أَبداً تُنَكِّبُ عَن ضَلالٍ سادراً

أَبداً تُنَكِّبُ عَن ضَلالٍ سادراً

بِثُقوبِ زِنْدِكَ أَو تَدُلّ على هُدَى

بِثُقوبِ زِنْدِكَ أَو تَدُلّ على هُدَى

Forever you turn a heedless wanderer away from error

Never have you strayed from the right path

with the kindling of your fire-stick, or point the way to guidance.

With the holes of your spear or pointed to guidance

سُدْتَ الكُهُولَ مِنَ الملوكِ مُراهِقاً

سُدْتَ الكُهُولَ مِنَ الملوكِ مُراهِقاً

وشَأَوْتَ شِيبَهُم البوازِلَ أَمردا

وشَأَوْتَ شِيبَهُم البوازِلَ أَمردا

You ruled over mature kings while still a youth,

You surpassed seasoned kings in your youth

and surpassed their grizzled stalwarts while still beardless.

And outshone their white hair while still a lad

إِنْ شيَّدوا صَرْحاً أَنافَ مَناره

إِنْ شيَّدوا صَرْحاً أَنافَ مَناره

أَو أسجدوا لِلكَأسِ جَدَّد مَسْجِدا

أَو أسجدوا لِلكَأسِ جَدَّد مَسْجِدا

If they raised a palace whose tower soared,

If they built a palace scraping the sky

or bowed before the winecup, he renewed a mosque.

Or prostrated to the chalice renewing allegiance

وَإِذا اسْتَهَزَّتهم قلائدُ مَعْبَدٍ

وَإِذا اسْتَهَزَّتهم قلائدُ مَعْبَدٍ

هَزَّتْهُ مَوعِظَةٌ فعرفَ مَعبدا

هَزَّتْهُ مَوعِظَةٌ فعرفَ مَعبدا

And when Ma‘bad’s necklaces of song set them swaying,

And if their necklaces in the temple mocked them

an admonition stirred him, and he knew a house of worship.

A sermon admonished it and it knew the temple

قَسَماً لِشامِ الشامِ مِنك مهنَّدٌ

قَسَماً لِشامِ الشامِ مِنك مهنَّدٌ

أَرضاهُ مَشهوراً وَراعَ مُقلّدا

أَرضاهُ مَشهوراً وَراعَ مُقلّدا

I swear: Syria’s beauty-spots have in you an Indian-forged sword;

By the Crescent, a praiseworthy part of you from Damascus

it pleased Syria when drawn, and struck awe when worn.

Pleased it renowned and followed by the indebted

وَتَمَسَّك الإِسلام مِنكِ بعُرْوَةٍ

وَتَمَسَّك الإِسلام مِنكِ بعُرْوَةٍ

اللَّهُ أبْرَمَ حَبْلَها فَاِستَصَحدا

اللَّهُ أبْرَمَ حَبْلَها فَاِستَصَحدا

And Islam clung to a handhold in you;

And Islam held fast to a handhold from you

God twisted its cord tight, and it grew firm.

That God tied its rope so it sought refuge

أَشفى فَكنت شِفاءَه مِن حادِثٍ

أَشفى فَكنت شِفاءَه مِن حادِثٍ

غاداهُ عارِضُهُ مُرَدَّى بِالرَّدا

غاداهُ عارِضُهُ مُرَدَّى بِالرَّدا

It was near death; you were its remedy against a calamity

You were its healing from an affliction

whose cloud came upon it at dawn, cloaked in death.

That relapsed upon it collapsed in recidivism

كُنتَ الصَّباحَ لِلَيلِهِ لَمّا دَجا

كُنتَ الصَّباحَ لِلَيلِهِ لَمّا دَجا

والغَوْث كَفَّ لظاهُ حينَ توقَّدا

والغَوْث كَفَّ لظاهُ حينَ توقَّدا

You were the dawn for its night when it grew dark,

You were the dawn to its night when it darkened

and the succor that checked its blaze when it flared.

