1. يا مُشرِقَ البَحرِ الخِضَمِّ بِمائِهِ

    إِسلَم فَقَد هَلَكَ الحَسودُ بِدائِهِ

    O you who make the vast sea choke on its own water,

    remain safe: the envious one has perished of his own disease.

  2. الحامِلَ العِبءَ الثَقيلَ بِكاهِلٍ

    قُلَلُ الهِضابِ الشُمُّ مِن أَعبائِهِ

    You who bear the heavy burden on a shoulder

    whose loads include the summits of towering hills;

  3. وَمُنيرَها رَأدَ النَهارِ وَقَد فَجَت

    بِثَواقِبِ العَزَماتِ مِن آرائِهِ

    and you who illumine it like early day, when it has opened wide [unclear],

    with piercing resolves born of his counsels;

  4. وَمُبيدَ شَملِ المالِ حَتّى خِلتَهُ

    أَمسى يُنافِسُهُ عَلى عَليائِهِ

    and you who scatter wealth's gathered store, until I thought it

    had come to rival him for his lofty station.

  5. لَمّا طَما بَحرُ العِراقِ مُزَمجِراً

    ثانِيَةً مُتَخَمِّطاً بِغُثائِهِ

    When the sea of Iraq overflowed, roaring,

    once again, raging with its flotsam,

  6. أَلقى عَلى الأَرضِ الفَضاءِ جِرانَهُ

    حَتّى اِلتَقَت حيتانُهُ بِظِبائِهِ

    it laid its neck upon the open earth,

    until its fish met its gazelles.

  7. وَرَمى التِلاعَ بِمِثلِها مِن مَوجِهِ ال

    طامي وَغادَرَ أَرضَهُ كَسَمائِهِ

    It hurled against the hills their like in its waves,

    surging high, and left its earth like its sky.

  8. يَطَأُ الشَواهِقَ وَالإِكامَ بِخَطوِهِ

    وَيَجُرُّ بِالبَيداءِ فَضلَ رِدائِهِ

    It treads upon towering peaks and hillocks with its stride,

    and trails its cloak's long hem across the desert.

  9. أَخجَلتَهُ بِنَوالِكِ الغَمرِ الَّذي

    غَمَرَ البِلادَ فَجاشَ لِاِستِحيائِهِ

    You shamed it with your abundant bounty, which

    flooded the lands, so it surged out of shame.

  10. حَتّى لَقَد ظَنَّ العَدُوُّ بِجَهلِهِ

    مِمّا رَأى أَن لَستَ مِن أَكفائِهِ

    So the enemy, in his ignorance, indeed imagined,

    from what he saw, that you were not his equal.

  11. أَردَيتَهُ بِالرَأيِ قَبلَ نِزالِهِ

    وَقَذَفتَهُ بِالرُعبِ قَبلَ لِقائِهِ

    You laid him low by counsel before doing battle with him,

    and assailed him with terror before meeting him.

  12. وَرَدَدتَهُ وَزَئيرُ بَأسِكَ خارِقٌ

    سَمعَيهِ مِن قُدّامِهِ وَوَرائِهِ

    You drove him back, the roar of your might piercing

    both his ears, from before him and behind.

  13. وَلّى عَلى الأَعقابِ يَجمَعُ نَفسَهُ

    كَالأُفعَوانِ اِنسَلَّ مِن خِرشائِهِ

    He turned upon his heels, gathering himself together,

    like a great serpent slipping from its sloughed skin.

  14. يا بَحرُ كَيفَ طَلَبتَ شَأوَ مُحَمَّدٍ

    مَهلاً فَلَستَ اليَومَ مِن نُظَرائِهِ

    O sea, how did you seek to match Muhammad's reach?

    Hold back: today you are no peer of his.

  15. هَذا الَّذي أَمسى الأَنامُ بجودِهِ

    أَسرى وَظَلّوا اليَومَ مِن طُلَقائِهِ

    This is he through whose generosity mankind became

    captives, yet today they remain his freedmen.

  16. فَهُمُ وَقَد حَضَرَ النُفوسَ حِمامُها

    عُتَقاؤُهُ وَهُمُ عَبيدُ عَطائِهِ

    So they—when death had already come upon their souls—

    are his freedmen, yet slaves to his bounty.

  17. إِن يَكفُروكَ فَلَستَ أَوَّلَ مُنعِمٌ

    نالَت يَدُ الكُفرانِ مِن نَعمائِهِ

    If they are ungrateful to you, you are not the first benefactor

    whose favors the hand of ingratitude has assailed.

