إِلَيْكَ منكَ فرارُ الخائِفِ الوَجِلِ
وَفِي يَديكَ أَمانُ الفارِسِ البَطَلِ
To you the frightened fugitive flees
And in your hands lies the gallant knight's safety
تقابَلَتْ نحوَكَ الآفاقُ واجْتَمَعَتْ
عَلَى يمينِكَ شَتَّى الطُّرْقِ والسُّبُلِ
The horizons converged towards you
And the myriad paths and roads led to your right
ويَمَّمَتْكَ ملوكُ الأَرضِ مُعْمِلَةً
إِلَيْكَ نَصَّ نجاءِ الخيلِ والإِبلِ
The kings of earth came to consult you
To you came the rescue of cavalry and camel
فالبَرُّ والبحرُ مِنْ آتِيكَ فِي شُغُلٍ
والشَّرْقُ والغربُ من راجِيكَ فِي جَذَلِ
Both sea and land attend you busily
While east and west beseech you beseechingly
قَدْ ساعَدَتْكَ نجومُ السَّعْدِ طالِعةً
فاسْعَدُ وأُعْطِيتَ غاياتِ المُنى فَسَلِ
The stars of good fortune rise to assist you
So be joyful—you have attained your heart’s desires
وأَسْلَمَتْ لكَ أَملاكُ البلادِ مَعاً
أَعِنَّةَ المُلْكِ والأَيامِ والدُّوَلِ
And countries’ rulers all submit to you
Masters of empire, time and dynasties alike
وفازَ قِدْحُكَ إِذ قارَعْتَ أَرْؤُسَها
بطاعَةِ الدهرِ والأَديانِ والمِلَلِ
Your prowess prevailed when you clashed with them
Made obedient by fate, creeds and faiths
وَقَدْ تَيَمَّمَ شَنْجٌ منكَ عائِدَةً
تُجِيرُهُ من سيوفِ الكَرْبِ والوَهَلِ
Some spatter of glory comes back to you
Protecting them from the sword of woe and ruin
وقادَ نحوَكَ والتَّوْفِيقُ يَقْدُمُهُ
جيشاً من الذُّلِّ مِلْءَ السهل والجبلِ
An army filling the flat land and hill country
Led by good fortune comes toward you
مستعْطِفاً لحياةٍ جَلَّ مَطْلَبُها
عن مُبْلِغِ الكُتْبِ أَوْ مُسْتَعْطِفِ الرُّسُلِ
Seeking a life whereof the greatest quest
Exceeds letters or pleading emissaries
مستخذياً لسيوفِ النصرِ حين أَبَتْ
من دينِ طاعَتَهِ قولاً بلا عَمَلِ
Wielding the sword of victory whene’er
A creed denied obedience in word or deed
خلَّى الكتائِبَ قَسْراً والظُّبى وغَدا
عن الأَحِبَّةِ والأَشياعِ فِي شُغُلِ
The battalions were emptied by force, as the deer fled
From loved ones and partisans busily
مُذِلَّ صفحَةِ عانٍ جَلَّ مطلَبُهُ
داعٍ إِلَى صَفْحِكَ المأْمولِ مُبْتَهِلِ
With petitioning hands, seeking your pardon
A petitioner hoping for clemency
في شِيعَةٍ مَلأَتْ ذُلّاً قُلُوبَهُمُ
نُهُوجُ سُبْلٍ إِلَيْها لِلْقَنَا ذُلُلِ
In a throng whose spirits cowardice had filled—
Smooth roads for them to meet you humbly
مُحَكِّمِينَ يسوقونَ النفوسَ إِلَى
إِنفاذِ حُكْمِكَ سَوْقَ السَّبْيِ والنَّفَلِ
Enforcing your rule as though captives and booty
Welcoming whatever hope you brought to life
مُسْتَبْشِرِينَ بِما أَحْيَيْتَ من أَمَلٍ
مُستَسْلِمِينَ لما أَمضَيْتَ من أَجَلِ
Submitting to whatever doom you ordained
They plunged into seas of death, turbulent
خاضُوا إِلَيْكَ بحارَ الموتِ زاخِرَةً
يمورُ فيهنَّ موجُ النَّقْعِ كالظُّلَلِ
With waves of shafts foaming like shadows
And earth in the battle plain became mires
وأَضْحَتِ الأَرضُ فِي رَحْبِ المَلا لُجَجَاً
سالَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ بِبِيضِ الهندِ والأَسَلِ
Over them India’s ivory and pearls flowed
