عزمتَ باليُمنِ تحمي حوزة اليَمَنِ

عزمتَ باليُمنِ تحمي حوزة اليَمَنِ

وسرتَ والطالعَ المسعود في قرنِ

وسرتَ والطالعَ المسعود في قرنِ

You resolved, with good fortune, to defend Yemen's domain.

You resolved with auspiciousness to protect the territory of Yemen

And you marched in conjunction with the auspicious ascendant.

And you went forth, with the stars in your favor, in this age

لم يبقَ في اليمن الميمون ذو أشرٍ

لم يبقَ في اليمن الميمون ذو أشرٍ

من الفراعين إلاّ خرّ للذّقنِ

من الفراعين إلاّ خرّ للذّقنِ

No insolent man remained in blessed Yemen

No one remained in fortunate Yemen with any evil

among the pharaohs without falling upon his chin.

Among the chiefs except the one with the grey beard

وأصبحتْ ألسنُ الأيام منشدةٌ

وأصبحتْ ألسنُ الأيام منشدةٌ

هذي المكارمُ لا قعبان من لبن

هذي المكارمُ لا قعبان من لبن

And the tongues of the days began to chant:

And the tongues of the days began singing

These are noble deeds, not two bowls of milk.

These noble deeds not lies from any breast

فاحكم بما شئتَ في الأرضين نافذةً

فاحكم بما شئتَ في الأرضين نافذةً

لك الأوامرُ في شام وفي يمنِ

لك الأوامرُ في شام وفي يمنِ

So rule as you will throughout the lands; binding

So rule as you wish in the lands in full effect

are your commands in Sham and in Yemen.

For you are the commander in Syria and in Yemen

إنّ الولايةَ قد ألقت مقالدها

إنّ الولايةَ قد ألقت مقالدها

لم ترض غيرك كفواً من بني الحسنِ

لم ترض غيرك كفواً من بني الحسنِ

Indeed, rulership has surrendered her keys;

Indeed authority has cast off its trappings

she would accept no match but you among Hasan's descendants.

None would satisfy it as successor among the family of Hasan

تصدّ عنها وتأبَى وصلَها شرفاً

تصدّ عنها وتأبَى وصلَها شرفاً

وشوقها لكَ شوق العين لِلْوسنِ

وشوقها لكَ شوق العين لِلْوسنِ

You turn from her and nobly refuse union with her,

You held it back and refused it, honoring the tie

yet her longing for you is the eye's longing for slumber.

While it longed for you like the eye longs for kohl

وما الولاية من أمرٍ تُزان بهِ

وما الولاية من أمرٍ تُزان بهِ

فأنت زينتُها بل زينة الزّمنِ

فأنت زينتُها بل زينة الزّمنِ

Nor is rulership a thing that adorns you;

Authority is no matter to be weighed therewith

for you are her adornment—rather, the adornment of Time.

For you are its adornment, nay, the adornment of the age

هَلْ كان يدري الأُلى وُلِّيتَ أرضهمُ

هَلْ كان يدري الأُلى وُلِّيتَ أرضهمُ

بأنّهم قد سُقوا بالعارضِ الهتن

بأنّهم قد سُقوا بالعارضِ الهتن

Did those whose land you were appointed to govern know

Did the High One know, when you were given their lands

that they had been watered by a cloud of pouring rain?

That they were led to the flowing stream after the brackish spring?

