أحوالُ مجدِكَ في العُلُّوِّ سَواءُ

أحوالُ مجدِكَ في العُلُّوِّ سَواءُ

يومٌ أَغَرُّ وشيمَةٌ غَرَّاءُ

يومٌ أَغَرُّ وشيمَةٌ غَرَّاءُ

Every state of your glory is equally exalted.

All aspects of your glory are equally lofty:

Your day is radiant, your character resplendent.

a radiant day and a radiant disposition.

أصبحتَ أعلى الناس قِمَّةَ سُؤدُدٍ

أصبحتَ أعلى الناس قِمَّةَ سُؤدُدٍ

والناسُ بعدَكَ كلُّهم أكفَاءُ

والناسُ بعدَكَ كلُّهم أكفَاءُ

You have become the highest of men, at the summit of lordship;

You have become the highest peak of nobility among men,

after you, all other men are merely peers.

and all men beneath you are equals.

أيمينُكَ البحرُ الخضمُّ إذا طمتْ

أيمينُكَ البحرُ الخضمُّ إذا طمتْ

أمواجُهُ أم صدرُكَ الدَّهناءُ

أمواجُهُ أم صدرُكَ الدَّهناءُ

Is your right hand the fathomless sea when

Is your right hand the vast sea in the surge of

its billows surge—or is your breast al-Dahna?

its waves, or is your breast al-Dahna?

أَذْكرْتَنا شِيَمَ اللَّيالي في النَّدى

أَذْكرْتَنا شِيَمَ اللَّيالي في النَّدى

والبأسِ إذ هي شِدَّةٌ ورَخاءُ

والبأسِ إذ هي شِدَّةٌ ورَخاءُ

You recalled for us the virtues of nights gone by—in bounty,

You reminded us of the ways of nights in bounty

and in valor, whether the times be hardship or ease.

and might, for they are hardship and ease.

نَسَبٌ أضاءَ عَمودُه في رِفعةٍ

نَسَبٌ أضاءَ عَمودُه في رِفعةٍ

كالصُّبحِ فيه ترفُّعٌ وضِياءُ

كالصُّبحِ فيه ترفُّعٌ وضِياءُ

A lineage whose pillar shone aloft,

A lineage whose pillar shone on high,

like dawn, combining loftiness and radiance.

like dawn, possessing loftiness and radiance.

وشمائلٌ شَهِدَ العدوُّ بفَضْلِها

وشمائلٌ شَهِدَ العدوُّ بفَضْلِها

والفضلُ ما شَهِدَتْ به الأعداءُ

والفضلُ ما شَهِدَتْ به الأعداءُ

And qualities whose excellence the enemy attested—

And virtues whose excellence the enemy attested—

excellence is what one’s enemies attest.

excellence is what enemies bear witness to.

وإذا عَبسْتَ فصارِمٌ ومَنِيَّةٌ

وإذا عَبسْتَ فصارِمٌ ومَنِيَّةٌ

وإذا ابتسمْتَ فمَوعِدٌ وعَطاءُ

وإذا ابتسمْتَ فمَوعِدٌ وعَطاءُ

When you frown, there are sword and death;

And when you frown, you are a keen sword and death;

when you smile, promise and gift.

and when you smile, a promise and a gift.

وبنو قُبَيْصَةَ معشرٌ أخلاقُهُم

وبنو قُبَيْصَةَ معشرٌ أخلاقُهُم

سيلٌ فمنه حَياً ومنه دِماءُ

سيلٌ فمنه حَياً ومنه دِماءُ

The sons of Qubayṣa are a people whose nature is

And the sons of Qubaysa are a people whose dispositions

a torrent: in part life-giving rain, in part blood.

are a torrent: part rain, part blood.

وإذا تتابَعتِ النَّوائبُ أحسَنوا

وإذا تتابَعتِ النَّوائبُ أحسَنوا

وإذا تشاجَرتِ الرِّماحُ أساؤوا

وإذا تشاجَرتِ الرِّماحُ أساؤوا

When calamities follow one another, they act nobly;

And when calamities follow one another, they do good;

when spears interlock, they wreak havoc.

and when spears clash, they do harm.

فَضَلَتْ ليالي القَصْفِ ليلتُكَ التي

فَضَلَتْ ليالي القَصْفِ ليلتُكَ التي

هي في المحاسنِ غادَةٌ حَسناءُ

هي في المحاسنِ غادَةٌ حَسناءُ

Your night surpassed all nights of revelry—that night which,

Your night surpassed the nights of revelry—a night that

among beauties, is a graceful, lovely maiden.

is, among beauties, a tender, lovely maiden.

رَقَّتْ غياهبُها فهنَّ غَلائلٌ

رَقَّتْ غياهبُها فهنَّ غَلائلٌ

وسَخَتْ جنائِبُها فهنَّ رَخاءُ

وسَخَتْ جنائِبُها فهنَّ رَخاءُ

Its depths of darkness grew delicate, becoming gauzy robes;

Its depths of darkness thinned into sheer robes;

its expanses opened wide, becoming spacious.

and its south winds gave freely, becoming gentle breezes.

وُصِفَتْ لكَ اللذّاتُ بينَ غَرائبٍ

وُصِفَتْ لكَ اللذّاتُ بينَ غَرائبٍ

للعيشِ في أفيائِهنَّ صَفاءُ

للعيشِ في أفيائِهنَّ صَفاءُ

Pleasures came clear to you amid marvels,

Pleasures were described to you amid wonders,

and life within their courtyards was serenity.

in whose shade life finds serenity.

