1. جُزِيتَ عَنَّا الْخَيْرَ يَا مَجْمَعاً

    رِجَالُهُ عليَةُ أَهْلِ الأَدَبْ

    May you be rewarded with goodness on our behalf, O academy,

    Whose men are the elite among men of letters.

  2. رَئِيسُهُ مَنْ هُوَ فَاذْكُرْ لُهُ

    مَا شِئْتَهُ مِنَ نَسَبٍ أَوْ حَسَبْ

    Its president is who he is—so ascribe to him

    Whatever lineage or honor you wish.

  3. وَصَحْبُهُ فِي نُخَبِ الشْرَقِ مِنْ

    أَهْلِ الحِجِى وَالْعِلْمِ أَصْفَى النُّخَبْ

    And his companions, among the East's elite of

    Men of reason and learning, are the purest of the elite.

  4. قَدْ هَلَّ مِنْ عَزْمِكَ مَا يَرْتَجَى

    وَلاَحَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ مَا يُرْتَقَبْ

    From your resolve has dawned what is hoped for,

    And from your excellence has shone what is awaited.

  5. حَدِّدْ لَكَ الخَيْرَ وَلاَ تَتَّئدْ

    فَإِنَّما تَبْعَثُ مَجْدَ العَرَبْ

    Set goodness as your goal, and do not tarry,

    For it is the Arabs' glory that you revive.

  6. حَاضِرَةُ الإِسْلاَمِ فِي حُقْبَةٍ

    تَجْدُرَ أَنْ تُدْعَى بِكُبْرَى الْحُقُبْ

    Islam's metropolis, in an age

    Worthy to be called the greatest of ages,

  7. وَالَتْ عَلَى الدُّنْيَا الفُتُوحُ الَّتِي

    تَعَاقَبَتْ وَاتَّصلَتْ كَالسَّببْ

    Brought the world successive conquests that

    Followed one another and were linked like a cord.

  8. فِي كُلِّ مَعْنىً مِنْ مَعَانِي الْعُلَى

    مَشَى بِهَا اليُمْنُ وَلاَءَ الحَرَبْ

    In every aspect of greatness,

    Good fortune walked with her, not ruin.

  9. أَنْ تَسْتعِيدَ مِنْ عِزِّهَا مَا مَضى

    وَهْيَ لَهُ أَهْلٌ فَهَلْ مِنْ عَجَبْ

    That she should regain her bygone glory,

    Being worthy of it—is there any wonder?

  10. صَحِبْتُ مِنْ مِصْرَ أَخِي حَافِظاً

    وَحَافِظُ أَنْبِلُ مَنْ يُصْطَحَبْ

    I accompanied my brother Hafiz from Egypt,

    And Hafiz is the noblest of companions.

  11. حَتَّى حَجَجْنَاهَا فَيَا لُطْفُ مَا

    فِيَها لَقَيْنَا مِنْ جَزَاءِ الْنُّصَبْ

    Until we made pilgrimage to her—how gracious was

    The reward for toil we found within her!

  12. جَنَّة عَدْنٍ طَالَعَتْنَا بِمَا

    سُرَّ وَسَرَّى وَشَفَى مَنْ وَصَبْ

    A Garden of Eden greeted us with what

    Delighted, consoled, and healed whoever ailed.

  13. فالطَائِرُ الْغِرِّيدُ فِي رَوْضِهَا

    أَسْكَتهُ حَيْنَا تَنَاهِي الطَّرَبْ

    So the sweet-singing bird in her garden

    Was silenced for a while by the height of rapture.

  14. إِنْ تَسْتَزِيدُوهُ فَفِي قَابِلٍ

    يَسْمَعُ مِنْهُ كُلُّكُمْ مَا أَحَبْ

    If you ask him for more, then next year

    You will all hear from him what you desire.

  15. يَا سَادَةٌ صَعَّدَ بِي فَضْلُهُمْ

    إِلى ذُرَاهُمْ وَمَكَانِي صَبَبْ

    O gentlemen whose generosity has raised me

    To their summits, though my place is a downward slope,

  16. شَرَّفْتُمُونِي بِانْتِسَابِي إلى

    مَجْمَعِكُمْ يَا حَبَّذَا المُنْتَسَبْ

    You have honored me through my affiliation with

    Your academy—oh, what a splendid affiliation!

  17. وَفَّقنِي اللهُ إلى خِدْمَةٍ

    أَقْضِي بِهَا مِنْ حَقَّه مَا وَجَبْ

    May God enable me to render service

    Through which I may discharge what is due to it.

  18. قَلَّدْتُمُونِي بَيْنَكُمْ رُتْبُةً

    في نَظَرِي تَسْمُو جَمِيعَ الرُّتَبْ

    You have conferred on me a rank among you

    That, in my eyes, rises above all ranks.