سَلْ ركابَ الحِمى غَداةَ استَقلَّتْ

سَلْ ركابَ الحِمى غَداةَ استَقلَّتْ

مَنْ حَوتْ في رِحالِها وأقَلّتْ

مَنْ حَوتْ في رِحالِها وأقَلّتْ

Ask the sanctuary's riding camels, on the morning they departed,

Ask the riders of fever at dawn when they departed,

whom they held in their saddles and bore away.

Whom their litters bore and transported,

وثنَتْ للسُرَى هواديَ لوْلا

وثنَتْ للسُرَى هواديَ لوْلا

أنْ هداها برْقُ الثّنايا لضلّتْ

أنْ هداها برْقُ الثّنايا لضلّتْ

And they bent their necks for night travel—had not

And turned towards the plains, were it not

the gleam of front teeth guided them, they would have strayed.

For the lightning of the dunes that guided them, else they would have strayed.

أهِيَ السُّفْنُ في بِحارِ سرابٍ

أهِيَ السُّفْنُ في بِحارِ سرابٍ

أمْ مَطايا لدَى الكثيبِ أطَلّتْ

أمْ مَطايا لدَى الكثيبِ أطَلّتْ

Are they ships upon seas of mirage,

Are they ships on seas of mirage,

or mounts appearing beside the dune?

Or camels by the sand dune that appeared?

غرُبَتْ في خدورِهِنّ بُدورٌ

غرُبَتْ في خدورِهِنّ بُدورٌ

أفَلَتْ لا بَلْ غرْبَ صَبْريَ فلّتْ

أفَلَتْ لا بَلْ غرْبَ صَبْريَ فلّتْ

Full moons set within their curtained chambers;

Full moons set in their chambers,

they vanished—no, rather they blunted my patience's edge.

Did they escape or rather my patience strayed?

كمْ بُدور لها الهوادِجُ أفْقٌ

كمْ بُدور لها الهوادِجُ أفْقٌ

نورُها قد جَلا الدُجى إذ تجلّتْ

نورُها قد جَلا الدُجى إذ تجلّتْ

How many full moons have the howdahs for a horizon!

How many full moons the valleys are horizons for,

Their light dispelled the darkness when they shone forth.

Their light dispelled the darkness when they appeared.

جَدّدَتْ حالَة الهَوى حينَ جدّتْ

جَدّدَتْ حالَة الهَوى حينَ جدّتْ

وتوالَى الغرامُ حينَ تولّتْ

وتوالَى الغرامُ حينَ تولّتْ

She renewed the state of love when she hastened on;

The state of passion renewed when they renewed,

and passion continued when she turned away.

And love followed suit when they followed suit.

حالَ ما بينَنا الزّمانُ ولكنْ

حالَ ما بينَنا الزّمانُ ولكنْ

لمْ تزَلْ طيَّ أضْلُعي حيثُ حلّتْ

لمْ تزَلْ طيَّ أضْلُعي حيثُ حلّتْ

Time has come between us, yet

Time passed between us but

she remains within my ribs, where she settled.

They still reside in my ribs where they resided.

لم يهُلْنا المَغيبُ لو هيَ وافَتْ

لم يهُلْنا المَغيبُ لو هيَ وافَتْ

لمواقِيتِ عوْدِها وأهَلّتْ

لمواقِيتِ عوْدِها وأهَلّتْ

Absence would not have alarmed us, had she come

Absence would not make us desist had they

at the appointed times of her return and risen like a new moon.

Kept to the time of their return and greeted.

أيُحيلُ البعادُ عهْدَ فَتاةٍ

أيُحيلُ البعادُ عهْدَ فَتاةٍ

حالَة الوجْدِ بالفؤادِ أحلّتْ

حالَة الوجْدِ بالفؤادِ أحلّتْ

Can separation alter the pledge of a maiden

Does separation render void a maiden's vow

who lodged a state of longing in the heart?

That made passion reside in the heart they resided?

سلْ عنِ الأنْفُسِ الكَريمَة هَلّا

سلْ عنِ الأنْفُسِ الكَريمَة هَلّا

بعْدَ حِفْظِ العُهودِ عنْها تسلّتْ

بعْدَ حِفْظِ العُهودِ عنْها تسلّتْ

Ask about noble souls—why did they not,

Ask the noble souls - have they

after keeping their pledges, find solace away from her?

Forgotten their vows after they made them?

وعنِ الناصر بْنِ نَصرٍ أجَدْوى

وعنِ الناصر بْنِ نَصرٍ أجَدْوى

راحتَيْهِ أمِ الغُيوثُ استَهَلّتْ

راحتَيْهِ أمِ الغُيوثُ استَهَلّتْ

And about al-Nasir ibn Nasr: is it the bounty

And ask Nasser bin Nasser, my solace,

of his two palms, or the rains, that have poured forth?

Did the mother of aid let his comfort subside?

هوَ مولَى المُلوكِ شرْقاً وغرْباً

هوَ مولَى المُلوكِ شرْقاً وغرْباً

فحُلاهُ على مَزاياهُ دلّتْ

فحُلاهُ على مَزاياهُ دلّتْ

He is lord of kings in the East and the West;

He is the master of kings east and west,

so his graces have attested to his merits.

So his virtues made his ornaments manifest.

