رأيْتُ لعبد الله مَجْداً مُؤَثَّلاً
تحدَّر من آبائِهِ الصِّيدِ واسْتَعْلى!
I saw for Abdullah a splendid glory
Flowing from his forefathers, the hunters, and ascended high!
فمن جَدّه عبد العزيز.. وفَيْصلٍ
أبيه تَبَدَّى المجد مُمْتَنِعاً فَخَلا!
From his grandfather Abdulaziz.. and Faisal
His father's glory appeared impregnable thus it became free!
ولله في عبد العزيز مآثِرٌ
رأَيْنا بها الوَبْلَ المُبَشِّرَ والطَّلاّ!
And for Allah, Abdulaziz has glorious achievements
With which we saw the harbinger of good news and long night journeys!
وكانتْ بِلادُ العُرْبِ شَمْلاً مُمَزَّقاً
وخَوْفاً.. فلا وَعْراً أَميناً. ولا سَهْلا!
And the lands of the Arabs were a torn unity
And fear.. so neither a safe plain nor an easy terrain!
فلا الحجُّ مأمُونٌ ولا المسجد الذي
تَمَيَّز بالمُخُتارِ.. وانْتَزَعَ الجهلا!
So neither Hajj was safe nor the mosque which
Was distinguished with the Chosen One.. and ignorance was banished!
فكم مِن حَجِيجٍ راح يَقُصُدُ طَيْبَةٌ
تَفَزَّعَ نَهْباً. أو تَرَدَّى بِها قَتْلا!
So how many pilgrims set out to seek Goodness
Only to be frightened away or killed there!
طرائِقُ شَتَّى أفْزَعَتْ كُلَّ طارِقٍ
وإنْ بَذَلوا من الله ما جَلَّ واسْتَحْلى!
Different methods that frightened every night traveller
Even if they exerted every effort from God, glorified and most high!
تَصَدَّى لها عبد العزيز فَصانَها
من العَبَثِ المُزْري. وكانَ له أَهْلا!
Abdulaziz confronted them thus protecting it
From trivial chaos, and he was suited for it!
فما هي إِلاَّ جولة بعَدَ جوْلَةٍ
فَراحَ بها الباغُونَ صَرْعى بِما أَصْلى!
It was only one campaign after another
In which the oppressors fell slain by what he prayed!
فمنهم أَطاعَ السَّيْفَ يَشْدخُ هامَهُ
ومنهم رأى أَنَّ الرُّضوخ به أوْلى!
Among them some obeyed the sword as it cut off their zeal
And some saw that submitting to it was best!
فَلِله ما أَجْدى علينا جِهادُهُ
فقد صَحَّ منه ما تَهافَتَ واعْتَلاَّ!
So for Allah lies the benefit of his jihad
For the corrupt were reformed from it and the tilted were straightened!
يُشِيدُ به الشَّادُونَ في كُلِّ بُقْعَةٍ
فكم مِنَّةٍ تُرْوى. وكم آيةٍ تُتْلى!
The grateful ones praise him in every spot
So many favors are recounted and many verses recited!
وهذا هو الخُلْدُ الذي ظَلَّ شامِخاً
مُشِعّاً على الدُّنْيا بآلائِهِ المُثْلى!
And this is the eternity which remained towering
Radiating light upon the world with its most sublime favors!
ومِن بَعْدِه جاءَ الغَطارِيفُ.. كُلُّهُمْ
شَغُوفٌ بِمَجْدٍ لا يَخيسُ ولا يَبْلى!
And after him came the Gatareefs.. all of them
Eager for a glory that does not humiliate or wear out!
بدا فَيْصَلٌ لِلنَّاسِ مَجْداً مُلألِئاً
يُضِيءُ.. فلا حِسّاً يَضِلُّ. ولا عَقْلا!
Faisal appeared to the people a glittering glory
That illuminates.. so no perception goes astray, nor any mind!
تأَلَّقَ في عَيْنَيْ أَبيهِ فَسَرَّهُ..
وكيف؟! وقد كانَ السَّبوق الذي جَلىَّ؟!
He shined in his father’s eyes thus gladdening him..
And how not?! For he was the outstanding predecessor!
فقال له كُنْ نائبِي.. وأَحَلَّهُ
مَحلاًّ رَفِيعاً.. ما أَعَزَّ وما أَغْلى!
So he said to him: be my delegate.. and authorized him
To a lofty position.. How dear and precious!
فقد كانَ فيه المُصْطَفى سَيِّدُ الورى
فكانَ به طِفْلاً.. وشَبَّ به كَهْلا!
For in him was Al-Mustafa the master of all people
So he was as a child with him.. and grew into adulthood with him!
فَراسةُ مَوْهُوبٍ عَظِيمٍ مُسَوَّدٍ
وفِطْنَةُ مَوْهُوبٍ. وكان له نَجْلا!
The intuition of a gifted, mighty, predestined one
And the brilliance of a gifted one, and it was suited for him!
