رَقَصَت بِكَ العَليا تجرُّ ذُيولا

رَقَصَت بِكَ العَليا تجرُّ ذُيولا

وَجَلتكَ فَرداً في العِبادِ جَليلا

وَجَلتكَ فَرداً في العِبادِ جَليلا

Glory danced in your honor, trailing her trains,

The High One danced for you, dragging robes,

And revealed you as peerless and majestic among humankind.

And made you uniquely exalted among the servants.

فَطَلَعتَ في الآفاقِ بَدرَ جَلالَةٍ

فَطَلَعتَ في الآفاقِ بَدرَ جَلالَةٍ

صاغَ الكَواكِبَ في العُلى إِكليلا

صاغَ الكَواكِبَ في العُلى إِكليلا

So you rose on the horizons, a full moon of majesty,

So you rose in the horizons like a splendid full moon,

Fashioning the stars on high into a crown.

With the stars fashioning for you a crown on high.

ما لِلمَحامِدِ عَن مَقامَكَ مصرفٌ

ما لِلمَحامِدِ عَن مَقامَكَ مصرفٌ

كَلا وَلا لِلمَجدِ عَنكَ سَبيلا

كَلا وَلا لِلمَجدِ عَنكَ سَبيلا

Praise has nowhere to turn away from your station;

Eulogies have no diversion from your station,

No, nor has glory any path away from you.

No, nor glory any access to you.

أَخُلاصةَ الشَرَفِ المفيض عَلى المَلا

أَخُلاصةَ الشَرَفِ المفيض عَلى المَلا

حِلماً بِهِ يَنفي العَليلُ غَليلا

حِلماً بِهِ يَنفي العَليلُ غَليلا

O essence of honor, pouring upon the people

Quintessence of the overflowing nobility upon the summit,

A forbearance with which the afflicted quenches his burning thirst!

A forbearance thereby the wretched outcasts loss of hope.

أَنتَ الَّذي خَضَعَ الزَمانُ لِعِزِهِ

أَنتَ الَّذي خَضَعَ الزَمانُ لِعِزِهِ

بَينَ العِظام يَزيدهُ تَبجيلا

بَينَ العِظام يَزيدهُ تَبجيلا

You are he to whose might Time bowed,

You it is before whose might time has bowed,

Among the great, granting him still greater reverence.

Magnifying you among the bones increasingly.

قالَت لَكَ الأَكوانُ وَهِيَ مُصيبَةٌ

قالَت لَكَ الأَكوانُ وَهِيَ مُصيبَةٌ

إِني لِذاتكَ ما رائَتُ مَثيلا

إِني لِذاتكَ ما رائَتُ مَثيلا

Creation said to you, and rightly:

The cosmos said to you, though it was right:

"Indeed, I have never seen your equal."

"For your essence I have never seen a peer."

بَشِّر شُعوبَكَ لا يَزالُ محمَّدٌ

بَشِّر شُعوبَكَ لا يَزالُ محمَّدٌ

فيما يُبشِّرُ صادِقاً وَكَفيلا

فيما يُبشِّرُ صادِقاً وَكَفيلا

Give your peoples glad tidings: Muhammad ever remains

Give good tidings to your nations—Muhammad

Truthful in the tidings he brings, and their guarantor.

Will remain, promising truly and warranting.

إِن فاتَ تونس نيل مصر فَأَنتَ قَد

إِن فاتَ تونس نيل مصر فَأَنتَ قَد

أَجرَيتَ مِن فَيض المَكارِمِ نيلا

أَجرَيتَ مِن فَيض المَكارِمِ نيلا

If Tunis lacks Egypt's Nile, then you have indeed

If Tunis lacks the Nile of Egypt, still you

Made a Nile flow from your overflowing generosity.

Have let flow from the bounty of honors a Nile.

فَدَعَوتُها الخَضراءَ وَهِيَ نَضيرَةٌ

فَدَعَوتُها الخَضراءَ وَهِيَ نَضيرَةٌ

في ظِلكَ العالي تَبين حَجولا

في ظِلكَ العالي تَبين حَجولا

So I called her 'the Green'; she is flourishing,

So I called it the Green, and it being verdant

Beneath your lofty shade, appearing adorned with anklets.

In your lofty shade appears gazelles.

ما كَدَّرتها فِتنَةٌ بادَرتها

ما كَدَّرتها فِتنَةٌ بادَرتها

في هِمَةٍ تَدعُ الأَبيَّ ذَليلا

في هِمَةٍ تَدعُ الأَبيَّ ذَليلا

No strife sullied her; you forestalled it

No dissension has muddied it, but it took the initiative

With a resolve that leaves the defiant humbled.

In a resolve letting the unwilling be abject.

أَنّي وَفي شَفَتَيكَ أَحكام القَضا

أَنّي وَفي شَفَتَيكَ أَحكام القَضا

مَن شِئت فازَ وَمَن أَردتَ أُزيلا

مَن شِئت فازَ وَمَن أَردتَ أُزيلا

How could it, when on your lips lie the decrees of fate?

