أياO سُوقاًmarket فلوthen if صورتyou were fashioned شخصاًas a person
أيا سُوقاً فلو صورت شخصاً
لَتِهْتُI would boast علىabove بقاعthe lands of الأرضthe earth طيبَاin charm
لَتِهْتُ على بقاع الأرض طيبَا
O market, if you were given human form,
O marketplace, if you were a person
I would boast of your charm above the earth's lands.
I would roam the good parts of earth for you
لأنكbecause you صرتyou have become منnear حِصْنٍa fortress وعينٍand a spring
لأنك صرت من حِصْنٍ وعينٍ
وحجرتناand our chamber وجامِعَناand our congregational mosque قريبَاnear
وحجرتنا وجامِعَنا قريبَا
For you have come to be near a fortress and a spring,
For you have become a fortress and spring
And our chamber and our congregational mosque.
And our neighborhood mosque, so near
فيالكso, how wondrous you are روضةًa garden تُسْلِىsoothes قلوباًhearts
فيالك روضةً تُسْلِى قلوباً
وتكشفand removes عنfrom ذَوِىthose with البَلوىtribulation الكُروبَاafflictions
وتكشف عن ذَوِى البَلوى الكُروبَا
So, what a garden you are, soothing hearts,
O you garden that comforts hearts
And lifting afflictions from those in distress.
And relieves those in distress of their worries
وياand O لكfor you منof غريبِrare المثلِlikeness حُسناًin beauty
ويا لك من غريبِ المثلِ حُسناً
وأصبحناand we have become بهthrough it نَهْوَىwe love الغَريبَاthe stranger
وأصبحنا به نَهْوَى الغَريبَا
And how rare is your like in beauty!
O how strangely beautiful you are
And through that we have come to love the stranger.
We are infatuated with you, o stranger
ومَنand whoever يرنوgazes إليكat you بعينwith an eye of فكرٍthought
ومَن يرنو إليك بعين فكرٍ
يُخافُit is feared عليهfor him أنthat ينسَىhe forgets الحبيبَاthe beloved
يُخافُ عليه أن ينسَى الحبيبَا
And whoever gazes at you with a thoughtful eye,
And he who looks at you with a thoughtful eye
It is feared that he may forget his beloved.
Fears he may forget his beloved
فياso, O خيرbest of البِقاعِthe places بكلin every أرضٍland
فيا خير البِقاعِ بكل أرضٍ
حويتyou have won المدحpraise مناfrom us والنَّسبيَاand love verse
حويت المدح منا والنَّسبيَا
So, O best of places in every land,
O best of all places in every land
You have won from us praise and love verse.
You have contained our praise and ancestry
يُرَىis seen بكin you كلevery تمثالٍimage عجيبٍwondrous
يُرَى بك كل تمثالٍ عجيبٍ
وقبلكand before you لاnot نرىwe see شيئاًanything عجيبَاwondrous
وقبلك لا نرى شيئاً عجيبَا
In you every wondrous image is seen,
Every wondrous statue is seen in you
And before you, we saw nothing wondrous.
And before you we see nothing wondrous
خيالُكyour image فيin خواطرناour thoughts مقيمٌabiding
خيالُك في خواطرنا مقيمٌ
وإنand even if غِبْناwe are absent فإنكthen indeed you لنwill not تغيبَاyou vanish
وإن غِبْنا فإنك لن تغيبَا
Your image dwells in our thoughts,
Your image resides in our thoughts
And even if we are absent, you will never vanish.
And if we are absent, you will not be
خلوتَyou are free منof العيوبِfaults وكلand every سوقٍmarket
خلوتَ من العيوبِ وكل سوقٍ
تَرىyou see مُلئتhas been filled جوانبهits sides عُيوباfaults
تَرى مُلئت جوانبه عُيوبا
You are free of faults, and every market
Free of faults, unlike other markets
You see has its sides filled with faults.
Whose sides are full of flaws
لأنكbecause you فيin عُلُوٍّloftiness وارتفاعٍand elevation
لأنك في عُلُوٍّ وارتفاعٍ
كأنكas though you are طالبُseeking العلياthe heights نصيبَاa share
كأنك طالبُ العليا نصيبَا
For you stand in loftiness and elevation,
For you are lofty and high
As though seeking a share of the heights.
As if seeking the highest fortune
وأنكand indeed you لابنِfor the son of سلطانِSultan بنson of سيفSayf
وأنك لابنِ سلطانِ بن سيف
أباAbu (father of) العربal-Arab (the Arabs) الفتَىthe young man الملكthe king المهيبَاthe awe-inspiring
أبا العرب الفتَى الملك المهيبَا
And you belong to the son of Sultan ibn Sayf,
For you belong to Sultan bin Saif
Abu al-Arab, the young, awe-inspiring king.
Father of the Arabs, the magnificent, glorious prince
وأنكand indeed you موضعthe place of الأرزاقprovisions طُرّاًall of them
وأنك موضع الأرزاق طُرّاً
وفيكand in you الخيرgoodness مجموعاًgathered رهيبَاawe-inspiring
وفيك الخير مجموعاً رهيبَا
And you are the place of all provisions,
And you are a place of sustenance
And in you goodness is gathered, awe-inspiring.
