أُقسمُ بالقَادِرِ في ملكِهِ

أُقسمُ بالقَادِرِ في ملكِهِ

على الأعادي وابنهِ الغالِبِ

على الأعادي وابنهِ الغالِبِ

I swear by al-Qadir in his dominion

I swear by the Almighty in His kingdom,

over his foes, and by his son al-Ghalib:

Upon the enemies and His victorious son,

لو أَنه أَصبحَ في جَانبٍ

لو أَنه أَصبحَ في جَانبٍ

وسائر الأقوامِ في جَانِبِ

وسائر الأقوامِ في جَانِبِ

if he stood on one side,

If he were on one side,

and all the other peoples on the other,

And the rest of the people on the other side,

أَرعى له عارفةً رَبَّها

أَرعى له عارفةً رَبَّها

كالعِقدِ في سالفةِ الكاعِبِ

كالعِقدِ في سالفةِ الكاعِبِ

I would cherish for him a kindness he nurtured,

I would tend to him, knowing her Lord,

like a necklace on a young maiden's neck.

Like a necklace on the throat of an unmarried girl,

ما كنتُ اِلاَّ السيفَ في كفِّهِ

ما كنتُ اِلاَّ السيفَ في كفِّهِ

أَدنى الى الضَّربِ من الضَّارِبِ

أَدنى الى الضَّربِ من الضَّارِبِ

I would be nothing but the sword in his hand,

I would be nothing but a sword in his hand,

nearer to the blow than the wielder.

Getting closer to striking than the striker,

لا شكرها يَفْنَى ولا ذكرُها

لا شكرها يَفْنَى ولا ذكرُها

يَذْهَبُ في الدهرِ مع الذَّاهِبِ

يَذْهَبُ في الدهرِ مع الذَّاهِبِ

Gratitude for it never perishes, nor does its memory

His gratitude does not diminish, nor his mention

vanish through time with what vanishes.

Disappears in time with the lost,

أَسرفتَ في الجودِ فأَرغبتني

أَسرفتَ في الجودِ فأَرغبتني

ولم أكنْ قبلَكَ بالراغِبِ

ولم أكنْ قبلَكَ بالراغِبِ

You went to excess in generosity and made me eager,

You were excessive in generosity, so you made me covetous,

though before you I had been no eager seeker.

And I was not like that before you,

ويومَ كانَ الموتُ في ناظري

ويومَ كانَ الموتُ في ناظري

أَدنى الى العينِ من الحَاجِبِ

أَدنى الى العينِ من الحَاجِبِ

And on the day when death was, in my sight,

And the day death was in my sight,

nearer to the eye than the eyebrow,

Getting closer to the eye than the eyelid,

أَوجرتنى الصَّبرَ وقَربتنى

أَوجرتنى الصَّبرَ وقَربتنى

على رئيرِ الاسدِ الواثِبِ

على رئيرِ الاسدِ الواثِبِ

you made me swallow patience and drew me near,

You taught me patience and brought me close,

in the face of the pouncing lion's roar.

To the roar of the pouncing lion,

فللتَ حدَّ السيفِ حتى انثنتْ

فللتَ حدَّ السيفِ حتى انثنتْ

قد شَمِتَ المعضَدُ بالقاضبِ

قد شَمِتَ المعضَدُ بالقاضبِ

You blunted the sword's edge until it bent back;

So you bent the edge of the sword until it bent,

already the pruning blade gloated over the keen sword.

The hilt smiled at the straightener,

تأوى من الهامِ باجرامها

تأوى من الهامِ باجرامها

الى ظِلالِ الاسلِ اللاغِبِ

الى ظِلالِ الاسلِ اللاغِبِ

They seek refuge from skulls, with their bodies,

They took shelter from obsession with their crimes,

in the shade of weary spears:

In the shadows of the smooth, wandering night,

كل صقيلٍ كشعاعٍ الايا

كل صقيلٍ كشعاعٍ الايا

أو كوميضِ البارقِ الذائِبِ

أو كوميضِ البارقِ الذائِبِ

each polished blade like a ray of sunlight,

Every polished and radiant thing,

or like the flash of dissolving lightning.