Behold, in your lips are judgments of destiny:

Whoever you choose triumphs, and whoever you wish is removed.

Whom you wished won, whom you wanted removed.

قَومٌ طَغوا جَهلاً فَقُمتَ مُؤَدَباً

قَومٌ طَغوا جَهلاً فَقُمتَ مُؤَدَباً

حَتّى أَزَلتَ عَن النُفوسِ خُمولا

حَتّى أَزَلتَ عَن النُفوسِ خُمولا

A people rebelled in ignorance, so you rose to discipline them,

A people wallowed in ignorance, so you arose disciplining

Until you drove lethargy from their souls.

Until you lifted from spirits torpor—

أَينَ الفَرارُ وَفي يَمينكَ صارِمٌ

أَينَ الفَرارُ وَفي يَمينكَ صارِمٌ

صاغَتهُ مَقدِرَةُ الإِلَهِ صَقيلا

صاغَتهُ مَقدِرَةُ الإِلَهِ صَقيلا

Where is escape, when in your right hand is a keen sword,

Where is fleeing when in your right hand is a sword

Which God's power forged, burnished bright?

Forged by the power of God, burnished?

مِن نور رَبِكَ في صَفائِحِهِ السَنى

مِن نور رَبِكَ في صَفائِحِهِ السَنى

وَبِحَدِهِ حلَّ الحَمام نَزيلا

وَبِحَدِهِ حلَّ الحَمام نَزيلا

Its blade bears radiance from the light of your Lord,

From the light of your Lord in its blades

And at its edge Death has taken lodging.

And by it the dove alighted as a lodger.

فَإِذا فَتَكتَ فَعادِلٌ في حُكمِهِ

فَإِذا فَتَكتَ فَعادِلٌ في حُكمِهِ

وَإِذا عَفَوتَ فَمانِحٌ مَأمولا

وَإِذا عَفَوتَ فَمانِحٌ مَأمولا

So when you slay, you are just in your judgment,

When it wreaks havoc, then you are equitable in your rule,

And when you pardon, you grant what is hoped for.

And when you pardon, then a granter of hopes.

شَمَلَت مَهابتُكَ المَلا فَخُضوعهم

شَمَلَت مَهابتُكَ المَلا فَخُضوعهم

طَوعاً عَن العِصيانِ كانَ بَديلا

طَوعاً عَن العِصيانِ كانَ بَديلا

The awe you inspire encompassed the people, so their submission

Your awe included the summit, so their deference

Freely given, took the place of rebellion.

To refrain from rebellion became the alternative.

هَل يُثبِتون بِهِ وَلَحظك إِن بَدا

هَل يُثبِتون بِهِ وَلَحظك إِن بَدا

لِلأَرض عَن سَخطٍ تَميلُ مَميلا

لِلأَرض عَن سَخطٍ تَميلُ مَميلا

Can they stand firm in it, when your glance, if it falls

Can they steady it if your glance should appear

On the earth in wrath, makes it reel?

To the earth inclined after wrath to lean?

أَرائتَ صفرة وَجهِهم خَجَلاً بَدَت

أَرائتَ صفرة وَجهِهم خَجَلاً بَدَت

أَم ذاكَ خَوفٌ هَبَّ فيهِ مَحيلا

أَم ذاكَ خَوفٌ هَبَّ فيهِ مَحيلا

Did you see the pallor of their faces appear from shame,

Did you see the yellowness of their faces in shame appear,

Or was it fear that swept over them, changing their hue?

Or was that a fear stirring in them crookedly?

أَهنى بِتَوطيد الصِيانَة لِلمَلا

أَهنى بِتَوطيد الصِيانَة لِلمَلا

وَاِسكُب لحلمك في البِلادِ سُيولا

وَاِسكُب لحلمك في البِلادِ سُيولا

I congratulate you on securing protection for the people,

I advise strengthening the safekeeping of the summit,

And pour torrents of your forbearance throughout the land.

And pour your clemency in the lands copiously.

فَبِلادكَ الغَراء أَنساها الهَنا

فَبِلادكَ الغَراء أَنساها الهَنا

خَطباً يَسميهِ سِواكَ ثَقيلا

خَطباً يَسميهِ سِواكَ ثَقيلا

For joy has made your splendid land forget

So your noble lands forgot bliss—

A calamity anyone but you would call burdensome.

Talk calling any but you burdensome.

وَالأُفق مِن بَعد العَواصف يَنجَلي

وَالأُفق مِن بَعد العَواصف يَنجَلي

نوراً وَيَلبَسُ عَسجداً مَحلولا

نوراً وَيَلبَسُ عَسجداً مَحلولا

And after the storms, the horizon clears,

While the horizon after the storms clears,

Radiant with light, and robes itself in molten gold.

Light dawns and wears fine garb loosened.