أي عقد حوى الرؤوس نظامه

أي أفق سقى النفوس غمامه

What covenant embraced the chiefs with its system,

What a necklace whose arrangement has gathered the leaders,

What horizon quenched the souls with its clouds,

What a horizon whose rain-clouds have quenched the souls,

أي ركن من الولاء ركين

مؤنس حله مجير حرامه

What pillar of loyalty was steadfast,

What a pillar of loyalty, firm and unshakable,

Its refuge relieving the forbidden?

Comforting in its lawful bounds, protective in its sanctuary.

أي ظل من الهناء ظليل

لم يكدر بالمزعجات لمامه

What shade of bliss was shady,

What a shadow of felicity, deep and cooling,

Unperturbed by bothersome flaws?

Whose gathering is not troubled by any vexations.

أي روض من جنة الخلد ريا

هـ وكهف من السماء ذمامه

What garden of Paradise was fresh,

What a lush garden from the Paradise of Eternity,

With cave from heaven its coveted shelter?

And a cave of refuge whose covenant is guarded by Heaven.

وحمى بالفصاح بالعرب العر

باء بالصيد بالسراة ازدحامه

It protected eloquence for the articulate Arabs

A sanctuary teeming with the eloquent, with the pure Arabs,

Crowded with hunting, travel and assembly.

Crowded with the proud, the noble, and the distinguished.

ومجال يخب فيه رعيل

يتجلى عن البيان قتامه

An arena wherein the stallion’s neigh

An arena where the vanguard gallops freely,

Reveals its eloquence from darkness,

And the dust settles to reveal pure eloquence.

كلما جال فارس قلت هذا

حائز السبق فيه هذا إمامه

Whenever a horseman rode I said this one

Whenever a knight takes the field, I say: "This one..."

Exceeds in the race, this one leads them.

"...is the victor of the race; this is its leader."

ما أراني شهدت إلا عكاظا

هذه أرضه وتلك خيامه

I see none but Okaz,

It seems I have witnessed nothing less than Souq Okaz;

This is its land and those its tents.

This is its very ground, and those are its tents.

خطب اللسن فاستخف نهى القو

م من القول فيضه وانسجامه

Tongues declaimed but he deemed speech's denial slight

The eloquent orators spoke, stirring the minds of the people,

For its outpouring and composition.

Who were entranced by the overflow and harmony of the words.

بين راو من البلاغة نشوا

ن وساق على النهى طاف جامه

Between a reciter of eloquence vibrant

Between a reciter intoxicated by rhetoric,

And leg aligned with prohibition roams his cup.

And a cupbearer passing the goblet of wit among the intellects.

أيها السامرالشهية نجوا

هـ لحضاره البليغ كلامه

O joyous reveler, call out

O night-companion, whose intimate whispers are delightful

For his eloquent speech is perfect.

To those attending, and whose speech is eloquent:

مستوى القول فيك والفعل والإد

راك سامي العروج عال سنامه

Your words, deeds and perception

In you, the standard of speech, action, and perception

Are equally lofty, prominently flagged.

Is lofty in its ascent, towering in its peak.

حارب الذل والخنوع وأنقذ

شعبك المبتلى فأنت (عصامه)

You battled vileness and surrender and saved

Fight against humiliation and submission, and rescue

Your afflicted people, for you are their “backbone.”

Your afflicted people, for you are their bond of strength.

واعتصم بالإله من كان عاد

عز من كان بالإله اعتصامه

Take refuge in God if you were unjust

And hold fast to God against any who show enmity;

Mighty is he who in God takes refuge.

For mighty is the one whose refuge is in God.

حبب الموت للمجاهد في اللـ

ـه وآياته ولذ اقتحامه

Make death pleasing to the holy warrior

Make death beloved to the one struggling for the sake of God

Whose pleasure is to storm for God’s signs,

And His signs; and make his daring charge sweet.

ابن بالرأي والمشورة ما شئت

بناء فليس يخشى انهدامه

Consult and deliberate what you desire

Build with wisdom and counsel whatever you desire

For no fear of its collapse in decision.

To build, for its collapse need never be feared.

وإذا شل في الجماعة عضو

فمن الرأي فصمه لا خصامه

When a member in the group is paralyzed

And if a limb within the body of the group becomes paralyzed,

Opinion can sever it, no quarrel.

Then wisdom dictates severing it, not merely disputing with it.

أيها الإخوة الكرام ابسطوا العذ

ر لشعري فقد تعاصى زمامه

O noble brothers, forgive my poetry

O noble brothers, extend your excuse

For its reins have run wild.

To my poetry, for its reins have proven stubborn to control.

ليس هذا وصية إنما هذا

رضى معجب بكم وسلامه

This is no last will, rather satisfaction

This is not a commandment, but rather

Praising you and conveying greetings,

The contentment of one who admires you, and his greeting.

واعف عني هديت للعفو عني

أيها الصاحب الملح ملامه

Overlook my gifts, I was guided to pardon

And pardon me—may you be guided to grant me pardon—

O sharp reproacher of blame.

O companion whose blame is so insistent.

فترة الشعر أشبهت فترة الوحي

وإن كان للرسول مقامه

Poetry's barren time resembles the barren time of revelation

The cessation of poetry resembled the cessation of Revelation,

Though the Messenger's station remains lofty.

Though the Messenger holds a station far above all.

ته فخارا يا معشر العلم قد دا

ن لك الشعب شيخه وغلامه

Be honored, O learned ones, the people have surrendered to you

Walk tall in pride, O assembly of knowledge, for there has yielded

Their elder and youth.

To you the entire nation, its elders and its youth.

حفظ الله معشر العلم ما طا

ب له بدؤه وطاب ختامه

May God preserve the learned as long as

May God preserve the assembly of knowledge, so long as

Its beginning was good and its ending good.

Its beginning remains blessed, and blessed its end.