يا ماجداً نجهدُ في وصفه

يا ماجداً نجهدُ في وصفه

وفضله من بعد ذا أوفى

وفضله من بعد ذا أوفى

O noble man whom we strive to describe,

O Majid we strive to describe him

yet his merit, beyond this, is greater still.

And his virtues none after was more loyal

ما اسمٌ إذا ما رمت إيضاحه

ما اسمٌ إذا ما رمت إيضاحه

عز وعن فكرك لا يخفى

عز وعن فكرك لا يخفى

What name, when you seek to make it clear,

What name when you want to explain it

proves elusive, yet is not hidden from your mind?

Mighty and beyond your thoughts unobscured

وهو رباعي وفي لفظه

وهو رباعي وفي لفظه

تراه حقاً ناقصاً حرفا

تراه حقاً ناقصاً حرفا

It has four letters, and in its pronunciation

It's a quatrain and in its wording

you find it truly one letter short.

You'll find it's truly missing a letter

صحفه واحذف ربعه تلقه

صحفه واحذف ربعه تلقه

مدينةً كم قد حوت ظرفا

مدينةً كم قد حوت ظرفا

Alter its dots and remove a quarter of it: you will find

Misspell it and omit a quarter take it

a city that has held so much refinement.

A city how much capacity has it offered

وهذه البلدة تصحيفه

وهذه البلدة تصحيفه

خلق يفوت الحد والوصفا

خلق يفوت الحد والوصفا

And this city's name, with its dots altered,

And this town is its misspelling

is a disposition beyond measure and description.

A people exceeding bounds and depiction

وإن تصحف بعضها فهي ما

وإن تصحف بعضها فهي ما

زالت ترى في أذن شنفا

زالت ترى في أذن شنفا

And if you alter the dots on part of it, it has never

And if you misspell some of it, it's still what

ceased to appear in an ear as a pendant.

Remains seen in deaf people's ears

وذلك الإسم على حاله

وذلك الإسم على حاله

حرفه يرجع للضنى حلفا

حرفه يرجع للضنى حلفا

And that name, just as it stands—

And that name in its state

alter it, and it becomes an ally of wasting illness.

Its letter returns to reproach and oaths

لم ير ذا حرب وكم شب من

لم ير ذا حرب وكم شب من

نارٍ لغيره الروع ما تطفا

نارٍ لغيره الروع ما تطفا

It has never been seen at war, yet how often it has kindled

None saw the likes of war and how much grew from

for others a fire of terror that is never quenched.

A fire for others frightening never extinguished

وإن تشأ صحفه وانظر تجد

وإن تشأ صحفه وانظر تجد

خلقاً سوياً قط ما أغفى

خلقاً سوياً قط ما أغفى

And if you wish, alter its dots and look: you will find

And if you want misspell it and look you'll find

a well-formed creature that has never once dozed.

A people upright never once forgot

أبنه يا من فكره لم يزل

أبنه يا من فكره لم يزل

يرفع عن بكر النهى سجفا

يرفع عن بكر النهى سجفا

Explain it, O you whose thought has never ceased

His son O he whose thoughts never

to lift veils from the maiden of intellect.

Ceased to lift the unlawful ban aloft

لا زلت تبدي للورى كلما

لا زلت تبدي للورى كلما

يستوقف الأسماع والطرفا

يستوقف الأسماع والطرفا

May you never cease to show humankind all that

You still show the world whenever

captivates the ears and the eye.

It seizes ears and sights