بِرَكٌ تحلَّتْ بالكواكبِ أرضُها

بِرَكٌ تحلَّتْ بالكواكبِ أرضُها

فَأَرَتْكَ وجهَ الأرضِ وهو سَماءُ

فَأَرَتْكَ وجهَ الأرضِ وهو سَماءُ

Pools whose earth was adorned with stars

Pools whose floors were adorned with stars

showed you the face of earth transformed into sky.

showed you the face of the earth, itself a sky.

رُفِعَتْ إلى الجوزاء فوَّاراتُها

رُفِعَتْ إلى الجوزاء فوَّاراتُها

عُمُداً تُصابُ بصَوْبِها الجَوزاءُ

عُمُداً تُصابُ بصَوْبِها الجَوزاءُ

Their fountains were raised as high as Gemini,

Their fountain jets were raised to al-Jawza,

columns whose falling streams struck Gemini itself.

as columns whose showers strike al-Jawza.

كادَتْ ترُدُّ على الحَيا أَعْطَافَهُ

كادَتْ ترُدُّ على الحَيا أَعْطَافَهُ

لو لم يُمِلْ أعْطَافَهُنَّ حَياءُ

لو لم يُمِلْ أعْطَافَهُنَّ حَياءُ

They nearly turned their graceful flanks back upon the rain,

They would almost turn the rain's flanks back upon it,

had modesty not bent those flanks.

had modesty not bent their own flanks.

مثلَ القَنا الخَطِّيِّ قُوِّمَ مَيلُهُ

مثلَ القَنا الخَطِّيِّ قُوِّمَ مَيلُهُ

وجَرَتْ عليه الفِضَّةُ البَيضاءُ

وجَرَتْ عليه الفِضَّةُ البَيضاءُ

Their curves were straightened to resemble Khatti lances,

Like spears of al-Khatt, their bend straightened,

and white silver flowed over them.

with white silver flowing over them.

حتى إذا انتشرتْ جلابيبُ الدُّجى

حتى إذا انتشرتْ جلابيبُ الدُّجى

وتكاثَفَتْ من دونِها الظَّلماءُ

وتكاثَفَتْ من دونِها الظَّلماءُ

Until, when night’s trailing robes spread

Until, when the robes of darkness spread

and darkness thickened before them,

and blackness thickened beneath them,

فرَّجْتَها بصائحٍ إن تَعتَلِلْ

فرَّجْتَها بصائحٍ إن تَعتَلِلْ

فلهنَّ من ضَرْبِ الرِّقابِ شِفاءُ

فلهنَّ من ضَرْبِ الرِّقابِ شِفاءُ

you cleft it with broad blades which, should they fall ill,

you dispelled it with a crier; should they ail,

find healing in the striking of necks.

their cure lies in striking off their necks:

شَمعاً حملتَ على الرِّماحِ رماحَه

شَمعاً حملتَ على الرِّماحِ رماحَه

فقدودُهُنَّ وما حملْنَ سَواءُ

فقدودُهُنَّ وما حملْنَ سَواءُ

Candles—you mounted their lances upon lances,

candles—you bore their spears upon spears,

their slender forms and what they carried equal in stature.

so their shafts and what they bore were equal in height.

لقيَ النجومَ وقد طَلعْنَ بمثلِها

لقيَ النجومَ وقد طَلعْنَ بمثلِها

وأعادَ جِنحَ اللَّيلِ وهو ضَحاءُ

وأعادَ جِنحَ اللَّيلِ وهو ضَحاءُ

They met the stars as those stars rose with their like,

They met the stars, already risen, with their like,

and turned the wing of night into broad daylight.

and turned the wing of night into broad daylight.

يا سيِّدَ الوزراءِ نِلْتَ من العُلى

يا سيِّدَ الوزراءِ نِلْتَ من العُلى

والمجدِ ما يَعيا به الوزراءُ

والمجدِ ما يَعيا به الوزراءُ

O master of the viziers, you attained such heights

O master of ministers, you have attained such eminence

of exaltation and glory as leave viziers powerless.

and glory as ministers cannot attain.

هي ليلةٌ لا زِلْتَ تَلبَسُ مثلَها

هي ليلةٌ لا زِلْتَ تَلبَسُ مثلَها

في نِعمَةٍ وُصِلَتْ بها السَّرَّاءُ

في نِعمَةٍ وُصِلَتْ بها السَّرَّاءُ

It is a night whose like may you never cease to wear,

Such a night—may you never cease to wear its like,

amid blessing, with prosperity joined to it.

in prosperity to which happiness is joined.

أغنيتَ قوماً حينَ هَزَّ غناؤُها

أغنيتَ قوماً حينَ هَزَّ غناؤُها

عِطْفَيْكَ رُبَّ غِنىً حَداه غِناءُ

عِطْفَيْكَ رُبَّ غِنىً حَداه غِناءُ

You enriched a people when singing stirred

You enriched a people when the night's singing stirred

your two sides—many a wealth has song urged onward.

your flanks—many a fortune has been driven along by song.

وقطعتَها والليلُ يصدعُ قلبَه

وقطعتَها والليلُ يصدعُ قلبَه

ضدانِ نارٌ تستنيرُ وماءُ

ضدانِ نارٌ تستنيرُ وماءُ

You traversed it while night had its heart split

And you spent it while night's heart was cleft

by two opposites: fire that gives light, and water.

by two opposites: shining fire and water.

نَعَمَ البريَّةُ في بَقائِكَ فلتَدُمْ

نَعَمَ البريَّةُ في بَقائِكَ فلتَدُمْ

لهُمُ بطولِ بقائِك النَّعماءُ

لهُمُ بطولِ بقائِك النَّعماءُ

Creation lives in bliss through your survival; so may there endure

Humankind prospers while you live; may there endure

for them, through your long survival, every blessing.

for them, through your long life, good fortune.