جِهادُكَ حُكم اللهِ من ذا يَرُدُّهُ

وعَزْمُكَ أَمْرُ اللهِ مَنْ ذا يَصُدُّهُ

Your jihad is the judgment of Allah, who can repel it?

And your resolve is the command of Allah, who can deter it?

وطائِرُكَ اليُمْنُ الَّذِي أنتَ يُمنُهُ

وطَالِعُكَ السَّعدُ الَّذِي أنتَ سَعدُهُ

And your bird of good omen is the felicity you bring,

And your horoscope is the bliss that attends you.

وبَيعةُ رِضْوَان رَعَى الله حَقَّها

لمَنْ بَيعةُ الرِّضْوَانِ إِذْ غابَ جَدُّهُ

The oath of allegiance to Ridwan - may Allah preserve its sanctity! -

For whom is the oath of good pleasure when his grandfather is gone,

فأَصبَحَ فِي رَأْسِ الرِّياسَةِ تاجُهُ

وَنُظِّمَ فِي جيدِ الخِلافَةِ عِقدُهُ

And in the morning the crown of leadership adorns his head,

And the collar of the caliphate is strung around his neck.

مَسرَّتُهُ مأْوى الغريبِ وسِتْرُهُ

ولَذَّتُهُ خَيْرُ المُقِلِّ ورِفْدُهُ

His delight shelters the lonely stranger and his pleasure succors the destitute wanderer.

In the stance of peril his armies are his meadow,

وأجنادُهُ فِي موقِفِ الرَّوْعِ رَوْضُهُ

وَأَعلامُهُ فِي مَوْرِدِ المَوْتِ وِرْدُهُ

And in the arena of death his standards are his resort.

He frolics with the steeds of heroes, gifts for which he has no need,

نلاعِبُ آرَامَ الفَلا من هِباتِهِ

وآرامُهُ غُرُّ الطِّرَادِ وَجُرْدُهُ

While his pleasures are but the zealous chargers and his couch their trappings.

The glad tidings he evokes in the hearts of the excellent are matched by that which enraptures his own,

ونَفْتَرِشُ الدِّيباجَ منْ جُودِ كَفِّهِ

وَمَا فَرْشُهُ إِلّا الجَوادُ ولِبدُهُ

For he has drawn us nigh unto the mercy of Allah through his guidance,

And enticed us to obey Allah through his asceticism.

ومَنْ بَرَّحَ البيضُ الحِسان بوَجْدِهِ

فبالبيضِ فِي الهَيجاءِ بَرَّحَ وَجْدُهُ

The outpour from his bounteous hand that nurtures its guest has taught us to sacrifice lives for his cause.

Were visitors not to throng his abode, his emissaries would be the stars in the firmament.

وقَرَّبَنا من رَحْمَةِ اللهِ هَدْيُهُ

وَرَغَّبَنا فِي طاعَةِ الله زُهْدُهُ

His unbroken fasts are long as the nights he hallows with reciting the Koran therein.

From Qahtan your glory illuminates, your kingdom thrives through you, and by your aid comes triumph.

وعلَّمَنا بَذْلَ النُّفوسِ لِنَصْرِهِ

نَدى كَفِّهِ المُرْبي عَلَى القَطْرِ عَدُّهُ

In your cause stalwarts of the lance redouble their efforts, and in defense of your claim the disputants of the sword increase their fervor.

For you the creed of the pious believer whose conviction it is that you will come to the aid of the true religion of Islam.

ولَوْ لَمْ يُوَافِ الوافِدُونَ قِبابَهُ

لأَصبحَ من زُهر الكواكِبِ وَفْدُهُ

Whatever worldly fortune time accords you involuntarily shall not seduce you, unless you strip for the fray that demands your protection.

In your presence hearing is awed and sight strays,

وأَيَّامُهُ المَوصُولُ طُولُ صِيامِهِ

بلَيلٍ تَحلَّى بالتِّلاوَةِ سُهْدُهُ

While your high-mindedness spurns the hopes the craven place in you,

And your resolution drives them back to the stagnant pools of servility.

