إليك مَدّتْ رقابَها العَرَبُ

إليك مَدّتْ رقابَها العَرَبُ

والمُلْكُ ماءٌ عليك مُنْسَكِبُ

والمُلْكُ ماءٌ عليك مُنْسَكِبُ

Toward you the Arabs have stretched their necks.

The Arabs have extended their necks to you,

And kingship is water pouring over you.

And kingship is water pouring upon you.

وأنتَ من دَوْحة النبوّة لا

وأنتَ من دَوْحة النبوّة لا

تَألَفُ إلاّ عُدَاتك الرِّيَب

تَألَفُ إلاّ عُدَاتك الرِّيَب

And you are of the spreading tree of prophethood; none

And you are from the sand dune of prophethood, not

But your enemies are befriended by doubts.

Befriending except your loathed enemies.

ألستَ مَنْ يَرْهَب الإلهَ ولا

ألستَ مَنْ يَرْهَب الإلهَ ولا

يَصُدّه عن حدوده سبب

يَصُدّه عن حدوده سبب

Are you not the one who fears God, and whom no

Are you not the one whom God fears and no

Cause can divert from His prescribed bounds?

Reason deters him from his limits?

وكلّما مال بَدْءُ عَزْمته

وكلّما مال بَدْءُ عَزْمته

لمذهب لم تُخَالِف العُقَب

لمذهب لم تُخَالِف العُقَب

And whenever the first impulse of his resolve inclined

And whenever the beginning of his resolve inclined

Toward a course, the outcomes never opposed it.

To a doctrine you did not oppose the heel.

فهكذا تَصْدَع الملوكُ إذا

فهكذا تَصْدَع الملوكُ إذا

صالَت وتَنْفي الضَّلالةَ الشُّهُب

صالَت وتَنْفي الضَّلالةَ الشُّهُب

Thus do kings strike decisively when

So it is that kings crack when

They charge, and shooting stars banish error.

They disagree and the errors disappear.

ويَزْدَهِي الدِّين بالمُعِزّ لدي

ويَزْدَهِي الدِّين بالمُعِزّ لدي

ن الله والمُرْهَفَاتُ واليَلَبُ

ن الله والمُرْهَفَاتُ واليَلَبُ

And the faith glories in al-Mu‘izz li-Din

And religion flourishes with the honored

Allah, as do keen swords and leather armor,

Faith of God, the insightful, and the ardent.

وكلُّ رَجْراجةٍ عزائمُه

وكلُّ رَجْراجةٍ عزائمُه

دِلاَصُها والرِّماح والقُضُب

دِلاَصُها والرِّماح والقُضُب

And every surging host—his resolves

And every loud clamor, its intentions

Are its polished mail, its spears, and its swords—

Are its antidotes, the spears, and the clubs.

وهذه الدولةُ التي زَخَرتْ

وهذه الدولةُ التي زَخَرتْ

فلم يَسَعْها الزمانُ والحِقَب

فلم يَسَعْها الزمانُ والحِقَب

And this dominion, which has swelled

And this state which flourished

Beyond what time and ages could contain.

So time and eras could not contain it.

يا حبّذا دَهْرُك الزُّلالُ إذا

يا حبّذا دَهْرُك الزُّلالُ إذا

أَمَرّ دهرٌ وعصرُك الشَّنِب

أَمَرّ دهرٌ وعصرُك الشَّنِب

O how lovely your clear, sweet age, when

How wonderful is your dewy time when

An age turns bitter—and your cool, sweet era!

A time has ordered and your dusty time ebbed.

وحبَّذا الشَّمْسةُ التي نَصبتْ

وحبَّذا الشَّمْسةُ التي نَصبتْ

يَقْصُر عنها المديحُ والخُطَبُ

يَقْصُر عنها المديحُ والخُطَبُ

And how lovely the sun-shaped ornament that was raised;

And wonderful is the sunshade that erected

Praise and orations fall short of it.

Eulogies and speeches fall short of it.

