كَتَبْتُ إِلىَ عِيسَى الشَّرِيفِ مُسَلِّماً

كَتَبْتُ إِلىَ عِيسَى الشَّرِيفِ مُسَلِّماً

عَلَيْهِ عَلَى ذِي غِرَّةٍ تُخْجِلُ الْغُرَرْ

عَلَيْهِ عَلَى ذِي غِرَّةٍ تُخْجِلُ الْغُرَرْ

I wrote to ʿĪsā al-Sharīf, offering greetings

I wrote to the noble Jesus submitting

I wrote to the noble Isa, offering greetings of peace

to him—to one whose radiant brow puts shining brows to shame.

To him, to one with a radiant face that puts gleams to shame,

Upon him, whose radiant countenance puts all other radiant faces to shame,

وَحَمَّلْت رَكْباً قَدْ نَوَوْهُ تَحِيَّةً

وَحَمَّلْت رَكْباً قَدْ نَوَوْهُ تَحِيَّةً

يَضُوعُ بِهَا أُفْقُ الجَزَائِرِ فيِ السَّحَرْ

يَضُوعُ بِهَا أُفْقُ الجَزَائِرِ فيِ السَّحَرْ

And I entrusted a riding party bound for him with a greeting,

And I loaded a caravan, which I intended as a greeting,

And I entrusted a caravan journeying toward him with a salutation

with which the horizon of Algiers grows fragrant before dawn.

With which the horizons of the islands shine at dawn,

That perfumes the horizon of Algiers at the break of dawn.

مُضَمَّنُهَا حَمْدٌ وَمُوجِبُهَا هَوىً

مُضَمَّنُهَا حَمْدٌ وَمُوجِبُهَا هَوىً

وَأَنْفَاسُهَا مِسْكٌ وَأَلْفَاظُهَا دُرَرْ

وَأَنْفَاسُهَا مِسْكٌ وَأَلْفَاظُهَا دُرَرْ

Its content is praise, and its motive is love;

Containing within it praise, and its requirement love,

Its essence is praise, and its inspiration is affection,

its breaths are musk, and its words are pearls.

And its breaths are musk, and its words pearls.

Its breaths are musk, and its words are pearls.