يَا أَيُّها المَلِكُ الَّذِي حَسَنَاتُهُ
فَوْقَ الَّذِي نُثْنِي عَلَيْهِ وَنُطْنِبُ
O king whose virtues
Surpass what we praise and eulogize,
كَمْ غَزْوَةٍ لَكَ في عِدَاكِ عَجِيبَةٍ
لاَ شَيْءَ غَيْرَ نَدَاكَ مِنْهَا أَعْجَبُ
How many amazing conquests against your foes!
Nothing but your spear more wondrous.
كَمْ رَحْمَةٍ قَلَّدْتَ أَقْواماً بِهَا
أعْنَاقَهُمْ وَالسَّيفُ يُوشِكُ يَسْلُبُ
How many necks you bestowed mercy,
When the sword was about to despoil them.
كَمْ مِنَّة لَكَ فِي الْعِبَادِ جَمِيلَةٍ
كَالشَّمسِ تُنْمِي رَوْضَةً وَتُذَهِّبُ
How much kindness you have for your subjects,
Like the sun nurturing a garden and removing decay.
هَذِي كَوَافِلُ حُسْنِ ذِكْرِكَ في الْوَرَى
وَأَبَرُّ مَا يَبْقَى الْفَعَالُ الطَّيبُ
These are caravans of the beauty of your reputation in the land,
And the most pious of deeds is the good that remains.
يَكْفِيكَ فَخْراً أَنَّ أَعْظَمَ أُمَّةٍ
تَنْضَمُّ في مُلكٍ إلى اسْمِكَ يُنْسَبُ
It is pride enough that the greatest nation
Is ascribed to your kingdom and your name.
فَعَلاَمَ أَنْتَ تُزِيلُ ذِكْرَ مُلُوكِهَا
وَأُولَئِكَ الْعُظَمَاءُ مَوْتَي غُيَّبُ
Why then would you erase the memory of their kings?
Those great ones, though dead, are not forgotten.
إِنْ تَمْحُ مِنْ أَسْفَارِهِمْ أَخْبَارَهُمْ
فَالصَّخرُ يُنْحَتُ وَالمَنَاحِتُ تُكْتَبُ
If you erase their chronicles from books,
The stone would be carved and the parchments written.
وَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ النَّاسُ بَعْدَكَ أَمْرَهُمْ
فَتُلاَمُ مَا طَالَ المَدَى وتُؤَنَّبُ
People will know their affairs after you,
So you'd be blamed however long the term and chided.
خَدَعَتْكَ كَاذِبَةُ المُنَى بَوعُودِهَا
وَالحُرُّ يُخْدَعُ وَالأَمَانِي تَكْذِبُ
The deceitful hopes of fate tricked you
Even the free are fooled, and wishes tell lies.
وَإِذَا نَظَرْتَ إلىَ الْحَقِيقَةِ صَادِقاً
فَالذِّكْرُ لَيْسَ يُعِيدُ عُمْراً يَذْهَبُ
And when you look to the truth sincerely,
Remembrance cannot restore a life now gone.
أَمَّا الْجِدَارُ فَلَو رَفَعْتَ بِنَاءَهُ
حَتَّى اسْتّقَرَّ عَلَى ذُرَاهُ الكَوْكَبُ
As for the wall, if you built up its edifice,
Until stars dwelled upon its heights,
وَلَو الْجِبَالُ جُعِلْنَ بَعْضَ حِجَارِهِ
وَلُحِمْنَ حَتَّى المَاءُ لاَ يَتَسَرَّبُ
And if mountains were made of some of its stones,
Cemented till no water seeps through,
فَلَيُحْدِثّنَّ النَّاسُ مَا هُوَ فَوْقَهُ
عِظَماً وَإتْقَاناً وَمَا هُوَ أَغْرَبُ
People will still make what’s beyond it
In grandeur, perfection, and greater wonder.
وَلَتُصْنَعَنَّ نَوَاسَفٌ تُثْفَى الرُّبَى
بِدُخَانِهَا مَنْثُورَةً تَتَلَهَّبُ
And ships of war will be built to eclipse the horizons
With their smoke dispersed as fire that burns,
وَلَتَنْفُذَنَّ إِلَى بَكِينَ خَلاَئِقٌ
بَيْضَاءُ تَغْنَمُ مَا تَشَاءُ وَتَنْهَبُ
And creatures white as doves will penetrate to Beijing,
Plundering whatever they wish and pillaging.
تَأْتِي بِهَا فَوْقَ الْبِحَارِ سَفَائِنٌ
كَالْجِنِّ في جِدِّ الْعَوَاصِفِ تَلْعَبُ
With what will walls around their cities help them
When in them are faint hearts that flee?
مَاذَا يُفِيدُ السُّورُ حَوْلَ دِيَارِهِمْ
وَقُلُوبُهُمْ فِيهَا ضِعَافٌ هُرَّبُ
Better than narrowing their world around them
Is to open the world to them however wide.
فَأَبَرُّ مِنْ تَضْيِيقِ دُنْيَاهُمْ بِهِ
أَنْ تَرْحُبَ الدُّنْيَا بِهِمْ مَا تَرْحُبُ
For security kills courage within them
And life with fear is anxiety expected.
أَلأَمْنُ قَتَّالُ الشَّجاعَةِ فِيهِمُ
وَحَيَاتُهَا فِيهِمْ مَخَاوِفُ تُرْقَبُ
Weak nations are protected only
By virtues gained through trials.
لاَ يَعْصِمُ الأُمَمَ الضَّعيفَةَ فِطْرَةً
إِلاَّ فَضَائِلُ بِالتَّجارِبِ تُكْسَبُ
These become their sturdy shields against harm
And their power that will not be defeated.
فَتَكُونُ حَائِطَهَا المَنِيعَ عَلَى الْعِدَى
وَتَكُونُ قُوَّتَهَا الَّتِي لاَ تُغْلَبُ
