إلى مجدك العلياء تعزى وتنسب

وفي ذكرك التاريخ يملي ويَكتُبُ

To your glory, all eminence is attributed and traced.

In recounting you, history dictates and writes.

وفي عدلك الشرع الشريف ممثل

وفي حكمك الأمثال تتلى وتضرب

In your justice, the noble sacred law is embodied.

In your rule, proverbial examples are recited and set.

ولم يبق للإسلام غيرك ناصر

يؤيده في الله يرضي ويغضب

Islam has no champion left but you,

Who supports it, pleased and angered for God's sake.

نَمتكَ جدود من ربيعة أصلهم

بهم فخر الحيان بكر وتغلب

Ancestors whose roots were in Rabi'ah brought you forth;

Through them, the two tribes, Bakr and Taghlib, took pride.

أساطين مجد من سعود بن مقرن

إذا مات منهم طيب جاء أطيب

Pillars of glory descended from Saud ibn Muqrin:

Whenever a good man among them died, a better followed.

محمد عبد الله تركي فيصل

ومن عابد الرحمن مجدك أعقبوا

Muhammad, Abd Allah, Turki, Faisal—

And through Abid al-Rahman they bequeathed your glory.

أولئك در المجد في السلك نظّموا

لقد ولدوا للباقيات فانجبوا

Those men strung glory's pearls upon a thread;

They fathered enduring deeds and begot noble offspring.

فسادوا وشادوا المجد بالدين قائما

فما وهنوا والدهر بالناس قلّب

They ruled and raised glory, standing upon religion;

They never weakened, though time turns people about.

أساس متين ركنه العدل والتقى

يد الله عنه بالعناية تضرب

A firm foundation, its cornerstone justice and piety,

God's hand warding harm from it with care.

بناه على الدين القويم محمد

وليس له غير الهداية مطلب

Muhammad built it upon the upright faith,

Seeking nothing other than guidance.

ومن نصر الله استعز بنصره

فعز وجند الله بالنصر أغلب

Whoever champions God gains might through His aid;

He grows mighty, and God's host prevails through victory.

أجاب دعاء الشيخ لما نبت به

مواطنه حتى لقد كاد يعطب

He answered the sheikh's appeal when he was rejected

By his homelands, until he nearly perished.

إمام أتى من بيت علم مسلسل

توارثه عن جده الابن والأب

An imam came from a house of unbroken learning,

Inherited from grandfather by son and father.

فوالده قاضي العيينة علمه

غزير له رأي ابن حنبل مذهب

His father was the judge of al-Uyaynah; his learning

Was abundant, and Ibn Hanbal's teaching was his school.

غذى بلبان العلم طفلا ويافعاً

وأصبح في أثوابه يتقلب

He was nourished on learning's milk as a child and youth,

And grew up moving within its robes.

تلقى عليه العلم والفكر ثاقب

يطبق بالأعمال ما كان يطلب

He learned under him, his thinking penetrating,

Putting into practice what he sought.

وما العلم إلا ما هدى الناس نوره

إلى الحق لا أسفار تتلى وتكتب

Knowledge is only that whose light guides people

To truth—not volumes merely recited and written.

وقد خصه البارى بنور بصيرة

وعقل عن الحق الصراح ينقب

The Creator endowed him with insightful light

And a mind that searched for plain truth.

فما كاد أن يلقي إلى القوم نظرة

وكلهم عن دينه متنكب

He had scarcely cast a glance at the people,

When he found them all turning away from their faith.

تناقض نص الدين أفعال قومه

على أن ذاك الزيغ للدين ينسب

His people's deeds contradicted religion's text,

Yet that deviation was attributed to religion.

على حين ضل الناس بالغي والعمى

وكادت شموس الدين والهدى تغرب

At a time when people strayed in error and blindness,

And the suns of religion and guidance nearly set,

وغطت منار الدين سحب ضلالة

كمثل نمير الماء غطاه طحلب

Clouds of error covered religion's beacon,

Like clear water covered by algae.

عكوف على أجداثهم يعبدونها

وكل لها في غيه متعصب

They lingered at their graves, worshipping them,

Each fanatically devoted to them in his error.

فهذاك يدعو عندها دون ربه

وهذا لها من دونه يتقرب

One prayed there instead of to his Lord;

Another sought their favor instead of His.

أتى الشيخ والإيمان يملأ صدره

على حين أن الناس للغي أقرب

The sheikh came with faith filling his breast,

When people were nearer to error.

فنادى فصموا عن سماع ندائه

وأقصوه عنهم خائفاً يترقب

He called, but they made themselves deaf to his call,

And drove him away, fearful and watchful.

لقد خسرت فيه العيينة منقذا

بابعاده والجهل بالعقل يلعب

Al-Uyaynah lost a deliverer in him

By banishing him, while ignorance toyed with reason.

ولو أن عثمان الأمير أجاره

للاح له بالعز والسعد كوكب

Had the emir Uthman granted him protection,

A star of might and good fortune would have shone for him.

ولكنه أرضى الحيمدي صاغرا

وأصبح من خوف به يتذبذب

But he submissively pleased al-Humaydi,

And wavered, possessed by fear.

