الشعرُ ما علَّم العلياءَ واكتسبتْ

الشعرُ ما علَّم العلياءَ واكتسبتْ

من بأسه المرهفات البيض والأسلُ

من بأسه المرهفات البيض والأسلُ

Poetry is what teaches greatness, and strength is gained

Poetry taught the noble ones and gained

From its might by keen white blades and spears.

From its severity the keen and brave white swordsmen.

لا ماجناً أو خليعاً يُستخفُّ به

لا ماجناً أو خليعاً يُستخفُّ به

أو وصف غانيةٍ في ودِّها مَلَلُ

أو وصف غانيةٍ في ودِّها مَلَلُ

Not licentious or dissolute verse, held in contempt,

Neither vulgar nor despised to be taken lightly,

Or a description of a beauty in whose love lies weariness.

Nor the description of a bored singer in her affection.

فلا يسُمني نسيباً واضعاً شَرَفي

فلا يسُمني نسيباً واضعاً شَرَفي

خِلٌّ فسيَّان عندي الغزْل والغزَل

خِلٌّ فسيَّان عندي الغزْل والغزَل

So let no love verse that lowers my honor be demanded of me

So do not call me a degraded composer,

By a friend: spinning and love poetry are alike to me.

Vile slanderer; to me poetry and rhyme are disgusting.

شعري شريعةُ مجدٍ غيرُ دارسةٍ

شعري شريعةُ مجدٍ غيرُ دارسةٍ

تسنُّ عِلم العُلى للناس اِن جهلوا

تسنُّ عِلم العُلى للناس اِن جهلوا

My poetry is an unfading law of glory,

My poetry is the law of glorious honor, not studied,

Prescribing knowledge of greatness to people if they are ignorant.

Teaching noble knowledge to people, if they are ignorant.

تُغادرُ الألْكن المحدود ذا لَسنٍ

تُغادرُ الألْكن المحدود ذا لَسنٍ

وترجع النِكس وهو الفارس البطل

وترجع النِكس وهو الفارس البطل

It leaves the tongue-tied, hapless man eloquent,

It abandons the limited inaccessible fortress,

And turns the weakling into a heroic horseman.

And returns the fallen, that brave horseman.

وتطردُ العار عن قلب تحلُّ به

وتطردُ العار عن قلب تحلُّ به

طرد الهوامل في أعجازها النَّجَلُ

طرد الهوامل في أعجازها النَّجَلُ

And drives disgrace from any heart it inhabits,

And expels shame from a heart it settles in,

As broad spear-thrusts in their rumps drive straying beasts.

Expelling it like the driving away of sand grouse in their hind-parts.

غطَّى شموس عُلومي من بلاغته

غطَّى شموس عُلومي من بلاغته

دجْنٌ مسفٌ نفوعٌ ودقهُ هللُ

دجْنٌ مسفٌ نفوعٌ ودقهُ هللُ

From its eloquence, the suns of my learning were veiled

It covered the suns of my knowledge in its eloquence,

By a low-hanging, beneficent cloud whose rain falls in showers.

A dark, towering, lofty cloak, and its composition excellent.

فالشمس مسلوبةُ التشريق واضحة

فالشمس مسلوبةُ التشريق واضحة

والأرض مونةٌ والنَّبتُ مكْتهلُ

والأرض مونةٌ والنَّبتُ مكْتهلُ

So the sun, though robbed of its radiance, remains visible,

So the sun is stripped of its illumination, yet still visible,

And the earth is nourished, the vegetation full-grown.

And the earth is compliant, and the plants ripe.

يُهَيْنِمُ الحَظُّ أحياناً فيزْجُرهُ

يُهَيْنِمُ الحَظُّ أحياناً فيزْجُرهُ

علوُّ صيتٍ له بين الورى زَجلُ

علوُّ صيتٍ له بين الورى زَجلُ

Fortune sometimes whispers, but is rebuked

Fate occasionally slumbers, so it rouses him

By its soaring renown, resounding among mankind.

With fame’s cry among mankind that is unseemly.

وواضحٌ من تميمٍ في ذؤابَتها

وواضحٌ من تميمٍ في ذؤابَتها

يصونني ونفوس الفضْلِ تُبتذلُ

يصونني ونفوس الفضْلِ تُبتذلُ

And a radiant man of Tamim, at its very crest,

And it is clear from Tameem in her protection,

Protects me while souls of merit are debased.

