يَا سَعْدَ هَذِي اللَّيْلَةِ الزَّهْرَاءِ
جَدَّدْتِ عَهْدَ السَّعدِ بِالْحَمْرَاءِ
O Saad, on this auspicious night
You renewed your happiness in Cairo
جَدَّدْتِهِ فِي مِصْرَ فِي الدِّارِ الَّتي
كَانَتْ وَظَلَّتْ مُلْتَقَى الأُمَرَاءِ
In the palace that was and remains
A meeting place for princes
فِي حَيْثُ أَعْلَى المَالِكِينَ مَكَانَةً
نَزَلُوا مَنَازِلَهُمْ مِنَ العَلْيَاءِ
Where the highest kings once dwelled
In lofty abodes from on high
فِي حَيْثُ إِسْمَاعِيلُ لاَحَ بِنُبْلِهِ
فَوْقَ السُّهى لِضُيُوفِهِ النُّبلاَءِ
Where Ishmael shone with his nobility
Above the plateau for his noble guests
هَلْ كَانَ إِسْمَاعِيلُ إلاَّ صُورَةً
شَرْقِيَّة لِلعِزَّةِ الْقَعْسَاءِ
Was Ishmael anything but an oriental icon
Of stubborn glory and pride
بِنَدَاهُ وَادِي النِّيلِ سَالَ وَبِالذِي
أسْدَاهُ طَالَ عَلَى الذُّرَى الشَّماءِ
With his call the Nile valley flowed
And with his judgment the lofty heavens rained
أُنْظُرْ إلى آثَارِهِ يُزْهَى بِهَا
قَطْرَاهُ فِي دَانِيهِمَا وَالنَّائِي
Look at his relics adorning
His homeland near and far
هَذِي الْجَزِيرَةُ مِنْ بَدَائِعِ خَلْقِهِ
بِغِيَاضِهَا وَرِيَاضِهَا الْفَيْحَاءِ
This island among the wonders of His creation
With its meadows and gardens so welcoming
وبِنائِهَا الفَخْمِ الْبَدِيعِ نِظَامُهُ
مِنْ صُنْعِ ذَاكَ المُبْدِعِ البّنَّاءِ
With its marvelous, wondrous architecture
The work of that creative builder
لِلّهِ آيَاتُ الصِنَّاعَةِ فِي الدُّمَى
مَنْ شَارَكَ الرَّحْمَنَ فِي الإِحْيَاءِ
The signs of craftsmanship in artifacts
Who rivals The Merciful in giving life?
للهِ ناطِقةُ النُقُوشِ أَهكَذَا
تُعطَى الكَلامَ جَوَامِدُ الَأشيَاءِ
Carvings that speak, is this how
Inanimate objects are given voice?
للهِ مِطْفَرَةٌ تُصَعِّدُ قَطْرَهَا
وَتَرُدُّهُ صَبَباً عَلَى الأَنْحَاءِ
The light tower that sends its droplets up
And pours them down on all sides
تَجِدُ النُّجومَ حِيَالَهَا ضَحَّاكَةً
بِشُعَاعِهَا بَكَّاءَةً بِالْمَاءِ
Finding the stars tearful
In its radiance, crying with water
قَدْ أَخْلَفَتْ بِسُكُونِهَا وَصَفائِهَا
فِعْلَ النُّجومِ مُثِيرَةِ الأَنْوَاءِ
It succeeded in its stillness and clarity
To mimic the stirring of the heavenly bodies
هَلْ غَيْرُ هَذَا الصَّرْحِ زِينَ بِمِثْلٍِ مَا
فِيهِ لإِينَاسٍ وَحُسْنِ لِقَاءِ
What palace other than this one was adorned
With such welcoming and beauty?