لقد كان في الإحساء جلفاً صفت له

زماناً به أهل البلاد تشعبوا

There was indeed a boor in al-Ahsa whose fortunes ran clear

For a time, while through him the country's people divided.

فباعوه بالدنيا فجوزوا بفقدها

وقد أغضبوا الله القدير فعوقبوا

They sold him for worldly gain, and were repaid by losing it;

They angered Almighty God and were punished.

فاضحوا وها هي بالخراب ديارهم

خوال على أطلالها البوم ينعب

Thus they ended—and behold their ruined dwellings,

Empty, with owls hooting over their remains.

وآواه في الدرعية البطل الذي

تلقاه بالإجلال وهو يرحب

In al-Dir'iyyah, he was sheltered by the hero who

Received him with reverence and welcome:

محمد أصل المجد في آل مقرن

به اشتد للشيخ المبجل منكب

Muhammad, the root of glory in the house of Muqrin.

Through him, the revered sheikh gained a strong shoulder.

وبايعه في نصرة الدين والهدى

كما بايعت في وفدها قبل يثرب

He pledged allegiance to him in support of faith and guidance,

As Yathrib had earlier pledged through its delegation.

هنالك عض الإصبع ابن معمر

وأصبح ينحى نفسه ويؤنب

Then Ibn Mu'ammar bit his finger in regret,

And began reproaching and blaming himself.

وهيهات أن يثني مشيئة ربه

بأحكامه وهو العليم المسبب

Far be it that he could turn aside his Lord's will

With his decisions; He is the Knowing Cause of all.

فعاد على الدرعية الخير والغنى

وحق لأهليها بأن يتغلبوا

Goodness and prosperity came to al-Dir'iyyah,

And its people deserved to prevail.

فشن السرايا بالسرايا مغيرة

لأهل العمى في دورهم تتعقب

He sent raiding detachments, wave after wave,

Pursuing the people of blindness in their homes.

وقام لهم عبد العزيز بصارم

يتمم فتحاً مده قبله الأب

Abd al-Aziz rose against them with a sharp sword,

Completing a conquest his father had advanced before him.

وولى دهام لم يفده دفاعه

ولا مكره أو غدره والتقلب

Dahham fled; his resistance did not help him,

Nor his cunning, treachery, or shifting ways.

وجاء سعود بعده بجموعة

ودان له بالسيف شرق ومغرب

Saud came after him with his hosts;

East and west submitted to his sword.

فأخضع أكناف الجزيرة كلها

ولم يبق للضد المشتت مهرب

He subdued every region of the Peninsula,

Leaving the scattered adversary no escape.

ولاحت نجوم السعد وسط سمائه

لآل سعود بالسعادة تثقب

Stars of good fortune appeared amid his sky,

Shining with happiness for the house of Saud.

ومن سنن الله التي في عباده

شؤونهم في دهرهم تتقلب

Among God's established ways concerning His servants:

Their affairs change with the passing of time.

فكل رخاء سوف تتلوه زعزع

وكل نهار سوف يتلوه غيهب

Every ease will be followed by a tempest;

Every day will be followed by darkness.

وكل سرور سوف يعقب غصة

وكل خصيب في البسيطة يجدب

Every joy will be followed by a choking sorrow;

Every fertile place on earth becomes barren.

وكل دولة شادت من المجد والعلي

لها العز ثوب والسيادة مركب

Every state that has built glory and eminence,

With might its garment and sovereignty its mount—

فإن لم تثقفها الحوادث أخلدت

إلى الذل واستولى عليها التشعب

If events do not discipline it, it settles

Into humiliation, and division takes possession of it.

وجاءت إلى الأبناء عفواً فأترفوا

وغايتهم في الملك ملهى وملعب

It comes freely to the sons, who grow indulgent;

Their aim in kingship is amusement and play.

قلوبهم شتى هواء من الهوى

إلى أن قضوا في لهوهم وتشعبوا

Their hearts are scattered, emptied by desire,

Until they perish in their diversion and fall apart.

وكان عليه أن يرى أولياءه

ويبلوَهم كي يشكروا أو يكذبوا

He was to behold His allies

And test them, whether they gave thanks or denied.

فيظهر منهم كل عصر مجدد

يساعده لا وارث متحجب

Thus, in every age, a renewer emerges among them

To support it—not a secluded heir.

ويصدق فيهم قول من هو مادح

إذا غاب عنهم كوكب لاح كوكب

The words of a praising poet prove true of them:

When one star disappears, another shines.

وفي مصر من بعد الفرنسيس نزعة

تهب وبعد الذل للعز تطلب

In Egypt, after the French, an impulse arose,

Stirring and seeking might after humiliation.

تجيش بها للانقلاب مراجل

وتوقدها نيران نفس تلهب

Cauldrons of upheaval seethed within it,

Kindled by the fires of a blazing soul.

أتاها فأصلاها الخديوي محمد

ببحران حمى ماؤها يتصبب

The Khedive Muhammad came and scorched it

With a fever's crisis, its waters streaming forth.

