أَيَقدَحُ في الخَيمَةِ العُذَّلُ

أَيَقدَحُ في الخَيمَةِ العُذَّلُ

وَتَشمَلُ مَن دَهرَها يَشمَلُ

وَتَشمَلُ مَن دَهرَها يَشمَلُ

Do the faultfinders disparage the tent,

Do the critics find fault with the royal tent?

when it encloses one who encompasses its age,

Does it seek to encompass him who encompasses the age?

وَتَعلو الَّذي زُحَلٌ تَحتَهُ

وَتَعلو الَّذي زُحَلٌ تَحتَهُ

مُحالٌ لَعَمرُكَ ما تُسأَلُ

مُحالٌ لَعَمرُكَ ما تُسأَلُ

and rises above him beneath whom Saturn lies?

Can it tower over one beneath whom Saturn sits?

What is asked of it is impossible, by your life.

Impossible, by your life, is the task asked of it.

فَلِم لا تُلومُ الَّذي لامَها

فَلِم لا تُلومُ الَّذي لامَها

وَما فَصُّ خاتَمِهِ يَذبُلُ

وَما فَصُّ خاتَمِهِ يَذبُلُ

Then why do you not blame the one who blamed it,

Why do you not blame the one who cast blame upon it,

though Yadhbul is not the gemstone in his ring?

When the very stone of his ring is Mount Yadhbul?

تَضيقُ بِشَخصِكَ أَرجاؤُها

تَضيقُ بِشَخصِكَ أَرجاؤُها

وَيَركُضُ في الواحِدِ الجَحفَلُ

وَيَركُضُ في الواحِدِ الجَحفَلُ

Its reaches are cramped by your person,

Its vast corners grow narrow holding your presence,

though an army gallops in a single one.

For within a single man, a whole army gallops.

وَتَقصُرُ ما كُنتَ في جَوفِها

وَتَقصُرُ ما كُنتَ في جَوفِها

وَتُركَزُ فيها القَنا الذُبَّلُ

وَتُركَزُ فيها القَنا الذُبَّلُ

And it is too low whenever you are within it,

It falls short so long as you remain within its belly,

though slender spears are planted upright inside it.

Even when slender spears are planted to prop it up.

وَكَيفَ تَقومُ عَلى راحَةٍ

وَكَيفَ تَقومُ عَلى راحَةٍ

كَأَنَّ البِحارَ لَها أَنمُلُ

كَأَنَّ البِحارَ لَها أَنمُلُ

And how can it stand upon a palm,

How can it stand stable upon a palm,

as though the seas were its fingers?

To which the seven seas are merely fingertips?

فَلَيتَ وَقارَكَ فَرَّقتَهُ

فَلَيتَ وَقارَكَ فَرَّقتَهُ

وَحَمَّلتَ أَرضَكَ ما تَحمِلُ

وَحَمَّلتَ أَرضَكَ ما تَحمِلُ

If only you had shared out your dignity,

Would that you had distributed your immense gravity,

and made your land bear what you bear,

And burdened your land with the weight you bear.

فَصارَ الأَنامُ بِهِ سادَةً

فَصارَ الأَنامُ بِهِ سادَةً

وَسُدتَهُمُ بِالَّذي يَفضُلُ

وَسُدتَهُمُ بِالَّذي يَفضُلُ

so that mankind became lords through it,

Then all mankind would have become masters through it,

and you ruled them with what remained!

While you still ruled them with the virtue that remains.

رَأَت لَونَ نورِكَ في لَونِها

رَأَت لَونَ نورِكَ في لَونِها

كَلَونِ الغَزالَةِ لا يُغسَلُ

كَلَونِ الغَزالَةِ لا يُغسَلُ

It saw the hue of your light in its own hue,

It saw the hue of your light reflect within its own,

like the sun's hue, never washed away,

Like the indelible brilliance of the rising sun.

وَأَنَّ لَها شَرَفاً باذِخاً

وَأَنَّ لَها شَرَفاً باذِخاً

وَأَنَّ الخِيامَ بِها تَخجَلُ

وَأَنَّ الخِيامَ بِها تَخجَلُ

and that it possessed towering honor,

It realized it possessed a lofty honor,

and that other tents were put to shame by it.

Making all other tents feel shame before it.

