ملكٌ ما أَذَلَّ بِالفَتح أرضاً

ملكٌ ما أَذَلَّ بِالفَتح أرضاً

قَطُّ إلّا أعزَّها إغلاقُهْ

قَطُّ إلّا أعزَّها إغلاقُهْ

A king who never humbled a land by conquest

A king never conquered a land,

Without his closing it off exalting it.

Except that locking it made it more glorious,

والوَهَى في الرُّهَاءِ أزْجَى إليها

والوَهَى في الرُّهَاءِ أزْجَى إليها

عارضاً شيب الدُّجَى إبراقُه

عارضاً شيب الدُّجَى إبراقُه

And the frailty in Edessa sent toward her

And caprice in well-being is more agreeable to it,

A storm cloud whose lightning made the darkness gray.

As the white hair of time shows its brilliance.

جَأرتْ جَأرةً إِلَيه فَحلى

جَأرتْ جَأرةً إِلَيه فَحلى

عطلاً من إِعناقها إِعناقُه

عطلاً من إِعناقها إِعناقُه

She raised a cry to him; then were adorned

It roared wildly toward him, so he endeared

Her bare necks by his swift advance.

It by removing the yoke from its neck.

تِلكَ بِكْرُ الفتوحِ فَالشّامُ مِنها

تِلكَ بِكْرُ الفتوحِ فَالشّامُ مِنها

شامُهُ والعراق بعدُ عراقُه

شامُهُ والعراق بعدُ عراقُه

That is the maiden of conquests; through her, Syria

That was the first of the conquests, and from it

Is his Syria, and Iraq thereafter his Iraq.

Damascus became his Damascus, and Iraq his Iraq.

أَينَ كانَ المُلوكُ عَن وَجهِها الطّل

أَينَ كانَ المُلوكُ عَن وَجهِها الطّل

قِ يُرينا إضاءةً إطْلاقُه

قِ يُرينا إضاءةً إطْلاقُه

Where were the kings before her radiant face,

Where were the kings before him, whose brightness

Whose release shows us radiance?

Could show us any liberation?

سُنَّةٌ سَنَّها أَبوه بِكَلبِ الر

سُنَّةٌ سَنَّها أَبوه بِكَلبِ الر

رومِ لمّا أظلّه إرهاقُه

رومِ لمّا أظلّه إرهاقُه

A precedent his father established against the dog of the

A tradition set by his father with the dogs of Rome,

Romans, when his relentless pursuit loomed over him.

When their oppression overwhelmed him.

خافِقاً قَلبُهُ إِلى أملٍ عا

خافِقاً قَلبُهُ إِلى أملٍ عا

جَلَه دون نَيْله إخفاقُه

جَلَه دون نَيْله إخفاقُه

His heart fluttering toward a hope—

His heart pounding with distant hope,

His failure overtook him before he attained it.

Which failed him before reaching it.

قَسَمَت راية المواضي القسيمي

قَسَمَت راية المواضي القسيمي

يات وابتزّ من لَهَاهُ عراقُه

يات وابتزّ من لَهَاهُ عراقُه

The keen Qasimi blades split a banner,

The banner of the Qasimi divided the pastures,

And his Iraq was wrested from his gullet.

And the best of those who belong to it is its Iraq.

وكذا أنْتَ يا ابْنَه ما عدا من

وكذا أنْتَ يا ابْنَه ما عدا من

خُلقه فيك خَصْلةً خَلّاقُه

خُلقه فيك خَصْلةً خَلّاقُه

And so are you, his son: not one

And so are you, O son, nothing inherited from

Trait of his character in you was omitted by his Creator.

His manners in you but what improves them.

وكفى البحرَ أنّه ابنُ سحابٍ

وكفى البحرَ أنّه ابنُ سحابٍ

ما وَنَى سَحُّهُ ولا إصْعاقُه

ما وَنَى سَحُّهُ ولا إصْعاقُه

Enough for the sea that it is the son of a cloud

It is enough that the sea is the son of clouds

Whose downpour never slackened, nor its lightning strikes.

Whose downpour does not cease, nor its waves.

لم يَمُتْ من سَدَدْتَ ثُلْمتَه يا

لم يَمُتْ من سَدَدْتَ ثُلْمتَه يا

مَن على الدّين كظَّه إشفاقُه

مَن على الدّين كظَّه إشفاقُه

He whose breach you repaired has not died, O

None died whose gap you filled, O you

You whom concern for the faith has overwhelmed.

Whose zeal for the religion is like its armor.

رَهبةً لَم تدَع على الأرض قلباً

رَهبةً لَم تدَع على الأرض قلباً

خلْفَ صدرٍ يَنْشَقُّ عنه شقاقُه

خلْفَ صدرٍ يَنْشَقُّ عنه شقاقُه

A dread that left no heart on earth

Awe that left no heart behind a riven

Behind a breast from which its dissent could burst.

Chest whose schism it could heal.

كُلُّما طَنَّ ذِكْرُهَا منه في الس

كُلُّما طَنَّ ذِكْرُهَا منه في الس

سَمعِ يكمَى في النَّافِقاء نِفاقُه

سَمعِ يكمَى في النَّافِقاء نِفاقُه

Whenever its mention rings from him in the

Whenever the mention of it rang in his hearing,

Ear, his hypocrisy hides in the burrow's secret exit.

