ظهرت عجائب قدرة الرحمن

وبدا الصباح لمن له عينان

The wonders of the All-Merciful's power have appeared,

and dawn has broken for whoever has two eyes.

من كان في شك فقد كشف الغطا

لا شك بعد إقامة البرهان

For anyone who doubted, the veil has been lifted;

no doubt remains once the proof is established.

ظنوا بأن الله مخلف عبده

ميعاده المقروء في القرآن

They thought God would fail His servant

in His promise recited in the Qur'an.

لا والذي جعل العوقب للتقى

والخرزى عقبى عصبة الشيطان

No—by Him who made the final outcome belong to piety,

and disgrace the ultimate fate of Satan's band!

ما النصر والتوفيق إلا هكذا

لك جملة الأنصار والاعوان

Victory and divine success are only like this:

all supporters and helpers are yours.

من كان في نصر الإله مشمرا

لم يخطه نصر من الرحمن

Whoever girds himself to support God

is never passed over by help from the All-Merciful.

أو ما رأيت ذؤال كيف تضايقت

بهم مسالك فرقة الأوطان

Have you not seen Dhu'al, how narrow became

for them the paths of leaving their homelands?

وفراقها قد كان من شهواتهم

حرصا على الإِفساد والطغيان

Yet leaving them had been among their desires,

out of eagerness for corruption and tyranny.

كانوا يرون الموت عارا عندهم

مالم يكن في معرك وطعان

They used to deem death a disgrace

unless it came in battle and spear-thrusting.

ويرونه أدنى وأهون عندهم

في خطة تغشاهم بهوان

And they deemed it a lesser, easier thing

in a plight that engulfed them in humiliation.

حتى ملكت الأرض غير معارض

فيه بقول فلّ ورأي فلان

Until you possessed the land, unopposed

therein by so-and-so's words and another's opinion.

واخترت ربك وحده لك صاحبا

اكرم به من صاحب معوان

You chose your Lord alone as your companion;

what a noble, ever-helpful companion He is!

فتفرقت تلك الجموع وادعت

لك بالخضوع وما التقى الجمعان

Then those hosts dispersed and professed

submission to you, though the two armies never met.

ورأت ذؤال العز في الذل الذي

خرت لديك به على الأذقان

Dhu'al saw honor in the abasement whereby

they fell before you upon their chins.

قادوا الخيول فأعطيت أعداؤهم

لتغيظهم فتضاعفا ذلان

They led the horses, but their enemies were given them,

to enrage them; thus two humiliations compounded.

وعلمت عن دبسان إذ عبثت به

أهل الحصون الشم من ملحان

You learned of Dabsan, then being harassed

by the people of Milhan's lofty fortresses.

فنهضت قبل الجيش لاستنقاذه

كالليث لا وكلا ولا متواني

So you rose ahead of the army to the rescue,

like a lion, neither fainthearted nor slow.

وصدمتهم صدم الزجاجة بالصفا

فتطايروا كتطاير الغربان

You smashed them like a glass vessel against solid rock,

and they scattered as crows scatter.

وطويتها طي السجل صياصياً

شم الذرى مرفوعة الأركان

You rolled them up like a scroll—fortresses

with lofty summits and pillars raised high.

خسروا فلا سلمت حصونهم لهم

منكم ولا حصلوا على دبسان

They lost: their fortresses were not kept safe for them

from you, nor did they gain Dabsan.

إن المتاجر في خلافك ماله

ربح يفوز به سوى الخسران

Whoever trades in opposing you has

no profit to win but loss.

يا أيها المنصور يا نعم الضيا

يا نجل أحمد يا عظيم الشان

O al-Mansur, O splendid radiance,

O son of Ahmad, O great in stature!

أرايت أعجب من خلاف قد جرى

وتغلب بالامس في رحبان

Have you seen anything stranger than the rebellion that arose

and yesterday's usurpation in Rahban,

ومن الخضوع اليوم منهم والرضى

بعد الإِبا بالذل والاذعان

and their submission today, their acceptance,

after defiance, of abasement and surrender?

فلقد أراك الله من آياته

عجبا يزيل الشك بالإِليهان

God has indeed shown you, among His signs,

a wonder that dispels doubt with certainty [probable reading].

