مَن يَمنَعُ اللَيثَ أَن يَعتَزَّ أَو يَثِبا

ما قيمَةُ السَيفِ إِن جَرَّدتَهُ فَنَبا

Who can prevent the lion from being proud or leaping?

Of what use is the sword if you unsheathe it then put it aside?

مَن يُمسِكُ العَرشَ إِن هَزَّت دَعائِمَهُ

هوجُ العَظائِمِ وَالأَهوالِ فَاِنقَلَبا

Who can hold the throne if its pillars tremble?

It is shaken by violent storms and horrors then overturned.

مَن يَحفَظُ التاجَ إِن أَلوى بِهِ قَدَرٌ

يَرمي بِهِ صُعُداً في الجَوِّ أَو صَبَبا

Who can protect the crown if fate hurls it aloft

Tossing it through the air or pouring it down?

مَن يَحرُسُ المُلكَ إِن هَمَّت بِحَوزَتِهِ

سَوالِبُ المَلِكِ الجَبّارِ ما سَلَبا

Who can guard the kingdom if the ruthless despoilers

Of the Almighty King have plundered and robbed?

يا آلَ عُثمانَ مِن تُركٍ وَمِن عَرَبٍ

وَأَيُّ شَعبٍ يُساوي التُركَ وَالعَرَبا

O House of Osman, of Turks and Arabs,

What people equals the Turks and Arabs?

سوسوا الخِلافَةَ بِالشورى وَلا تَدَعوا

لِفِتنَةٍ في نَواحي المُلكِ مُضطَرِبا

Guide the caliphate through consultation and do not allow

Strife to spread through the realms of the kingdom.

وَالمُلكُ إِن رَفَعَ الدُستورُ حائِطَهُ

فَغايَةُ العَجزِ أَلّا يَبلُغَ الشُهُبا

If the polity raises barriers around itself

The ultimate disgrace is to fail to reach one’s goal.

إِنَّ الَّذي كانَ مِن عَدلٍ وَمِن شَطَطٍ

أَمسى تَوارى وَراءَ الدَهرِ وَاِحتَجَبا

That which was just and unjust

Has passed away, hidden behind the veil of time.

لا تَذكُروا ما مَضى مِن أَمرِكُم وَدَعوا

ما جَرَّ بِالأَمسِ حُكمُ الفَردِ أَو جَلَبا

Do not recall what of your affairs is past, and leave aside

The judgments of yesterday and what they brought.

لا تَكتُموا الحَقَّ وَاِرضوا عَن خَليفَتِكُم

وَاِقضوا لَهُ مِن حُقوقِ البِرِّ ما وَجَبا

Do not conceal the truth, be content with your caliph,

And grant him fully the rights due from devotion.

لَولا مَواضيهِ وَالأَهوالُ مُحدِقَةٌ

بِالمُلكِ أَصبَحَ في أَيدي العِدى سَلَبا

But for his defenses the enemies would be poised

To seize the kingdom and take it as spoils.

تَأَلَّبوا يَحسَبونَ اللَيثَ قَد وَهَنَت

مِنهُ القُوى فَرَأَوها قُوَّةً عَجَبا

Like jackals they imagined the lion weak

And saw in his strength something bizarre.

لا يَملِكونَ لَها رَدّاً إِذا اِنبَعَثَت

وَلا يُطيقونَ إِلّا المَوتَ وَالهَرَبا

They have no defense against it should it rouse to attack,

And can only flee or face death.

صونوا الهِلالَ وَزيدوا مَجدَهُ عَلَماً

لا مَجدَ مِن بَعدِهِ إِن ضاعَ أَو ذَهَبا

Protect the Crescent, magnify its glory as a sign—

Without it there is no glory if it fades or goes.

أَعَزَّهُ الفاتِحُ الغازي وَأَورَثَهُ

بَأساً يَرُدُّ عَلى أَعقابِها النُوَبا

The Conqueror, holy warrior, strengthened it

And endowed it with might to drive attackers away.

أَبو الخَلائِفِ ذو النورَينِ مورِثُنا

مُلكَ الهِلالِ وَهَذا المَجدَ وَالحَسَبا

Father of caliphs, doubly crowned, our inheritor

Of the Crescent’s kingdom, this glory and nobility.

نَومُ القَواضِبِ في أَغمادِها سَفَهٌ

وَإِنَّما يُحذَرُ الرِئبالُ إِن وَثَبا

The sleep of boats in their sheaths is foolishness

While it is reefs that should be feared if they surge.

