أَنرْتجِلُ الأَشْعَارَ فِي فَرْعِ هَاشِمٍ
وَهَل لِيَ فِي بَيْتَيْنِ أَنْ أَجْمَعَ الْمَجْدَ
Shall we improvise verses about a descendant of Hashim?
And can I gather all that glory into two lines?
وَفِي وَصْفِ عَبْدِ اللهِ أَوْ بَعْضِ وَصْفِهِ
يُقصِّرُ مَنْ يَفْنِي قَرِيحَتهُ جُهْدَا
Even in describing Abdullah, or some part of his qualities,
One who exhausts his poetic gift falls short, however hard he tries.
وَلَيْتَ أَمِيرَ الْعُرْبِ بِالْيُمْنِ دَوْلَةً
كَبَا جَدُّهَا دَهْراً فَأَعْلَيْتَهَا جِدَّا
Prince of the Arabs, you governed in Yemen a state
Whose fortune had stumbled for an age; you raised it high.
بِعَزْمٍ وَحَزْمٍ أَحْيَيَا مِنْ مَوَاتِهَا
وَرَدَّا مِنَ الْعِزِّ الَّذِي دَالَ مَارِدَا
Resolve and sound judgment revived it from its lifelessness
And restored a formidable giant of glory that had waned.
فمِصْرُ وَقَدْ حَيَّتْكَ يَا فَخْرَ يَعْرُبٍ
تحَيِّي النَّدَى وَالنُّبْلَ والْبَأْسَ وَالجَدَّا
So Egypt, in greeting you, pride of Ya‘rub,
Greets generosity, nobility, courage, and earnestness.
فَضَائِل مِلءُ الْعَيْنِ مِنْ حَيْثُ طُولِعَتْ
جِهَاتُ الْعُلَى فِيهَا أَرَتْ عَلَماً فَرْدا
Virtues fill the eye wherever one looks;
In every realm of excellence, they reveal a peerless standard.
أَمَوْلاَيَ هَلْ تَدْرِي مَكَاناً تَزُورُهُ
فَلاَ يَزْدَهِي عَجْباً وَلاَ يَنْتَشِي سَعْدَا
My lord, do you know a place you visit
That does not swell with pride or rejoice in good fortune?
فَلاَ غَرْوَ أَنْ أَلْقَيْتَ مِصْرَ حَفِيَّةً
تُعِيدُ عَلَى بَدْءٍ لِسُدَّتِكَ الوُدَّا
No wonder, then, that you found Egypt welcoming,
Renewing its affection for your court again and again.
وَيُسْتَقْبَلُ الْبَدْرُ الَّذِي بِكَ يُجْتَلَى
وَتَلْبَسُ فِي اسْتِقْبَالهِ الزَّمَنَ الوَرْدَا
The full moon revealed in you is welcomed,
And Egypt dons a rosy age to greet it.
وَتهْدِي إِلى الأُرْدُنِّ أَلْطافَ نِيلِهَا
ثَنَاءً عَلَيْهِ وَاحْتِفَاءً بَمَنْ أَهْدَى
She sends the graces of her Nile to Jordan,
In praise of it and celebration of the one who bestowed them.
Sol 6