قف بِالمَنازل وَالجناب الأخضر

قف بِالمَنازل وَالجناب الأخضر

فَالناس بَينَ مبشر وَمبشر

فَالناس بَينَ مبشر وَمبشر

Stand by the dwellings and the green grounds.

Stand at the abodes and the verdant expanse

For some people bear glad tidings, and others receive them.

For people range between harbinger and harbinger

وَبلابل الأَفراح يطرب سجعها

وَبلابل الأَفراح يطرب سجعها

جاءتكَ بَينَ مطول وَمقصر

جاءتكَ بَينَ مطول وَمقصر

And the nightingales of joy, whose warbling delights,

And birds of joy, their rhyming delights,

have come to you, some singing at length, others briefly.

Came to you between prolix and concise

وَدَع الطُيور الصادِحات فَإِنَّها

وَدَع الطُيور الصادِحات فَإِنَّها

وَافتك بَينَ منغم وَمزمر

وَافتك بَينَ منغم وَمزمر

And let the singing birds be, for they

And leave the clamorous birds be, for they

have come to you as singers and flute-players.

Have overtaken you between melodious and murmuring

وَذر الرِياح المايسات لأَنَّها

وَذر الرِياح المايسات لأَنَّها

تَهتز بَينَ مفضض وَمدنر

تَهتز بَينَ مفضض وَمدنر

And let the swaying winds be, for they

And let the traversing winds pass, for they

sway among silver-clad and gold-clad forms,

Quake between parting and retracting

مِن كُل مياس القوام كَأَنَّهُ

مِن كُل مياس القوام كَأَنَّهُ

يَرنو إِلَيك بِطَرفه المُتَكسر

يَرنو إِلَيك بِطَرفه المُتَكسر

each of graceful, swaying stature, as though it

From all the waving of stature as though

gazes at you with its languid gaze.

It yearns to you with its crumbling gaze

وَالجَو أَصبَح بِالبَشائر مُطرِباً

وَالجَو أَصبَح بِالبَشائر مُطرِباً

بِأَخيك ذي الوَجه الجَميل المنظر

بِأَخيك ذي الوَجه الجَميل المنظر

And the air has become joyful with glad tidings

And the atmosphere joyous with tidings became

of your brother, whose face is lovely to behold.

For your brother of beautiful and splendid aspect

وَافى بِأَجر وافر وَسَلامة

وَافى بِأَجر وافر وَسَلامة

وَسَعادة فاقَت سَعادة قَيصر

وَسَعادة فاقَت سَعادة قَيصر

He arrived with ample reward and safety,

He came with ample reward and safety

and happiness surpassing Caesar's happiness.

And bliss that exceeded Caesar’s bliss

جاءَت لِعَبد اللَه ذي الفَضل الَّذي

جاءَت لِعَبد اللَه ذي الفَضل الَّذي

أبداه وَالوَجه الشَريف الأَنور

أبداه وَالوَجه الشَريف الأَنور

It came to Abd Allah, possessor of bounty which

It came to Abdullah of bounty he showed

he has displayed, and of a noble, radiant face,

And the noble and luminous face

وَالغُرة الغَراء وَالنَفس الَّتي

وَالغُرة الغَراء وَالنَفس الَّتي

سمحت بِما ملكت وَلَست بِمفتر

سمحت بِما ملكت وَلَست بِمفتر

and a shining brow, and a soul that

And the florid chastity and the soul that

gave freely of its possessions—and I am no fabricator.

Was clement with what it owned and is no impostor

مولي النَدى وَالعُرف في زَمَن الرَدى

مولي النَدى وَالعُرف في زَمَن الرَدى

مقري الضيوف بِأبيض وَمزعفر

مقري الضيوف بِأبيض وَمزعفر

Bestower of bounty and kindness in a time of ruin,

My patron of bounty and propriety in an age of villainy

feasting guests on white and saffron-seasoned fare.

Who hosts guests with white and yellow

يَلقى الأُلوف بِوجهِهِ وَشِعاره

يَلقى الأُلوف بِوجهِهِ وَشِعاره

نَحرتني الأَعداء إِن لَم أنحر

نَحرتني الأَعداء إِن لَم أنحر

He meets thousands face-to-face, and his motto is:

Meets thousands with his face and his motto

May my enemies slaughter me if I do not slaughter!

My foes slaughtered me if I do not slaughter

فيعمهم بِفَوائد مَشحونة

فيعمهم بِفَوائد مَشحونة

وَيَحفهم بمبخر وَمعطر

وَيَحفهم بمبخر وَمعطر

So he showers them all with abundant benefits,

So he saturates them with abundant benefits

and surrounds them with incense-bearers and perfumers.

And surrounds them with incense and perfume

فَتَرى مَواكبه كَليل مُظلم

فَتَرى مَواكبه كَليل مُظلم

وَتَرى نَداه كَالسَحاب المُمطر

وَتَرى نَداه كَالسَحاب المُمطر

So you see his processions like a dark night,

Thus you see his processions like a gloomy night

and you see his bounty like a rain-bearing cloud.