The lions with flashing eyes in the frenzy
والأُسْدُ بارِقُةُ الأَلحاظِ فِي أَجَمٍ
من القنا بِحَبِيكِ البَيْضِ مُشْتَعِلِ
Of shafts like your piercing white blades burned
Their braids hung down in strands as though clothed
رَقَّتْ غلائِلُهُمْ سَرْداً كَأَنَّهُمُ
تَسَرْبَلُوا لُبْسَ رقراقٍ من الغُلَلِ
In Raqraq’s fabric of apricot and peach
The warships wallowed between masts and rigging
والصَّافِناتُ تَهادَى فِي أَعِنَّتِها
كالغِيدِ يرفُلْنَ بَيْنَ الحَلْيِ والحُلَلِ
Like camels lurching among bracelets and anklets
And wing-flapping birds like the sand grouse fluttered
وخافِقاتٌ كأَمثالِ الحَشا خَفَقَتْ
رَوْعاتِها خَطَرَاتُ الذعرِ والوَجَلِ
Shuddering in panic and sudden dread
Steady in stillness, sensing confusion in the crazed
تزَيَّنَتْ بسُكونِ الجأْشِ ثابِتَةً
واسْتَشْعَرَتْ هَفَواتِ الطائِشِ الوَجِلِ
Till your upper hand prevailed, and he was rent
His entrails between the hands of the raiders
حَتَّى انْتَهى يَدَكَ العُلْيا وَقَدْ قُسِمَتْ
أَحشاؤُهُ بَيْنَ أَيْدِي الرَّيْثِ والعَجَلِ
When your stride moved in dread, it pronounced
Control on him—he rose up, newly hopeful
إِذَا وَنَتْ بِخطاهُ هَيْبَةٌ حَكَمَتْ
عَلَيْهِ ثارَ بِهِ مُسْتَعْذَبُ الأَمَلِ
He met the sea and horizons surrounding him
From winds, facing the sun at zenith
فوافَقَ البحرَ والآفاقُ تَكْنُفُهُ
من الرياحِ ووافى الشَّمْسَ فِي الحَمَلِ
Met glory and reverence in a dominion
With auspicious, greeting, auspicious future
وقابَلَ المجدَ والإِعظَامَ فِي مَلِكٍ
بالسعدِ مُسْتَقْبَلٍ للسعدِ مُقْتَبِلِ
Crowned with the kingdom’s brilliance, vanquisher
Embraced in the cloak of honor, wrapped
مُتَوَّجٍ ببهاءِ الملكِ مُعْتَصِبٍ
ومُحْتَبٍ فِي رداءِ العزِّ مُشْتَمِلِ
United with bounty, blessing with praise
Outstripping in precedence, joined by forbearance
بالجودِ مُغْتَبِقٍ بالحمدِ مُصْطَبِحٍ
فِي السَّبقِ منقطعٍ بالحِلْمِ مُتَّصِلِ
God granted you a day from all other days
Where you alone were peerless among equals
للهِ يومٌ من الأَيامِ فُزْتَ بِهِ
فَرْداً من المِثْلِ فِيهَا سائِرَ المَثَلِ
After the blows of fate had warned the man
Whom in olden days your sword had wanted
من بعدِ مَا وَعَظَتْهُ الحادِثاتُ بِمَنْ
أَرْدَتْ سيُوفُكَ من أَشياعِهِ الأُوَلِ
And how much he grieved for them in pacts
Turned now to sorrow and confusion
وكم تأَسَّفَ مِنْهُمْ فِي معاهِدَ قَدْ
آلَتْ معاهِدَ للأَحزانِ والهَبَلِ
And tears washed his heavy eyelids
Flooding their every encampment with darkness
وأَخضَلَ الدمعُ من أَجفانِ مُقْلَتِهِ
مجالَهُ فِي نجيعٍ منهُمُ خَضِلِ
So may the highest honors be yours, too lofty
For Jupiter’s or Saturn’s towering heights!
فَلْتَهْنِكَ الرُّتَبُ العُلْيا الَّتِي قَصُرَتْ
عنهُنَّ سامِيَةُ البِرْجِيسِ أَوْ زُحَلِ
Make peace—may the glory of your kingdom endure
For Arabs and their sons as long as it has endured
فاسْلَمْ ولا زَالَ عِزُّ الملكِ مُتَّصِلاً
من يَعْرُبٍ وبنيهِ حَيْثُ لَمْ يَزَلِ
In humble circumstance and unbroken rule
In lasting might, secure and unremoved!
في خَفْضِ عَيشٍ ومُلْكٍ غيرِ مُنْفَصِمٍ
وظلِّ عزٍّ وأَمنٍ غيرِ مُنْتَقِلِ
