Sol 6.1

  1. O king of the land and lord of the people,

    through the bounty of your hands and your magnanimous nature,

  2. and restorer of Egypt as the mightiest kingdom—

    she has again become the hope of East and West.

  3. Through you she gained her independence and advanced

    toward glory in its fullness, and toward gain.

  4. And she attained her goal through peace,

    while humankind, for fear of war, is at war.

  5. She awaits fate's decrees, safe from

    whatever terror and calamity have come to pass.

  6. You set your Nile flowing throughout her lands,

    and preserved the right of the dry, barren land.

  7. And you extended the means of safety to

    the desert's wastes and the lairs of terror.

  8. And your generosity flowed, itself a mercy

    to both nations, as the clouds flow.

  9. From your neighborly ties and kinship, you have what

    you seek among the Turks and Arabs.

  10. And you send an appeal throughout the earth,

    steadfast in resolve, earnest in sustained effort.

  11. And perhaps your efforts in its kingdoms

    will avert bloodshed and bring relief from distress.

  12. I esteem the prudent party only for

    what you approve of in that party.

  13. Through justice and benevolence, you give scope to what

    the strength of its noble champions has desired.

  14. And it is as though you were the Messenger, and they were

    bands of Companions around the Messenger.

  15. Your new ministry achieved, in

    two months, what had defied the ages

  16. and resisted arduous struggle, in an assembly

    under your care—save for the difficult demand.

  17. Withdrawal was the least of what they sought,

    by counsel, not by thrusts and blows,

  18. firmly assured, for all they hoped for,

    of a true promise and its fulfillment close at hand.

  19. Such is the outcome for the bold man, confident in

    what reason's guidance leads him to hope for.

  20. The adversary returned to you, seeking

    your restored favor after the sweetness of reproach.

  21. He awaits the pact that will set him at ease,

    after his messages and letters.

  22. If he restores a right he nearly took away

    one day, you have indeed overlooked an offense.

  23. The anniversary of your accession is the festival of a kingdom

    that raised its throne above the shooting stars,

  24. and whose dignity protected the land, even though

    it brought such fertility and sweet water.

  25. The festival filled time, just as

    passion filled the lovesick lover's breast.

  26. And Egypt displayed her finery for your festival,

    and the displays of pride and self-admiration.

  27. And her innermost feelings appeared before you in

    the banner's flutter and the cavalcade's splendor.

  28. Indeed, what you witness on the horizon

    is surely a sign of what is in the eye and heart.

  29. And kingship in this world passes from hand to hand,

    except that which is built on love.

Sol 6.1