فَلا تُنكِرَنَّ لَها صَرعَةً

فَلا تُنكِرَنَّ لَها صَرعَةً

فَمِن فَرَحِ النَفسِ ما يَقتُلُ

فَمِن فَرَحِ النَفسِ ما يَقتُلُ

So do not find its fall strange;

So do not look strangely upon its collapse;

for some joys of the soul can kill.

For there is an excess of joy that kills the soul.

وَلَو بُلِّغَ الناسُ ما بُلِّغَت

وَلَو بُلِّغَ الناسُ ما بُلِّغَت

لَخانَتهُمُ حَولَكَ الأَرجُلُ

لَخانَتهُمُ حَولَكَ الأَرجُلُ

And had people been granted what it was granted,

And had people attained the proximity it attained,

their legs would have failed them around you.

Their legs would have failed them in your presence.

وَلَمّا أَمَرتَ بِتَطنيبِها

وَلَمّا أَمَرتَ بِتَطنيبِها

أُشيعُ بِأَنَّكَ لا تَرحَلُ

أُشيعُ بِأَنَّكَ لا تَرحَلُ

And when you ordered it to be anchored with ropes,

And when you commanded its ropes be fastened,

word spread that you would not depart.

The news spread that you would not depart.

فَما اِعتَمَدَ اللَهُ تَقويضَها

فَما اِعتَمَدَ اللَهُ تَقويضَها

وَلَكِن أَشارَ بِما تَفعَلُ

وَلَكِن أَشارَ بِما تَفعَلُ

So God did not aim at bringing it down,

God did not intend its dismantling,

but pointed to what you should do,

But rather signaled what your next move should be.

وَعَرَّفَ أَنَّكَ مِن هَمِّهِ

وَعَرَّفَ أَنَّكَ مِن هَمِّهِ

وَأَنَّكَ في نَصرِهِ تَرفُلُ

وَأَنَّكَ في نَصرِهِ تَرفُلُ

and made known that you are in His care,

He made it known that you are His divine concern,

and that you stride proudly in His aid.

And that you walk proudly in the robes of His victory.

فَما العانِدونَ وَما أَثَّلوا

فَما العانِدونَ وَما أَثَّلوا

وَما الحاسِدونَ وَما قَوَّلوا

وَما الحاسِدونَ وَما قَوَّلوا

What are the stubborn foes and all they have built up?

What are the stubborn foes and what they have established?

And what are the envious and what they have made others say?

And what are the enviers and the lies they have spun?

هُم يَطلُبونَ فَمَن أَدرَكوا

هُم يَطلُبونَ فَمَن أَدرَكوا

وَهُم يَكذِبونَ فَمَن يَقبَلُ

وَهُم يَكذِبونَ فَمَن يَقبَلُ

They pursue—but whom have they caught?

They seek a goal, but whom have they ever overtaken?

And they lie—but who believes them?

They speak falsehoods, but who would accept them?

وَهُم يَتَمَنَّونَ ما يَشتَهونَ

وَهُم يَتَمَنَّونَ ما يَشتَهونَ

وَمِن دونِهِ جَدُّكَ المُقبِلُ

وَمِن دونِهِ جَدُّكَ المُقبِلُ

And they wish for what they desire,

They merely wish for what they crave,

but between them and it stands your rising good fortune,

But blocking their path stands your rising fortune.

وَمَلمومَةٌ زَرَدٌ ثَوبُها

وَمَلمومَةٌ زَرَدٌ ثَوبُها

وَلَكِنَّهُ بِالقَنا مُخمَلُ

وَلَكِنَّهُ بِالقَنا مُخمَلُ

and a massed host whose garment is chain mail,

A dense battalion dressed in coats of mail,

yet it is tufted with spears.

Yet fringed like velvet with the points of spears.

يُفاجِئُ جَيشاً بِها حَينُهُ

يُفاجِئُ جَيشاً بِها حَينُهُ

وَيُنذِرُ جَيشاً بِها القَسطَلُ

وَيُنذِرُ جَيشاً بِها القَسطَلُ

Through it, doom takes an army by surprise,

Death surprises an opposing army through it,

and the dust cloud warns another army of it.

While the rising dust serves as a warning to others.

