1. هذي المكَارِمُ والعَليَاءُ تَفتَخِرُ

    بيَومِ مأثرةٍ ساعاتُه غُرَرُ

    These noble deeds and high glory take pride

    In a day of noble achievement whose hours are radiant.

  2. يومٌ تَبَسَّمَ عنه الدَّهرُ واجتَمَعَت

    له السُّعودُ أغضتُ دونه الغِر

    A day that Time revealed with a smile, and there gathered

    For it good fortunes; the radiant ones lowered their gaze before it [reading uncertain].

  3. حتَّى كأنا نَرَى في كلِّ مُلتَفَتٍ

    رَوضاً تَفَتَّحَ في أثنائِه الزَّهَرُ

    Until we seemed to see, at every turn,

    A garden with flowers blossoming throughout it.

  4. لَمَّا تجلىَّ عن الآمالُ مُشرقةً

    قال العلا بك أستَعِلى وأقتدرُ

    When it shone forth from radiant hopes [wording unclear],

    Glory said: “Through you I rise higher and gain power.”

  5. وافَى على غيرِ ميعادٍ يُبَشِّرُنَا

    بأن سَتَتبعَهُ أمثالُه الأُخَرُ

    It came at no appointed time, bringing us glad tidings

    That others like it would follow.

  6. أهنا الَمسَرَّةَ ما جاءت مُفَاجَأَة

    وما تَنَاجَت بها الألفاظُ والفِكَرُ

    The sweetest joy is that which comes unexpectedly,

    Of which neither words nor thoughts had whispered.

  7. ولو أن بُشرَى تَلَقَّتنا بمورِدِها

    لأَقبَلت نحوها الأفراحُ تَبتَدِرُ

    Had glad tidings greeted us with word of its coming,

    Joys would have rushed toward them, racing to be first.

  8. وما يُعَنَّفُ مَن يسخو بُمهجته

    فإنَّ يَومَك هذا وحده عُمُرُ

    And none is rebuked for giving his very lifeblood,

    For this day of yours, by itself, is a lifetime.

  9. لما غَدَوتَ وماءُ العينِ ملتًفتٌ

    إلا إلى منظرٍ يُبهِي ويُحتَبَرُ

    When you went forth, the eye’s moisture turned

    Only toward a sight that dazzles and delights.

  10. ثَنَت مَهَابَتُكَ الأبصارَ حَاسرةً

    حتى تبيَّن في ألحاظِها خَزَرُ

    Your awe-inspiring presence turned their gazes back, exhausted,

    Until a sidelong squint showed in their glances.

  11. إذا تأمَّلتَهم أغضوا وإن نظروا

    خلالَ ذاك بأدنى لَفتَةٍ نظروا

    Whenever you studied them, they lowered their eyes; and if they looked,

    Amid all this, they looked with the slightest turn.

  12. في ملبس ما رأتهُ عينُ معترضٍ

    فشكَّ في أَنَّه أخلاقُك الزُّهَرُ

    In a robe no onlooker’s eye could behold

    And doubt that it was your radiant virtues.

  13. ألبستهُ منك نوراً يستضيء به

    كما أضاءَ نواحي مُزنِهِ القَمَرُ

    You clothed it in light from yourself, by which it shines,

    As the moon illuminates the reaches of its rainclouds.

  14. وقد تقَلَّدتَ عضباً أنت مَضرِبهُ

    وعنك يأخذُ ما يأتي وما يَذَرُ

    And you had girded on a keen sword: you are its striking edge,

    And from you it learns what to do and what to leave.

  15. ما زال يزدادُ من إشراق شُفرَتِه

    زَهواً ويظهرُ فيه التِّيهُ والأشَرُ

    It kept growing, through the radiance of its blade,

    In pride, displaying haughtiness and exuberance.

  16. والشمسُ تَحسُدُ طرفاً أنت راكبُهُ

    حتى تكادَ من الأفلاكِ تنحدرُ

    And the sun envies the steed you ride,

    Until it almost descends from the heavenly spheres.

  17. حتى لقد خِلتُ أن الشمسَ أزعجها

    شوقٌ فظلَّت على عِطفَيه تنتَثرُ

    So much that I truly thought the sun had been stirred

    By longing, so it kept scattering itself over the steed’s two flanks.

  18. دعوتُ فِكري فلم أحمد إجابتَهُ

    لكنَّه بَعدَ لأي جَاءَ يَعتذِرُ

    I summoned my thought, but found its response wanting;

    Yet after much difficulty it came making excuses.

  19. لا تُنكرن مع عاينت لي حَصَراً

    فَلَيسَ يسكرُ في أمثاله الحَصَرُ

    Do not find my speechlessness strange amid what you witnessed;

    For speechlessness does not grow drunk on such occasions [wording unclear].