إِنْ أَكُنْ أَشْجعاً فأَنْتَ الرَّشِيدُ

أَوْ تكُن جعْفَراً فإِنيِّ الوَلِيدُ

If I am brave, you are the guide,

Or you are Ja'far while I am Al-Walid.

يا بعيدَ المنالِ وهْو قَريبٌ

وقريبَ الإِحْسانِ وهْوَ بَعِيدُ

O the one far yet near,

Near in generosity but far.

لي عُرسٌ في كُلِّ يومٍ بإِنْعا

مِكَ بلْ كلَّ ساعةٍ ليَ عِيدُ

I have a wedding every day with bliss,

Rather, every hour is a feast for me.

كنتُ أُسْمَى السعيد قدِماً مُحالاً

ومِن اليومِ صَحَّ أَنِّي السَّعيدُ

I used to be called happy impossibly before,

And from today it is true that I am happy.

ماتَ جدّي القديمُ يرحمهُ اللـ

ـه ولكن قد عَاشَ جَدِّي الجَدِيدُ

My old grandfather passed away, may Allah have mercy on him,

But my new grandfather has lived.

أَوَّلُ الحاسِدين لي الملأُ الأَعـ

ـلَى وذاكَ الْمَلا وهَذا الوجُودُ

The first enviers of me are the exalted assembly,

That assembly and this existence.

لا أَلومُ الحسَّاد بل أُوسع الحسّادَ

عُذراً إِنِّي لنفسي حَسُودُ

I do not blame the envious but expand

Excuse for me, I am envious of myself.

نِعَمٌ في زيادةٍ كُلَّ يومٍ

كيفَ هذا وَمَا عليها مَزِيدُ

Blessings are increasing every day

How is this and what addition to it?

ونَدىً كالبِحارِ مَرَّت فلا

يعقب منها الموردَ إِلا المُريدُ

And donations like seas have passed so

None follows them but the willing.

خِلْعَةٌ إِثْرَ خِلْعَةٍ مثل ما يَتْ

بَعُ في نظمها الفريدِ الفريدُ

Robe after robe like what follows in its stringing

The unique, the unique.

خِلعٌ كالسَّحاب ولَوْناً وكالْغيـ

ـثِ انْهمالاً بِه السَّحابُ يَجودُ

Robes like clouds in color

And like pouring rain with which the clouds rain.

فبريق الحريرِ منها بروقٌ

وزفيرُ الأَعداءِ منها رُعودُ

So the silk's lightning from it is lightning

And the enemies' groaning from it is thunder.

حُرقت للعِدا بِهنَّ قُلوبٌ

واشتوت بالنيرانِ منها كُبودُ

The enemies' hearts were burnt by them

And their bosoms caught fire from it.

إِنَّ حَالِي بئرٌ معطَّلَةٌ من

قبلُ والآن فهي قَصْرٌ مَشِيدُ

My state before was an abandoned well

And now it is a raised palace.

ولَعَمْري مُذ طالَعَتْنِي بإِسْعا

دٍ مَعَاليكَ طَالَعتْني السعودُ

By my life, since your heights have risen upon me happily

Good fortunes have risen upon me.

أَنَا أَشْكو إِليك تقصيرَ شُكري

فكأَنِّي بالبِرِّ منك كَنُود

I complain to you of the shortcoming of my gratitude

So it is as if I am slow in kindness from you.

نِعَمٌ لا تَغِبُّ قد أَفْحَمَتْنِي

فكأَنَّ الذَّكيَّ مِني بَلِيدُ

Blessings that do not disappear have silenced me

So it is as if the intelligent one from me is stupid.

قَصُرت خطوَتي وذَاك لأَني

أَثْقَلتْنِي من الأَيادِي قُيودُ

My steps have shortened and that is because

The shackles have burdened me from the hands.

وأَيادِيك في أَعاديكَ أَغْلا

لٌ وفي الأَوْلياءِ مِنْك عُقُودُ

And your hands in your enemies are firm

And in your allies from you are covenants.

أنتَ مَنْ لاَ تُحصى مناقِبُه العِدُّ

ويُلْقَى بالفردِ منه العدِيدُ

You are the one whose merits numbering is impossible

And the unique is met with the numerous from it.