يا تاجَ عُثمانَ إِنَّ اليَومَ مَوعِدُنا

فَجَدِّدِ العَهدَ وَالقَ الحُبَّ وَالرَغَبا

O Crown of Osman, today we keep our pact,

Renew the bond, excite love and passion anew.

لَو ضاعَ عَهدُكَ أَو حامَ الرَجاءُ بِنا

عَلى سِواكَ لَقينا الحَينَ وَالعَطَبا

Without your bond, if hope for us failed

In another, we would face ruin and decay.

لَكِن أَلَذُّ عُهودِ القَومِ أَحدَثُها

وَأَصدَقُ الحُبِّ حُبٌّ يَصدَعُ الرِيَبا

But the sweetest pact for a people is the latest,

And truest love is a love that conquers doubt.

طالَ المَدى وَتَمَشَّت بَينَنا تُهَمٌ

لَولا الهَوى لَم تَدَع قُربى وَلا نَسَبا

Great was the gulf, suspicions came between us—

But for passion, kinship and lineage would not remain.

اليَومَ نَنسَخُ ما قالَ الوُشاةُ لَنا

وَنَترُكُ الظَنَّ إِن صِدقاً وَإِن كَذِبا

Today we refute what detractors told us

And spurn conjecture be it truth or lies.

مَنِ البَواسِلُ هَزَّ الأَرضَ ما صَنَعوا

وَغادَرَ الفَلَكَ الدَوّارَ مُرتَعِبا

Which of the champions shook the world they acted in

And left the spinning dome of heaven in fear?

تَأَلَّبوا كَأُسودِ الغابِ وَاِنطَلَقوا

تَدمى القَواضِبُ في أَيمانِهِم غَضِبا

Like the lions of the forest they sprang forth

With their threshing sledges aflame with anger.

هَبّوا سِراعاً وَشَبّوها مُؤَجَّجَةً

يَزيدُها بِأسُهُم في يَلدَزٍ لَهَبا

Swiftly they surged, fanning the sparks within,

Their valor feeds the blaze of purpose.

هُم أَحكَموا الرَأيَ وَالتَدبيرَ وَاِتَّخَذوا

لِكُلِّ ما اِعتَزَموا مِن مَطلَبٍ سَبَبا

Prudent their counsel, apt their plans, for everything

They set out to achieve they secured the means.

صانوا الدِماءَ فَلَولا اللَهُ لَاِنبَجَسَت

تَعلو اليَفاعَ وَتَروي القاعَ وَالكُثُبا

They spared blood, else but for God blood would have flowed

To flood the plains and soak the hills.

حَيِّ الغَطارِفَةَ الأَبرارَ مُحتَفِلاً

وَرَدِّدِ الحَمدَ مُختاراً وَمُنتَخَبا

Acclaim the virtuous elite in celebration,

And voice thanks to the elect and chosen ones.

وَناجِ واضِحَةَ اللَّبَّاتِ حاسِرَةً

عَن مُشرِقاتٍ تَرُدُّ البَدرَ مُنتَقِبا

Court the radiant-cheeked beauties, unveiled,

Dawning upon us, putting the full moons to shame.

الناهِضاتِ إِلى الأَبطالِ هاتِفَةً

وَالطائِفاتِ عَلى آثارِهِم عُصَبا

Rising to meet the heroes, quick to call them,

And orbiting their footsteps, a sacred bond.

مُحَجَّباتٌ دَعاها المَجدُ فَاِبتَدَرَت

وَلِلجَلالِ حِجابٌ فَوقَها ضُرِبا

Veiled though glory called them and they rushed to answer—

To majesty itself there is a veil.

بَناتُ قَومِيَ ما يَغفَلنَ مَفخَرَةً

وَلا يَدَعنَ سَبيلَ الحَمدِ مُجتَنِبا

Daughters of my people do not forget excellence

Or neglect to give thanks and praise.

المُنجِباتُ حُماةَ المُلكِ يَندُبُهُم

لِلنّائِباتِ فَيَلقى النَصرَ مُنتَدِبا

Mothers of the guardians of the realm urging them on

To meet foes, and so gain victory.

بُشرى المَشارِقِ إِنَّ البَعثَ مُدرِكُها

وَبارَكَ اللَهُ في النُعمى الَّتي وَهَبا

Good tidings of the Orient: that day is coming,

And God bless the favors He granted!