قَدِمْتَ بالبِشرِ وبالبَشائِر

قَدِمْتَ بالبِشرِ وبالبَشائِر

وزُرتَنا فحبَّذا من زائرِ

وزُرتَنا فحبَّذا من زائرِ

You arrived with cheer and glad tidings,

You came with good news and glad tidings,

And visited us—what a welcome visitor!

And visited us, so welcome to the visitor.

وجئت بالخير عليناً مقبلاً

وجئت بالخير عليناً مقبلاً

لكلِّ بادٍ ولكلِّ حاضر

لكلِّ بادٍ ولكلِّ حاضر

You came toward us, bringing goodness,

And you came with kindness to us,

For every desert-dweller and every town-dweller.

To each absentee and each one present.

فكنتَ كالمزن همت بماطر

فكنتَ كالمزن همت بماطر

وكنتَ كالرَّوض زها لناظر

وكنتَ كالرَّوض زها لناظر

You were like rain clouds pouring forth rain,

You were like the clouds, determined to rain,

And like a garden, resplendent to the beholder.

And you were like a garden, beautiful to the beholder.

لو نَظَرَ الناظرُ ما صنَعْتَه

لو نَظَرَ الناظرُ ما صنَعْتَه

نمَّقه بدفتر المفاخر

نمَّقه بدفتر المفاخر

If a beholder saw what you had done,

If the beholder looked at what you have done,

He would inscribe it beautifully in the register of glorious deeds.

He would compile it in the book of glorious deeds.

أنضيتَ للعمران فُلْكَ همَّةٍ

أنضيتَ للعمران فُلْكَ همَّةٍ

فَعَمَّرت كلَّ مكانٍ داثر

فَعَمَّرت كلَّ مكانٍ داثر

You wore out a ship of resolve for the sake of building,

You launched the ship of lofty determination for development,

And rebuilt every place that had fallen into ruin.

And developed every ruined place.

وهذه العمارةُ اليوم لكم

وهذه العمارةُ اليوم لكم

معمورةُ الأَكتاف بالعشائر

معمورةُ الأَكتاف بالعشائر

And this settlement today is yours,

And this development today is for you,

Its flanks populated with tribes.

The shelter for tribes with glories.

نَظَّمت بالتدبير منط شملها

نَظَّمت بالتدبير منط شملها

بناظمٍ للعدلِ غير ناثر

بناظمٍ للعدلِ غير ناثر

Through prudent governance you ordered its unity [one word unclear],

You organized its system with management,

With one who strings justice together, not one who scatters it.

With a unifier of justice, not a scatterer.

وإنَّما دانتْ لحكم عادلٍ

وإنَّما دانتْ لحكم عادلٍ

ولم يدن ممتنع لجائر

ولم يدن ممتنع لجائر

It submitted only to the rule of a just man,

It only surrendered to the rule of a just one,

Nor did a defiant man submit to a tyrant.

And the obstinate did not surrender to an unjust one.

أمَّنْتَها من شرِّ ما ينوبها

أمَّنْتَها من شرِّ ما ينوبها

بالنَّاس في أمنٍ وخيرٍ وافر

بالنَّاس في أمنٍ وخيرٍ وافر

You secured it against the evil of whatever might befall it,

You secured it from the evil that befalls it,

With the people in safety and abundant prosperity.

With people in safety, goodness and abundance.

ولم تَخُنْ عهدَ امرئٍ عاهدته

ولم تَخُنْ عهدَ امرئٍ عاهدته

حوشيتَ من عهد الخؤون الغادر

حوشيتَ من عهد الخؤون الغادر

You did not betray the covenant of a man with whom you made a pact;

And you did not betray the covenant of one you covenanted with,

May you be kept far from the faithless traitor's covenant.

You were cautious of the covenant of the treacherous betrayer.