وكان له في آل عثمان مطمع

تقاصر عنه في المطامع أشعب

He coveted the house of Uthman with an ambition

That even Ash'ab's greed fell short of.

فأردى الممالك الملوك بفتكه

وظل يا رباب المناصب يلعب

His violence brought kingdoms and kings low;

He kept playing, O lords of office.

يرواغ سلطان البلاد بمكره

كما راوغ الصياد بالمرك ثعلب

He outmaneuvered the country's sultan with cunning,

As a fox outmaneuvered a hunter by trickery.

وما عاد والي مصر في مصر عاملا

يزال بفرمان المليك وينصب

Egypt's governor was no longer an official in Egypt

Dismissed and appointed by the monarch's decree.

غدا العاهل التركي وهو خليفة

وباسم أمير المؤمنين يلقب

The Turkish sovereign, though a caliph

And styled Commander of the Faithful,

يرى الضعف والأخطار محدقة به

وأظلم في عينيه شرق ومغرب

Saw weakness and dangers surrounding him;

East and west darkened before his eyes.

ففي مصر قام الأرنؤوط بدولة

ومن نجد قامت دولة تتأهب

In Egypt, the Albanian established a state;

From Najd, a state arose, making ready.

وقد أقلقت أبناء جنكيز فكرة

تحاذر أن يحيا نزار ويعرب

An idea troubled the sons of Genghis:

They feared that Nizar and Ya'rub might revive,

فتصبح نجد دولة عربية

سيغدو لها نحو الخلافة مأرب

And Najd become an Arab state

With ambitions directed toward the caliphate.

فقاموا يبثون الدسائس نحوها

ولم يخجلوا أن يفتروها ويكذبوا

They began spreading intrigues against it,

Unashamed to fabricate them and lie.

تؤازرهم باسم الديانة عصبة

لها الدين في الدنيا احتيال ومكسب

A faction supported them in religion's name,

For whom religion was worldly trickery and profit.

وفرق تسد عند السياسة حكمة

تراعى وضرب الضد بالضد أصوب

'Divide and rule' is a maxim in politics

To be observed; setting foe against foe is sounder.

وما خسر الضدان فهو غنيمة

فقد ضربوا نجداً بمصر وحزبوا

Whatever both adversaries lose becomes spoils;

They set Najd against Egypt and rallied factions.

ولم يخش نجداً عاهل الترك وحده

فإن جوار الأرض في مصر أرعب

The Turkish sovereign was not alone in fearing Najd;

Its neighboring territory frightened Egypt.

وقد صادفت دعوى فروق هوى لها

بقلب الخديوي وهو يقظان يرقب

Furuq's appeal found a welcome

In the Khedive's heart, as he watched alertly.

فراح لإنقاذ الحجاز بزعمه

وباسم أمير المؤمنين يخرب

He set out, claiming to rescue the Hijaz,

And devastated it in the Commander of the Faithful's name.

ومقصده كف الخليفة برهة

وفي نجد الجيش الجديد يجرب

His purpose was to restrain the caliph for a while

And test his new army in Najd.

وقد وقفت نجدٌ لطوسون وقفة

وكادت عليه الدائرات تدولب

Najd made a firm stand against Tusun,

And the wheels of misfortune nearly turned upon him.

فطارت له وسط الحجاز حشاشة

من الخوف حتى هاج في مصره الأب

His remaining breath fluttered amid the Hijaz

From fear, until his father stirred in his Egypt.

فجهز إبراهيم باشا وجيشه

كسلسلة موصولة حين تسحب

He equipped Ibrahim Pasha and his army,

Like a linked chain being dragged:

سحائب دهمٌ والمدافع رعدها

ونيرانها وسط الفضا تتلهب

Dark clouds, with cannon for their thunder,

Their fires blazing amid the open sky.

بجيش كقطر المزن عدَّاً وكثرة

إذا زل منه صيِّب جاء صيّب

An army as numerous as raindrops from clouds:

Whenever one downpour passed, another came.

بها اصطدمت آساد نجد فاثخنت

فكل سنان أو فرند مخضب

Najd's lions clashed against it and dealt grievous wounds;

Every spearpoint and sword blade was bloodstained.

ولو قوبلوا وجهاً لوجه لبرهنوا

على أنهم نعم الكماة وأعربوا

Had they been met face to face, they would have proved

What splendid warriors they were, and made it plain.

ولكنهم في ألسن النار عزل

وهل يتقي نار القنابل أعضب

But amid the tongues of fire they were unarmed;

Can a sharp sword ward off exploding shells?

وقد يقنص العقبان والأسد دارع

كمين ولا يثنيه ناب ومخلب

An armored man may hunt eagles and lions

From ambush, undeterred by fang or claw.

هم جاهدوا حق الجهاد بعزمهم

وما استسلموا حتى أبادوا وأعطبوا

They strove with resolve as true striving demanded;

They did not surrender before destroying and disabling foes.

لقد لاقت الدرعية الهدم والفنا

ولكنها قامت بما كان يوجب

Al-Dir'iyyah suffered demolition and annihilation,

Yet fulfilled what duty required.