قايَستِ العِيدَ وهي حُلْتُه

قايَستِ العِيدَ وهي حُلْتُه

وأخفت اليومَ وهو مُنْتَصب

وأخفت اليومَ وهو مُنْتَصب

It rivaled the festival, though it was its robe,

It diminished the feast when it arrived

And hid the day while it stood upright.

And obscured the day while it stood tall.

يَنْهَب ياقوتُها العيونَ فما

يَنْهَب ياقوتُها العيونَ فما

يَكْملُ إلاَّ من حيث يَنْتَهب

يَكْملُ إلاَّ من حيث يَنْتَهب

Its rubies plunder the eyes, so they are not

Its gems snatch eyes so they are not

Perfect except insofar as they plunder.

Complete except from where it is snatched.

دائِرةٌ أحدقتْ بعُزتها

دائِرةٌ أحدقتْ بعُزتها

أهِلةٌ لا تُجِنّها السُّحُب

أهِلةٌ لا تُجِنّها السُّحُب

A circle, its majesty encircled

A circle peered with its might

By crescents that no clouds conceal.

Capable, not vilified by the clouds.

كأنما دُرّها وجوهرُها

كأنما دُرّها وجوهرُها

نجومُ ليل سماؤها ذَهَبُ

نجومُ ليل سماؤها ذَهَبُ

As though its pearls and jewels

As if its pearls and essence

Were night-stars whose sky is gold.

Are stars, its sky is gold.

كأنما رُصِّعتْ مَناقبُك ال

كأنما رُصِّعتْ مَناقبُك ال

غُرّ عليها وأٌفْرغ الحَسَبُ

غُرّ عليها وأٌفْرغ الحَسَبُ

As though your virtues were set like jewels—

As if your virtues were adorned

The radiant ones—upon it, and nobility was poured out.

No shame upon them, and integrity exhausted.

حقّ على الشمس طولُ نِقْبتها

حقّ على الشمس طولُ نِقْبتها

منها وذاتُ الحياء تُنْتَقب

منها وذاتُ الحياء تُنْتَقب

The sun is bound to keep her veil on long

The sun has a right to the length of its absence

Because of it; a modest woman veils her face.

From it, and the essence of shyness is stolen.

وقد أراها ولا مُدامَ بها

وقد أراها ولا مُدامَ بها

فكيف قالوا لدُرّها الحَبَبُ

فكيف قالوا لدُرّها الحَبَبُ

And indeed I see it, with no wine in it;

And I saw it without blemish in it

How, then, did they call its pearls 'bubbles'?

So how did they say its beloved are the beads?

نَظمتَها للهُدَى ولَبَّتِه

نَظمتَها للهُدَى ولَبَّتِه

وإن سَخِطن الكواعبُ العُرُبُ

وإن سَخِطن الكواعبُ العُرُبُ

You strung it for Guidance, to adorn its throat,

You have composed it for guidance and its night prayer

Even if the amorous, full-breasted maidens are displeased.

Even if the passionate Arabs become angry.

في كِبِد المسجِد الحرام لها

في كِبِد المسجِد الحرام لها

شوقٌ وللبيت نحوها طربُ

شوقٌ وللبيت نحوها طربُ

For it, in the heart of the Sacred Mosque, there is

In the heart of the Sacred Mosque it has

Longing, and the House feels rapture toward it.

Yearning, and for the house towards it desire.

فلا تَمَشَّى بأهله زمنٌ

فلا تَمَشَّى بأهله زمنٌ

إلاّ بما تَشْتهي وتَرْتَقب

إلاّ بما تَشْتهي وتَرْتَقب

So may no age pass among its people

So no time will pass with its people

Except as you desire and await.

Except what it desires and expects.

صلّى عليك الإلهُ ما طَلعَتْ

صلّى عليك الإلهُ ما طَلعَتْ

شمسٌ وما أنهلّ عارِضٌ لَجِبُ

شمسٌ وما أنهلّ عارِضٌ لَجِبُ

May God bless you as long as there rises

May God send blessings upon you whenever

A sun, and as long as a thunderous raincloud pours.

A sun rose and a well-built hill showered.