وَقِرَى الْعُيُونِ مِنَ الطَّرَائِفِ وَالْحِلَى
غَيْرُ القِرىَ مِنْ مَشْرَبٍ وَغِذاءِ
A feast for the eyes of wonders and trinkets
Other than feasts of drink and food
يَا مَنْ لَهُ صَدْرُ المَقَامِ تَجِلَّةً
وَهْوَ النَّزِيلُ وَلَيْسَ كَالنُّزَلاَءِ
O you whom this abode graces
As resident, not as guest
هَذِي هِيَ الدَّارُ الَّتِي قَلَّدْتَهَا
شَرَفاً بِهِ تَاهَتْ عَلَى الْجَوْزَاءِ
This is the home you adorned
With glory to dazzle the outstanding
شَرَفٌ بِهِ النَّبأُ البَعِيدُ دَوِيُّهُ
يَخْتَالُ مَعْتَزَّاً عَلَى الأًنْبَاءِ
Glory whereby distant news resounds
Proudly echoing the reports
وَلآلِ لُطِفِ اللهِ مِنهُ كَرَامَةٌ
سَتَظَلُّ فِي الأَحْفادِ وَالأَبْنَاءِ
By God's gentle blessings a dignity remains
In descendants and children
إنِّي لِهذا الفَضلِ عَنْهُمْ شَاكِرٌ
وَالشُّكرُ فِي السَّادَاتِ خَيرُ وَفَاءِ
For this grace I thank them
Gratitude to the noble is the best loyalty
شكرٌ زَهَا شِعْرِي بِهِ مُتَهَلِّلاَ
كَتَهَلُّلِ النُّوَّارِ بِالأَنْدَاءِ
Gratitude that makes my poetry shine
Like the shimmering of lightning in the dark
أَنَّى تَكُنْ لاَ غَروَ أنْ يُلْفَى الحِمى
وَبِهِ رَوَائِعُ مِنْ سَنىً وَسَنَاءِ
How can the protected not be clad
In it are remarkable beauty and brilliance?
أَفَلَمْ تَكُنْ شِبْلَ الحُسِينِ وَرَأْيَهُ
وَفِرِنْدَهُ فِي السِّلم وَالهَيْجَاءِ
Were you not the cub of Hussein in lineage and view
And his pride in peace and calamity?
مَلِكٌ بِهِ رَحِمُ النُّبوءَةِ وَاشِجٌ
وَلَهُ جَلاَلُ الصِّيدِ فِي الخُلَفَاءِ
A king in whom the prophecy's womb ripens
With splendid hunting among caliphs
أَهْدَى العُرُوشَ إِلَى بَنِيهِ وَبَثَّهُمْ
فِي الشَّرْقِ بَثَّ الشَّمسِ لِلأَضْواءِ
He passed leadership to his sons and dispersed them
Across the east spread like the sun's rays
أًعْظِمْ بِعَبدِ اللهِ نَجلاً صَالِحاً
يَقفُو أَبَاهُ حِجىً وَحُسْنَ بَلاَءِ
May God make Abdallah an upright son
To match his father in protection and good trial
فِيهِ النَّزَاهَةُ وَالنَّباهَةُ يَعْتَلِي
بِهِما عَلَى الأَنْدَادِ وَالنُّظرَاءِ
In him are honesty and brilliance as he rises
Above peers and equals
جَمَعَ الوَدَاعَةَ وَالإِبَاءَ فَحَبَّذَا
هُوَ مِنْ أَمِيرِ وَدَاعَةٍ وَِإبَاءِ
He combined gentleness and dignity which both
Suit him, from a gentle and dignified forefather
خُلُقَانِ كُلُّهُمَا إِلَيْهِ قَدِ انْتَهَى
عَنْ أَكْرَمِ الأَجْدَادِ وَالآبَاءِ
Two traits whose utmost he attained
From the noblest ancestors and forefathers
وَلَهُ مُروُءَاتٌ تُجَابُ بِذِكْرِهَا
جَوْبَ الرِّياضِ مَجَادِبُ البَيْدَاءِ
And he has gallantry, at the mention of which
The meadows answer like the white desert
وَلَهُ فَضَائِلُ إنْ تَحَدَّثَ عَارِفٌ
عَنْهَا عَرَتْهُ نَشْوَةُ الصَّهبَاءِ
He has merits, if one who knows speaks of them,
Enthusiasm takes hold of the youth
وَلَهُ وَقَائِعُ فِي البَسَالَةِ يَزْدَهِي
بِصِغارِهِنَّ أَكَابِرُ البُسَلاَءِ
He has feats of courage, made great
By their smallest details, the boldest heroes
وَلَهُ طَرَائِفُ فِي السَّماحَةِ نَقَّحتْ
مَا أَخْطَأَتْهُ طَرَائِقُ السُّمحَاءِ
And he has acts of generosity that refine
What the generous left out
فَهْوَ الحَبِيبُ إِلى الوُلاَةِ مُصَافِياً
وَهُوَ البَغِيضُ وَغَىً عَلَى الأَعْدَاءِ
So he is the beloved of governors inclining to them
And the hated, raging among enemies
لاَ زِلْتَ عَبْدَ اللهِ فِي هَامِ الْعُلَى
تَاجاً يَفِيضُ بِبَاهِرِ الَّلأْلاَءِ
You remain, Abdallah, at ambition's pinnacle,
A crown overflowing with the most radiant pearls
لِلْمَجْدِ سِرٌّ فِيكَ نَاطَ بِهِ غَداً
وَغَداً يُحَقِّق فِيكَ خَيْرُ رَجَاءِ
A secret of glory lies in you, fulfilling tomorrow
What today promises of hopes