فأمست لدين الله لحداً مهدماً

وعاراً بتاريخ الخديوي يكتب

It became a shattered grave for God's religion,

And a disgrace inscribed in the Khedive's history.

فوا عجباهم مسلمون وقد أتوا

بما ليس يأتي الكافر المتعصب

O wonder! They were Muslims, yet committed

What even a fanatical unbeliever would not commit.

وهم نقموا من أهل نجد تاقهم

فِلم دمروا لما تولوا وخربوا

They resented the people of Najd for their [unclear word];

Why did they destroy and devastate after taking control?

وكان عليهم أن يجيروا أسيرهم

فلم قتّلوا من بعد ذاك وصلَّبوا

They ought to have protected their captive;

Why then did they massacre and crucify afterward?

وقد أنقذ المولى لشأن يريده

من الترك تركيا له النصر مركب

The Lord, for a purpose He intended, rescued

From the Turks a Turki whose mount was victory.

كأنّ اسمه رمزٌ لسرِّ قضاؤه

عجيبٌ ولكن عزمُه منه أعجب

As though his name were a sign of a mystery; his destiny

Was wondrous, yet his resolve more wondrous still.

أتى نجد والفوضى يعج عجيجُها

بها زال ذاك الأمن والربع مجدب

He came to Najd while chaos roared there;

Its former security was gone, its dwellings barren.

وكل دعي بالامارة يدعى

قد افترقوا ما بينهم وتشعبوا

Every pretender was styled an emir;

They had split among themselves and fallen apart.

وما عاد حتى استرجع الملك عنوة

وبالأجرب المشهور يمناه تضرب

He did not return before reclaiming sovereignty by force,

His right hand striking with the famed al-Ajrab.

فطَهَّرها بالسيف والسيف فيصل

به المجد يبني والترات تطلب

He purified it with the sword—the sword a decisive judge—

By which glory is built and vengeance sought.

ولا يسلم الناجي السليم من الأذى

وآفاته ما دام في الدار أجرب

The unharmed survivor cannot escape injury

And its afflictions while a mangy one remains in the house.

ومن بعده حاز الإمامة فيصل

فقامت به كل البلاد ترحب

After him, Faisal gained the imamate;

All the country arose to welcome him.

وعاد به المجد القديم مؤثلا

كما قد بدا كالتبر حين يذوب

Through him, ancient glory returned, firmly rooted,

As it had first appeared, like gold when melted.

وخلف عبد الله والملك واسع

دعا بذوي الأطماع أن يتألبوا

Abd Allah succeeded him, with a vast kingdom

That invited the ambitious to band together.

فجاهدهم بالسف حتى أذلهم

ولكن قضاء الله للمرء يغلب

He fought them with the sword until he humbled them,

But God's decree overcomes a man.

وأدى شقاق بينه وشقيقه

إلى كل ما من مثله يترقب

Discord between him and his brother led

To everything such discord makes one expect.

وما حال من يدني إليه عداته

تدس له في الشهد سما فيشرب

What is the plight of one who draws his enemies close?

They slip poison into his honey, and he drinks.

فأبدى عداه ابن الرشيد مكشرا

وباعده بالفعل وهو المقرب

Ibn al-Rashid bared his enmity, snarling,

And drove him away in deed, though he himself had been favored.

وما فتىء الطماع يلقي شباكه

ويبسم في أسنانه وهي أنيب

The covetous man kept casting his nets

And smiling with teeth that were fangs.

وما زال حتى استحوذ الملك كله

وشن السرايا فيه تغزو وتسلب

He persisted until he seized the entire kingdom,

Sending detachments through it to raid and plunder.

وقد يكره الإنسان ما فيه خيره

ومعرفة الأشياء حين تجرب

A person may dislike what holds his good;

Things are understood when put to the test.

ولله في آل السعود مشيئة

لكي يعرفوا من ضدهم فيحببوا

God has a purpose for the house of Saud:

That they be known by contrast with their foe, and loved.

وشتان ما بين المليكين شيمة

يعمّر هذا حين ذاك يخرِّب

How far apart the two kings are in character!

One builds while the other destroys.

همُ أمَّرهم إذا تولوا بلادهم

فما فعل الأعداء حين تغلبوا

[Text unclear:] they—he appointed them rulers—when they ruled their lands;

What did the enemies do when they prevailed?

ومن يحم دين الله أيام عزه

يجره ويحفظ ملكه حين تنكب

Whoever protects God's faith in his days of might,

He shelters him and preserves his kingdom when he is stricken.

وما فتحت عيناك إلا على علىً

من المجد لا تألو لها تتطلب

Your eyes opened upon nothing but heights

Of glory, which you tirelessly sought.

ولم يكفك الميراث حتى استعدته

وعزمك كالفولاذ بل هو أصلب

Your inheritance did not suffice until you recovered it;

Your resolve was like steel—indeed, harder.

فأحييت ما عبد العزيز أقامه

على أن هذا الوقت من ذاك أصعب

You revived what Abd al-Aziz had established,

Though this time was harder than that.

وقفت أمام المستحيل تهزه

وكل يقول الفوز عنقاء مغرب

You stood before the impossible, shaking it,

While everyone called victory an unattainable phoenix.