ولَسْتُ بِمُسْطِيعٍ. ولا الشّعْرُ قادِرٌ
على صَوْغِ ما كانا بِه. وله أَهْلا!
I cannot, nor is poetry able
To shape what they both possessed, and it was suited for them!
فَفي البَحْرِ أَسْرارٌ. وفي الطَّوْدِ رِفْعةٌ
تُحَيِّرُ قَوْلا.. أَنْ يُحاوِلَ.. أْو فِعْلا!
For the sea has secrets, and the lineage has elevation
That perplexes words.. to attempt.. or deeds!
وشاءَ يَراعي مَرَّةً فأَرابَني
فَقُلْتُ له – لما رَثَيْتُ له – مَثلا!
And he sometimes checked on me, so I said to him - as I eulogized him - for example!
And I said to him: Look.. around you lies a group
وقُلْتُ له أَبْصِرْ.. فَحَوْلَكَ ثُلَّةٌ
كَوَاكِبُ.. كانُوا لِلَّذي سادَنا نَسْلا!
Like stars.. they belonged to the one who led us, a lineage!
Young men, if above the stars there were springs
أَشاوِسُ. لَو فَوْق النُّجُومَ مَنَابعٌ
لَتاقُوا إليْها. واسْتَطابُوا بها النَّهْلا!
They would hasten to them, and take pleasure in them!
And nothing discouraged them except attaining him
ولم يَثْنِهمْ عَن قَصْدِهم غَيْرُ نيْلِهِ
وكيْفَ.. وقد أَدُّوا له الفَرْصَ والنَّفْلا!
And how could it.. when they gave him every opportunity and bonus!
And they struggled until they reached his zeal's summit
وقد ناضَلُوا حتى اسْتَوَوْا فَوقَ هامِهِ
فساروا وقد مَدّ الطُّمُوحُ لهم حَبْلا!
So they went on as ambition cast a rope for them!
Remember Saud, he was the first king
تَذكَّرْ سعوداً وهو أوَّلُ عاهلٍ
تَسَنَّم عَرْشاً يَنْشُدُ الحقَّ والعدْلا!
Who assumed the throne seeking truth and justice!
He assumed it while people praised what his father built..
تَسَنَّمه والنَّاسُ تحمد ما بَنى
أبُوهُ.. ويَلْقى حَوْلَه الحَوْلَ والطَّوْلا!
And he experiences transformation and extension around him!
And it is enough that from this enduring lineage lies Khaled
وحَسْبُكَ مِن هذه السُّلالِة خالِدٌ
وفَهْدٌ. وقد كانَ السُّمُوُّ لهم شُغْلا!
And Fahd, and supremacy was their occupation!
So he passed down to them a gentle, enduring glory
فَأَوْرَثَهم مَجْداً طَريفاً وتالِداً
وأَوْرَثَنا نَحْن الكرمةَ والفَضْلا!
And passed down to us the vine and abundance!
May Allah reward you, O beloved Fahd and Khaled
لَك الله يا فَهْدُ الحَبِيبُ وخالدٌ
فإنَّكُما الجُودُ الذي اسْتَأْصَلَ البخلا!
For you are the generosity that uprooted stinginess!
And you are the pride that provokes us
وإنَّكُما الفَخْرُ الذي يَستَفِزُّنا
إلى المَدْحِ.. لولا أنَّه لم يكُنْ جَزْلا!
To praise.. if it were not so abundant!
And O poetry, may I express a concealed
ويا شِعْرُ هل لي أَنْ أَبُوحَ بِمُضْمَرٍ
من الحُبِّ أَصْلاني الذي لم أَكُنْ أصْلى!
Love that originated with me, without which I would not have originated!
If praising it has honored me, yet I see myself
لَئن عَزَّني فيه الثّناءُ فَإِنَّني
أراني بِحُبِّي أعْشّق الصَّدَّ والوَصْلا!
With my love passionately loving firmness and connection!
And I excuse my poetry if it falls short and remains
وأعْذُرُ شِعْري إنْ تَقَاصَر واسْتَوى
على العَجْزِ واسْتَخْذى بِقافيةٍ عَجْلى!
Incapacitated, seizing a hasty rhyme!
For it is but poetry attracting censure
فما هو إلاَّ الشِّعْرُ يَسْتَقْطِبَ النُّهى
فَيَشْدو كما تَشْدُو مَشاعِرُهُ الجَذْلى!
Thus it chants just as my feelings chant yearningly!
And it is but glory.. nothing but its solidity
وما هو إلاَّ المَجْدُ.. إلاَّ رُسُوخُهُ
وما هو إلاَّ أَنْ غَدَوْتَ له ظِلاَّ!
And it is nothing but that you have become its shadow!
I loved the heights since childhood, so I found it
عَشِقْتُ العُلا مَنْذُ الصِّبا فَوَجَدْتُها
لَدَيْهِ. فَنَادَتْني أَلا كُنْ له خِلاَّ!
With him. So it called me: come, become its shadow!
