عَليكَ وليّ نِعمَتِنا سَلامي

عَليكَ وليّ نِعمَتِنا سَلامي

وَفيكَ مَدائحي وَبك اِعتِصامي

وَفيكَ مَدائحي وَبك اِعتِصامي

To you, patron of our blessings, my greeting;

My greetings of peace upon you, O guardian of our blessings,

My praises are of you, and in you is my refuge.

In you are my praises and in you is my refuge,

وَفي النّعمِ الّتي جَلّلتَنيها

وَفي النّعمِ الّتي جَلّلتَنيها

مَرادي في العَشيرة أَو مَسامي

مَرادي في العَشيرة أَو مَسامي

And in the blessings with which you have clothed me

And in the favors with which you have honored me,

Lie my wishes among my clan, or my aspirations.

Is my desire, whether in family or in society,

أَخَذنَ عَليَّ مُطّلَعَ الأماني

أَخَذنَ عَليَّ مُطّلَعَ الأماني

وَزِدنَ ولم يَرُمنَ عَلى مرامي

وَزِدنَ ولم يَرُمنَ عَلى مرامي

They have left no height of hope for me to scale,

You have fulfilled my highest hopes,

And, though unasked for, have increased beyond my aims.

And increased them, not stinting what I hoped for,

فَضَلتَ عَلى المُلوكِ وَقَد تَدانَوا

فَضَلتَ عَلى المُلوكِ وَقَد تَدانَوا

كَما فَضل الصباحُ على الظلامِ

كَما فَضل الصباحُ على الظلامِ

You surpassed the kings, though they drew close,

You surpassed kings even though they drew close,

As morning surpasses darkness.

As the dawn surpasses the darkness,

بِإِقدامٍ يهابُ اللّيثُ منهُ

بِإِقدامٍ يهابُ اللّيثُ منهُ

وَإنعامٍ يبرِّحُ بِالكرامِ

وَإنعامٍ يبرِّحُ بِالكرامِ

With daring that strikes fear into the lion,

With courage the lion fears,

And bounty that overwhelms the generous.

And generosity that delights the generous,

فَكَم أَغنيتَ أَرضاً حلّ فيها

فَكَم أَغنيتَ أَرضاً حلّ فيها

غَمامةُ راحَتَيك عَن الغمامِ

غَمامةُ راحَتَيك عَن الغمامِ

How many a land you have spared—when there settled in it

So you have enriched a land that became

The cloud of your two palms—the need for rainclouds!

Covered by the clouds of your comfort instead of clouds of sorrow,

وَكَم رُمناكَ لِلجَدوى علينا

وَكَم رُمناكَ لِلجَدوى علينا

فَما رُمناك ممتنع المرامِ

فَما رُمناك ممتنع المرامِ

And how often we have sought you for bounty upon us,

And how often we wished you well, for our own good,

Yet never found you beyond reach when sought.

Not wishing you to be unyielding,

وغرثان الجوانح من قبيحٍ

وغرثان الجوانح من قبيحٍ

وظمآن الجوارح من حرامِ

وظمآن الجوارح من حرامِ

And you are one whose breast is starved of baseness,

The chests are filled with vileness

And whose limbs thirst, untouched by forbidden things;

And the limbs thirst for forbidden drink,

تُضلُّ سَبيلَه كَلِمُ الدَّنايا

تُضلُّ سَبيلَه كَلِمُ الدَّنايا

وَتَنبو عنهُ أَخلاقُ اللّئامِ

وَتَنبو عنهُ أَخلاقُ اللّئامِ

Words of baseness lose the path to him,

The words of this life lead them astray,

And the manners of the vile recoil from him.

And they are warned away from the manners of scoundrels,

تَلفّت يا مَليكَ النّاس شرقاً

تَلفّت يا مَليكَ النّاس شرقاً

وَغَرباً هَل تَرى لك من مسامِ

وَغَرباً هَل تَرى لك من مسامِ

Look around, O king of men, eastward

Look around you, O king of the people, east

And westward: do you see any equal to yourself?

And west, do you see any who compare to you?

وَهَل أَبقى الإلهُ لَكم عدوّاً

وَهَل أَبقى الإلهُ لَكم عدوّاً

يُحاذَرُ منه في هَذا الأنامِ

يُحاذَرُ منه في هَذا الأنامِ

And has God left you any enemy

And has God left for you any enemy

To be feared among these mortals?

To beware of in these times?

وَولِّ عَظيمَ شُكرك مَن تولّى

وَولِّ عَظيمَ شُكرك مَن تولّى

لَك النَّفَحات بِالنّعمِ العظامِ

لَك النَّفَحات بِالنّعمِ العظامِ

And give your deepest thanks to Him who has undertaken

Give abundant thanks to the one who assumed

To favor you with gifts of mighty blessings.

Responsibility for sending you magnificent blessings,

وَما النّيروزُ إِلّا خَيرُ يومٍ

وَما النّيروزُ إِلّا خَيرُ يومٍ

أَتَت بُشراهُ فيك بِخَيرِ عامِ

أَتَت بُشراهُ فيك بِخَيرِ عامِ

And Nowruz is nothing but the finest of days,

For New Year’s Day brings only the best of days,

Whose glad tidings heralded for you the finest of years.

Its good tidings for you are the best year,

يخبّر في عطائِك بِالأماني

يخبّر في عطائِك بِالأماني

وَيُؤذنُ في بقائِكَ بالدوامِ

وَيُؤذنُ في بقائِكَ بالدوامِ

It foretells hopes fulfilled through your bounty,

It tells of your wishes being fulfilled,

And heralds permanence in your continued life,

And it announces the permanence of your reign,

وَعيشٍ كالزّلالِ العذبِ لمّا

وَعيشٍ كالزّلالِ العذبِ لمّا

رَماهُ المزنُ صُفِّقَ بالمُدامِ

رَماهُ المزنُ صُفِّقَ بالمُدامِ

And a life like sweet, clear water that, when

And a life as sweet as pure, chilled wine,

The rainclouds poured it down, was blended with wine.

When vintage is poured sparkling into goblets,

فَلا طَرَقت بِما تَخشى اللّيالي

فَلا طَرَقت بِما تَخشى اللّيالي

وَلا همّت عُهودك بِاِنصِرامِ

وَلا همّت عُهودك بِاِنصِرامِ

So may the nights never visit you with what you fear,

So no nights threaten what they dread,

And may your days never think of drawing to a close.

Nor do your days intend to end,

وَلا بَرِحت شُؤونك كلّ يومٍ

وَلا بَرِحت شُؤونك كلّ يومٍ

تقلّبُ في كمالٍ أَو تَمامِ

تقلّبُ في كمالٍ أَو تَمامِ

And may your affairs never cease, day by day,

Nor do your affairs cease, each day,

To move in perfection or completeness.

To alternate between perfection and completeness,

فَلَيسَ على الزمانِ إِذا تَجافت

فَلَيسَ على الزمانِ إِذا تَجافت

نَوائبُهُ حريمك مِن مَلامِ

نَوائبُهُ حريمك مِن مَلامِ

For time is free of blame so long as

So time cannot be blamed if its ups

Its calamities keep away from your sanctuary.

And downs do not touch your sanctum.