جَعَلتُكَ بِالقَلبِ لي عُدَّةً

جَعَلتُكَ بِالقَلبِ لي عُدَّةً

لِأَنَّكَ بِاليَدِ لا تُجعَلُ

لِأَنَّكَ بِاليَدِ لا تُجعَلُ

I have made you my safeguard in my heart,

I have made you, within my heart, my shield and store,

because you cannot be held in the hand.

For you are too vast to be held within a hand.

لَقَد رَفَعَ اللَهُ مِن دَولَةٍ

لَقَد رَفَعَ اللَهُ مِن دَولَةٍ

لَها مِنكَ يا سَيفَها مُنصُلُ

لَها مِنكَ يا سَيفَها مُنصُلُ

God has indeed exalted a dynasty

God has indeed exalted a dynasty,

that has in you, O its sword, a blade.

Which draws its edge from you, O Sword of the State.

فَإِن طُبِعَت قَبلَكَ المُرهَفاتُ

فَإِن طُبِعَت قَبلَكَ المُرهَفاتُ

فَإِنَّكَ مِن قَبلِها المِقصَلُ

فَإِنَّكَ مِن قَبلِها المِقصَلُ

So if keen blades were forged before you,

For even if sharp blades were forged before your time,

then you were the severing sword before them.

You were the quintessential cutter before they existed.

وَإِن جادَ قَبلَكَ قَومٌ مَضَوا

وَإِن جادَ قَبلَكَ قَومٌ مَضَوا

فَإِنَّكَ في الكَرَمِ الأَوَّلُ

فَإِنَّكَ في الكَرَمِ الأَوَّلُ

And if men now gone were generous before you,

And if men of the past showed great generosity,

you are first in generosity.

You remain the foremost in nobility and giving.

وَكَيفَ تُقَصِّرُ عَن غايَةٍ

وَكَيفَ تُقَصِّرُ عَن غايَةٍ

وَأُمُّكَ مِن لَيثِها مُشبِلُ

وَأُمُّكَ مِن لَيثِها مُشبِلُ

And how could you fall short of a goal,

How could you ever fall short of glory's peak,

when your mother bore a cub by her lion?

When your mother nursed the cub of a lion?

وَقَد وَلَدَتكَ فَقالَ الوَرى

وَقَد وَلَدَتكَ فَقالَ الوَرى

أَلَم تَكُنِ الشَمسُ لا تُنجَلُ

أَلَم تَكُنِ الشَمسُ لا تُنجَلُ

She bore you, and mankind said,

When she bore you, all of mankind exclaimed:

"Wasn't the sun thought never to be born?"

"Was not the sun thought to be barren of offspring?"

فَتَبّاً لِدينِ عَبيدِ النُجومِ

فَتَبّاً لِدينِ عَبيدِ النُجومِ

وَمَن يَدَّعي أَنَّها تَعقِلُ

وَمَن يَدَّعي أَنَّها تَعقِلُ

So perdition to the faith of the slaves of the stars,

So ruin be upon the faith of those who worship stars,

and to whoever claims that they can reason!

And anyone who claims that the heavens possess reason.

وَقَد عَرَفَتكَ فَما بالُها

وَقَد عَرَفَتكَ فَما بالُها

تَراكَ تَراها وَلا تَنزِلُ

تَراكَ تَراها وَلا تَنزِلُ

And they have recognized you—so what ails them,

For if the sun truly knew you, why would it

that they see you seeing them, yet do not descend?

See you gazing upon it, yet refuse to descend?

وَلَو بِتُّما عِندَ قَدرَيكُما

وَلَو بِتُّما عِندَ قَدرَيكُما

لَبِتَّ وَأَعلاكُما الأَسفَلُ

لَبِتَّ وَأَعلاكُما الأَسفَلُ

And if you both spent the night according to your worth,

If you both were placed according to true worth,

you would spend it with the higher of you two below.

You would remain high, while the sun would sit below.

أَنَلتَ عِبادَكَ ما أَمَّلوا

أَنَلتَ عِبادَكَ ما أَمَّلوا

أَنالَكَ رَبُّكَ ما تَأمُلُ

أَنالَكَ رَبُّكَ ما تَأمُلُ

You granted your servants what they hoped for;

You have granted your subjects all they hoped for;

may your Lord grant you what you hope for.

May your Lord grant you all that you desire.