Sol 6.1

  1. إِلى مَعاليكَ يُنمى المَجدُ وَالحَسَبُ

    وَمِن مَعانيكَ طيبُ المَدحِ يُكتَسَبُ

    To your lofty virtues are traced glory and noble lineage,

    And from your qualities praise gains its sweetness.

  2. وَفي ظِلالِكَ لِلآمالِ مُنتَجَعٌ

    تَجودهُ مِن نَدى راحاتك السُّحبُ

    In your shade lies a pasture for hopes,

    Which the clouds water with the dew of your palms.

  3. يا خَيرَ ملْكٍ قَد اِعتَزَّ السَّريرُ بِهِ

    تَبَذُّخاً وَتَباهَت باِسمهِ الخُطَبُ

    O best of kings, in whom the throne has gloried,

    In proud splendor, and whose name the orations vaunt;

  4. وَمَن أَعادَ شَبابَ الدَّهرِ فَاِبتَسَمَتْ

    بِهِ اللَيالي وَرَدَت صَفوَها الحِقَبُ

    And one who restored Time's youth, bringing smiles

    Through him to the nights; the ages drank their clear waters;

  5. بَقيَّةُ السَّلفِ الغُرِّ الَّذينَ مَضَوا

    وَمَن بِهِ قَد حَيُوا مِن بَعدِما ذَهَبوا

    A remnant of the illustrious forebears who passed away,

    And one through whom they lived again after departing;

  6. وَخَير مَن جاءَنا مِن بَعدهِم خَلَفاً

    يَحيا بِهِ الفَضلُ وَالعرفانُ وَالأَدبُ

    The best successor to come to us after them,

    Through whom virtue, knowledge, and letters live.

  7. أَنتَ العِمادُ لِأَقوامٍ بِكَ اِعتَصَموا

    تَيَمُّناً وَحَوالي عَرشِكَ اِعتَصَبوا

    You are the pillar of peoples who sought refuge in you,

    Seeking good fortune, and gathered around your throne.

  8. ذُخرٌ لَنا الدَّهرُ أَبقاهُ يَلوذُ بِهِ

    مَن لَم تَدَع غَيرَهُ ذَخراً لَهُ النّوَبُ

    A treasure Time has preserved for us, a refuge

    For anyone whom calamities left no treasure but him.

  9. مِن سادَةِ العُربِ العَرباء قَد فَخَرتْ

    بِهِ السِّيادةُ وَاِعتَزَّتْ بِهِ العَرَبُ

    One of the lords of the pure Arabs, in whom has gloried

    Lordship itself, and through whom the Arabs have gained honor.

  10. نَفسٌ كَما طابَ ماءُ المُزنِ طاهِرَةٌ

    وَحَرُّ أَصلٍ كَما قَد أَخلَصَ الذَّهَبُ

    A soul as pure as the rainclouds' sweet water,

    And noble lineage, as pure as refined gold.

  11. تَعنو لَهُ أَوجُهُ السَّاداتِ صاغِرَةً

    وَيَستَكينُ لَدَيهِ الجَحفلُ اللَّجبُ

    The faces of lords bow humbly before him,

    And the clamorous army submits in his presence.

  12. ساسَ البِلادَ بِأَطرافِ اليَراعِ وَلَو

    يَشاءُ نابَ القَنا الخَطِيُّ وَالقُطبُ

    He governed the lands with the tips of the pen; and if

    He wished, Khatti spears and keen swords would serve instead.

  13. طَودٌ عَلى أَرضِ زنجيبار قَد شَخصَتْ

    لَهُ البِحارُ بِطَرفٍ غَضَّهُ الرَّهَبُ

    A mountain on Zanzibar's soil, watched intently

    By the seas, with a gaze lowered by dread.

  14. عَمَّ الجَزيرةَ ظَلٌّ مِنهُ قَد وَسَعَتْ

    أَطرافهُ البيد وَاِستَندَرَتْ بِهِ الهَضَبُ

    His shade covered the island, and encompassed

    The deserts with its reaches; beside him the hills counted for little.

  15. فَدى لحمُّودَ أَملاكٌ كَأَنَّهُمُ

    مَتى يُقاسوا بِهِ الأَوثانُ وَالخَشَبُ

    Let kings be a ransom for Hammoud, for they seem,

    Whenever compared with him, idols and blocks of wood.

  16. هُم المُلوكَ وَلَكِن لا يُرى لَهُم

    مِن عِدَة الملكِ إِلّا البأو وَالحجُبُ

    They are kings, yet one sees in them nothing

    Of kingship's trappings but arrogance and screens.

  17. لا يَبتَغون لِكَسبِ الحَمدِ مِن سَببٍ

    وَلا إَلَيهُم لِمَن رامَ الثَّنا سَببُ

    They seek no means of earning praise,

    Nor is there a way to them for one intent on praise.

  18. الآخِذينَ زَكاة الشِّعرِ لا حُمِدُوا

    عَنها وَلا هِيَ عِندَ اللَهِ تَحتَسبُ

    Those who take poetry's alms—may they not be praised

    For it, nor is it credited before God.

  19. وَكَيفَ يَعرف قَدرَ الشِّعرِ في نَفَرٍ

    لَيسوا بِعُربٍ وَلا عُجْمٍ إِذا نُسِبوا

    And how can one know poetry's worth among people

    Who are neither Arabs nor non-Arabs when their lineage is traced?

  20. إِلَيكَ تُزجى قَوافينا وَلَو قَدَرتْ

    طارَت إِلى حَيثُ يَزهو ربعكَ الخصبُ

    To you our rhymes are borne; and if they could,

    They would fly to where your fertile abode flourishes.

  21. فَأَنتَ أَفضلُ مَن يُثنَى عَلَيهِ وَمَن

    يُنحى إَلَيهِ وَيُرجى عِندَه الأَرَبُ

    For you are the best of those praised, and of those

    To whom one turns, and from whom one hopes to gain one's desire.

  22. جاراكَ في الفَضلِ أَقوامٌ ففتَّهمُ

    شَأواً وَفَضلُكَ مِمَّن أُمّه كثبُ

    Peoples raced you in excellence, but you outstripped them

    By far; yet your bounty is near whoever seeks it.

  23. فَلا تَزل لِلعُلى بَدراً تَضيء بِهِ

    دُهم اللَيالي وَتَخفَى عِندَهُ الشُّهُبُ

    So may you ever remain glory's full moon, lighting

    The pitch-dark nights, while the stars fade beside it.