وكلك آمال وكلك عزمة

وغيرك من ذكر اسمها يتهيب

You were all hope, all determination;

Others feared even mentioning its name.

كجدك تركي الذي جاء وحده

وفي كفه من صنعة الهند أعضب

Like your forefather Turki, who came alone,

With a sharp Indian-made sword in his hand.

وقد أخذ المولى بيمناك مفردا

وضدك مرهوب المكانة مرعب

The Lord took your right hand while you stood alone,

Your adversary feared in standing and terrifying.

سريت بلا جيش سوى العزم والمضا

لك الحق هاد والشجاعة مركب

You traveled by night, with no army but resolve and determination;

Truth was your guide, courage your mount.

وعاجلت عجلانا بضربة ثائر

فلاقى الذي لاقى بخيبر مرحب

You struck Ajlan swiftly with a rebel's blow;

He met what Marhab met at Khaybar.

وأعظم ما تمنى به شيمة الفتى

وضيع بألقاب الأمير يلقب

The greatest affliction that can befall a young man's honor:

A lowly man styled with the titles of emir.

إذا كان كافور بمصر عجيبة

فعجلان في قصر الإمارات أعجب

If Kafur in Egypt was a wonder,

Ajlan in the palace of rule was stranger still.

لقد ثكلته أمه من مؤمر

يسير به نحو المهالك منصب

His mother was indeed bereaved of him—what an appointed ruler!

An office carried him toward destruction.

فما سره لما رآك فراره

ولم يبق في الحصن المحصن مهرب

His flight brought him no joy when he saw you;

No escape remained within the fortified stronghold.

وأمست بعلياك الرياض عزيزة

وغابا به الآساد للحرب وثب

Through your eminence, Riyadh became mighty,

A thicket whose lions leapt into war.

تعجب كل الناس منك وأكبروا

وحق لهم أن يكبروك ويعجبوا

Everyone marveled at you and held you great;

They rightly revered you and marveled.

هنالك آلت شمر وابن متعب

ليسترجعن الملك أو يتغربوا

Then Shammar and Ibn Mut'ib swore

To recover sovereignty or go into exile.

ووسوس للأتراك حتى أتى بهم

إلى الموت في أرض القصيم ليعطبوا

He whispered to the Turks until he brought them

To death in al-Qasim, to perish.

فمرت به خمس كأعوام يوسف

مكرا مفرا لا يني وهو متعب

Five years passed over him, like Joseph's years:

Charging and retreating, never slackening, though weary.

إلى أن قضى بالسف وهو شفاؤه

لداء به من غيظة يتعذب

Until he died by the sword, which was his cure

For the disease of rage tormenting him.

هنالك عاد الحق نحو نصابه

لجور الأعادي جولة ثم يذهب

Then right returned to its rightful place;

The enemies' injustice has its turn, then passes.

وقد كانت الإحساء للظلم مرتعاً

من البدو والفوضى تئن وتصخب

Al-Ahsa had been a pasture for oppression,

Groaning and clamoring under Bedouins and disorder.

بها دخل الأتراك كالضب غارهم

ولم يغن عنهم فيه جيش مدرب

There the Turks entered their burrow like a lizard;

A trained army availed them nothing within it.

فللبدوا أرباض البلاد وريفها

وللترك ما دون الجدار محجب

The Bedouins held the country's outskirts and countryside;

The Turks held what lay within the wall, screened off.

يعيثون في السكان نهباً وغارة

ونهبهم جهراً إلى السوق يجلب

They ravaged the inhabitants with plunder and raids;

Their plunder was openly brought to market.

مشيت إليهم مشية عنبسية

ولم يحمها السوق المنيف المبوب

You advanced upon them with a lion's stride;

The lofty, gated market did not protect it.

وما ذكر التاريخ مثلك فاتحاً

يغامر بالجند القليل فيغلب

History has recorded no conqueror like you,

Venturing with few soldiers and prevailing.

وما ليلة الإحساء إلا شقيقة

لليلة عجلان بل الكوت أرهب

The night of al-Ahsa was a sister

To Ajlan's night—indeed, al-Kut was more fearsome.

هنالك لا جند ولا عصبيَّة

لديك ونيران العدو تصوّب

There you had neither troops nor tribal backing,

While the enemy's fire was aimed at you.

فبدلتها بالخوف أمنا وبالفنا

حياة وأضحى ربعها وهو مخصب

You replaced its fear with security, and annihilation with

Life; its dwellings became fertile.

ضربت ذوي الغايات والظلم ضربة

فتشَّتَّتهم بالسيف لما تألبوا

You struck men of designs and oppression a blow,

Scattering them with the sword when they banded together.

فقد خنسوا للهاربين ووسوسوا

ولاح لهم من بارق الطيش خلب

They slunk away to the fugitives and whispered plots;

Recklessness flashed before them like rainless lightning.

فلول سخاف في أوال تجمعت

يوسوس فيها الأعجم المتعرب

Foolish remnants gathered in Awal,

Among whom the Arabized foreigner whispered.

عدو بأثواب الصديق كأنما

تلونه في الفعل حرباء تنضب

An enemy in a friend's robes, as though

His changing conduct were a chameleon on a tandub tree.

