يا عُبيد اللّه لا زلْ

يا عُبيد اللّه لا زلْ

تَ موقَّىً كل كيدِ

تَ موقَّىً كل كيدِ

O ʿUbayd Allāh, may you ever

O servants of Allah, do not falter

O Ubayd Allah, may you never cease

be protected from every plot.

You are protected from every plot

To be shielded from every plot.

كم يَدٍ مثل أيادٍ

كم يَدٍ مثل أيادٍ

عن يدٍ منك كأيدي

عن يدٍ منك كأيدي

How many a hand, worth many hands,

How many hands like helping hands

How many a favor, matching vast favors,

from a hand of yours, itself worth many hands,

Are from a hand among you like helping hands

Comes from a hand of yours, equaling generous hands.

تَخْتِلُ العافِين حتى

تَخْتِلُ العافِين حتى

يَعْتَفُوها ختْلَ صَيْدِ

يَعْتَفُوها ختْلَ صَيْدِ

lures those seeking bounty until

The prosperous vary until

You beguile those seeking aid until

they seek its bounty, as game is lured.

They recognize it as varying prey

They receive it, like the stalking of prey.

عشتَ ما عشتَ كعبد ال

عشتَ ما عشتَ كعبد ال

لَهِ والعُرْفُ كزيدِ

لَهِ والعُرْفُ كزيدِ

You have lived, all your life, like ʿAbd Allāh,

You have lived as long as you lived as a servant

You lived—long may you live—as Abdul-

and in generosity like Zayd.

Whose custom is as increasing

lah, while beneficence is like Zayd.

لو تُجاري الريح في المجْ

لو تُجاري الريح في المجْ

دِ لَخِيلَتْ ذاتَ قَيْدِ

دِ لَخِيلَتْ ذاتَ قَيْدِ

Were you to race the wind in glory,

If you contend with the wind in glory

If you were to race the wind in glo-

it would surely seem fettered.

It would be humbled, having a tether

ry, it would seem to be shackled.

أنت سعد في المعالي

أنت سعد في المعالي

لست فيها بسُعَيْدِ

لست فيها بسُعَيْدِ

You are Saʿd in noble attainments,

You are happiness in the heights

You are Sa'd in the heights of eminence;

not Suʿayd—a little Saʿd—among them.

You are not in it Sa'eed

You are not, within them, merely Su'ayd.

سرت حتى نلتَ أعلى

سرت حتى نلتَ أعلى

سَوْرَةِ المجد بأيْدِ

سَوْرَةِ المجد بأيْدِ

You journeyed until you attained the loftiest

You walked until you attained the highest

You journeyed until you attained the highest

height of glory, with strength.

Parapet of glory by hand

Rank of glory with strength.

بل تدلَّيتَ عليها

بل تدلَّيتَ عليها

من شماريخ قُدَيْدِ

من شماريخ قُدَيْدِ

Rather, you lowered yourself onto it

Rather, you lowered yourself onto it

Rather, you descended upon it

from the lofty peaks of Qudayd.

From lofty heights

From the towering peaks of Qudayd.

لم تنلها باحتيالٍ

لم تنلها باحتيالٍ

لا ولا مشيٍ رويْدِ

لا ولا مشيٍ رويْدِ

You did not attain it through guile,

You did not attain it by trickery

You did not reach it by trickery,

no, nor with slow, measured steps.

Nor by slow gait

Nor by a slow, leisurely pace.

قَرَّتِ الأرض بتدبي

قَرَّتِ الأرض بتدبي

رِكَ فيها بعد مَيْدِ

رِكَ فيها بعد مَيْدِ

The earth grew steady through your governance

The earth settled by your

The earth settled firm by your manage-

there, after swaying.

Management of it after tilting

ment of it, after its swaying.

ولَأَقلامُك أمضى

ولَأَقلامُك أمضى

من شبا رمح دُرَيْدِ

من شبا رمح دُرَيْدِ

And your pens are indeed sharper

And your pens are more decisive

And truly your pens are sharper

than the tip of Durayd's spear,

Than drinking youths' spears

Than the spear-point of Durayd,

أو شبا رمح ابن مَعْد

أو شبا رمح ابن مَعْد

يٍّ أخي الحرب زُبيْدِ

يٍّ أخي الحرب زُبيْدِ

or the tip of Ibn Maʿdī's spear—

Or drinking spears of Ibn Ma'di

Or the spear-point of Ibn Ma'd-

that brother of war from Zubayd.

My brother of war, Zubeed

y, the brother of war, the Zubaydi.

وإذا العفةُ عُدَّتْ

وإذا العفةُ عُدَّتْ

كنت عمرو بن عبيدِ

كنت عمرو بن عبيدِ

And when moral purity is reckoned,

And when chastity is counted

And if true virtue is recounted,

you are ʿAmr ibn ʿUbayd.

You were Amr bin Ubeed

You are as Amr ibn Ubayd.

أي عبدٍ منك لِلَّ

أي عبدٍ منك لِلَّ

هِ يُسَمَّى بِعُبَيْدِ

هِ يُسَمَّى بِعُبَيْدِ

How can a servant of God like you

What slave of His is named

What a servant you are to Al-

be called ʿUbayd—a 'little servant'?

Slave, except you O Ubeed

lah, though you are named Ubayd.