1. We were confronted so we said, "Patience."
Until the slender ones shone with elegance

2. And the clothing of youth turned green. From them
Shone the brocade of rosy cheeks.

3. From behind the veils flashed sudden
Lightning, unattainable and elusive.

4. Had I been just in judging passion
My head would not have turned gray.

5. On the day of parting I forbade my tears
But tears of anguish are uncontrollable.

6. Behind the slanderers' corruption is a beauty
That gleams in hearts and torments them.

7. Like the full moon but it does not appear
And the sun but it does not set.

8. The winds have fallen ill for your sake
And clouds cry upon your singing voice.

9. I will recount what I have experienced, and if you accuse me of lying,
Then ask my tears, for they do not lie.

10. You were aloof until I thought myself unjust
And you blamed me until I confessed to sin.

11. Strange that you shunned me before our love faded,
Yet you were faithful though parted.

12. How did you find your way when no guide
Could be found in the dark night of trial?

13. Passion faded though its essence remains
An eternal longing that does not diminish.

14. You left it tied then sought it
In a vast sea where quests are fruitless.

15. After passion was created and we were kept apart
By a distance that will not come closer.

16. The beauties of Iraq cast at us glances
Of intoxicating eyes with dark lashes.

17. Each lovely gazelle has five conquests -
Charms to disturb even the refined.

18. Each bearing some charm with pride
Too great for the vast, open space.

19. They rode the Euphrates to the Euphrates, hoping
For generosity that amazes and impresses.

20. Seeking a goal none could attain,
As if it could not be sought at all.

21. A generosity hoped for yet unexpected,
Greatness bestowed though undeserved.

22. He gave so it was said, "Hatim or Khalid?"
He was true so it was said, "Talhah or Musab?"

23. Two elders who pledged the caliphate
To the upright Hashimite though it was contested.

24. With their opinion they nullified what
Had gratified the sons of rabid Umayyah.

25. Thus if the friend abandons his friend
They support the rule of the Prophet's heirs.

26. And the Prince Abu al-Husayn is serene
When chaos makes hypocrites tremble in fear.

27. And when the weapon of Islam is shaken
By terror, even traitors are awed.

28. Those reddened ones who scrambled
East and west in their ignorance.

29. And the Kharijites when they gathered
Against him in the hills of stony Qarran.

30. They seethed so that their vanguard
Sought refuge while their Najd force took arms.

31. They rushed to the battle as if it were
Plunder in their enemy's land to seize.

32. Until the lamps of true guidance neared
Extinction and their path grew dark.

33. In his rage he struck the mountains with his view
Stabbing with resolve, striking with wrath.

34. He was true so they thought it was the fate
They had heard of - some believed, some denied.

35. You roused them and the flashing swords seemed
Torches blazing in their hands.

36. You stood gratefully in your rightful place
While the white blades floated in the dust then sank.

37. Wherever you look a star seems to blaze
In a comet that hides another star.

38. So bloodstained, muddy, and smeared,
Drenched, smudged, and colored red.

39. They were defeated but the blood shining on them
Made it seem they were not plundered.

40. Had they mounted the stars, your might
Would have left them no escape.

41. You tied two caliphates into one caliphate
After the other though the caliphs were gone.

42. When those matters were distorted and
Those assumptions muddled and that ignorance spread.

43. Baghdad gathered together then dispersed
In factions led astray by accompanying misguidance.

44. Then you pledged allegiance to the most worthy leader
At the sword point when they rebelled against you.

45. God supported you and exalted your name
With victory - recited in the heavens and recorded.

46. You are the pillars of the caliphate, whether tomorrow
Departs or a council or procession.

47. The first to call
To what pleases the Lord of heaven and angers others.

48. And the victorious ones when their banner
Independently attains honor it seeks.

49. A grandfather who surpasses the winds in the abode of ascension,
Racing when honorable ancestors rest.

50. Your banners are not prepared for opponents
Except that their formidable caves collapse.

51. And when a dissenter leaps to the side
Your swords hover over him, poised to strike.

52. When I reflect on time I find it
Turning in your hands, shifting.