Hypocrisy would be muted among the hypocrites.

وَجِهادٍ عَن حَوزَةِ الدّين لم يأ

وَجِهادٍ عَن حَوزَةِ الدّين لم يأ

لُ له رَكْضُهُ ولا إنفاقُه

لُ له رَكْضُهُ ولا إنفاقُه

And a struggle defending the faith's domain—

And a jihad to protect the realm of religion,

His riding and spending never failed it.

For which he spared no running or spending.

أيَّ شأنٍ أدركتَ يا نور دينِ ال

أيَّ شأنٍ أدركتَ يا نور دينِ ال

لَهِ أَعيا عَلى المُلوكِ لِحاقُه

لَهِ أَعيا عَلى المُلوكِ لِحاقُه

What stature you have attained, O Light of the Faith of

What feat have you attained, O light of Allah's

God—a stature the kings could not reach!

Religion, beyond the reach of kings?

نَطَقَ الحاسِدونَ بِالعَجزِ عَن ملْ

نَطَقَ الحاسِدونَ بِالعَجزِ عَن ملْ

كٍ مُحَلّىً بِالنَّيِّراتِ نِطاقُه

كٍ مُحَلّىً بِالنَّيِّراتِ نِطاقُه

The envious confessed their impotence before a kingdom

The envious spoke of inability toward a

Whose girdle is adorned with shining stars.

King adorned with gifts his belt.

غضّ أبصارهم لِحاقُ جَوادٍ

غضّ أبصارهم لِحاقُ جَوادٍ

لَيسَ إِلّا إِلى المَعالي سباقُه

لَيسَ إِلّا إِلى المَعالي سباقُه

Trying to catch a noble steed lowered their gaze,

Their sight obscured by the superior horses

Whose racing is only toward the heights of glory.

Whose only race is to the heights.

سَلْ بصيراً كم أعْتَقَتْ يوم بُصْرَى

سَلْ بصيراً كم أعْتَقَتْ يوم بُصْرَى

مِن أسارِ المَوتِ الزُّؤام عِتاقُه

مِن أسارِ المَوتِ الزُّؤام عِتاقُه

Ask an eyewitness how many, on the day of Busra,

Ask one who sees, how many did Buṣrā free

His thoroughbreds freed from the captivity of sudden death.

From the captives of death, its oppression?

كَم عرامٍ على العُرَيْمَة شبت

كَم عرامٍ على العُرَيْمَة شبت

ضاقَ منه على الصَّليب خناقُه

ضاقَ منه على الصَّليب خناقُه

How often fury flared at al-Urayma,

How many knights in Arama were hardened,

Tightening its noose upon the Cross!

Their crucifixion was too narrow for them.

وَلَكم هبوة بِهاب وأُخْتَيْ

وَلَكم هبوة بِهاب وأُخْتَيْ

ها لها صكّت الأسارى رباقُه

ها لها صكّت الأسارى رباقُه

And how many a dust cloud at Hab and her two sisters,

And how many Hibahs whose two sisters

In whose wake his halters struck the captives!

Stamped the captives with their heels.

بَسطَ الذُلُّ فَوقَ بَسطَةِ باسو

بَسطَ الذُلُّ فَوقَ بَسطَةِ باسو

طا وَلَكِنْ طَواهُ عَنهُ اِرتِفاقُه

طا وَلَكِنْ طَواهُ عَنهُ اِرتِفاقُه

Humiliation spread over the expanse of Basuta,

Humility spread over the Basūṭa, but his

But his support rolled it away from there.

Compassion concealed it from him.

لَم يشنهُ مِن ماءِ يُغْراءَ أن فر

لَم يشنهُ مِن ماءِ يُغْراءَ أن فر

رَ الأشابات ذاد عنها انذلاقُه

رَ الأشابات ذاد عنها انذلاقُه

It did not disgrace him that, from Yughra's waters,

He never pillaged a Yughrā well where

The motley troops fled; his swift charge defended them.

The braves quenched their thirst, lest it overflow.

كان فيها لَيْثَ العَرِين حَمى الأشْ

كان فيها لَيْثَ العَرِين حَمى الأشْ

بالَ منه غضبان كالنّار ماقُه

بالَ منه غضبان كالنّار ماقُه

He was there the lion of the lair, shielding the

Within it was the lion of the lair protecting the

Cubs from it, enraged, his eye-corner like fire.

Cubs, angry at them like blazing fire.

وَشبيه النبيِّ يوم حُنَيْنٍ

وَشبيه النبيِّ يوم حُنَيْنٍ

إِذ تَلافى أَدواءهم درياقُه

إِذ تَلافى أَدواءهم درياقُه

And like the Prophet on the day of Hunayn,

And the likeness of the Prophet at Ḥunayn,

When his antidote cured their ailments.

When his armor deflected their misfortunes.

وَهيَ الحَربُ فَحْلُها يُحْسِنُ الكَر

وَهيَ الحَربُ فَحْلُها يُحْسِنُ الكَر

رَة إنْ عضّ بأسها لا نياقُه

رَة إنْ عضّ بأسها لا نياقُه

And this is war: its bull-camel masters the charge,

It is war, and its stallion does well in

When its fury bites—not his she-camels.

Battle, if the valor of its lions persists.