أَنتَ قاضٍ له الشهودُ سجايا

ه أَميرٌ له المعالي جُنودُ

You are the judge whose traits are witnesses

A prince whose glories are soldiers.

أنتَ مَنْ لو تجاوزَ الدَّهْرُ حدّاً

لأُقيمت عليه منكَ الحُدودُ

You are the one who if time exceeded a limit

Its limits would be placed on it from you.

أنتَ مَنْ أَقْسَمَ الزَّمانُ كما شِئـ

ـتَ بأَلاَّ يريدَ ما لا تُريدُ

You are the one time has sworn

That it will not want what you do not want.

هو مَنْ قَدْ أَجَاد فِي الْمَجْدِ والسؤ

دَدِ طبعاً فهو المُجيد المُجيدُ

He is the one who has excelled in glory and felicity

In creation, so he is the splendid, the splendid.

قد أَفَدتَ العِدَا كَمَا قَدْ أَفاد الـ

ـجودُ فِينا فَهْو المُغِيثُ المفِيدُ

You have granted sanctuary to the enemy as generosity has granted

Sanctuary among us, so it is the savior, the beneficial.

أَوْحَدُ الخلْق أَكْثرُ النَّاسِ عِلْماً

ونَوالاً فهْوَ الكثيرُ الْوَحيدُ

Alone among creation, most knowledgeable

And attainment, so he is the abundant, the one.

هوَّنَ الصَّعب قوَّم الدَّهر منه

خُلقٌ ليِّنٌ وبَأْسٌ شَدِيدُ

He eased the difficult, straightened time

With soft manners yet strong might.

فإِذا جادَ ما السّحابُ سَحابٌ

وإِذا صَالَ ما الأُسود أُسودُ

So if he is generous, how the clouds are clouds

And if he advances, how the lions are lions.

وإِذا قال فالقلوبُ خُشوعٌ

وإِذا قَام فالوُجُوهُ سجُودُ

And if he speaks, the hearts are humility

And if he stands up, the faces are prostration.

وإِذا جرَّد اليَراعة في الكَفِّ

عَلِمْنَا أَنَّ السيوفَ غُمُودُ

And if he unsheathes the sword in the palm

We know that the swords are sharpened.

حَمْدُ عبدِ الحميدِ قبلُ لقد أَخـ

ـجَله بَعْدك العزِيزُ الحَمِيدُ

The praise of Abd al-Hamid before, indeed

The mighty, the praised has shamed him after you.

وكذَاك الصَّابِي لديكَ صَبيٌّ

بك وابْنُ العميدِ مِنْك عَمِيد

And likewise the young one to you is a youth

With you and the colonel's son from you is a colonel.

إِنما الطَّرسُ مِنْك روضٌ نضيرٌ

والمعاني في الخَطِّ درٌّ نَضَيدُ

But the fresh garden is from you a meadow

And the meanings in the script are ripe fruits.

أَنتَ يا أَفضلَ الأَنام وَيا مَنْ

وصْفُه البأْسُ والحِجَا والجُودُ

You, O best of people, and O you whose

Description is valor, prowess and generosity.

قد بذلتَ الإِحسان عندي وإِحسا

نُك مَا لا يَفْنَى ومَا لاَ يَبِيد

You have bestowed kindness upon me and your

Kindness does not perish or disappear.

إِنْ حمِدْتُ المُقامَ منكَ فما يُحـ

ـمَدُ إِلاَّ مَقامُك المحْمودُ

If I praise the position from you then nothing

Is praised but your praised stance.

بك أَصبَحْتُ أَعْجَبَ النَّاسِ حالاً

أُفْقِي مُشْمِسٌ وظِلِّي مَدِيدُ

Through you I have become the most wondrous of people in state

Extending sunshine and long lasting shade.

فتغرَّدْتُ حين طُوِّقْتُ والوّرْقا

ءُ في الطَّوقِ شَأْنُها التَّغْريدُ

So I sing when garlanded while the leaves

Their status in the garland is to tweet.

لي عَدن مِنْ راحتيكَ وَمَدْحِي

لَك مِنْه لا زَال عَنْه الخُلُودُ

I have bliss from your comfort and my praise

Of you, eternal, does not depart from it.