1. The night insisted on prolonging itself
Upon a lover with little sleep

2. When the censurers deter him, tears flow
That do not care for their censure

3. Perhaps nearing the abode would stem his tears
And heal some of his anguish

4. The trotting of mounts did not cease, swaying us
The distance pained us, and the smooth plains

5. Until the courtyard of Iraq appeared, unveiled
From the darkness, its water and palms

6. The doves cooing in the branches
Remind us of our loved ones with their murmurs

7. So the vision of a beloved revived a lover
And the howling of a friend gladdened a friend

8. With the blessings of the Commander of the Faithful
Life turned lush after its long withering

9. An imam whom Allah saw as the best of His servants
With truth, and guided them to the path's midst

10. His successor on His earth, his trustee
Content in his presence, the Prophet's cousin

11. An ocean from which the hopeful extend their eyes
To the abundant good he openly shows them

12. You see the land watered by his passing over it
And clothed in vegetation by his entering it

13. He came from the west in numbers like
Grains of sand, with his horsemen and steeds

14. The face of the east beamed as if
The full moon had risen there after setting

15. And Baghdad wore her finest raiment
For his arrival, and watched for his return

16. Yet his longing and innermost desire pull him
To the courtyard of Ja'far and its length

17. To a dwelling wherein are his most intimate companions
Seeing them is his furthest goal and inclination

18. A place pleasant to live in, gentle its night
Cool its morning, good its climate

19. By my life, Ja'far the Caliph has come
And every soul has a need for his return

20. Passion called him from the secret of one who saw so he turned
The lion's turn towards his lair

21. Though it had lost its sweetness since he left
And its intimacy departed with his departure

22. Its exceeding ugliness when he departs
Like its exceeding beauty when he arrives

23. To congratulate his son, the best of sons, Muhammad
On the arrival of a father, lofty and revered

24. He has become peerless in all virtues
Is there one to report the like of him or his equal?

25. And the crown princes in forbearance, piety
And virtue are the like of him and his rising stars