وأَبْلَجَ من قحطانَ قُربُكَ عِزُّهُ

ومُلكُكَ مَحْياهُ ونَصرُكَ مَجْدُهُ

How often has the grip of the righteous weakened only for the bond of your pact to restore its clasp!

Should the death of despair cast its shadow thanks to you, the breath of hope will blow it away.

شَديدُ مِحال الرُّمحِ فيكَ أَبيُّهُ

مُبِرُّ خِصامِ السَّيفِ عَنكَ أَلَدُّهُ

You called out to Islam, "Arise!" when once it wavered,

A cry that parched souls rejoiced to hear,

رضاكَ لَهُ يَا مُرتضى دينُ وَاثِقٍ

بأَنَّكَ للدينِ الحَنيفِ تعدُّهُ

So you entrusted with a sword him who would drive your foes before him,

Either to abase the Indians or visit the Greeks with ravage.

وما يَزْدَهِيهِ مِنكَ دهْرٌ يسُودُهُ

إذَا لَمْ تُجرِّدْهُ لِثَغْرِ يَسُدُّهُ

If the Indians have not witnessed the iron resolve with which you were created,

Who shall then deny that of the Arabs your origin and descent are purest?

يَوقِّرُ عنكُمْ سَمْعُهُ فيُصيخُهُ

ويَقصُرُ عَنْكُمْ طَرْفُهُ فَيَمُدُّهُ

If the ancestry derives from the glorious tribe of Yemen,

Then the obedience rendered to you came from Abd Shams and his friendship.

وعهدُكَ بالآمالِ تَصْرِفُ عَنكُمُ

ورَدَّاكُمُ عَهدَ السَّموْأَلِ عَهْدُهُ

Be it Azd conceived you and Tujib gave you birth,

It was Adnan who refined you and Ma'ad who made you whole.

وكم حَلَّ مَوتُ الحَقِّ من شَدِّ عَقدِكم

ويُحيي ابْنُ يَحْيى عَقدَكُمْ فَيَشُدُّهُ

Time cloaked your scabbard with the mantle of our rule,

For a kingdom nurtured by Abdelmalik its sovereigns are beholden.

وإِنْ ماتَ مَوْتُ اليَأْسِ منكُم رَجاؤُهُ

تَنَسَّم فيكُم روحَهُ فيَرُدُّهُ

It thrives through every just imam aiding it,

It waxes through every vanquishing prince abetting it.

ونادَيْتَ فِي الإِسْلامِ حَيّ عَلَى الهُدى

فَيا لَكَ مِنْ ظَمآنَ قَدْ حانَ وِرْدُهُ

You trace your birth to the house of prophecy, and it pronounced you singular in your nobility.

So pride yourself in him whose noble deeds even the prophets extol,

فقلَّدْتَهُ سَيفاً لِزَحْفٍ يقُودُهُ

لِخِزْيِ عِدَاكَ أَوْ لزغف يَقدُّهُ

And glory in him whose triumphs are those the Orthodox caliphs acclaim,

He who personifies every right to the caliphate, and every imam in Islam claims as forebear.

فإِنْ لَمْ يكَنْ لِلهِنْدِ يوماً حَديدُهُ

فمِنْ يَعرُبَ العَليا شباهُ وَحَدُّهُ

Be he whose mother is the illustrious Hind, while the sanctuary nurtured him and the Heat its cradle rocked,

Unto whom the holy place of Mecca and its hidden passages belong,

وإِنْ يَكُ فِي سَرْوِ اليَمانِينَ أَصْلُهُ

فطاعتُهُ فِي عَبدِ شَمْسٍ وَوُدُّهُ

The course for the pilgrim to pursue, Nejd his country's heart,

Where the voice of the Talbiya resounds and the pilgrims don their sequined vestments.

وإِنْ أَنْجَبَتْهُ أَزْدُهُ وتُجِيبُهُ

فَصَفْوَتُهُ عَدْنانُهُ وَمَعَدُّهُ

Nobilities subtle meaning would daunt mankind's minds to comprehend,

And boasts that, were I to call all of creation to recount, would exceed what any number could reckon.