Or like the twinkling of the fleeting lightning,

من آل عباسٍ فتىً جودُه

من آل عباسٍ فتىً جودُه

كالقطرِ يُفنى عددَ الحاسبِ

كالقطرِ يُفنى عددَ الحاسبِ

From the house of Abbas, a youth whose generosity

A young man from the Abbasids whose generosity

is like rain, exhausting the reckoner's tally.

Is like drops that diminish the number of the counter,

مخرنطمُ السُّخطِ بطىء الرضا

مخرنطمُ السُّخطِ بطىء الرضا

سالِمْ به دهرَكَ أَهو حَارِبِ

سالِمْ به دهرَكَ أَهو حَارِبِ

Scowling in wrath, slow to be appeased—

Slow to anger and deliberate in pleasure,

through him, make peace with your age—or wage war.

Your time is safe with him - is he a companion or an adversary?

يا أَعدلَ الامةِ في حكمهِ

يا أَعدلَ الامةِ في حكمهِ

ومن نَداهُ شرفُ الطَّالِبِ

ومن نَداهُ شرفُ الطَّالِبِ

O most just of the community in your judgments,

O most just of the nation in his rule,

and whose bounty is the seeker's honor,

And the one whose aid honors the seeker,

قدمتَ أَمرَ اللهِ في حَاجَتي

قدمتَ أَمرَ اللهِ في حَاجَتي

فكنتُ كالردفِ من الراكِبِ

فكنتُ كالردفِ من الراكِبِ

you gave God's command precedence in my request,

You put the command of God before my need,

so I was like a passenger behind the rider.

So I was like the supported rider,

كيفَ يصح العزمُ من تائبٍ

كيفَ يصح العزمُ من تائبٍ

أكذبَ من مَسْلمةَ الكاذِبِ

أكذبَ من مَسْلمةَ الكاذِبِ

How can a penitent's resolve be sound

How can resolve come from a penitent,

when he is more deceitful than Maslama the Liar?

More lying than Musaylimah the Liar,

انَّ قضاء اللهِ في خلقهِ

انَّ قضاء اللهِ في خلقهِ

يُفضى اليه هَرَبُ الهَاربِ

يُفضى اليه هَرَبُ الهَاربِ

Indeed, God's decree among His creatures—

Verily the decree of God in His creation,

the fugitive's flight leads to it.

The fleeing escape to it,

حَلُّ نظامِ الدين في حَلِّهِ

حَلُّ نظامِ الدين في حَلِّهِ

وعقدُهُ في غُلّةِ اللاذِبِ

وعقدُهُ في غُلّةِ اللاذِبِ

Religion's order unravels when that decree is undone,

The system of religion is solved in its solving,

and its binding lies in the clinging one's burning thirst.

And its knot is in the bundle of the crook,

يحكُم للعبدِ على ربِّهِ

يحكُم للعبدِ على ربِّهِ

ولا يبالى غَضَبَ الغَاضِبِ

ولا يبالى غَضَبَ الغَاضِبِ

It gives judgment for the slave against his master,

He judges the servant over his Lord,

and heeds not the angry one's anger.

And does not care about the anger of the angry,

فقل لمن يطمع في نقضهِ

فقل لمن يطمع في نقضهِ

قد كان ذا في الزمن اللاعِبِ

قد كان ذا في الزمن اللاعِبِ

So tell whoever hopes to overturn it:

So say to whoever hopes to undo it -

that was once so in the frivolous age,

There was that in the playful time,

حتى تلافاه امامُ الهدى

حتى تلافاه امامُ الهدى

بصائبٍ من رأيهِ الثاقِبِ

بصائبٍ من رأيهِ الثاقِبِ

until the imam of guidance set it right

Until the Imam of Guidance faced him

with a sound decision from his penetrating judgment.

With penetrating opinions from his piercing intellect,

قَوَّم زَيعَ الناسِ فاستوسقوا

قَوَّم زَيعَ الناسِ فاستوسقوا

على منارِ اللقِمِ اللاحبِ

على منارِ اللقِمِ اللاحبِ

He corrected the people's crookedness, and they gathered

He straightened the crookedness of people, so they prospered,

at the beacon of the broad, clear highway.

At the minaret of earnings without effort,

لا بالشفاعات ولا بالرقى

لا بالشفاعات ولا بالرقى

يُخدعُ في اللهِ عن الواجِبِ

يُخدعُ في اللهِ عن الواجِبِ

Neither by intercessions nor by incantations

Not by intercessions or incantations

is he deceived away from duty in God's cause.

