نجومُ علاكَ قد طلعَتْ سعودا

نجومُ علاكَ قد طلعَتْ سعودا

وعَرْفُ ثَناك فينا فاحَ عودا

وعَرْفُ ثَناك فينا فاحَ عودا

The stars of your eminence have risen auspiciously,

The stars of your glory have risen auspiciously,

And the fragrance of your praise has spread among us like aloeswood.

And the fragrance of your excellence among us has perfumed abundantly.

فأبْلِ حوادثَ الأيام والبَسْ

فأبْلِ حوادثَ الأيام والبَسْ

رِداءَ الفضلِ فضفاضاً جديدا

رِداءَ الفضلِ فضفاضاً جديدا

So outlast the vicissitudes of the days, and don

So announce the events of time, and don

The robe of excellence, ample and new.

The garment of virtue openly and anew.

وطالِعْ أوجُهَ الأعوامِ بيضاً

وطالِعْ أوجُهَ الأعوامِ بيضاً

فقد طلعَتْ لمَنْ عاداكَ سُودا

فقد طلعَتْ لمَنْ عاداكَ سُودا

And behold the faces of the years, white,

And greet the faces of years with whiteness,

For they have dawned black for whoever opposes you.

For they have risen black for those who opposed you.

فأنت ابنُ السعيدِ أخو المعالي

فأنت ابنُ السعيدِ أخو المعالي

ومَن أضحى كوالدِه سعيدا

ومَن أضحى كوالدِه سعيدا

For you are the son of al-Saʿid, brother to lofty honors,

You are the son of the fortunate, the brother of glories,

And one who has become fortunate like his father.

And one who, like his father, became happy.

بنيتَ المُلْكَ بالعزَماتِ قصراً

بنيتَ المُلْكَ بالعزَماتِ قصراً

وأعليتَ البِناءَ به المَشيدا

وأعليتَ البِناءَ به المَشيدا

Through resolve you built kingship into a palace,

With resolves you built sovereignty a palace,

And thereby raised its lofty edifice high.

And with it you elevated the structure, raising it high.

رسا فوقَ الصّعيدِ وطالَ حتى

رسا فوقَ الصّعيدِ وطالَ حتى

تخطّى النجمَ مرتفعاً صُعودا

تخطّى النجمَ مرتفعاً صُعودا

It stood firm above the ground and rose until

It settled atop the plains and reached so high

It passed beyond the stars, ascending ever higher.

It surpassed the stars, climbing loftily.

ومثلُك من تقلّد بالمعالي

ومثلُك من تقلّد بالمعالي

فريداً حالياً منها فريدا

فريداً حالياً منها فريدا

And one like you decks himself with lofty honors,

And one like you, when assuming glories,

A choice pearl, adorned with them and peerless.

Is unique now among them, singular indeed.

غمامٌ في ندًى ورديٍّ تراه

غمامٌ في ندًى ورديٍّ تراه

مفيداً للرغائب أو مبيدا

مفيداً للرغائب أو مبيدا

A cloud amid rose-colored dew: you see him

A cloud in dewy roseate hue it seems,

Fulfilling desires or dealing destruction.

Benefiting hopes or eradicating them.

وسيدُ معشر ما قال إلا

وسيدُ معشر ما قال إلا

رأينا سيّداً قد صار سِيدا

رأينا سيّداً قد صار سِيدا

And a people's lord: whenever he speaks,

The chief of an assemblage who did not say

We see a lord transformed into a wolf.

Except we saw a master become a master indeed.

يفوّق رأيَهُ في الخطب سهماً

يفوّق رأيَهُ في الخطب سهماً

سديداً في مقاتلِه شديدا

سديداً في مقاتلِه شديدا

He nocks his judgment as an arrow in grave affairs,

His view in calamities surpasses arrows—

Unerring in its deadly strikes, forceful.

A sure shot against his staunch foes.

ويفترسُ الأسودَ بمُرهَفاتِ

ويفترسُ الأسودَ بمُرهَفاتِ

من العَزَماتِ تفترسُ الأسودا

من العَزَماتِ تفترسُ الأسودا

And he preys upon lions with keen-edged blades

He savages lions with his piercing

Of resolve that prey upon lions.

Resolves that savage the lions.

وينشئُ من مثارِ النّقْع سُحْباً

وينشئُ من مثارِ النّقْع سُحْباً

تُسحُّ دماً تبُلُّ به الصّعيدا

تُسحُّ دماً تبُلُّ به الصّعيدا

And he raises clouds from the stirred-up dust,

And from the fruits of palms he produces clouds

Pouring blood that drenches the ground.

That rain blood, drenching the plains with it.

