أَشَادَ بِها الدَّاعِي المُهيبُ إلَى الرُّشْدِ

أَشَادَ بِها الدَّاعِي المُهيبُ إلَى الرُّشْدِ

فَهَبَّ لَها أَهلُ السعَادَة بِالخُلْدِ

فَهَبَّ لَها أَهلُ السعَادَة بِالخُلْدِ

The herald urging toward right guidance proclaimed it,

The exhorter to righteousness extolled it

So the blessed in al-Khuld rose to answer it:

And the people of happiness strove for its eternity

وِلايَةُ عَهْدٍ أنْجَزَ الحَقُّ وَعْدَه

وِلايَةُ عَهْدٍ أنْجَزَ الحَقُّ وَعْدَه

بِتَقْلِيدِها مِنْ أهْلِهِ الصادِق الوَعْدِ

بِتَقْلِيدِها مِنْ أهْلِهِ الصادِق الوَعْدِ

An appointment as heir—the True One fulfilled His promise

The guardianship of a covenant fulfilled its promise

By entrusting it to one worthy of it, true to his word;

By entrusting it to its people, the truthful and promise-keeping

وبَيْعَة رضْوانٍ تَبَلَّجَ صُبْحُها

وبَيْعَة رضْوانٍ تَبَلَّجَ صُبْحُها

عَنِ القَمَرِ الوَضَّاحِ فِي أُفُقِ المَجْدِ

عَنِ القَمَرِ الوَضَّاحِ فِي أُفُقِ المَجْدِ

And a pledge of divine approval, whose dawn broke bright,

In its dawn shone the pledge of satisfaction

Revealing the radiant moon on glory's horizon.

Brighter than the radiant moon on the horizon of glory

تَجَلتْ وَجَلَّتْ عِزّةً فَليَوْمها

تَجَلتْ وَجَلَّتْ عِزّةً فَليَوْمها

مِنَ الدَّهْرِ تَفْويفُ الطّرازِ مِنَ البُرْدِ

مِنَ الدَّهْرِ تَفْويفُ الطّرازِ مِنَ البُرْدِ

It shone forth and grew great in glory; thus its day

It manifested glory and majesty

Is to time what striped embroidery is to a mantle.

While around it the finest gems paled

وَحَلَّتْ بِسَعْدِ الأَسْعدِ الشَّمسُ عِنْدَها

وَحَلَّتْ بِسَعْدِ الأَسْعدِ الشَّمسُ عِنْدَها

فَأيِّدَ فِي أَثْنائِها السَّعْدُ بِالسَّعْدِ

فَأيِّدَ فِي أَثْنائِها السَّعْدُ بِالسَّعْدِ

And then the sun alighted in the fortune of the most fortunate,

With it arrived the happiness of the most fortunate

So, in its midst, good fortune was strengthened by good fortune.

As good fortune accompanied good fortune

وَلَمَّا أَتَتْ بَيْنَ التَّهانِي فَريدَةً

وَلَمَّا أَتَتْ بَيْنَ التَّهانِي فَريدَةً

تَخيَّرَها التَّوفيقُ فِي رَجَبِ الفَرْدِ

تَخيَّرَها التَّوفيقُ فِي رَجَبِ الفَرْدِ

And when it came, peerless among felicitations,

And when it came unique among congratulations

Divine favor chose it in Rajab, the solitary month.

Good fortune chose it in the singular Rajaab

أَبَى الدِّين والدُّنيا وُلاةً سِوَى بَنِي

أَبَى الدِّين والدُّنيا وُلاةً سِوَى بَنِي

أَبِي حَفْص الأَقْمَار وَالسُّحْبِ والأُسْدِ

أَبِي حَفْص الأَقْمَار وَالسُّحْبِ والأُسْدِ

Religion and the world would have no rulers but the sons

Religion and world refused any rulers but the sons

Of Abu Hafs—moons, clouds, and lions.

