Sol 6.1

  1. May you remain safe for the throne, Islam, and the homeland,

    safe forever from evil and strife.

  2. A stray bullet came at you in the square,

    from one whose eye, conscience, and ear had gone astray.

  3. And a rebel was betrayed in his plotting by fate,

    which guarded your domain, neither rebelling nor betraying.

  4. And a shooter—had the projectile known whom it was destined

    to reach, it would have turned back to cure him of rancor.

  5. O ruler of the people, you win them over through kindness;

    an event that tests the people is inevitable.

  6. Love for you was hidden awhile, then proclaimed

    by one generous in character, in private and in public.

  7. He affirmed your rule and entrusted his nation to your care—

    the giver of whatever you wish of existence and time.

  8. Behind you stands the fertile land, secure through

    the conduct you have favored and the ways you have chosen.

  9. And Egypt has become like Paradise, envied

    for your bounty by the lands of the Levant and Yemen.

  10. Her ship sails proud and safe,

    while people and the whirlwind play havoc with ships.

  11. O relief of the realm from terror and alarm,

    and solace of the East in sorrow and grief.

  12. It is enough for poetic inspiration that the people around you never

    pass from one good state save to another.

  13. You have filled my heart and my eye with joy and contentment,

    as fully as your gifts have filled the desert lands and cities.

  14. I am he whom both reigns have known for this trait:

    my keeping poetry unsullied by payment and by idols.

  15. And each day I bear in my blood a man of letters' due,

    which I honor, and pledges to one entrusted.

Sol 6.1