أكذاك تبكر في علاك وتمطر

أكذاك تبكر في علاك وتمطر

يا غيث ملكك لك ملكك مزهر

يا غيث ملكك لك ملكك مزهر

Is it thus you go forth early in your glory and rain down,

Thus you rise early in your loftiness and rain down,

O rain of your realm? Your realm blooms for you.

O bountiful rain, your kingdom is a flourishing kingdom,

تسعى وجودك مثل ظلك تابع

تسعى وجودك مثل ظلك تابع

لك والمواهب إثر خطوك تقطر

لك والمواهب إثر خطوك تقطر

You walk, and your bounty, like your shadow, follows

Your existence strives, like your shadow following,

You, while gifts drip in the wake of your steps.

For you, and talents trickle in your footsteps’ wake.

لم يبق في أم العواصم معهد

لم يبق في أم العواصم معهد

إلا وفيه من عهادك أنهر

إلا وفيه من عهادك أنهر

No seat of learning remains in the mother of capitals

No institute remains in the mother of cities,

Without rivers of your recurring rains within it.

Without your care streaming into it like a river.

فاليوم عطشاها بسيبك رية

فاليوم عطشاها بسيبك رية

واليوم مجدبها بريك مغمر

واليوم مجدبها بريك مغمر

So today her thirsty ground is quenched by your bounty,

Today, by your cause, its thirst is quenched,

And today her barren ground is flooded by your watering.

And today, by your rain, its barrenness is flooded.

هش المقام الأحمدي لزائر

هش المقام الأحمدي لزائر

سبقت عوارفه إليه تبشر

سبقت عوارفه إليه تبشر

The Ahmadi shrine rejoiced at a visitor

Delicate is the Ahmadi place for a visitor;

Whose benefactions had preceded him there, bringing glad tidings.

Its nobilities have already come to it, heralding glad tidings.

جار على سنن الجدود كما بنوا

جار على سنن الجدود كما بنوا

يبني وعما أقصروا لا يقصر

يبني وعما أقصروا لا يقصر

He follows the path of his forefathers: just as they built,

Going upon the ways of ancestors, as they built,

He builds, and does not hold back from what they left undone.

He builds, and does not fall short of what they fell short of.

لو يستطيع مزوره من شوقه

لو يستطيع مزوره من شوقه

لأطل يرتجل الثناء ويشكر

لأطل يرتجل الثناء ويشكر

If the one he visits could, in his longing,

If your frequenter could, out of his passion,

He would appear, improvising praise and giving thanks.

Step forth to improvise praise and give thanks—

أوعي من دهش هناك خطيبه

أوعي من دهش هناك خطيبه

لأقام يخطب في الحضور المنير

لأقام يخطب في الحضور المنير

Had his preacher recovered from astonishment there,

Or if his awe there inspired an orator—

He would have stood to preach in the radiant presence.

He would stand to give a sermon to the luminous gathering.

يستقبل المحراب منك مملكاً

يستقبل المحراب منك مملكاً

هو مثله للملك بل هو أكبر

هو مثله للملك بل هو أكبر

The prayer niche welcomes in your person an enthroned sovereign,

The prayer nook receives you like a kingdom;

Its equal in sovereignty—indeed, he is greater.

It is like you to the kingdom, nay greater yet.

آثار أسماعيل في ريعانها

آثار أسماعيل في ريعانها

ملء الجفون إلى حسين تنظر

ملء الجفون إلى حسين تنظر

Ismail's monuments, in their prime,

Traces of Ismail in their prime

Gaze toward Husayn with eyes wide open.

Fill the eyelids, looking to Husayn.

فكأنما هي السن لفعاله

فكأنما هي السن لفعاله

أبداً تباهي في العصور وتفخر

أبداً تباهي في العصور وتفخر

So they seem to be tongues proclaiming his deeds,

So it is as if these are the teeth, by his deeds,

Forever boasting through the ages and taking pride.

Forever boasting in the ages and taking pride.

حيتك آثار النبي محمد

حيتك آثار النبي محمد

وغدت تهلل باسمه وتكبر

وغدت تهلل باسمه وتكبر

The relics of the Prophet Muhammad greeted you

Your traces live on by the Prophet Muhammad,

And began, in his name, proclaiming God's oneness and greatness.

And you rejoice with his name and hold it grand.

فترو من بركاتها ورضائه

فترو من بركاتها ورضائه

فلأنت أولى بالرضاء وأجدر

فلأنت أولى بالرضاء وأجدر

So drink your fill of their blessings and his approval,

You see, from its blessings and contentment,

For you are more entitled to approval and more deserving.

For you are the worthiest of contentment and most deserving.

اليوم يصطنع الثنا لك مخلصاً

اليوم يصطنع الثنا لك مخلصاً

وغداً تظل به ترن الأعصر

وغداً تظل به ترن الأعصر

Today, sincere praise is fashioned for you,

Today someone composes praise for you in earnest,

And tomorrow the ages will keep resounding with it.

And tomorrow these verses will echo through the ages.

لله طنطا ما أشد سرورها

لله طنطا ما أشد سرورها

لله أعين أهلها من تبصر

لله أعين أهلها من تبصر

God bless Tanta—how great her joy!

By God, how great is Tanta’s joy!

God bless her people's eyes—whom do they behold?

By God, how insightful are its people’s eyes!

يطأ الحسين ترابها فيضوع من

يطأ الحسين ترابها فيضوع من

خطواته في جانبها العنبر

خطواته في جانبها العنبر

Al-Husayn treads her soil, and there wafts from

Al-Husayn treads its soil, and there diffuses from

His footsteps, through her precincts, the fragrance of ambergris.

His steps along its side ambergris.

سيبيت معهدها يسامي أفقها

سيبيت معهدها يسامي أفقها

ويبيت ملتفتاً إليه الأزهر

ويبيت ملتفتاً إليه الأزهر

Her institute will pass the night rivaling her horizon,

Its institute rises, elevating its horizon,

And al-Azhar will pass the night turned toward it.

While Al-Azhar turns to it attentively.

حسب الشبيبة أنها في روضه

حسب الشبيبة أنها في روضه

قد نورت وكذاك سوف تنور

قد نورت وكذاك سوف تنور

It is enough for the young that, in its garden,

It suffices the youths that in its meadow

They have blossomed, and thus will blossom yet.

It has lit up, and so shall it illuminate.

مولاي فضلك هاج منطق صامت

مولاي فضلك هاج منطق صامت

والفضل يقتدح اللسان فيذكر

والفضل يقتدح اللسان فيذكر

My lord, your bounty roused a silent man's speech,

My master, your overflowing favor has stirred a silent tongue,

And bounty strikes sparks from the tongue, and is remembered.

And favor inspires the tongue to mention and recall.

علمتني صوغ الثنا فعلمته

علمتني صوغ الثنا فعلمته

ونهضت أنظم في ثناك وأنثر

ونهضت أنظم في ثناك وأنثر

You taught me to fashion praise, and I learned it,

You taught me to craft praise, so I learned it,

And I rose to compose verse and prose in your praise.

And I set about composing verses in your praise and scattering them.

أنا صادق في ما أقول وضامن

أنا صادق في ما أقول وضامن

أن الزمان إذا أقول يكرر

أن الزمان إذا أقول يكرر

I am truthful in what I say, and I guarantee

I am sincere in what I say and certain

That time, whenever I speak, repeats my words.

That time, when I speak, will echo it.