Is he fooled about the duty,

يَفديكَ بل يَفدى ثَرى دستَهِ

يَفديكَ بل يَفدى ثَرى دستَهِ

كلُّ مليكٍ حاضرٍ غائِبِ

كلُّ مليكٍ حاضرٍ غائِبِ

May you be ransomed—nay, the dust of his throne—

Your hand’s soil would ransom you, but every

by every king, present or absent,

Present or absent King ransoms the dust of his hand,

هِمَّتُه في العيشِ مشغولَةٌ

هِمَّتُه في العيشِ مشغولَةٌ

بزينةِ المَجْلسِ والراتِبِ

بزينةِ المَجْلسِ والراتِبِ

whose ambition in life is occupied

His ambition in life is preoccupied

with the assembly's finery and the fixed stipend.

With the adornment of the council and the salary,

ما فيه فَضْلٌ عن أَغارِيدِهِ

ما فيه فَضْلٌ عن أَغارِيدِهِ

وقُطْبَةِ الكأسِ مع القاطِبِ

وقُطْبَةِ الكأسِ مع القاطِبِ

He has no capacity beyond his songs

No excellence in him beyond his singing

and the blending of the cup with the wine-mixer.

And a goblet with the musician,

قد مَصَّرَ الشرق أفاويقه

قد مَصَّرَ الشرق أفاويقه

والغربُ يُمْرَى بيدِ الحالِبِ

والغربُ يُمْرَى بيدِ الحالِبِ

The East has squeezed out its successive flows of milk,

He has scattered the East into factions

and the West is coaxed for milk by the milker's hand.

And the West is bled by the milker,

متى أَرى خيلكَ مبثوثَةً

متى أَرى خيلكَ مبثوثَةً

تَذعرُ كُدرِيَّ القَطا القَارِبِ

تَذعرُ كُدرِيَّ القَطا القَارِبِ

When shall I see your cavalry spread abroad,

When will I see your horses scattered,

startling the dusky sandgrouse approaching water,

Terrifying Kudraiyya's fleet boats?

من طُرَّةِ الصينِ الى طَنجةٍ

من طُرَّةِ الصينِ الى طَنجةٍ

الى دَرَابَنْدَ الى مَأْربِ

الى دَرَابَنْدَ الى مَأْربِ

from China's edge to Tangier,

From the coast of China to Tangier,

to Daraband, to Ma'rib?

To Darband and Ma'rib,

واسمُكَ فيها تتثنى بهِ

واسمُكَ فيها تتثنى بهِ

عضائدُ المِنبرِ والخَطِبِ

عضائدُ المِنبرِ والخَطِبِ

And there, at your name, sway

And your name through them is repeated

the pulpit's uprights and the sermons.

By the platforms of the pulpit and the preachers,

أَدالكُ الرحمنُ من معشرٍ

أَدالكُ الرحمنُ من معشرٍ

تضحكُ منهم نسبةُ الناسِبِ

تضحكُ منهم نسبةُ الناسِبِ

May the Merciful grant you victory over a people

May the Merciful give you from a people

at whom the genealogist's tracing of descent laughs.

Whose ancestry makes the genealogists laugh,

بعُدُهم من سَلفى هاشمٍ

بعُدُهم من سَلفى هاشمٍ

بعدُ الاظلينِ من الغَارِبِ

بعدُ الاظلينِ من الغَارِبِ

Their distance from Hashim's two forebears

Their distance from my Hashimite ancestors

is that of the two hoof-soles from the withers.

Is the distance of the dark from the setting sun,

يا والعاً يدعو قريشاً أَباً

يا والعاً يدعو قريشاً أَباً

ويثعَلُ الوِرْدَ مع الشَّاربِ

ويثعَلُ الوِرْدَ مع الشَّاربِ

O liar who calls Quraysh his father,

O frequent invoker calling Quraish father

and intrudes at the watering-place alongside the drinker,

And mingling peppers with the drinker,

مالكَ من أَحواضِها قَطرَةٌ

مالكَ من أَحواضِها قَطرَةٌ

غير عبيطِ العَلِقِ الذائِبِ

غير عبيطِ العَلِقِ الذائِبِ

you have not a drop from its pools,

You have no drops from its basins

except freshly shed, dissolving clotted blood.

Except the fleeing torrents of the wadis,