1. عَبِقت بطيبِ ثَنائِك الأَقْطارُ

    وتَجمَّلتْ بَمديحِك الأَشْعارُ

    The lands are fragrant with the sweetness of praise of you;

    And poetry is adorned with praise of you.

  2. وعَظُمتَ وصْفا في السَّماعِ فمُذْ بَدا

    للعينِ خُبْرُك هانتِ الأخبار

    You were great as described to the ear; but once

    your true nature met the eye, the reports seemed small.

  3. فات المدائحَ بعضُ وصفِك كلّها

    عَجْزا عن التقصيرِ وهْي قِصار

    Some of your qualities surpass all eulogies,

    unable even to give an inadequate account, inadequate though they are.

  4. وسقى البلادَ سَخاءُ جودِك فارتوتْ

    وتَأرَّجتْ بثنائِك الأزهار

    The generosity of your bounty watered the lands, and they drank their fill;

    And flowers grew fragrant with praise of you.

  5. فكأنما الدنيا عروس تُجْتَلى

    ولها مَواهبُك الغِزار نِثار

    It is as though the world were a bride being unveiled,

    And your abundant gifts are the largesse scattered before her.

  6. فرِضاك عَدْلٌ واصْطِناعك رحمةٌ

    وسُطاك مَهْلكةٌ وعزمُك نار

    Your favor is justice, and your patronage mercy;

    Your onslaught is destruction, and your resolve fire.

  7. والأرضُ مُلْكٌ والزمانُ وأهلُه

    خَدَمٌ وبعضُ جيوشِك الأَقْدار

    The earth is your dominion; time and its people

    are servants, and fate's decrees are among your armies.

  8. ما قيل شاهِنشاهُ إلا كان ل

    لأكِ من معنى الكلام فَخار

    Whenever “Shahanshah” was uttered, there was

    glory in the words' meaning for [unclear recipient].

  9. يا مالكَ الدنيا الذي من عَدْلِه

    في كل أرض عسكرٌ جَرّار

    O master of the world, whose justice has

    a vast army in every land;

  10. ومُقسِّمَ النِّعَم التي لِنوالِها

    في كل موضعِ شعرةٍ بَتّار

    And distributor of blessings, to obtain which

    a cleaving sword stands at every hair's root;

  11. ومُبخِّلَ الكرماءِ أَيْسَرُ جودِه

    فكأنما حَسناتُهم أوزار

    And you, whose least bounty makes the generous seem miserly,

    so that their good deeds seem burdens of sin.

  12. جُحِد الكمالُ من الوجود فمُذْ بَدا

    للناسِ فضُلك أُنْكِر الإنكار

    Perfection was denied any existence; but once

    your excellence appeared to people, denial itself was denied.

  13. إن كان هذا الخَلْقُ أصلُ وجودِه

    طينٌ فأَصُلك جَوْهرٌ ونُضار

    If the original substance of this creation

    is clay, your origin is a jewel and pure gold.

  14. لا شكَّ لما طابَ أصُلك في العُلا

    والمجدِ طابتْ هذه الأثمار

    No doubt, since your root was noble in eminence

    and glory, these fruits have grown sweet.

  15. ثَمَرٌ جيوشيُّ المَغارِسِ أَفْضَل

    ىُّ الفرع للفَضْلَيْن فيه شِعار

    A fruit with Juyushi roots, Afdali—

    in its branch, bearing the mark of both excellences.

  16. كالمرتضى شمس المعالي مَنْ حَبا

    كَ اللهُ منه بكلِّ ما تختار

    Like al-Murtada, sun of lofty honors, through whom

    God has bestowed on you all that you would choose.

  17. فكسوتَ وجه الأرضِ منه محاسنا

    فلِعزِّك الدنيا به أنوار

    So you clothed the earth's face with beauties from him;

    So, for your glory, through him the world is filled with light.

  18. فأَتى بما اقتضتِ الفِراسة فِعْلَه

    فتَنافستْ في فضِله الأفكار

    He accomplished what discerning insight required him to do;

    So thoughts vied over his excellence.

  19. جاورْتَه داراً لدارٍ فاغتدَتْ

    لجلالِه في كلِّ قلب دار

    You dwelt beside him, house next to house; and there arose

    a home for his majesty in every heart.

  20. وجَلونَ منه على الأَنامِ فَضائلا

    فعُقول أهلِ الأرضِ فيه تَحار

    And they revealed his excellences before humankind;

    So the minds of earth's people are bewildered by him.

  21. أظهرتَه للناس عند كَمالِه

    فَضْلا فأنجَبَ ذلك المضمار

    You revealed him to the people when he attained perfection

    in excellence; and so that racecourse bred nobility.

  22. فتَلا مَحاسنَك الشريفة للعُلى

    بالجِدِّ فهْو السابق السَّيّار

    He followed your noble virtues toward the heights

    with earnest effort; he is the swift-moving frontrunner.

  23. وقَرنْتَه بالشمسِ فِعْلَ مُجرِّب

    إنّ الشموس بُعولُها الأقمار

    And you paired him with the sun, as a man of experience would;

    Indeed, the suns have moons for husbands.

  24. فالخَلْق في عرسٍ يدوم سرورُه

    أَبدا كأنّ الليل فيه نهار

    So humankind is at a wedding whose joy endures

    forever, as though the night in it were day.

  25. لم تَنفرِدْ مصرٌ به عن غيرِها

    سِيّانِ مصرٌ فيه والأَمْصار

    Egypt was not alone in it, to the exclusion of others;

    Egypt and the other cities share it alike.

  26. كاد المُقطّمُ أنْ يَميدَ مَسرَّةً

    لو لم يُصِبْه من لَدُنْك وَقار

    Muqattam would almost have swayed with joy,

    had not solemn gravity from you settled upon it.

  27. غَمرتْ مَكارُمك البريةَ قبلَه

    وانْضاف هذا العرس فهْي بِحار

    Your benefactions had flooded creation before it;

    And this wedding was added: now they are seas.

  28. بَذلتْ هِباتُك فيه كلَّ نفيسةٍ

    حتى تأكد للنُّضار بَوار

    Your gifts lavished every precious thing at it,

    until pure gold itself was certain to go unsold.

  29. اللهُ يبِقى في بقائك عُمْرَه

    ما دام للفَلك الأَثير مَدار

    May God preserve his life together with yours,

    as long as the noble sphere has an orbit;

  30. حتى يشدَّ بَنوك ملكَك مثله

    ويشدَّه أبناؤه الأبرار

    so that your sons may strengthen your kingdom as he does,

    and his righteous sons may strengthen it.

  31. واللهُ يجعلنا فداءَك إنّه

    لولاك ما طابت لنا الأعمار

    And may God make us a ransom for you; for truly,

    without you, our lives would have no sweetness.