هَناؤُك ليس يَعْدَمُه زمانُ

هَناؤُك ليس يَعْدَمُه زمانُ

كشكْرِك لا يُخِلُّ به لِسانُ

كشكْرِك لا يُخِلُّ به لِسانُ

No age is ever without your happiness,

Your joy is never lacking in time

just as no tongue neglects to thank you.

Just as your gratitude never fails from the tongue

وجدك للسعادة في اشتهار

وجدك للسعادة في اشتهار

يُنزِّهه عن الخَبرِ العِيان

يُنزِّهه عن الخَبرِ العِيان

And your good fortune is renowned for happiness;

Finding your happiness in fame

direct sight raises it above mere report.

Purifies it from experiential news

إذا البشرى أُتتْك بكلِّ معنى

إذا البشرى أُتتْك بكلِّ معنى

تُسَرُّ به فما ابتدع الزمان

تُسَرُّ به فما ابتدع الزمان

When glad tidings come to you with every cause

When you are given good tidings in every sense

for joy, time has invented nothing new.

You rejoice in it, for time did not originate it

لِتَهْنَ بك الخلافةُ حين أَضحتْ

لِتَهْنَ بك الخلافةُ حين أَضحتْ

وأنت لها الكَفيل المُستعان

وأنت لها الكَفيل المُستعان

May the caliphate rejoice in you, now that

For the caliphate to congratulate you when you became

you are its guardian, whose aid is sought,

Its guarantor and source of help

وأنك سيفُها العَضْب المُحلَّى

وأنك سيفُها العَضْب المُحلَّى

تُزان بحُسْنِه وبه تُصان

تُزان بحُسْنِه وبه تُصان

and you are its keen, ornamented sword,

You are its sharpened, strong sword

by whose beauty it is adorned and by which it is protected.

Balanced in its beauty and by it you are protected

فرأيُك في مُواليها مِجَنٌّ

فرأيُك في مُواليها مِجَنٌّ

وعَزْمُك في مُعادِيها سِنان

وعَزْمُك في مُعادِيها سِنان

So your counsel toward its allies is a shield,

So your view towards its loyalists is a shield

and your resolve toward its enemies a spearhead.

And your resolve against its enemies a spear

وأنت لها إذا ضَرَبتْ يَمينٌ

وأنت لها إذا ضَرَبتْ يَمينٌ

وأنت لها إذا عَزمتْ جَنان

وأنت لها إذا عَزمتْ جَنان

And when it strikes, you are its right hand;

You are its right hand when it strikes

and when it resolves, you are its heart.

And you are its wings when it is determined

قد اعتمدتْ عليك لكلِّ أمرٍ

قد اعتمدتْ عليك لكلِّ أمرٍ

كما اعتمدتْ على الكفِّ البَنان

كما اعتمدتْ على الكفِّ البَنان

It has relied on you in every matter,

It has relied on you for every matter

as fingers rely upon the palm.

As it relied on palms that build

وذللتَ الزمانَ لها ولولا

وذللتَ الزمانَ لها ولولا

ساستُك استمرَّ به الحِران

ساستُك استمرَّ به الحِران

And you have tamed time for it; were it not for

You made time submissive for it, and if not for

your governors, its balking would have persisted.

Your leadership, discord would have persisted

فصار إذا نَحْوتَ به مُرادا

فصار إذا نَحْوتَ به مُرادا

فأَسْبقُ ما تُجاريه الرِّهان

فأَسْبقُ ما تُجاريه الرِّهان

Thus, when you steer it toward a goal, it becomes

So when you direct it towards a purpose

the swiftest thing that racehorses try to rival.

You are quicker than what competes with it in the race

لقد سرَّتْ مَسرَّتك الليالي

لقد سرَّتْ مَسرَّتك الليالي

كما سَرَّت أخا الطربِ القِيان

كما سَرَّت أخا الطربِ القِيان

Your delight has surely gladdened the nights,

Indeed your joy has delighted the nights

as singing slave women gladden a lover of rapture,

As the singing of the poetic lute player delighted them

بنورٍ للخلافةِ لاح حتى

بنورٍ للخلافةِ لاح حتى

له في كلِّ خافقةٍ بيان

له في كلِّ خافقةٍ بيان

with a light that shone for the caliphate, until

With a light for the caliphate that shone until

its radiance was clear on every horizon.

It had in every heartbeat an explanation

تَفاخرتِ البلادُ به جَلالا

تَفاخرتِ البلادُ به جَلالا

وللأيامِ في الشرق افْتِتان

وللأيامِ في الشرق افْتِتان

The lands vied in grandeur through it,

The countries boasted about it gloriously

and the days in the East are enthralled.

And the days in the east were infatuated

سلالةُ من أتى بالحق حتى

سلالةُ من أتى بالحق حتى

تَيقَّنَ صِدْقَه إنسٌ وجان

تَيقَّنَ صِدْقَه إنسٌ وجان

A scion of him who brought the truth, until

A lineage from one who came with truth until

humans and jinn were certain of his truthfulness;

His honesty was certain to mankind and Jinn

وعِتْرة صفْوَةِ اللهِ المُسمَّى

وعِتْرة صفْوَةِ اللهِ المُسمَّى

إذا بَدتِ الإقامة والأذان

إذا بَدتِ الإقامة والأذان

and kin to God's chosen one, whose name is spoken

The select family of Allah called

when the call to begin prayer and the prayer call sound.