فعادوا لكيما يستعيدون مجدهم

وهيهات أن تلقى القساور أرنب

They returned to recover their glory;

Far be it that a rabbit could confront lions!

فأضحوا لعمر الله أضحوكة الورى

وصدرك رحب بل وحلمك أرحب

By God's life, they became the world's laughingstock;

Your breast was broad, and your forbearance broader.

فحلمك لولا أنك اليوم قادر

لظنوه عجزاً بالتجاوز يحجب

Were you not powerful today, your forbearance

Would seem weakness concealed by indulgence.

ولكن أخلاقاً سموت ببعضها

تعز على كل الأنام وتصعب

But certain virtues through which you rose

Are beyond all people's reach and difficult to attain.

فرفرف في الإحساء عدلك شاملا

وفي الخط بات الأمن وهو مطنب

Your encompassing justice spread its wings over al-Ahsa;

Security settled firmly in al-Khatt.

ومن قبل لم تنقم على الترك غدرهم

وقد أوشكوا أن يستباحوا وينكبوا

Earlier, you had not avenged the Turks' treachery,

When they were nearly overrun and ruined.

فواليتهم إذا خانهم أصدقاؤهم

ومالوا إلى أعدائهم وتقربوا

You befriended them when their friends betrayed them

And turned toward their enemies, drawing close.

وما كنت في استرجاعك الإرث باغياً

وما كنت في غير العدالة ترغب

In reclaiming your inheritance, you were no aggressor;

You sought nothing but justice.

وغرت على الإسلام والحق وغيره

على كل صعب دونها تتغلب

You were zealous for Islam and truth—a zeal

Through which you overcome every obstacle before it.

علاك إلى عليا الكواكب أقرب

ومجدك من شم الشوامخ أصعب

Your eminence is nearer the highest stars;

Your glory is harder to scale than towering peaks.

ومازلت بالنصر العزيز مؤيداً

وشخصك في نفس الرعايا محبب

You remain supported by mighty victory,

Your person beloved in your subjects' hearts.

ولكن أعداء السلام تألبوا

وما اتعظوا والجهل جهل مركب

But the enemies of peace banded together,

Unadmonished; their ignorance was compounded ignorance.

يحيكون في طي الخفاءِ دسائساً

تدب لها في وسط حائل عنكب

They wove intrigues in hidden folds,

For which a spider crept amid Ha'il.

فمن حانق والحقد ملء إهابه

ومن خائف في شأنه يترقب

One was wrathful, his skin filled with hatred;

Another fearful, watching over his affairs.

لهم من بني الأعداء والله حافظ

سموم حوتها بالدسائس عقرب

From the sons of the enemies—and God protects—they had

Poisons gathered through intrigues by a scorpion.

هم القوم خابوا فيالحروب وشردوا

وفي شمر للإنتقام تجلببوا

These people had failed in wars and been scattered;

They cloaked themselves in Shammar for revenge.

إذا ما نشرت الأمن في الناس أقلقوا

وإن جئت تبغي السلم بالحلم أحربوا

Whenever you spread security among people, they disturbed it;

Whenever you sought peace with forbearance, they made war.

ولكن فرند السيف خير محكم

به الحق يعلو والحقيقة تخطب

But the sword's blade is the best arbiter:

Through it, right rises and truth is wooed.

فشمرت في عزم ورفق ورحمة

كأنك فيهم والد أو مؤدب

You girded yourself with resolve, gentleness, and mercy,

As though you were their father or teacher.

مشيت إلى وكر الدسائس حائل

لأِنَّ اجتثاث الأصل أولى واوجب

You advanced toward Ha'il, the nest of intrigues,

For uprooting the source is worthier and more necessary.

فمن شاء حرباً فهو قاتل نفسه

ومن شاء سلماً نال ما يتطلب

Whoever wanted war was killing himself;

Whoever wanted peace obtained what he sought.

فأعتقت أرواحاً لديهم رخيصة

ولولاك كادت للجهالة تذهب

You freed lives that were cheap in their eyes;

Without you, they would nearly have been lost to ignorance.

دخلت دخول الفاحين مهللا

تطمنهم من خوفهم وتطبب

You entered as conquerors enter, proclaiming God's oneness,

Calming their fear and tending their wounds.

ملكت فميا عاقبتهم بل وصلتهم

بوقت يكاد النصر بالحزم يلعب

You gained power but did not punish them; rather, you favored them,

At a time when victory almost toys with prudence.

وما سمعت أذاني قبلك فاتحاً

يفيض على الأعداء خيراً ويسكب

My ears had never heard before you of a conqueror

Pouring and showering goodness upon enemies.

أبحت لهم جوداً ولم تستبحهم

فأصبحت منهوباً وأعداك تنهب

You made your bounty theirs, but did not make them spoils;

You became the plundered one, while your enemies plundered.

ولو ئشت قابلت الفعال بمثله

ونال جزاء الفعل عات ومذنب

Had you wished, you could have repaid deeds in kind,

And rebel and wrongdoer would have received their recompense.