It protects me while souls of merit are made common.

يكفُّ غربَ اِبائي عن توحُّشهِ

يكفُّ غربَ اِبائي عن توحُّشهِ

بالبشر والجود فهو البارقُ الهطلُ

بالبشر والجود فهو البارقُ الهطلُ

He keeps the sharp edge of my pride from running wild,

It prevents the west of my fathers from its ferocity

With cheer and generosity: he is the lightning-flashing, rain-pouring cloud.

With good news and generosity, for it is the pouring rain.

تاج الملوك فتى النَّعماء اذ حُبست

تاج الملوك فتى النَّعماء اذ حُبست

سحبُ السماء وعزَّ الجودُ والسبل

سحبُ السماء وعزَّ الجودُ والسبل

Crown of Kings, man of bounty when held back

Crown of kings, youth of blessings, when

Are heaven's clouds, and generosity and rain grow scarce.

The clouds of the sky were detained, and generosity and paths cut off.

طلقُ المُحيَّا كأن الشمس غرَّته

طلقُ المُحيَّا كأن الشمس غرَّته

غمرُ الخلائق لاكِبرٌ ولا بَخَل

غمرُ الخلائق لاكِبرٌ ولا بَخَل

Cheerful of countenance, as though the sun were his brow,

Free spirited, as if the sun overflowed it,

Abundant in good qualities, with neither arrogance nor stinginess.

Flooding all creation, neither great nor stingy.

يزيدهُ الخوف بأساً حين يشهدهُ

يزيدهُ الخوف بأساً حين يشهدهُ

يوم النزال ويمري جوده العَذَلُ

يوم النزال ويمري جوده العَذَلُ

Fear increases his valor when it visits him

Fear increases its might when it faces it

On the day of combat; reproach milks his generosity.

On the day of battle, and its generosity pours forth hailstones.

ويُتْبعُ الحلم اِحْساناً يُظاهرهُ

ويُتْبعُ الحلم اِحْساناً يُظاهرهُ

ففي المساندِ منه البحرُ والجبلُ

ففي المساندِ منه البحرُ والجبلُ

And he follows forbearance with kindness that reinforces it;

And it pursues calmness charitably supporting it,

So upon the cushions he is both sea and mountain.

So in alliance with it are the sea and the mountain.

في البأس والنصر والاقدام جيش وغى

في البأس والنصر والاقدام جيش وغى

جَمُّ البنودِ وفي الحاظنا رجلُ

جَمُّ البنودِ وفي الحاظنا رجلُ

In valor, victory, and daring, he is an army of war,

In might, victory, and stepping forward an army in tumult,

Abounding in banners, yet to our eyes a single man.

The number of spears, and in protecting us a man.

صغيرةُ العار كُبرى في مناقبِهِ

صغيرةُ العار كُبرى في مناقبِهِ

وهائلُ الخطب في آرائه جَدَلُ

وهائلُ الخطب في آرائه جَدَلُ

A small disgrace looms large among his virtues,

Small in shame, great in virtues,

And a fearsome crisis is mere debate in his counsels.

And tremendous in affairs, in its opinions a disputant.

يلقى الأعادي بمنصورين في رهجٍ

يلقى الأعادي بمنصورين في رهجٍ

لا ينكلانِ اذا ما صرَّحَ الوهَلُ

لا ينكلانِ اذا ما صرَّحَ الوهَلُ

He meets his enemies with two victors amid battle-dust,

It meets the enemies with two sword edges in a dazzling flash

Neither faltering when terror declares itself:

That do not weaken when terror dismounts its rider.

ففي المعارك طعنٌ ما به جَنَفٌ

ففي المعارك طعنٌ ما به جَنَفٌ

وفي المواطنِ رأيٌ ما به خطلُ

وفي المواطنِ رأيٌ ما به خطلُ

For in battle, a thrust that never swerves;

So in battle there is a piercing stab withoutdeviation,

And in critical moments, judgment without folly.

And in positions an opinion without error.

يا شمس مِلَّتنا لا زلتِ مُشْرقةً

يا شمس مِلَّتنا لا زلتِ مُشْرقةً

ولا تغشَّاكِ اِظْلامٌ ولا طَفَلُ

ولا تغشَّاكِ اِظْلامٌ ولا طَفَلُ

O sun of our faith, may you never cease shining,

O sun of our nation, you still shine

And may neither darkness nor dusk envelop you.

Without being clouded by darkness or eclipsed.