When the call to prayer and standing for prayer appeared

لقد نَظمتْ محاسنَك الليالي

لقد نَظمتْ محاسنَك الليالي

كما نُظم الزمرد والجُمان

كما نُظم الزمرد والجُمان

The nights have surely strung your virtues,

The nights have strung your virtues

as emeralds and pearls are strung.

As emerald and pearls were strung

تَتيه بمُلْكِك الدنيا افتخارا

تَتيه بمُلْكِك الدنيا افتخارا

كما تاهتْ بزينتها الحسانُ

كما تاهتْ بزينتها الحسانُ

The world struts proudly in your sovereignty,

The world wanders proudly in your kingdom

as beautiful women strut in their adornment.

As the beautiful wandered proudly in their adornment

علوتَ ملوك أهلِ الأرض فَضْلا

علوتَ ملوك أهلِ الأرض فَضْلا

ولا عُجْبٌ لديك ولا افتتان

ولا عُجْبٌ لديك ولا افتتان

You have surpassed the kings of earth in excellence,

You have excelled the kings of earth in merit

yet you harbor neither conceit nor self-infatuation.

There is no wonder or infatuation in you

وأعطيْتَ السياسة حالتيها

وأعطيْتَ السياسة حالتيها

بما قَضت الشَّراسة واللِّيان

بما قَضت الشَّراسة واللِّيان

And you have given statecraft both its modes,

You have given politics its two conditions

as severity and gentleness demand:

With what severity and leniency have decreed

فسِلْمٌ تُسْلِم الأموالَ فيه

فسِلْمٌ تُسْلِم الأموالَ فيه

يمينٌ لا يُكَدِّرها امْتِنان

يمينٌ لا يُكَدِّرها امْتِنان

a peace in which wealth is handed over

So there is peace in which wealth is secure

by a right hand unclouded by boasting of its favors;

A right hand that ingratitude does not spoil

وحربٌ راعَ أفئدةَ الليالي

وحربٌ راعَ أفئدةَ الليالي

فأَشجعُها لِخيفتِه جبان

فأَشجعُها لِخيفتِه جبان

and a war that has terrified the hearts of the nights,

And war that made the hearts of nights tremble

so the bravest of them is a coward for fear of it.

So their most courageous was made a coward by its fear

يُزعزع خوفك ألأبطالَ فيه

يُزعزع خوفك ألأبطالَ فيه

فأهونُ ما يمر بها الطِّعان

فأهونُ ما يمر بها الطِّعان

In it, fear of you shakes the champions,

Your fear makes the heroes in it waver

so spear-thrusts are the mildest ordeal they endure.

So the simplest thing that passes through them is a spear

عَظُمتَ فما تُقابلك الأعادي

عَظُمتَ فما تُقابلك الأعادي

فَحَرْبُك ما يقالُ له عَوان

فَحَرْبُك ما يقالُ له عَوان

So great are you that enemies do not face you;

You have become great, so enemies cannot match you

thus your war is never called a war renewed.

Your war is not called unjust

يَذلُّ لك الكَمِىُّ بلا قتالٍ

يَذلُّ لك الكَمِىُّ بلا قتالٍ

كأن على الحِصان به حَصان

كأن على الحِصان به حَصان

The armored warrior submits to you without a fight,

The ambitious bows to you without fighting

as though, upon the stallion, he were a chaste woman.

As if the horse has a horse over it

كأنّ الأرضَ من عدلٍ وأمنٍ

كأنّ الأرضَ من عدلٍ وأمنٍ

وإنعامٍ تُواصله جِنان

وإنعامٍ تُواصله جِنان

It is as though the earth, through justice and security,

As if the land from justice, security

and the bounty you keep bestowing, were gardens.

And favor is connected by gardens

لقد ابكاهمُ ضَحِكي وأبدى

لقد ابكاهمُ ضَحِكي وأبدى

هُزالَهمُ مَنائحُك السِّمان

هُزالَهمُ مَنائحُك السِّمان

My laughter surely made them weep; and laid bare

You truly made them cry with your laughter and showed

by your fat gifts was their leanness.

Their emaciation with your sharp arrows

لقد ظَفِرتْ يداىَ بما توالتْ

لقد ظَفِرتْ يداىَ بما توالتْ

به من فضِلك النعم المِنان

به من فضِلك النعم المِنان

My hands have surely gained what came in succession

My hands have really attained what accumulated

from your bounty: blessings, gracious gifts.

Of your endless grace and favors

ولستُ مكافئا بجميع مدحى

ولستُ مكافئا بجميع مدحى

عطاءَك بل اقول عسى أُعان

عطاءَك بل اقول عسى أُعان

Nor can I repay with all my praise

I am not rewarding all my praise

your bounty; rather, I say, 'May I be helped.'

With your gift, rather I say, may I be helped