إذا سُلّتْ صوارمُه بُروقاً

إذا سُلّتْ صوارمُه بُروقاً

أعانَتْها صواهِلُه رعودا

أعانَتْها صواهِلُه رعودا

When his sharp swords are drawn as lightning flashes,

When his swords are unsheathed lightning,

His neighing steeds aid them as thunderclaps.

His panels support them with thunder.

بكلِّ أشمّ ما صديَتْ ظُباه

بكلِّ أشمّ ما صديَتْ ظُباه

فأوردَ هيمَها إلا الوريدا

فأوردَ هيمَها إلا الوريدا

With every proud warrior whose sword-edges never thirst

With every fierce lion his swords encountered,

Without his bringing their thirsty edges to the jugular alone.

He made their lifeblood pour out abundantly.

وأبلجَ كالصباحِ أضاءَ منه

وأبلجَ كالصباحِ أضاءَ منه

عمودٌ فاجتليناهُ عميدا

عمودٌ فاجتليناهُ عميدا

And a radiant man, like morning: from him shone

And like the dawn he illuminated brilliantly,

A shaft of light, and we beheld him as a leader.

A pillar we saw erected firmly.

جنودٌ بات ياسرٌ المُعلّى

جنودٌ بات ياسرٌ المُعلّى

مع الأيام يُتبِعُها جنودا

مع الأيام يُتبِعُها جنودا

Armies—the player holding the highest gaming lot spends the night

An army Yaser spent the nights

Gaming with the days, sending more armies after them.

Pursuing days with troops.

بها كبتَ الحسودَ ومن يصرِّفْ

بها كبتَ الحسودَ ومن يصرِّفْ

جنودَ النصرِ قد كبتَ الحَسودا

جنودَ النصرِ قد كبتَ الحَسودا

With them he humbled the envious man; and whoever deploys

With it you subdued the envious and those

The hosts of victory has humbled the envious man.

Who turn the troops of victory—you subdued the envious.

فيابْنَ بلال الملكُ الذي قد

فيابْنَ بلال الملكُ الذي قد

شأى آباءَه وشأى الجُدودا

شأى آباءَه وشأى الجُدودا

So, O son of Bilal, the king who has

O son of Bilal, the sovereign whose

Surpassed his fathers and surpassed his forefathers.

Ancestors were illustrious, and their ancestors too.

إليك قدِ ارتمَتْ مسلى مسالي

إليك قدِ ارتمَتْ مسلى مسالي

فجاوزَتِ التّهائمَ والنُجودا

فجاوزَتِ التّهائمَ والنُجودا

Toward you has sped the solace of my solaces [wording uncertain],

To you have inclined the solace of hopes,

And crossed the lowlands and the highlands.

Surpassing the aspirations and ambitions.

وقد عوّدْتَني إسداءَ فضلٍ

وقد عوّدْتَني إسداءَ فضلٍ

أعيشُ به وظنّي أن يعودا

أعيشُ به وظنّي أن يعودا

And you have accustomed me to bestowing bounty

You accustomed me to constant kindness

By which I live, and I expect it to return.

With which I live, expecting its return.

وإن لم أغْدُ فيك لبيدَ عصري

وإن لم أغْدُ فيك لبيدَ عصري

فكُنْ لي أنت وُفِّقْتَ الوليدا

فكُنْ لي أنت وُفِّقْتَ الوليدا

And if I have not become, in praising you, the Labid of my age,

If I do not survive the era,

Then be al-Walid to me—may you be granted success.

Be to me as you were guided, O Valiant One.

فقد أضحَتْ ملوكُ الأرض طُرّاً

فقد أضحَتْ ملوكُ الأرض طُرّاً

لديك على نفاستِها عَبيدا

لديك على نفاستِها عَبيدا

For the kings of the earth have all become

For the kings of earth have become

Slaves before you, despite their precious worth.

Your obedient servants, despite their prestige.

ومثلُك من تلبّيه الأماني

ومثلُك من تلبّيه الأماني

رُكوعاً حولَ كعبتِه سُجودا

رُكوعاً حولَ كعبتِه سُجودا

And one like you has wishes answer his call,

And one like you, whom hopes obey

Bowing and prostrating themselves around his Kaaba.

Bowing around his shrine in prostration.

وخذْ مني عُقوداً من كلامٍ

وخذْ مني عُقوداً من كلامٍ

يفوقُ على نفاستِه العُقودا

يفوقُ على نفاستِه العُقودا

And take from me necklaces of words

So take from me strands of words

That surpass necklaces in their preciousness.

That surpass jewels in purity.

فقد نُظِمَ الكرامُ فكنت بيتاً

فقد نُظِمَ الكرامُ فكنت بيتاً

هو المعنى وإن كانوا القصيدا

هو المعنى وإن كانوا القصيدا

For the noble have been strung together, and you became a verse

For the generous were composed into a verse

That is the meaning, though they are the poem.

That is meaning, though they are the ode.