شِيمَا سَنا البارِقِ المنهلِّ فَالْتَمِحا

أَيَّ السُّرى أَمَّ أَمْ أَيَّ البلادِ نَحا

O two messengers of the flashing lightning, draw near and inquire

Which road, which land did he take?

واسْتَخْبِرَا نَفَحاتِ الرِّيحِ هل سَبَكَتْ

دُرّاً من التِّبْرِ أَوْ شابَتْ دُجىً بِضُحى

Ask the breezes if they have wafted

Pearls from the sand or the darkness has cleared at dawn,

أَمِ استهامَتْ هوادِي اللَّيْلِ فاقْتَبَسَتْ

أَمْ هل تَضَلَّلَ حادِي المزنِ فَاقْتَدَحَا

Or if the darkness of night has sparked and kindled,

Or if the guide star has gone astray and it has illuminated.

سارٍ كَأَنَّ اضطرامَ الشَّوْقِ أَقلقَهُ

فليسَ يَرْقَأُ منه مدمَعٌ سَفَحا

A traveller as if the turbulence of yearning had unsettled him

So no shedding tear comforts him.

ومستهِلُّ حياً أَحْيا الوَرى غَدِقاً

بَلْ طائرٌ بِتَباشِيرِ المُنى سَنَحا

And a rising sun that gives life to the world generously

Rather, a bird heralding demise took wing.

سناً تأَلَّقَ فِي دارٍ يُبَشِّرُنا

دُنُوُّهُ بِتَلَقِّي شاحِطٍ نَزَحا

It glittered in a house giving us good news

Its advent by receiving a rover who camped.

هي السَّوَانِحُ للمنصورِ قَدْ نَطَقَتْ

بقُرْبِهِ وخفاءُ الفأْلِ قَدْ بَرِحا

They are meteors for Al-Mansur that have spoken

Of his nearing while the obscurity of fate has gone.

لعلَّ قادِمَ بُشْرَاهُ يُخَبِّرُنا

عن هاجِسٍ بأَمانِي النَّفْسِ قَدْ نَجَحَا

Perhaps its herald of good news will inform us

Of an ardent desire in the soul that has succeeded.

برقٌ تهلَّلَ فِي المزنِ الهَتُونِ كَأَنْ

من وجهِهِ ضاءَ أَوْ عَنْ كَفِّهِ سَمَحا

A lightning that glittered in the pleasant, bent cloud as if

Brilliance appeared from its face or generosity from its palm.

والرِّيحُ تسحَبُ ذيلَ القطرِ فِي أَرَجٍ

وَحْفٍ كَأَنَّ بِرَيَّا ذِكْرِهِ نَفَحا

And the wind trails the train of rain in a meadow

And benzoin as if the remembrance of him has emanated aroma.

إِنَّ المَلا بجنودِ الأَرضِ قَدْ بَجَحَتْ

والجَوُّ من رَهَجِ الفرسانِ قَدْ طَفَحا

Behold, the night’s stars with the earth’s armies have shone

And the atmosphere from the neighing of the steeds is filled.

بكُلِّ مُعْتَنِقِ الأَقرانِ فِي كُرَبٍ

لَوْ زُلْزِلَتْ قُنَنَ الأَطوادِ مَا بَرِحا

Every embracer of his peers is anxious

If the pillars of strongholds shake they do not settle

شَرى من اللهِ نَفْساً حُزْتَ طاعَتها

فأَحرزَ الدينَ والدنيا بِما رَبِحا

Good omen from God a soul whose obedience you gained

So you won this life and the Hereafter from what you gained

كَأَنَّهُ فِي مجالِ الخيلِ لَيْثُ شرىً

وعندَ مُزْدَحَمِ الفرسانِ قُطْبُ رَحى

As if he is a valiant lion in the battlefield of horses

And at the crammed cavaliers the axis of the mill.

يكَادُ يشتَفُّ نفسَ القِرْنِ من طَرَبٍ

إِذَا المهنَّدُ غَنَّاهُ بما اقْتَرَحا

The soul almost wheezes from ecstasy

Whenever the vocalist sings to it the composed.

وسابِحِ الشَّأْوِ مَا أَقْحَمْتَ هادِيَهُ

بحرَ المهالِكِ إِلّا غاضَ أَوْ سَبَحا

O swimmer of glory, only the audacious plunged its guide

In the sea of annihilation, otherwise it recoiled or swam.

طِرْفٍ تقودُ عِنانَ الطَّرْفِ غُرَّتُهُ

إِذَا تعالى مُجِدّاً أَوْ وَنى مَرِحا

A gaze that makes the others’ glance follow it

When it elevates glorious or inclines playful.