And salvation when the kindling flared up

اللَّه يَومَ أَطلعتك بهِ النَّوَى

اللَّه يَومَ أَطلعتك بهِ النَّوَى

يَجتابُ مِن مُهَجِ الأَصافِر مجسّدا

يَجتابُ مِن مُهَجِ الأَصافِر مجسّدا

God! On the day when distance brought you forth,

God, the day He brought you forth with purpose

donning a crimson tunic of the Yellow Ones’ lifeblood,

He picks from the meadows of lions embodied

نَشوانَ غنَّتْكَ الظُّبَى مَفلولَة

نَشوانَ غنَّتْكَ الظُّبَى مَفلولَة

وَأَمالَ عِطْفَيْك الوشيح مقصّدا

وَأَمالَ عِطْفَيْك الوشيح مقصّدا

intoxicated, as notched sword-edges sang to you,

The antelope sang your praises headlong

and the spear-shafts made your flanks sway as they struck home,

And the oryx eyed your kindness intended

في مَعرَكٍ ما قامَ بَأْسُكَ دونَهُ

في مَعرَكٍ ما قامَ بَأْسُكَ دونَهُ

إِلّا أَقامَ المُشركينَ وَأَقْعَدا

إِلّا أَقامَ المُشركينَ وَأَقْعَدا

in a battle where your might never took its stand

In a battle, your might never fell short

without making the idolaters rise and sit again.

But rather subjugated the polytheists and humbled

ولَكَمْ مكرّ قمتَ فيهِ معلّماً

ولَكَمْ مكرّ قمتَ فيهِ معلّماً

أَرضى إِلهَكَ وَالمَسيحَ وَأَحمَدا

أَرضى إِلهَكَ وَالمَسيحَ وَأَحمَدا

And how many a battlefield, where you stood wearing your battle-emblem,

And how many times you cunningly schemed

pleased your God, the Messiah, and Ahmad!

Pleasing your God, Jesus, and Ahmad

يَومَ العُرَيمَةِ وَالحَطيمِ وَحارِم

يَومَ العُرَيمَةِ وَالحَطيمِ وَحارِم

وَشِعابِ باسوطا وَهاب وَصَرْخدا

وَشِعابِ باسوطا وَهاب وَصَرْخدا

On the day of al-‘Uraymah, al-Hatim, and Harim,

The day of al-‘Uraymah, al-Hatiim, and Hārim

and Basuta’s ravines, and Hab, and Sarkhad.

And the valleys of Bāsūṭā, Hāb, and Sarakhid

لا يَعدم الإِشراك حَدَّك إِنَّهُ

لا يَعدم الإِشراك حَدَّك إِنَّهُ

ما سَلّ فيهم حاكِماً إِلّا اِعتَدى

ما سَلّ فيهم حاكِماً إِلّا اِعتَدى

May idolatry never lack your blade’s edge, for it

Oppression never lacked your edge, indeed

was never drawn among them as a judge without overstepping the bounds.

No ruler among them asked but tyrannized

أَهمَدتهم مِن بَعدِ ما مَلأوا الملا

أَهمَدتهم مِن بَعدِ ما مَلأوا الملا

رجلاً فَهل كانَت سُيوفُكَ مرقدا

رجلاً فَهل كانَت سُيوفُكَ مرقدا

You extinguished them after they had filled the open plain

You stifled them after they had filled the land

with men—were your swords, then, a sleeping draught?

With men, were your swords ever sheathed?

طَلَعتْ نُجومُ الحَقِّ مِن آفاقِها

طَلَعتْ نُجومُ الحَقِّ مِن آفاقِها

وَأَعادها كَرُّ العصورِ كَما بَدا

وَأَعادها كَرُّ العصورِ كَما بَدا

The stars of truth rose from their horizons,

The stars of truth rose from their horizons

and the turning of the ages restored them as they first appeared.

And the cycle of time returned them as they began

وَهَوى الصَّليبُ وحِزْبُهُ وَتَبخترَ الْ

وَهَوى الصَّليبُ وحِزْبُهُ وَتَبخترَ الْ

إسْلامُ مِن بَعدِ التساقف أَغيَدا

إسْلامُ مِن بَعدِ التساقف أَغيَدا

And the cross and its faction fell, and there strutted

And the Cross fell with its partisans, and Islam swaggered

Islam, lithe and graceful after the bishops’ rule.

After the bishopric, no longer feeble

سَبَقَ المُجَلّي للخُطَى فرفعه

سَبَقَ المُجَلّي للخُطَى فرفعه

نَسَق بِثمّ وَقد رُفعتْ بِالاِبتِدا

نَسَق بِثمّ وَقد رُفعتْ بِالاِبتِدا

It outpaced the leading racer in stride; that racer’s elevation was

Al-Mujalli preceded in footsteps, so he raised him

by coordination with ‘then,’ though once raised as the grammatical subject.

To the position, and he too was raised gradually