هنالك قامت في الحجاز دعاية

تبث بستر الجنس والدين تحجب

Then a propaganda campaign arose in the Hijaz,

Spread beneath the cloak of race and concealed by religion.

يقوم بها بين الحطيم وزمزم

زعيم إلى بيت النبوة ينسب

Between al-Hatim and Zamzam, it was conducted

By a leader traced to the house of prophethood.

وقد وقف الإسلام أحرج موقف

وكل عدو ضده متألب

Islam stood in its most critical position,

With every enemy banded against it.

ولكنها للأشعبيين فرصة

ولو فكروا في أمرهم لتهيبوا

But men like Ash'ab saw an opportunity;

Had they considered their situation, they would have feared.

وأغرتهم أحلامُ ملكٍ قوامها

وعودٌ على ظهر القراطيس تكتب

Dreams of kingship enticed them, founded upon

Promises written on sheets of paper.

دعوا لأفاعيل الشقاق فطبلوا

وللعرب فيما يزعمون تعصبوا

They called for deeds of discord and beat their drums;

They professed partisan devotion to the Arabs.

فما هي إلا برهة ثم أصبحوا

تقاذفهم أيدي الوعود وتكذب

Only a short while passed before they became

Tossed about by the hands of promises that proved false.

لقد وجدوا أن الشراب مصحف

سرابا وإن الملك حلم مذهب

They discovered that 'drink' was a misreading:

'Mirage'; and kingship was a gilded dream.

وكانوا بأموال الأجانب رتعاً

فأسقط في أيديهم حين سيبوا

They had grazed freely on foreigners' money;

They were aghast when abandoned.

فظلوا ملوكاً في المظاهر والسمى

إذا الجند يفنى والخزينة تنضب

They remained kings in appearances and titles,

While the army dwindled and the treasury ran dry.

لقد صدّق الشسخ المعمم حلمه

فلاقى الذي لاقت من السيل مأرب

The turbaned sheikh believed his dream;

He met what Ma'rib met from the flood.

وأصبح في البيت الحرام بعسفه

يصول عل الحجاج يسبى ويسلب

In the Sacred House, through his oppression, he began

Assailing pilgrims, taking captives and plundering.

فضجت له أم القرى ومقامها

وضاقت بأهليها من الظلم يثرب

Umm al-Qura and its sanctuary cried out against him;

Yathrib grew cramped for its people under oppression.

وربك بالمرصاد يمهل عبده

يعاقبه في فعله ويؤدب

Your Lord lies in watch, granting His servant respite,

Then punishing and disciplining him for his deeds.

قد اغتر ذاك الشيخ من ضعف شعبه

وأسمائه اللاتي بها يتلقب

That sheikh was deluded by his people's weakness

And the names with which he styled himself.

وحلمك عن أخطائه وهو معتد

يوتر من أعصابه ويصلب

Your forbearance toward his faults, while he transgressed,

Tightened and hardened his nerves.

تلاقيه في تشكيره متبسماً

ويشرق منك الوجه حين يقطّب

You met his scowl with a smile;

Your face shone when he frowned.

فعنًّ له تفسير أضغاث حلمه

بنجد وفيها جنده يتدرب

He thought to interpret his tangled dreams

In Najd, where his troops would train.

ومن غره لين الثعابين فاعتدى

عليها فبالسم الزعاف سيعطب

Whoever is deceived by serpents' softness and attacks

Them will perish from deadly venom.

فأرسل عبد الله بالجيش غازياً

يحف به من قاذفي النار موكب

He sent Abd Allah with the army on a raid,

Surrounded by a procession of fire-throwers,

ليفتح أسوار الرياض وبعدها

إلى البحر تغريه الأماني فيطرب

To breach Riyadh's walls, and afterward

Dreams enticed him toward the sea, making him exult.

وما كان أن يلقى بتربة أهلها

وقد كبروا عند اللقا وتأهبوا

He had only to meet its people at Turabah,

Who proclaimed God's greatness at the encounter and stood ready,

فداخله الرعب المخيف وجنده

تولوا على أدبارهم لم يعقبوا

For terrifying dread to enter him; his troops

Turned on their heels and did not return.

فما اهتز حلم أنت شامخ طوده

بوقت به ذو الحلم لا شك يغضب

Yet your forbearance, whose mountain you towered above, never shook,

At a time when even the forbearing surely grow angry.

سكوت أراب الناس حتى تساءلوا

وراحوا يظنون الظنون فأسهبوا

A silence unsettled people until they questioned,

And went on suspecting, at great length:

أيشمخ مغلوب ويهدأ غالب

ويصفح مظلوم ويترك مذنب

'Does the defeated boast while the victor stays calm?

Does the wronged pardon while the guilty go unpunished?'

دعوتهم لما تمادوا لمجمع

ليظهر من عن رشده يتنكب

When they persisted, you invited them to an assembly,

To reveal who was turning away from sound judgment.

فجاؤوا رياء يعرضون شروطهم

على أنها للمستحيلات أقرب

They came hypocritically, presenting conditions

That were nearer to impossibilities.