وأَزْرَقٍ يتلظَّى فوقَ عامِلهِ

شهابُ قَذْفٍ إِلَى العَيُّوقِ قَدْ طَمَحَا

A blue soaring over its carrier

Ember of a throw to the far target he coveted.

ومُرْهَفٍ يَتَثَنَّى شارِباً ثَمِلاً

من طولِ مَا اغْتَبَقَ الأَرواحَ واصْطَبَحا

And a fine steed that bends, satiated, drinking

Of what it has harvested of souls and earned.

هاتِيكَ أَجنحَةُ الراياتِ خافِقَةً

إِلَى المُبارَكِ من جَوِّ العُلا جُنُحا

Behold the wings of the fluttering standards

To the auspicious one from vast space wings took off.

وقلَّبَ الملكُ فِي الآفاقِ مُنْتَظِراً

طَرْفاً إِلَى الغُرَّةِ العلياءِ مُلْتمحا

The King glanced about the horizons expectantly

A gaze to the most sublime summit aspiring.

والأَرضُ قَدْ لبسَتْ أَثوابَ زَهْرَتِها

وقُلِّدَ الروضُ من أَزهارِهِ وُشُحا

The land has worn its gown of flowers

And the garden was adorned with its blooms and aromas.

والأَيْكُ يهفُو بأَنفاسِ الصَّبا سَحَراً

قَدْ هَبَّ مُسْتَنْطِقاً أَوْتارَهُ الفُصُحا

The bush croons with the breaths of the morning breeze

Articulated, making its well-tuned strings eloquent.

يا مَنْ إِلَيْهِ استطارَ الشوقُ أَنْفُسَنا

نَأْياً وآبَ فطارَتْ نَحْوَهُ فَرَحا

O you towards whom our souls’ fervor has soared

Keeping apart, and they briskly took off joyfully towards it.

مُلِّيتَ حاجِبَكَ الأَعْلى ودُمْتَ لَهُ

وقُمْتَ بالشُّكْرِ فِيهِ للَّذِي مَنَحا

You have given it a wink and stood for it

And you have thanked the Giver for it.

نجمٌ أَنافَتْ عَلَى الدُّنيا رِياسَتُهُ

ومَعْلَمٌ للهُدى والدينِ قَدْ وَضَحا

A star whose supremacy the world has raised high

And a signpost for guidance and religion made clear.

سَلَلْتَهُ لِحِمى الإِسلامِ مُنْتَقِماً

مِمَّنْ عَتا فِي سبيلِ اللهِ أَوْ جَمَحا

You made it for protection of Islam avenging

Whoever transgressed in God’s cause or oppressed.

مُتَوَّجاً بسناءِ المُلْكِ مُشْتَمِلاً

بالحزمِ مُلتحِفاً بالبأْسِ مُتَّشِحا

Crowned with glory of rule, invested

With wisdom, clad with might, mantled.

مُسْتَنْصِرَ اللهِ فِي الأَعداءِ مُنْتَصِراً

لَهُ ومُستفتحاً باللهِ مُفْتَتِحا

Seeking God’s help against enemies, giving victory for Him

And opening with God openings making.

ملاذُنا من صروفِ الدهرِ إِن طَرَقَتْ

دُهْماً ومفزَعُنا فِي الخطبِ إِن فَدَحا

Our refuge from fate’s changing states when it darkens

And our resort in calamities when it expands.

الشِّعْرُ أَجْدَرُ أَن يلقاهُ مُعْتَرِفاً

بالعجزِ عَمَّا يُناوِي منه مُمْتدِحا

Poetry best beholds it confessing

Disability regarding what as his eulogy vies.

والصُّحْفُ تَنْفَذُ والأَقلامُ عاجِزَةٌ

عن خَطِّ مَا اجْتَثَّ من أَعدائِهِ وَمَحا

Pens penetrate but the pens are inept

Of inscribing what enemies he uprooted and erased.

فَعِشْ ودُمْ وابْقَ واملِكْ واقتَبِلْ نِعَماً

واحلُلْ منيعاً من المكروهِ مُنْتَزِحا

Then live long, and stay well and remain, and rule!

And be adorned with happiness and rid of hated, mottled!

وقَرَّ عيناً بِسِبْطَيْ حِمْيَرٍ حِقَباً

مُستوفِياً فيهما آمالَكَ الفُسُحا

Delight an eye with the cubs of Humayr decades long

Fulfilling through them your copious hopes.