And you see his light like pouring clouds

وَتَراه في تلكَ المَحافل قائِماً

وَتَراه في تلكَ المَحافل قائِماً

كَالسَيف صلتاً وَالسنان السمهري

كَالسَيف صلتاً وَالسنان السمهري

And you see him standing in those assemblies,

And you see him in those gatherings standing

like an unsheathed sword and a Samhari spearpoint.

Like the sword, adroit, and the Indian steel

فَإِذا شَربت العَذب مِن قاموسه

فَإِذا شَربت العَذب مِن قاموسه

أَغناكَ جَزماً عَن صحاح الجَوهر

أَغناكَ جَزماً عَن صحاح الجَوهر

So if you drink the sweet water from his ocean,

So when you drink the sweet from his dictionary

it surely leaves you no need of flawless jewels.

It enriches you definitely without need for lexicons

أَلف المُروءة عَن كِرام قَد غَدَت

أَلف المُروءة عَن كِرام قَد غَدَت

أَفعالهم مثل الصَباح المُسفر

أَفعالهم مثل الصَباح المُسفر

He learned noble conduct from noble men whose

He mastered chivalry from generous men who

deeds have become like the radiant dawn.

Their deeds became like the lucid dawn

مِن مَعشر بنيت قباب بُيوتهم

مِن مَعشر بنيت قباب بُيوتهم

لِلطارِقين فَيا لَهُ مِن معشر

لِلطارِقين فَيا لَهُ مِن معشر

From a clan whose houses' domes were built

From a group who built domes of their homes

for night visitors—what a clan it is!

For visitors, what a group indeed!

بيت إِلى قَحطان يرفَع أَصله

بيت إِلى قَحطان يرفَع أَصله

متحدراً وَمسلسلاً مِن حمير

متحدراً وَمسلسلاً مِن حمير

A house that traces its origin back to Qahtan,

A house tracing its origin to Qahtan

descending in an unbroken chain from Himyar,

Descending and chronicled from Himer

مِن كُلِّ غطريف وَلَيث باسل

مِن كُلِّ غطريف وَلَيث باسل

ينمى لحيدرة وَقرم قسور

ينمى لحيدرة وَقرم قسور

from every noble chief and valiant lion,

Of every audacious and valiant lion

traced to a lion and a mighty, fierce chief.

That grew in Lahyderah and Qarm Qusur

نسب غَدا يروي الفَخار معنعنا

نسب غَدا يروي الفَخار معنعنا

عَن خَير جرثوم وَأكرم عُنصر

عَن خَير جرثوم وَأكرم عُنصر

A lineage now recounting glory through a chain of transmission,

A lineage the clay pots now chant proudly

from the finest ancestral root and noblest stock.

Of the best ancestry and finest stock

يا مَن سَما الجَوزاء عقد نطاقه

يا مَن سَما الجَوزاء عقد نطاقه

حَتّى أَنافَ عَلى قُرون المُشتَري

حَتّى أَنافَ عَلى قُرون المُشتَري

O you whose girdle-knot has risen above al-Jawza,

O you who cockaded his belt of the constellation Ophiuchus

until it overtopped the horns of Jupiter.

Until he towered above the horns of Capricorn

أَصبَحت فَرداً في زَمانك واحِداً

أَصبَحت فَرداً في زَمانك واحِداً

وَجَميل فَضلك في الوَرى لَم يحصر

وَجَميل فَضلك في الوَرى لَم يحصر

You have become peerless, unique in your age,

You became peerless in your time, unique

and your gracious bounty among humankind is beyond measure.

And the beauty of your grace in the land was never contained

وَإِذا تباع كَريمة أَو تشتَرى

وَإِذا تباع كَريمة أَو تشتَرى

فَسِواك بايعها وَأَنت المُشتَري

فَسِواك بايعها وَأَنت المُشتَري

And if a noble virtue is sold or bought,

And if a bondwoman is sold or bought

then someone else sells it, while you are the buyer.

None but you as seller and buyer

وَإِذا أَلَم بِنا زَمان مُظلم

وَإِذا أَلَم بِنا زَمان مُظلم

نورت حالكه بِوَجه مقمر

نورت حالكه بِوَجه مقمر

And when a dark time befalls us,

And if a gloomy time befell us

you light its blackness with a moon-bright face.

Your condition lit it with a moonlit face

لَم أحص تعداداً لوصفك سَيدي

لَم أحص تعداداً لوصفك سَيدي

فَاقبل بِحَقك إِذ مَدَحتك وَاعذر

فَاقبل بِحَقك إِذ مَدَحتك وَاعذر

I have not fully tallied your qualities, my lord;

I did not count in describing you my master

so accept it, by your own worth, since I have praised you, and excuse me.

So accept by your right as I praised you and pardon

فَعَلَيك عَبد اللَه خَير تَحية

فَعَلَيك عَبد اللَه خَير تَحية

مَوصولة بِتجدد وَتكرر

مَوصولة بِتجدد وَتكرر

So upon you, Abd Allah, be the finest greeting,

Upon you, Abdullah, the best regards

unceasing, ever renewed and repeated.

Continuously renewed and recurrent