أَمَا وتَحَلَّى دُونَ مُلكِكَ نَصْلُهُ

لَقِدْماً تَحَلَّى من سَنائكَ غِمْدُهُ

Not even Mundhir's line of fathers attained such heights as he

The first of them - but his pride surpasses that of the first..

لمُلكٍ نَمى عَبدُ المَلِيكِ مُلُوكَهُ

وأَنْجُمِ نورٍ من هِشامٍ تُمِدُّهُ

They conferred on Merwan the choice of their souls,

Whereby the ages were ennobled, and the best of grandfathers exalted.

بكُلِّ إِمامٍ ناصِرٍ أَنتَ صِنوُهُ

وكُلِّ مليكٍ قاهِرٍ أَنتَ نِدُّهُ

Your sword, perfectly aimed, increases glory the further flung -

With it you shot the horizons of the Romans' realm, and in it drag their leading lights captives.

نَمَوْكَ إِلَى بَيتِ النُّبُوَّةِ وابْتَنَوْا

لَكَ الشَّرَف الفَرْدَ الَّذِي أَنتَ فَرْدُهُ

Many a mulish lord of ill-repute

Rules his far-flung state by leave of your whims.

فأَفخِرْ بِمَنْ قُرْبُ النِّبيينَ فَخْرُهُ

وأَمْجِدْ بمَنْ مَجدُ الخَلائِفِ مَجدُهُ

Deeming himself immune to the blows of fate he yet reckons not their suddenness,

Though when the buffets of adversity strike they catch him unawares.

ومَنْ كُلُّ حَقٍّ فِي الخِلافَةِ حَقُّهُ

وكلُّ إِمامٍ فِي البَريَّةِ جدُّهُ

The son of Yahya saw that you were astray and made clear to you that uprightness should be your rule,

So you did not hesitate when an envious hand reached for what fortune had granted you,

ومَنْ أُمُّهُ أَجْيادُ والرُّكْنُ ظِئرُهُ

ومُرْضِعُهُ البَطحاءُ والحِجْرُ مَهْدُهُ

Nor were your faithful scions far from Rome to be found wanting

When the craven-hearted crew cried out, dismayed at the approach of your lions.

لَهُ حَرَمُ الإِتْهامِ والغَوْرُ غَوْرُهُ

ومَنْهَجُ سُبلِ الحَجِّ والنَّجدُ نَجدُهُ

Battalions - had they been cast at fate itself they would have left The Zodiac's Twin Peaks tottering.

As if the vastness of earth were clad

وحَيثُ اعْتلَى صَوْتُ المُلَبِّي وَحَجُّهُ

وحَيثُ انتهَى صَدْرُ الحَجيج وَوَخْدُهُ

In an impregnable coat of mail,

With a glance you would break their ranks, laying their squadrons low.

مَناقِبُ سارَتْ فِي مَعالِمِ كُنْهِها

عُقولُ بَني الدُّنيا وَمَا حُدَّ حدُّهُ

Thus your enemies behold naught but a calamity

Which the Compassionate drives, and wherein His servant rides.

وَفَخْرٌ لَوْ استَنْجدْتُ فِي وَصْفِهِ الوَرَى

لأَسْأَرَ من عَدِّ الحَصى مَنْ يَعُدُّهُ

Until you reach the promised day, bright shall be its light for you,

And the foretold appointment, wherein His word to you shall be fulfilled,

ولمْ يُبلِ مَا أَبْلاهُ آباءُ مُنْذِرٍ

لأَوَّلهمْ بلْ مَفَخَرٌ تَسْتَجِدُّهُ

Through the All-Bountiful this boon was bestowed complete,

And the Caliphate's scion is he who should justly receive your praise.

وأَلْقَوْا عَلَى مَرْوَانَ صَفوَةَ أَنْفُسٍ

تَعالى بِهَا جَدُّ الزمانِ وجَدُّهُ

He stands ever to my right hand, enduring through days nonesuch,

A marvel spanning ages, bound to abide unending.