ولأهم اللهُ مَلْكاً من بني حسنٍ

ولأهم اللهُ مَلْكاً من بني حسنٍ

نظيره في قديم الدَّهر لم يكنِ

نظيره في قديم الدَّهر لم يكنِ

God appointed over them a king from Hasan's line,

God gave a kingdom to the family of Hasan

whose like had never existed in ages past:

The like of which in bygone days did not exist

ما حِي قديم الأساطير التي رُقمتْ

ما حِي قديم الأساطير التي رُقمتْ

في سالِف الدهر عن سيف بن ذي يزن

في سالِف الدهر عن سيف بن ذي يزن

the effacer of the ancient legends that were inscribed

Where are the ancient legends that were written

in bygone times about Sayf ibn Dhi Yazan;

In days of yore about Sayf ibn Dhi Yazan

والمبتْنَي دونَ أملاك الورى شرفاً

والمبتْنَي دونَ أملاك الورى شرفاً

بناءَ عزّ على هامِ السّماك بُني

بناءَ عزّ على هامِ السّماك بُني

and he who, alone among mankind's kings, builds honor—

And he who built below the kingdoms of the world in nobility

an edifice of glory built upon al-Simak's crown;

A structure of glory upon the brow of al-Sammak

والصَّائِن العرض بالأموالِ يبذلها

والصَّائِن العرض بالأموالِ يبذلها

ورُبّ عرضٍ عن الأقوال لم يُصَنِ

ورُبّ عرضٍ عن الأقوال لم يُصَنِ

and he who guards his honor with the wealth he lavishes,

And the one who staked his honor on wealth and spent it

though many a reputation has gone unprotected from words;

While many staked their honor on words and did not guard it

والثّابت الجأش في حُمر الهياج فما

والثّابت الجأش في حُمر الهياج فما

يلقاهُ ذو البأسِ إلاّ وهو في الكفنِ

يلقاهُ ذو البأسِ إلاّ وهو في الكفنِ

and steadfast of heart amid battle's crimson tumult, so no

And the one firm of spirit amidst the plunging steeds, whom

man of valor meets him but is in his shroud.

No valiant man encountered except that he was in his shroud

من شنّفتْ أذُنُ الآدابِ فكرتُه

من شنّفتْ أذُنُ الآدابِ فكرتُه

من القريض بدرٍّ جلّ عن ثمنِ

من القريض بدرٍّ جلّ عن ثمنِ

He whose thought adorned the ear of letters

The one whose ears were hurt by the refined manners of literature

with pearls of verse beyond all price;

More than by the twanging of a string however valuable

مَلكٌ عَلاَ عن مداناة الملوك لَهُ

مَلكٌ عَلاَ عن مداناة الملوك لَهُ

وفات حصر علاه كل ذي لسنِ

وفات حصر علاه كل ذي لسنِ

a king too exalted for other kings to approach him,

A king lofty above the pretense of kings, his loftiness

and his eminence eludes every eloquent speaker's reckoning.

Exceeded the grasp of any fanged orator

مَنْ قاسَه بملوك الأرض قاطبةٌ

مَنْ قاسَه بملوك الأرض قاطبةٌ

فليس يفرقُ بين الورْمِ والسِّمن

فليس يفرقُ بين الورْمِ والسِّمن

Whoever compares him with all the kings of the earth

If he were compared to the kings of all the earth

cannot distinguish swelling from fatness.

He would distinguish between butter and poison

تَستَخدمُ الصارمُ الهندي سطوتُه

تَستَخدمُ الصارمُ الهندي سطوتُه

فلو تَبدت لِصَرف الدهرِ لم يَخُنِ

فلو تَبدت لِصَرف الدهرِ لم يَخُنِ

His might commands the keen Indian blade;

The Indian sword exerts its sway

so, were it revealed to Time's reversals, Time would not betray him.

If it appeared to turn the ages it would not fail

ولو بَدتْ لبني العبّاس عزمتُهُ

ولو بَدتْ لبني العبّاس عزمتُهُ

لروّعتْ كلَّ مأمونٍ ومؤتمنِ

لروّعتْ كلَّ مأمونٍ ومؤتمنِ

And were his resolve revealed to Abbas's sons,

If his resolve appeared to the Abbasids

it would terrify every Ma'mun and Mu'taman.

