يا مليكاً له عليّ أياد

يا مليكاً له عليّ أياد

صيرتني له مدى العمر عبدا

صيرتني له مدى العمر عبدا

O king, whose favors toward me

O king who has blessed me,

Have made me your servant all my life.

You have made me your servant for life,

لو قضيت الزمان فيهن عدّا

لو قضيت الزمان فيهن عدّا

لم يسعها الزمان سردا وعدا

لم يسعها الزمان سردا وعدا

Were I to spend all time counting them,

If I were to count the eras I've spent praising you,

Time would not suffice to recount and number them.

Time would not suffice to enumerate them.

ولو استوعب القريض مديحي

ولو استوعب القريض مديحي

لم أقم بالفروض شكراً وحمدا

لم أقم بالفروض شكراً وحمدا

And even if my praise exhausted all verse,

And if my poems contained all my praises,

I would not fulfill the duties of thanks and praise.

I still wouldn't have sufficiently thanked and praised you.

كلما نلت نعمة تبعتها

كلما نلت نعمة تبعتها

منك أخرى واستتبع البدء عودا

منك أخرى واستتبع البدء عودا

Whenever I received a blessing, it was followed

Whenever you bestow a blessing upon me,

By another from you; each beginning brought renewal.

You follow it with another, and the cycle repeats.

نعم ما اقتضى سخاؤك فيها

نعم ما اقتضى سخاؤك فيها

مطل وعد ولا سؤالي ردّا

مطل وعد ولا سؤالي ردّا

Favors your generosity bestowed with neither

Indeed, your generosity continues to give,

Delay in a promise nor refusal of my request.

With promise and without me asking.

هنّ علمنني اقتراح الاماني

هنّ علمنني اقتراح الاماني

واقتناص الآمال ما شئت صيدا

واقتناص الآمال ما شئت صيدا

They taught me to voice my wishes,

You have taught me to envision wishes,

And hunt down hopes, taking whatever prey I wished.

And seize hopes - hunt whatever prey I desire.

ولي الآن حاجة إن ينلها

ولي الآن حاجة إن ينلها

منك عطف يصادف النجح قصدا

منك عطف يصادف النجح قصدا

And now I have a need; if it receives

And now I have a need - if fulfilled

Kindness from you, it will find the success it seeks.

By your grace, it will meet success, as intended.

قد أحاط العلم الشريف بما بي

قد أحاط العلم الشريف بما بي

من تنائي الأمين عني بعدا

من تنائي الأمين عني بعدا

Your noble awareness already encompasses my plight:

Scholarly knowledge has encompassed what was

Al-Amin's separation far from me,

Far from the honest man - distance caused sorrow.

وسقام عراه من سوء مثوى

وسقام عراه من سوء مثوى

بلدة أورثته بؤساً وجهداً

بلدة أورثته بؤساً وجهداً

And the illness that befell him from a wretched abode—

Illness from a miserable abode

A town that bequeathed him misery and hardship.

Has burdened the town, and him, with misery and toil.

ولقد جادلي بوعدك لفظ

ولقد جادلي بوعدك لفظ

كانتظام الدر المنضد عقدا

كانتظام الدر المنضد عقدا

And indeed, an utterance graced me with your promise—

Your words assured me, like pearls

Like pearls arranged and strung into a necklace—

Perfectly strung together in a necklace.

باجتماع للشمل في مصر لازل

باجتماع للشمل في مصر لازل

ت جميع الشمل الكريم المفدّى

ت جميع الشمل الكريم المفدّى

Of reuniting the family in Egypt; may you ever remain

Of a reunion in Egypt - I still hope

United with your household, noble and cherished.

To reunite with the generous, beloved family.

وهو وعد جلا الأماني أمامي

وهو وعد جلا الأماني أمامي

واراني ما رمت أمراً معدّا

واراني ما رمت أمراً معدّا

And it is a promise that unveiled wishes before me,

A promise that revealed my wishes,

And showed me what I sought as already prepared.

Showing me what I had not imagined.

وأرى فرصة الوفاء استجابت

وأرى فرصة الوفاء استجابت

لك طوعاً وصدّقت لك وعدا

لك طوعاً وصدّقت لك وعدا

And I see the opportunity for fulfillment has answered

I see the opportunity to fulfill,

You willingly, and confirmed your promise.

Responding willingly to your promise.

فأغننى وأوف لازلت للآ

فأغننى وأوف لازلت للآ

مال غيثا وللامانيّ وردا

مال غيثا وللامانيّ وردا

So meet my need and keep your promise; may you ever be

So enrich me, and fulfill while I still

Rain for hopes, and water for wishes.

Hope for rain, and for my wishes, roses.

وتقبل فضلا ضراعة عبد

وتقبل فضلا ضراعة عبد

جعل المدح والدعا لك وردا

جعل المدح والدعا لك وردا

And graciously accept the supplication of a servant

Accept, please, the plea of a servant

Who has made praise and prayer for you his daily litany.

Who has made praise and prayer for you habitual.