ الرّصْدِ

So God's victory was realized in that watching.

And your populated house faced every calamity,

وقَتْ بَيْتَكَ المعْمورَ منْ كلِّ حادِثٍ

عِنايَةُ مَنْ يُغْني عنِ الآلِ والجُنْدِ

With the care of Him who suffices instead of family and army.

Fortunate days frolicked with it,

تهنّأ بهِ الأيّامَ دانِيَةَ الجَنى

وصافِحْ بهِ الآمالَ منْظومَةَ العِقْدِ

And hopes like strung pearls greeted it.

And I picked from the sea of my thought its jewels,

ودونَكَها منْ بَحْرِ فِكْري جَواهِرا

تُقَلَّدُ في نَحْرٍ وتُنْظَمُ في عِقْدِ

To be worn as necklace and strung as beads.

Its orator moves about its regions’ horizons,

يَقومُ بآفاقِ البِلادِ خَطيبُها

يُتَرْجِمُ عنْ حُبّي ويُخْبِرُ عنْ وُدّي

Translating my love and telling of my affection.

I raced to it the horses of eloquence exerting effort,

ركَضْتُ لَها خيْلَ البَديهَةِ جاهِداً

وأسْمَعْتُ آذانَ المَعالي على بُعْدِ

And let its lofty ears hear from afar.

So it came - and in its words folds of nobility,

فجاءَتْ وفي ألْفاظِها لَفَفُ الكَرى

سِراعاً وفي أجْفانِها سِنَةُ السُّهْدِ

Hastening - and on its eyelids the mark of joy.

The reciters of poetry say upon hearing it:

تَقولُ رُواةُ الشِّعْرِ عنْدَ سَماعِها

تُرَى هلْ لِهذا النّدِّ في الأرضِ من نِدِّ

Do you see for this subtlety on earth an equal subtlety?

God shepherd a country whose sky brought you out,

رَعى اللهُ قُطْراً أطْلَعَتْكَ سَماؤُهُ

وبورِكَ في مَوْلىً كريمٍ وفِي عبْدِ

And bless a generous, noble patron and servant.