جَبَرْتَ بالإِنصاف كسراً ما له

جَبَرْتَ بالإِنصاف كسراً ما له

غيرك فيما بينهم من جابر

غيرك فيما بينهم من جابر

With fairness you mended a fracture for which there was

You healed with fairness what was broken for it,

No mender among them other than you.

None other than you could heal what was between them.

عَفَوْتَ عن كبارهم تكرُّماً

عَفَوْتَ عن كبارهم تكرُّماً

وهذه من شِيَمَ الأَكابر

وهذه من شِيَمَ الأَكابر

You pardoned their elders out of magnanimity,

You forgave their elders out of generosity,

And this is among the virtues of the great.

This is of the morals of the greatest.

وقمت في الحكم مقام نامقٍ

وقمت في الحكم مقام نامقٍ

وأنت أهدى لذوي البصائر

وأنت أهدى لذوي البصائر

In governance you stood in Namiq's stead,

You took the position of glorious immovable mountains,

And you are a better guide to those with insight.

While you are more guided than those with insight.

فتارةً تزجر في مواعظٍ

فتارةً تزجر في مواعظٍ

وتارةً تطعن بالزواجر

وتارةً تطعن بالزواجر

At times you restrain through admonitions,

Sometimes you deter with preachings,

And at times you pierce with stern rebukes.

And sometimes you spear with deterrents.

إذا هَزَزْتَ بالبنان قلماً

إذا هَزَزْتَ بالبنان قلماً

أغناك عن هزِّ الحسام الباتر

أغناك عن هزِّ الحسام الباتر

When you brandish a pen with your fingertips,

If you shook the pens with your fingers,

It spares you from brandishing the sharp, cleaving sword.

It made you not need to shake the blunt swords.

هذا وأنت واحدٌ منفردٌ

هذا وأنت واحدٌ منفردٌ

تغني عن الأَلْفِ من العساكر

تغني عن الأَلْفِ من العساكر

All this, though you are one man, alone,

You are one singular being,

Sufficing in place of a thousand soldiers.

Who suffices instead of thousands of soldiers.

يريك رأيٌ بشهاب فطنة

يريك رأيٌ بشهاب فطنة

بواطن الأَشياء كالظواهر

بواطن الأَشياء كالظواهر

Judgment, with a meteor of discernment, shows you

An opinion shows you with the brilliance of your wit,

The inner depths of things as plainly as their outward forms.

The essence of things as their appearances.

مَلَكْتَ باللُّطفِ رقابَ عُصْبَةٍ

مَلَكْتَ باللُّطفِ رقابَ عُصْبَةٍ

أمْنَع من لَيثٍ هصُور خادر

أمْنَع من لَيثٍ هصُور خادر

With gentleness you mastered the necks of a band

You conquered with kindness a group,

More unassailable than a prey-rending lion in its lair.

More impregnable than a roaring, attacking lion.

فكم لكُمْ حينئذٍ من حامدٍ

فكم لكُمْ حينئذٍ من حامدٍ

وكم لكم يومئذٍ من شاكر

وكم لكم يومئذٍ من شاكر

So how many praised you then!

So how many at that time will praise you,

And how many thanked you that day!

And how many at that time will thank you.

عَمَّرتُموها فغدتْ عِمارةً

عَمَّرتُموها فغدتْ عِمارةً

كما أرَدْتُم لمرادِ الخاطر

كما أرَدْتُم لمرادِ الخاطر

You built it up, and it became a flourishing settlement,

You developed it, so it became developed,

As you wished, fulfilling the mind's desire.

As you wished, to the contentment of minds.

فقلْ لمنْ يسأَلُ عن تاريخها

فقلْ لمنْ يسأَلُ عن تاريخها

قَدْ عُمِّرت أيَّامَ عبد القادر

قَدْ عُمِّرت أيَّامَ عبد القادر

So tell whoever asks about its date:

So say to whoever asks about its date,

It was indeed built in the days of Abd al-Qadir.

It was developed in the days of Abdul Qadir.