Where goodness abounds, plentiful
وفيكand in you فواكهٌfruits منof كلevery لونٍcolor
وفيك فواكهٌ من كل لونٍ
منof الثمراتِthe fruits يُبساًdried أوor رطيبَاfresh
من الثمراتِ يُبساً أو رطيبَا
And in you are fruits of every color,
In you is fruit of every color
Of the fruits, dried or fresh.
Dry or fresh produce
وتجرىand flow تحتكbeneath you الأنهارُthe rivers دَأْباًceaselessly
وتجرى تحتك الأنهارُ دَأْباً
فمثلكso, like you لاnot نَرىwe see أبداًever ضريبَاa peer
فمثلك لا نَرى أبداً ضريبَا
And beneath you rivers flow ceaselessly,
And rivers flow constantly under you
So we never see a peer like you.
We never see the like of you, ever
فآهاًso, ah لوif only يعودُwould return لناto us شبابٌyouth
فآهاً لو يعودُ لنا شبابٌ
لكيso that نَهْنَاwe might enjoy ease ولمand did not نَخَفِwe fear المشيبَاgray hair
لكي نَهْنَا ولم نَخَفِ المشيبَا
Ah, if only youth would return to us,
Oh if only our youth would return
So that we might live at ease and not fear gray hair.
That we may delight without fear of old age
إذاwhen آواكhe sought shelter with you ذوone with كِبَرٍold age تَقَوَّىhe grew strong
إذا آواك ذو كِبَرٍ تَقَوَّى
كأنas though بهthrough it يرىhe sees عمراًa span of life قشيباًfresh
كأن به يرى عمراً قشيباً
When an old man shelters with you, he grows strong,
He who comes to you aged regains his vigor
As though through it he sees a life made new.
As if seeing a long lifetime before him
ومَنand whoever يكثرmakes frequent مزارَكvisits to you لنwill not يشيباhe grows gray
ومَن يكثر مزارَك لن يشيبا
وبُعْدُكand distance from you يجعلmakes الوِلْدَانَchildren شيباgray-haired
وبُعْدُك يجعل الوِلْدَانَ شيبا
And whoever visits you often will never grow gray,
And he who visits you often will not grow old
And distance from you turns children gray.
Your distance causes children to grey
ويهواكand loves you القريبُthe one nearby وكلand every قاصٍdistant one
ويهواك القريبُ وكل قاصٍ
كأنas though هواكlove for you بالأهواءِwith passions شيبَاwas mingled
كأن هواك بالأهواءِ شيبَا
And those nearby and everyone far away love you,
The near and the far love you
As though love for you were mingled with every passion.
As if love of you has aged all
مزارُكvisiting you لاnot يكدِّرهspoils it رقيبٌa watcher
مزارُك لا يكدِّره رقيبٌ
وكلand every مُواصِلٍa lover keeping contact يخشَىfears الرقيبَاthe watcher
وكل مُواصِلٍ يخشَى الرقيبَا
No watcher mars a visit to you,
No rival interferes with your visitors
Yet every lover keeping a tryst fears the watcher.
And all are wary of the watchman
لقدindeed أُسِّسْتَyou were founded فيin ألفone thousand وستٍّand six
لقد أُسِّسْتَ في ألف وستٍّ
معwith التسعينninety عِشْlive دهراًfor a long time حصينَاsecure
مع التسعين عِشْ دهراً حصينَا
You were indeed founded in one thousand and six,
You were built in one thousand eight hundred and ninety six
With ninety added—live long, secure!
Live long, with the nineties, o fortress
بعصرin the era of إمامناour imam ربِّlord of المعاليhigh honors
بعصر إمامنا ربِّ المعالي
بَلَعْرُبَBal'arab نسلِoffspring of سلطانَSultan الحسيبَاthe noble-born
بَلَعْرُبَ نسلِ سلطانَ الحسيبَا
In the era of our imam, lord of high honors,
In the time of our Imam, the noble lord
Bal'arab, the noble scion of Sultan.
Of the Arabs, descendant of the venerable Sultan
إمامَO imam of المسلمينthe Muslims بقيتَmay you remain دهراًfor a long time
إمامَ المسلمين بقيتَ دهراً
مدىthroughout الأيامthe days لاnot ذُقْتَyou tasted الخُطوبَاcalamities
مدى الأيام لا ذُقْتَ الخُطوبَا
O imam of the Muslims, may you long endure,
The Imam of Muslims you have remained eternal
As long as days endure, may you taste no calamities.
Never tasting misfortunes throughout the days
ولاand never برحتceased نجومُكyour stars طالعاتٍrising
ولا برحت نجومُك طالعاتٍ
ولاand not هيthey قارنَتْencountered أبداًever مغيبَاa setting
ولا هي قارنَتْ أبداً مغيبَا
And may your stars never cease rising,
Your stars never ceased rising
Nor may they ever encounter a setting.
Nor have they ever set
ولاand not ذاقtasted الزمانtime لكمfor you (plural) فِراقاًseparation
ولا ذاق الزمان لكم فِراقاً
وشمسand the sun of عُلاكyour glory لاnot رأتsaw الغروبَاsunset
وشمس عُلاك لا رأت الغروبَا
And may time never taste separation from you,
Time has not parted you
And may the sun of your glory never see sunset.
Your sun never saw sunset