أحسنت ظنك بامرىء قلدته

والمرء مخدوع على الإِيمان

You thought well of a man whom you appointed,

and a man may be beguiled by oaths.

او ما هممت بان يزيل عن الهدى

كتبا هدمن قواعد الإِيمان

Had you not intended that he remove from the path of guidance

books that demolished the foundations of faith?

فثناك عنها من ثناك مخوفا

أن لا يصيب مواقع الإِحسان

But he who dissuaded you turned you from them, warning

that this might miss the mark of doing good.

وعرفته فقصدته حبا له

ونصحته لا رده بلساني

I knew him and sought him out of love for him,

and counseled him to turn him back with my tongue.

والأمر يومئذ بعلمك أمره

فأبى عليّ وجد في العصيان

The decision then, as you know, was his;

but he refused me and persisted in disobedience.

ورجعت عنه وما يئست لأنه

يرنو بعقل وافر وجنان

I turned away from him, yet did not despair, for he

looked on with ample reason and heart.

فأتاه من حيث الأمان إلهه

إذ كان قلبك في يد المنّان

Then his God came upon him from where he felt secure,

for your heart was in the Bountiful Giver's hand.

والله يمهل في العقوبة عبده

ما شاء لا في سائر الأحيان

God grants His servant respite from punishment

as long as He wills, but not forever.

رام اضطهاد الدين في إقباله

والشرك في الإِدبار والايهان

He sought to oppress religion in its ascendancy,

while polytheism was in retreat and decline.

وأتى يحاول والقضا يدعو به

ماذا لما حاولته بزمان

He came attempting it, while destiny called to him:

'This is no time for what you have attempted.'

فثنى فؤادك عنه ربك مثلما

لك كان عن نصر بربك ثاني

So your Lord turned your heart away from him, just as

he had turned you from victory through your Lord.

وأردت أن ترضى وربك لم يرد

فهجرته هجر الملول الشاني

You wished to be pleased, but your Lord did not will it,

so you forsook him as one weary and resentful.

والله والله العظيم إلية

منى هي العظمى من الإِيمان

By God, by God Almighty—an oath

of mine, the greatest among oaths—

ما كل ذا منكم عليهم قسوة

لكن مالك بالقضاء يدان

all this from you toward them is no cruelty;

but your hands are powerless against the decree.

لو عاد عدت ولو تراجع للهدى

لرجعت نحو العفو والغفران

Were he to return, you would return; were he to turn back to guidance,

you would return to pardon and forgiveness.

ما في وزيرك غيرها من وصمة

فارفق به ترجع إلى الإِيمان

Your minister has no blemish other than this;

so be gentle with him, and bring him back to faith.

ولقد أعدت عليه بعد صدودكم

عنه نصيحة مشفق حنان

I repeated to him, after your estrangement

from him, the counsel of one compassionate and tenderhearted.

وحلفت أن أرضى الإِله بتوبة

ليفوز منك عليه بالرضوان

I swore that, were he to please God through repentance,

he would surely gain your favorable regard,

ثقة بما وعد الإله عبيده

أن يجزي الاحسان بالاحسان

trusting in what God promised His servants:

to reward kindness with kindness.

وأعدت أخرى ثم أخرى بعدها

نصحا فما أصغت له أذنان

I repeated more, then more again thereafter,

as counsel, but no two ears gave it heed.

ولقد رأينا للاله عناية

بك لا تحيج إلى مزيد بيان

We have indeed seen God's care

for you, requiring no further explanation.

فيها لنا وله جميعا عبرة

إن كان تمييز مع الإِنسان

In it is a lesson for us and him alike,

if a person has any discernment.

قصص رأيت الحق فيها بينا

فازددت إيمانا على إيمان

Accounts in which you saw the truth made plain,

so you added faith to faith.

من حب للدنيا الملوك فانني

للدين أحمد صحبة السلطان

Whoever loves kings for this world—I, for my part,

for religion commend the sultan's company.

ملك على التقوى تأسس والرضى

لا يمترى في يمنه اثنان

A kingdom founded on piety and approval,

whose blessedness no two people dispute.

فابشر فربك عنك راض والورى

راضون في الاسرار والاعلان

So rejoice: your Lord is pleased with you, and all people

are pleased, in secret and in public.