حفِظَ اللهُ منهُ للمُلْكِ ذاتاً

حفِظَ اللهُ منهُ للمُلْكِ ذاتاً

بحُلَى الفضْلِ والكَمالِ تحلّتْ

بحُلَى الفضْلِ والكَمالِ تحلّتْ

May God preserve his person for the realm,

May God preserve for the kingdom his being,

adorned with the ornaments of excellence and perfection.

Adorned with the jewel of perfection manifest.

أيُها الناصِرُ الإمامُ المُرَجّى

أيُها الناصِرُ الإمامُ المُرَجّى

فئَةُ العزِّ للمُناوِي أذلّتْ

فئَةُ العزِّ للمُناوِي أذلّتْ

O al-Nasir, the imam in whom hope is placed,

O Nasser the Imam hoped for,

the host of might has humbled the adversary.

The party of might made the enemy abase.

جبَلُ الفتحِ قد حَللتَ لديْهِ

جبَلُ الفتحِ قد حَللتَ لديْهِ

ذِرْوةً قد علَتْ مَكاناً وجلّتْ

ذِرْوةً قد علَتْ مَكاناً وجلّتْ

At the Mount of Conquest, you have taken your place

You have smoothed on the mountain of triumph,

on a summit high in station and great in majesty.

A peak elevated in rank manifest.

ولأهْلِيهِ في الخِلافِ نُفوسٌ

ولأهْلِيهِ في الخِلافِ نُفوسٌ

بشياطينَ للضّلالِ اسْتُزِلّتْ

بشياطينَ للضّلالِ اسْتُزِلّتْ

And its people had souls given to rebellion,

And for his kin in the caliphate are souls

made to stumble into error by devils.

Seduced by devils to stray manifest.

فَترامَتْ لهمْ كتائِبُ عِزٍّ

فَترامَتْ لهمْ كتائِبُ عِزٍّ

لو رمَتْها يدُ الزّمانِ لشُلَّتْ

لو رمَتْها يدُ الزّمانِ لشُلَّتْ

So battalions of might hurled themselves against them;

So battalions of might pounced upon them

had Time's hand struck them, it would have been paralyzed.

Had the hand of time pushed them they would have stumbled.

لو تُجاري الرّياحُ منها جياداً

لو تُجاري الرّياحُ منها جياداً

لانثَنَتْ عنْ مَدى السّباقِ وكلّتْ

لانثَنَتْ عنْ مَدى السّباقِ وكلّتْ

Had the winds raced against their steeds,

Were the winds to race their steeds,

they would have turned back from the race's course and grown weary.

They would have veered from the track of the race manifest.

بِهوادٍ غُرّ الفُتوحاتِ أهْدَتْ

بِهوادٍ غُرّ الفُتوحاتِ أهْدَتْ

إذْ أطلّتْ جُموعُهُمْ وأضلّتْ

إذْ أطلّتْ جُموعُهُمْ وأضلّتْ

With their vanguards, they bestowed radiant conquests,

With conquests they gifted the valleys that appeared,

when their hosts appeared and led others astray.

When their troops thronged and strayed.

أرِياضٌ أنْهارُهُ فيهِ سالَتْ

أرِياضٌ أنْهارُهُ فيهِ سالَتْ

أمْ سُيوفٌ في مُلْتَقَى الحرْبِ سُلَّتْ

أمْ سُيوفٌ في مُلْتَقَى الحرْبِ سُلَّتْ

Are these gardens, with their rivers flowing within,

Are they orchards whose streams flowed in them,

or swords drawn where battle is joined?

Or swords in the battlegrounds unsheathed?

وعَوالٍ يجْلو الظّلامَ سَناها

وعَوالٍ يجْلو الظّلامَ سَناها

أمْ نجومٌ من السّماءِ تدلّتْ

أمْ نجومٌ من السّماءِ تدلّتْ

And long spears whose radiance dispels the darkness,

And meteors dispelling the darkness their sharp blades,

or stars hanging down from the sky?

Or stars from the heavens that dangled?

ولقدْ جاءَتِ البشائِرُ حتّى

ولقدْ جاءَتِ البشائِرُ حتّى

أعْذَبَتْ موْرِدَ السُّرورِ وأحْلَتْ

أعْذَبَتْ موْرِدَ السُّرورِ وأحْلَتْ

And indeed glad tidings came, until

And good tidings came until

they made joy's wellspring fresh and sweet.

They made the font of joy sweet and poured forth.

بعُلاكَ السّعيدُ مُلّكَ أرْضاً

بعُلاكَ السّعيدُ مُلّكَ أرْضاً

لكَ ألْقَتْ ما عِندَها وتخلّتْ

لكَ ألْقَتْ ما عِندَها وتخلّتْ

Through your eminence, al-Sa'id was granted dominion over a land

Your blessed empowerment made you king over a land

that cast before you all it possessed and relinquished it.

That resigned to you what it possessed manifest.

فتهنّا صَنائِعاً حينَ وافَتْ

فتهنّا صَنائِعاً حينَ وافَتْ

شيّدَتْ مصْنَعَ القَبولِ وأعْلَتْ

شيّدَتْ مصْنَعَ القَبولِ وأعْلَتْ

So rejoice in favors which, when they came,

So we rejoiced when they arrived,

built the edifice of acceptance and raised it high.

Having erected the edifice of acceptance lofty.