1. هَنيئاً لَقَد أوتيتَ سُؤلَكَ يا موسى

    بِجَدّ وَحَدّ كَلمُهُ الدَّهرَ ما يوسى

    Joy to you! You have indeed been granted your wish, O Musa,

    through good fortune and a blade whose wound never heals,

  2. وَجَيشٍ لُهامٍ حَلَّقَ الطَيرُ فَوقَهُ

    سَتُضحي لَكُم أَحشاؤُهُنَّ نَواويسا

    and a vast army above which birds wheel—

    their bellies will soon serve you as tombs—

  3. وَرَميِ سِهامٍ عَن قِسِيّ بِنَبضِها

    تُغادِرُ مَن رامَتهُ في التُربِ مَرموسا

    and the shooting of arrows from bows whose twanging

    leaves whomever they target buried in the dust.

  4. كَأَنَّ كُماةَ التُركِ عِندَ نِزالِهِم

    مَلائِكَةٌ بِالشُهبِ تَرمي الأَباليسا

    It is as though the Turks' armored champions, in battle,

    were angels pelting devils with shooting stars.

  5. وَقَد جالَتِ الأَكرادُ بِالسُمرِ وَالظُبى

    تصيد المُلوكَ الصَّيدَ وَالأُسُدَ الشوسا

    And the Kurds have charged with dusky spears and blades,

    hunting proud kings and fierce-eyed lions.

  6. إِذا العَرَبُ الشُمُّ الأُنوفِ تَنَمَّروا

    بِهِ كانَ كُلٌّ بِالمُثَقَّفِ دِعّيسا

    When the Arabs with proudly lifted noses turn leopard-fierce

    through him, each becomes a mighty thruster with a straightened spear.

  7. وَلَيسَ لِموسى مِن عَصاً غَيرُ صارِمٍ

    تُكِبُّ عَلى الأَذقانِ ضَرباتُهُ الروسا

    Musa has no staff other than a keen sword,

    whose blows cast heads down upon their chins.

  8. وَثُعبانُهُ الرُمحُ الأَصَمُّ لِسانُهُ

    يُنَضنِضُ في سُمِّ المَنِيَّةِ مَغموسا

    And his serpent is the solid spear; its tongue

    flickers, dipped in the venom of death.

  9. وَيُزجي سَحاباً مِن سَنابِكِ خَيلِهِ

    بِلَمعِ الظُبى وَالبيض تَجلو الحَناديسا

    And he drives clouds from the hooves of his horses,

    which dispel the darkest night with flashing blades and helmets.

  10. فَيَرمي اِنكِباراً بِاِنكِدارٍ إِلى لَظىً

    وَيُركِسُ في قَعرِ المَنِيَّةِ مَركيسا

    Thus he hurls Inkibar headlong into blazing fire,

    and casts Markis into the depths of death.

  11. إِذا أَشرَقَت لِلأَشرَفِ القَيلِ رايَةٌ

    تَنَكَّسَتِ الصُلبانُ بِالكَسرِ تَنكيسا

    Whenever a banner shines forth for al-Ashraf, the sovereign,

    crosses are shattered and utterly overturned.

  12. وَقَد نَطَقَت بِالنَصرِ بيضُ سُيوفِهِ

    كَما أَخرَسَت رَنّاتُهُنَّ النَواقيسا

    And his gleaming swords have proclaimed victory,

    just as their ringing has struck the church bells dumb.

  13. ثَعالِبُ أَطرافِ الرِماحِ بَلَغنَ في

    أَضى الزَّرَدِ الضافي عَلى الأُسد مَلبوسا

    The 'foxes' at the spearpoints have reached into

    the pools of ample chainmail worn upon lions.

  14. هُوَ البَحرُ لَولا البَحرُ فيهِ مُلوحَةٌ

    هَوَ اللَيثُ لَولا أَنَّ في اللَيثِ تَعبيسا

    He is the sea—except that the sea is salty;

    he is the lion—except that the lion scowls.

  15. هُوَ الخَضرُ المَشهورُ نَشراً وَسُؤدَداً

    وَيوسُفُ حسناً والْقَ موسى تجد موسى

    He is al-Khidr, renowned for life-giving power and lordship,

    and Yusuf in beauty; meet Musa and you will find Musa.

  16. وَيَحمَدُهُ عيسى عَلى فَتَكاتِهِ

    بِجَحفَلِهِ في أُمَّةٍ عَبَدَت عيسى

    And Isa praises him for his deadly assaults

    with his great army upon a people who worshipped Isa.

  17. وَمازالَ يُرضي اللَهَ سِرّاً وَجَهرَةً

    وَيُسخِطُ في كُلِّ المَواطِنِ إِبليسا

    And he has always pleased God, secretly and openly,

    and angered Iblis on every battlefield.

  18. إِذا قالَ لَم يَترُك مَقالاً لِقائِلٍ

    وَلَو كانَ تَطبيقاً يَروعُ وَتَجنيسا

    When he speaks, he leaves another speaker nothing to say,

    even if it were dazzling antithesis and wordplay.