Of Abi Hafs, the moons, clouds and lions

وَإِنْ ضَايَقَتْ فيهَا المُلُوك وَعَدَّدَتْ

وَإِنْ ضَايَقَتْ فيهَا المُلُوك وَعَدَّدَتْ

مَنَاقِبَ تَحْكِي الشُّهبَ فِي الظُّلَمِ الرُّبْدِ

مَنَاقِبَ تَحْكِي الشُّهبَ فِي الظُّلَمِ الرُّبْدِ

And though kings contended over it and recounted

And if the kings felt confined by it and numbered

Merits like shooting stars amid dusky darkness,

Virtues that put the shooting stars to shame in deep darkness

فَإِنَّ كِتابَ اللَّهِ يَفْضُلُ كُلُّهُ

فَإِنَّ كِتابَ اللَّهِ يَفْضُلُ كُلُّهُ

وَقَدْ فَضَلَتْهُ بَيْنَها سُورَةُ الحَمْدِ

وَقَدْ فَضَلَتْهُ بَيْنَها سُورَةُ الحَمْدِ

The Book of God, after all, excels in its entirety,

The Book of God surpasses all of them

Yet among its chapters the Surah of Praise surpasses the rest.

And it surpassed them among the chapters, Surat Al-Hamd

وَفِي شَجَراتِ الرَّوْضِ طيبٌ مُعَطَّرٌ

وَفِي شَجَراتِ الرَّوْضِ طيبٌ مُعَطَّرٌ

صَباهُ وَلِلأُتْرُجِّ مَا لَيْسَ لِلرَّنْدِ

صَباهُ وَلِلأُتْرُجِّ مَا لَيْسَ لِلرَّنْدِ

And in the garden's trees is fragrance, perfuming

In the gardens’ trees is fragrant perfume

Its east wind; yet the citron has what the laurel lacks.

Poured out, and the sweet basil is not like the myrtle

وَكُلُّ سِلاحِ الحَرْبِ بَادٍ غَناؤُهُ

وَكُلُّ سِلاحِ الحَرْبِ بَادٍ غَناؤُهُ

ولَكِنْ لِمَعْنىً أُوثِرَ الصارِمُ الهِنْدِي

ولَكِنْ لِمَعْنىً أُوثِرَ الصارِمُ الهِنْدِي

And every weapon of war has an evident use,

And all the weapons of war, their striking is fading

But for a reason the keen Indian blade was preferred.

But meaning was given precedence, the Indian sword

عَلى زَكَرِيَّاءَ بْنِ يَحْيَى التقى الرِّضَى

عَلى زَكَرِيَّاءَ بْنِ يَحْيَى التقى الرِّضَى

كَما التَقَتِ الأَنْداءُ صُبْحاً عَلَى الوَرْدِ

كَما التَقَتِ الأَنْداءُ صُبْحاً عَلَى الوَرْدِ

Upon Zakariyya ibn Yahya, approval gathered,

Upon Zakariyya son of Yahya, the pious, the content

As dewdrops gather at dawn upon the rose.

As the close met in the morning over roses

عَلَى المُرْتَضَى بنِ المُرْتَضَى فِي أَرُومَةٍ

عَلَى المُرْتَضَى بنِ المُرْتَضَى فِي أَرُومَةٍ

نَمَتْ صُعداً بالنَّجْلِ والأَبِ والجَدِّ

نَمَتْ صُعداً بالنَّجْلِ والأَبِ والجَدِّ

Upon the chosen one, son of the chosen one, of a lineage

Upon the approved son of the approved in a meadow

That grew ever higher through son, father, and grandfather.

That grew lofty with palms, blossoms and ancestors

عَلَى المُكْتَفِي والمُقْتَفِي نَهْجَ قَصْدِهِ

عَلَى المُكْتَفِي والمُقْتَفِي نَهْجَ قَصْدِهِ

وَمُشْبِهِه في البَأْسِ وَالجُودِ وَالجَدِّ

وَمُشْبِهِه في البَأْسِ وَالجُودِ وَالجَدِّ

Upon al-Muktafi, who follows his father's purposeful course,

Upon the self-sufficient and the one emulating his path of moderation

And resembles him in valor, generosity, and good fortune.

And his likeness in valor, generosity and zeal