Original content

English translation

Your scholars have tongues as sharp as swords, Your governors have their loins girded like spears. And these belt-girded servants at your gate Have conquered the entirety of your realm. Though they are ever fierce and full of vengeance, Their fierceness is solely for the sake of religion. They do not strike anyone's neck out of anger or malice; Like Ali, they strike only by the command of religion. Like Ali, they are brave with these two instruments: The book of the divine law and the blade of the sword. In their battles and their discourses, They have no tools other than iron and Hadith. Since they hold the head of the eternal realm, They keep these two in this world for that purpose. For they go from the king toward the place of prostration, Chanting, 'Tengri, Tengri' (God, God). They are not idol-worshipers like the infidels, Nor are they entirely pious worshippers. They have only two tasks at all times: Prostration to the Creator and service to the King. To friends, they are auspicious of omen; To enemies, they are ever pain and calamity. From the soles of their feet to the crown of their hearts, They are hundreds of thousands of bodies with a single heart. The sword-bearers, like spears and like lances, Are all standing tall and have girded their loins. With cups in hand, they are like Venus; With swords in hand, they are like the sun. In times of banquet, they are like the sun and the moon; In times of battle, they are like fierce male lions. The blacks who are your sentinels, And who reach the heavens out of pride, Though they are dark-skinned and full of vengeance, Their intent is toward the order of the realm and religion. All are thick-hearted like pomegranates, All are tall and full of branches like plane trees. To the loyal friend, they are auspicious; to the enemy, they are ill-omened; They are stone to the adversary and wax to the friend. An army is needed for the sake of the realm and religion; They are indeed like this, and so it ought to be. For the sake of subduing the enemy and the ill-wisher, Around the garden of the King of Kings, Their tents are pitched in the celestial realms; They are binders of demons, like the host of angels. A king whose footsteps are like Christ, How could his army be anything but angelic? Be joyous, O chosen King of Kings! Your army is like stars, and you are the moon. They shatter maces with their swords, They pierce arrows with their arrows. The souls of enemies wail because of their swords, They have sewn the kingdom like an arrow with arrows. Like furnaces beneath this dome, They are all iron-mouthed and fire-breathing. The reflection of their swords, in its effect, Strips the shagreen cloak off the mountain's head. Death is a mere plaything before their manliness; It stands amazed at their combat. They are rhinoceros-like in dread and elephantine in stature, Religion has found peace through their swords. Their stature is like a newly grown cypress, Their bodies are all clad in armor. All are like houris in human form, All are like lions and dragons in ferocity. When they draw their silver bows toward arrows, They capture the dragon alive in body. The enemies of the realm have become accustomed to them, Like old hair before your comb. Their swords, for the sake of life and the world, Are wet like the Jaxartes and warm like the Oxus. May the eye of malice be far from this army and retinue, Who are not inferior to Qobad and Rostam. All are mounted on swift steeds, They are mountains of iron bodies and consumers of souls. This one turns a gnat's wing to ruby with his spear, And that one shoes a fly in mid-air. The pearl-bearing shell is the soul of the realm, The target of their arrows is the bow of heaven. The line-breakers who are confidants of secrets Launch arrows at your adversary. For the sake of destroying the evildoers, They release arrows from their bows in night vigils. The fortress of the Emperor of China is a nomadic yurt; Your fortress is the morning prayer. You are as your praiser has extolled you; And if not, you ought to be so. If you are such, you have escaped the fire; And if not, may your days be pleasant! As long as the world exists, may your glory and dignity endure, May the seven climes be under your protection. May generosity, culture, intellect, and religion be yours, May the eternal seal be engraved upon your signet. I have praised these out of my natural disposition, I have elevated these earths into heavens. Because before you, the praise of anyone else Is like an elephant's foot or a fly's wing. Be bright-faced like the sun, Adorning the world and seeking sovereignty. May the Creator be your helper, Who created you so grand!