وسيفُكَ منهُم سَهْمُكَ الصَّائِبُ الَّذِي

يَزيدُ غَناءً كُلَّما زادَ بُعدُهُ

No eloquence of any foreign tongue could attain its limit

Were I to strive harnessing the epochs to prolong their stretches.

رَمَيْتَ بِهِ آفاقَ رُومَةَ فانْثَنى

يقودُ بُنُودَ الرُّومِ نَحْوَكَ بَندُهُ

Knowing that whoever whets his soul against you

Shall reap but the fangs and claws of wolves for his pains.

فَرُبَّ حمِيِّ الغِلِّ فِي غِيلِ مُلكِها

بَعيدٍ عَلَى شَأْوِ الجنائِبِ قَصْدُهُ

He who the horizons scours, bent on confronting you,

Shall leave his bones where the steeds clash, deserted, scattered.

متى يَرْمِ صَرْفَ الدَّهْرِ لا يَعدُ نفسَهُ

وإِنْ يَرْمِهِ صَرفُ المكارِهِ يَعدُهُ

And whoso seeks a stream not found in your expanse,

Shall discover naught but the sandal-prints of your mount marking his cheek.

تجلَّى ابنُ يَحيى فِي سناكَ لِغَيِّهِ

فبَصَّرَهُ أَنَّ اصطناعَكَ رُشْدُهُ

For there is no aspiration that does not end with you,

No sovereign whose affairs do not depend on your command.

فما أَبْطَأْتَ إِذ أَبطأتْ يدُ قادِحٍ

أَتاكَ وَقَدْ أَوْرى لك النُّجحَ زَنْدُهُ

ولا غابَ من وافاكَ من أرْضِ رُومَةٍ

بغابٍ من الخَطِّيِّ تَزْأَرُ أُسْدُهُ

كتائِبُ لَوْ يُرمى بِهَا الدَّهْرُ قبلَنا

لزُلزِلَ ذُو القَرْنَيْنِ منها وسَدُّهُ

كَأَنَّ فضاءَ الأَرْض أُلبِسَ منهُمُ

لَبوساً من الماذِيِّ قُدِّرَ سَرْدُهُ

تُهَدُّ بِهِمْ شُمُّ الجبالِ فإِنْ هَفَوا

فلَحْظُكَ يَرْمِي جَمْعَهُمْ فَيَهُدُّهُ

فما ينظُرُ الأَعدَاءُ إِلّا عَجَاجَةً

يسيرُ بِهَا الرَّحمنُ فِيهَا وعبدُهُ

إلى يومِ فَلْجٍ ساطِعٍ لَكَ نُورُهُ

وميقَاتِ فتحٍ صادقٍ لكَ وعْدُهُ

عَلى بادِئِ الإِنعَامِ فِيهِ تمامُهُ

وحَقٌّ عَلَى سِبْطِ الخِلافَةِ حَمدُهُ

وحَقٌّ عَلَى يُمنى يَدَيَّ بقاؤُهُ

جديداً عَلَى مَرِّ الزَّمانِ وخُلْدُهُ

بغَرْبِ لسانٍ لَوْ أُبارِي بِهِ الوَرى

مَدى الدَّهر لَمْ يَبْلُغْ نَصِيفيَ مُدُّهُ

عَليماً بأَن مَنْ أَلْحدَتْ فيكَ نَفسُهُ

ففِي لَهَواتِ الذِّيبِ والذَّيخِ لَحْدُهُ

ومَنْ يَبغِ فِي الآفاقِ عنكَ مُراغِماً

فَوِجْدانُهُ فِي مُلتَقى الخَيل فَقدُهُ

ومن يَتَّخِذْ فِي غير بَحرِكَ مَوْرداً

فلم يُتَّخَذْ إِلّا لنَعْلَيْكَ خَدُّهُ

فلا أَمَلٌ إِلّا إِليكَ انتِهاؤُهُ

ولا مَلِكٌ إِلّا إِليكَ مَرَدُّهُ