وحلمك عمَّن لا يراه مذلة

وعفوك قبل الاقتدار مكذب

Forbearance toward one who fails to appreciate it is humiliation;

Pardon before mastery is disbelieved.

وحتام هذا الحلم والبغي ظاهر

وفيم التراخي والعدى تتصلب

How long this forbearance, while aggression is plain?

Why delay, while the enemies grow adamant?

ألم يمنعونا عن شعائر ديننا

كما صد عنها القرمطي المخرب

Did they not bar us from our religion's rites,

As the destructive Qarmatian barred people from them?

هنالك أضحى السيل قد بلغ الزبى

لقوم بأرواح العداء تشربوا

Then the torrent had reached the high ground

For people steeped in the spirit of enmity.

ومالك فيهم مأرب قبل بغيهم

فعادوك حتى كدت بالصفح تذهب

You had no designs upon them before their aggression;

They opposed you until your clemency almost undid you.

وما كدت تعطي الإذن قوماً تأهبوا

لحربهم حتى استجابوا ورحبوا

Scarcely had you given permission to people ready

For war against them, when they answered and welcomed it.

فراحوا كأن السيل مسرى جموعهم

وقد شمروا للملحمات وأجلبوا

They moved as though a torrent coursed through their hosts,

Girded for great battles and raising a clamor.

كأن ارتفاع النقع فوق رؤوسهم

سحاب أحم طبق الجو هيدب

The dust rising above their heads seemed

A black cloud covering the sky, trailing its fringes.

كأنهم إن هللوا ثم كبروا

رعود إذا حنت تصم وترعب

When they proclaimed God's oneness and then His greatness, they seemed

Thunderclaps whose rumbling deafens and terrifies.

صداها دوي للبنادق مرجف

وخيل على تلك السهول تدبدب

Their echo was the shuddering roar of rifles,

And horses pounding across those plains.

وفرت جنودُ ابنِ الحسين أمامهم

سراعاً وهل من دون بطشك مهرب

The troops of Ibn al-Husayn fled before them

Swiftly—what escape is there from your might?

وبالطائف المشهور طافت جموعهم

وكان منيعاً لا ينال ويصعب

Their hosts swept around famed al-Ta'if,

Though it was impregnable, inaccessible, and difficult.

ولكنه الرعب المهيب كأنما

قلوبهم من هوله تتكهرب

But it was awesome terror, as though

Their hearts were electrified by its horror.

ولم يبق للشيخ المتوج مهرب

سوى البحر إذ أواه في اليم مركب

The crowned sheikh had no escape left

But the sea, where a vessel sheltered him upon the waves.

وراح قد استوعى ملايينه التي

جباها وأضحت في الصفائح توعب

He departed, having gathered his millions, which

He had collected and which were packed into metal containers.

وألقى على تلك البطائح نظرة

يفيض عليا قلبه المتلهب

He cast a glance upon those valleys;

His burning heart overflowed upon them.

وأبصرت ما جرت عليه فعاله

ولا شك أن الظلم للذل يعقب

You saw what his deeds had brought upon him;

Surely oppression leads to humiliation.

وجاءت جنود الله للبيت خشعاً

تطوف به تدعو الإله وتطلب

God's troops came humbly to the House,

Circling it, calling upon God and petitioning.

ملكت فأنقذت البلاد وأهلها

وكانت بنار الإضطراب تلهب

You gained rule and rescued the country and its people,

While it blazed with the fire of turmoil.

فهذاك مقتول وهذاك قاتل

وهذاك منهوب وذلك ينهب

One was slain, another a killer;

One was plundered, another plundering.

وفي كل قطر بل وكل قبيلة

إغارات يذكيها العمى والتعصب

In every region—indeed, every tribe—

Were raids kindled by blindness and fanaticism.

فما هي إلا برهة ثم أصبحت

بعدلك والأمن العميم مطنب

Only a short while passed before it became,

Through your justice, a place where universal security stood firm.

وكل شقاق عاد وهو تألف

إلى الله في إعزازه يُتَقرب

Every discord turned into concord,

Through whose strengthening one draws close to God.

فيا أيها الملك الذي اتجهت له

ضمائرنا تبدي مناها وتعرب

O king toward whom have turned

Our hearts, revealing and expressing their hopes:

محط المنى للمسلمين جميعهم

وحامي الحمى تحنو عليه وتحدب

The resting place of all Muslims' hopes,

Guardian of the realm, cherishing and caring for it.

وأبصارهم ترنو إلى قبلة الهدى

تصعدها أنى غدت وتصوب

Their eyes gaze toward the qiblah of guidance;

You raise their gaze wherever it turns, and lower it.

فأنت إذا شرقت بالأمر شرقوا

وأنت إذا غربت بالنهى غربوا

When you turn east in command, they turn east;

When you turn west with wisdom, they turn west.

ملكت قلوب الناس قبل جسومهم

وسيان فيهم مبعد ومقرب

You possessed people's hearts before their bodies;

The distant and the favored are alike among them.

فدم سالماً للدين والعرب معقلا

إلى مجدك العلياء تعزى وتنسب

Remain safe, a stronghold for religion and the Arabs:

To your glory, all eminence is attributed and traced.