  18. يا مَن يُطارِحُهُ العَلاءُ تَحَذِّياً

    بِفِعالِهِ وَتَشَبُّهاً بِسَخائِهِ

    O you who vie with him for greatness, emulating

    his deeds and seeking to match his generosity,

  19. ما أَنتُمُ مِمَّن يَسُدُّ مَسَدَّهُ

    يَوماً وَلا تُبلونَ مِثلَ بَلائِهِ

    you are not among those who could fill his place

    even for a day, nor render service like his.

  20. أَنّى لَكُم بَوَقارِهِ وَسَدادِهِ

    وَوَفائِهِ وَإِبائِهِ وَمَضائِهِ

    How could you attain his dignity and sound judgment,

    his loyalty, proud spirit, and decisive resolve?

  21. يا مَن كَفاني رَيبَ دَهري أَنَّني

    أَمسَيتُ بَينَ الناسِ مِن شُعَرائِهِ

    O you—what shielded me from my age's vicissitudes was that I

    had become, among mankind, one of his poets.

  22. ضاهَيتَ نوحاً في النَجاةِ بِفُلكِهِ

    وَشَرِكتَ روحَ اللَهِ في إِحيائِهِ

    You matched Noah in the deliverance his ark brought,

    and shared with the Spirit of God in his restoring life.

  23. مُتَقَيِّلاً كِسرى وَلَيسَ بِمُنكَرٍ

    لَكَ ما أَتَيتَ وَأَنتَ مِن أَبنائِهِ

    Following in Kisra's footsteps; nor is it strange

    for you to do what you have done, being one of his descendants.

  24. ما ماتَ مَن أَصبَحتَ وَاِرثَ مَجدِهِ

    يَوماً وَلا مَن كُنتَ مِن خُلَفائِهِ

    He whose glory you have inherited has not died,

    ever, nor has anyone whose successor you have been.

  25. فَهَنا أَميرَ المُؤمِنينَ عَطِيَّةٌ

    لِلَّهِ مِنكَ تُعَدُّ مِن آلائِهِ

    May a gift bring joy to the Commander of the Faithful,

    God's gift in you, counted among His blessings.

  26. دافَعتَ دونَ حَريمِهِ وَبِلادِهِ

    وَعِبادِهِ وَحَمَلتَ مِن أَعبائِهِ

    You defended his sanctuary and his lands,

    and his subjects, and bore a share of his burdens.

  27. لَم يَدعُ نَصرَكَ في مَقامِ كَريهَةٍ

    إِلّا وَقُمتَ مُلَبِياً لِدُعائِهِ

    Never did he call for your help in a scene of battle

    but you rose in answer to his call.

  28. فَليَحمَدَنَّ اللَهَ ما أَمسَيتَ مِن

    أَعضاءِ دَولَتِهِ وَمِن خُلَصائِهِ

    So let him surely praise God, as long as you are among

    the members of his state and his trusted intimates.

  29. آلَ المُظَفَّرِ أَنتُمُ النَجمُ الَّذي

    لا يَهتَدي البازي بِغَيرِ ضِيائِهِ

    House of al-Muzaffar, you are the star

    whose light alone can guide the falcon.

  30. فَالمَجدُ مُشرِقَةٌ بِكُم هَضَباتُهُ

    وَالمُلكُ مَنصورٌ عَلى أَعدائِهِ

    Through you the heights of glory shine,

    and kingship triumphs over its foes.

  31. وَالدينُ مَرفوعُ العِمادِ بِمَجدِهِ

    وَبِتاجِهِ وَسِهامِهِ وَبَهائِهِ

    And religion's pillar is raised by his glory,

    and by his crown, his arrows, and his splendor.

  32. قومٌ إِذا اِعتَلَّ الزَمانُ فَعِندَهُم

    تَدبيرُ طَبٍّ عارِفٍ بِدَوائِهِ

    A people who, when time falls ill, possess

    the skill of a physician who knows its cure.

  33. وَإِذا السِنونُ تَتابَعَت بِجُدوبِها

    جادوا وَقَد بَخِلَ السَحابُ بِمائِهِ

    And when the years follow one another with their droughts,

    they give freely, though the cloud withholds its water.

  34. يَفديكُمُ في المَجدِ كُلُّ مُقَصِّرٍ

    في نَفسِهِ كَلٌّ عَلى آبائِهِ

    May every man who falls short in glory be your ransom,

    wanting in himself, a burden on his forefathers.

  35. ما زِلتُمُ تُعطونَ وَهوَ مُبَخَّلٌ

    حَتّى لَهِجتُ بِمَدحِكُم وَهِجائِهِ

    You have never ceased giving, while he is branded miserly,

    until I became devoted to praising you and lampooning him.

  36. فَلَتَشكُرَنَّكُمُ قَوافي الشِعرِ ما اِخ

    تَلَفَ الزَمانُ بِصُبحِهِ وَمَسائِهِ

    So the rhymes of poetry shall surely thank you as long as

    time alternates between its morning and its evening.