It would terrify every Ma'mun and trustee

أنعم بها صفقةٌ مذ كان عاقدها

أنعم بها صفقةٌ مذ كان عاقدها

كفُّ العُلَى بعدتْ عن صفقةِ الغبن

كفُّ العُلَى بعدتْ عن صفقةِ الغبن

How splendid a bargain! Since its maker was

You made a blessed deal when its contractor

the hand of glory, it was far from a losing bargain.

Was the Most High, beyond the deal of loss

يهنا العدينُ شمولُ العدلِ منك بما

يهنا العدينُ شمولُ العدلِ منك بما

أقمتَهُ من فروضِ الدينِ والسُّننِ

أقمتَهُ من فروضِ الدينِ والسُّننِ

May al-Udayn rejoice in your all-encompassing justice, through

It gratifies the servant that justice flows from you

the religious duties and traditions you have upheld.

According to what you have instituted of religious duties and norms

تاهَتْ على الأرض طُرَّاً مُنذ كنتَ بها

تاهَتْ على الأرض طُرَّاً مُنذ كنتَ بها

كالتّاج للرأس بل كالروحِ للبدنِ

كالتّاج للرأس بل كالروحِ للبدنِ

She has vaunted over all the earth since you were within her,

Guidance was lost on earth since you were in it

like a crown to the head—nay, like the soul to the body.

Like a crown is to a head, nay like the soul to the body

يقلّ يا مَلك الدنيا إذا افتخرتْ

يقلّ يا مَلك الدنيا إذا افتخرتْ

على المخا بك أوتاهَتْ على عَدن

على المخا بك أوتاهَتْ على عَدن

It is a small thing, O king of the world, if she boasts

Say little, O king of the world, if you boast

over al-Mukha through you, or vaunts over Aden.

Over the misguided one or the arrogant one of Aden

فَلْيشكروا اللهَ إذ ولاّكَ أرضَهمُ

فَلْيشكروا اللهَ إذ ولاّكَ أرضَهمُ

فإنّها مِنّةٌ من أعظم المِننِ

فإنّها مِنّةٌ من أعظم المِننِ

So let them thank God for appointing you over their land,

Let them thank God since He appointed you over their lands

for that is one of the greatest favors.

It is a blessing from the greatest of favors

وحُقّ أن يشكروا ربّاً أتاح لَهُمْ

وحُقّ أن يشكروا ربّاً أتاح لَهُمْ

من كفّك العذبَ بعد المورد الأسنِ

من كفّك العذبَ بعد المورد الأسنِ

And rightly should they thank a Lord who granted them

And it behooves them to thank a Lord who made available to them

sweet water from your palm after a stagnant watering-place.

From your sweet palm after the brackish spring

مَا اختْاركَ الله مَلْكاً في بسيطتِهِ

مَا اختْاركَ الله مَلْكاً في بسيطتِهِ

إلاّ لتُخْمِدَ فيها جَمْرةَ الفتنِ

إلاّ لتُخْمِدَ فيها جَمْرةَ الفتنِ

God did not choose you as king upon His earth

God chose you as king in His dominion

except to quench within it the ember of strife.

Only to extinguish therein the embers of civil strife

فَمَنْ أهنتَ مِنَ ابْناءِ البَسيطةِ لَمْ

فَمَنْ أهنتَ مِنَ ابْناءِ البَسيطةِ لَمْ

يَعزّ قطٌ ومن أعززتَ لم يَهُن

يَعزّ قطٌ ومن أعززتَ لم يَهُن

So whoever among earth's sons you abase will not

For whom you humiliated of the sons of Basra

ever gain honor; and whoever you exalt will not be abased.

Will never again be honored, and whom you honored will never be disgraced

فمثل سعيك فليُحمدْ لكسْبِ عُلىً

فمثل سعيك فليُحمدْ لكسْبِ عُلىً

ومثل مُلْكك بعد الله فَلْيكُن

ومثل مُلْكك بعد الله فَلْيكُن

So let striving like yours be praised for attaining eminence,

So the like of your effort - may it be praised - gained you nobility

and, after God, let dominion be like yours.

And the like of your rule - after God - so shall it be