  19. إلى جودِهِ أَشكو مِنَ الكُرَبِ الَّتي

    أُؤَمِّلُ أَن أَلقى لَها مِنهُ تَنفيسا

    To his generosity I complain of the troubles for which

    I hope to find relief from him.

  20. فَلا تَرضَ في حُكمِ الزَمانِ فَإِنَّني

    أَرى حُكمَهُ في أَهلِهِ صارَ مَعكوسا

    So do not acquiesce in Time's judgment, for I

    see its judgment of its people turned upside down.

  21. فَفيهِ الذُنابى الرَأسُ وَالرَأَسُ أَصبح ال

    ذُنابى مِنَ الطَيرِ الَّذي لَيسَ طاووسا

    For under it the tail is the head, and the head has become the

    tail of a bird that is no peacock.

  22. هُوَ الهازِمُ الآلافِ في الرَوعِ وَحدَهُ

    وَمُعطي أُلوفاً فِضَّةً تَملأُ الكيسا

    He alone routs thousands amid battle's terror,

    and bestows thousands in silver that fill the purse.

  23. فَما جُندُهُ إِلا أُسودُ خَفِيَّةٍ

    تَخِذنَ لَها سُمرَ القَنا اللَّدن عِرّيسا

    His soldiers are none but lions of Khafiyya,

    who have made supple, dusky spearshafts their lair.

  24. فَكُلُّهُمُ اِبنُ المُردَبيشِ شَجاعَةً

    أَجَل وَهُمُ عِندَ النَوالِ اِبنُ باديسا

    Every one of them is Ibn al-Murdabish in courage;

    yes, and in bounty they are Ibn Badis.

  25. فَكَم مِن رَحى حَربٍ أَدارَ بِما سَقى

    بِهِ السُمرَ وَالبيضَ الرِقاقَ الدَبابيسا

    How many a mill of war has he turned with the draught

    he gave the dusky spears, thin bright swords, and maces!

  26. هُوَ الأَسَدُ الحامي الحَقيقَةَ مُقدِماً

    وَمَن ذا يَرُدُّ اللَيثَ عَن مَنعِهِ الخيسا

    He is the lion, advancing boldly to defend his honor;

    and who can turn the lion from defending his thicket?

  27. عَلى الطورِ ناجى اللَهُ موسى بِنَصرِهِ

    فَبِالطَورِ ثَغرُ السِلمِ أَصبَحَ مَحروسا

    On al-Tur, God spoke privately with Musa of his victory;

    thus at al-Tur the frontier of peace has become secure.

  28. عِمارَتُهُ تَخريبُ أَعمارِ عابِدي ال

    صَليب وَفيهِ أُسِّسَ النَصرُ تَأسيسا

    Its construction destroys the lives of those who worship the

    cross, and in it victory was firmly established.

  29. عَلا مُشمَخِرّاً في السَماءِ بِناؤُهُ

    يُرَدِّدُ تَسبيحاً هُناكَ وَتَقديسا

    Its building rose towering into the sky,

    echoing praise and sanctification there.

  30. مُظَفَّرُ دينِ اللَهِ أَهدى قُدومُهُ

    إِلى القُدسِ أَمناً لا يَزالُ وَتَأنيسا

    The victorious champion of God's faith—his coming has brought

    to Jerusalem lasting safety and comfort.

  31. فَكُلُّ اِمرِئٍ تالٍ مَزاميرَ مَدحِهِ

    يُلازِمُ تَكراراً لَهُنَّ وَتَدريسا

    So everyone who recites the psalms in his praise

    keeps repeating and teaching them.

  32. يُغادِرُ بَيتَ المالِ بِالبَذلِ موحِشاً

    خَلِيّاً وَبَيتَ العِرضِ بِالحَمد مَأنوسا

    Through giving, he leaves the treasury desolate,

    empty, but the house of honor cheered by praise.

  33. سَما في سَماءِ المَجدِ أَسمى مَحَلَّةٍ

    فَكانَ بِها في ذروَةِ المُلكِ إِدريسا

    He rose in glory's heaven to the loftiest station,

    and there, at the summit of kingship, he was Idris.

  34. مُظَفَّرُ دينِ اللَهِ كُن في زَمانِنا

    سُلَيمانَ لَمّا جاءهُ عَرشُ بَلقيسا

    O victorious champion of God's faith, be in our time

    Sulayman, when the throne of Bilqis came to him.

  35. وَرُدَّ إِلى الإِسلامِ صوراً وَعَكَّةً

    وَسائِرَ مُدنِ المُشرِكينَ وَتَفليسا

    And restore to Islam Tyre and Acre,

    and the rest of the polytheists' cities, and Tiflis.

  36. إِذا كانَ دينُ المُسلِمينَ مُؤَيَّداً

    بِموسى وَعيسى زادَهُ اللَهُ ناموسا

    When the Muslims' faith is upheld

    by Musa and Isa, God increases its majesty.

  37. فَلا بَرِحا في المُلكِ لِلدينِ ما وَشى

    صَباحٌ وَما وَشّى اليَراعُ القَراطيسا

    So may both ever reign for the faith, so long as

    morning embroiders and the reed pen embellishes pages.