1. أرْضَى بصورتهِ وصَدَّ فأغضَبَا

    فغدا المحبُّ منعَّماً ومعذَّبا

    He pleased me with his beauty, then turned away and angered me.

    So the lover became both pampered and tormented.

  2. ياوجهَ من أهوى لقد أعْتَبتني

    لو أن نائلَهُ الممنَّع أعتبا

    O face of the one I love, you have indeed appeased me;

    If only his withheld bounty would appease me too.

  3. ظبيٌ كأنَّ اللَّه كمَّل حسنَهُ

    ليغيظ سِرْباً أوْ يُكايدَ رَبْرَبَا

    A gazelle whose beauty God seems to have perfected

    To vex a herd or rival a company of gazelles.

  4. خَنِث الدلال إذا تَبهنَس أوثَقَتْ

    حركاتُه وإذ تكلَّم أطربا

    Languid in coquetry, when he struts, one is bound

    By his movements; and when he speaks, he enchants.

  5. ذو صورةٍ تحلو وتَحْسُنُ منظراً

    ومَراشفٍ تصفو وتعذب مشربا

    Possessing a form lovely and beautiful to behold,

    And lips clear and sweet to drink from.

  6. فإذا بدا للزَّاهدين ذوي التُّقَى

    وَجَدَتْ هناك قلوبُهُمْ مُتَقلَّبا

    When he appears before pious ascetics,

    Their hearts find there a place to turn.

  7. مُتَوَشِّحٌ بِمعَاذتين يخيفُهُ

    ما لا يُخاف وقد سبى مَنْ قد سبى

    Wearing two protective charms across his chest, he is frightened

    By what need not be feared, though he has captivated so many.

  8. مُتَسَلِّحٌ للعين لا متزَيِّنٌ

    إلا بما طبع الإله وركَّبا

    Armed against the evil eye, but adorned

    With nothing except what God fashioned and formed.

  9. قاس الملابِسَ والحُليَّ بوجهه

    فرأى محاسن وجهه فتسلَّبا

    He measured clothes and ornaments against his face,

    And, seeing his face's beauties, stripped off his adornments.

  10. أغناهُ ذاك الحسنُ عن تلك الحُلى

    وكفاه ذاك الطِّيبُ أن يتطيَّبا

    That beauty freed him from needing those ornaments,

    And that fragrance spared him any perfuming.

  11. فغدا سليباً غير أن ملابساً

    يَحْمينَه الأبصارَ أن يُتنَهَّبَا

    So he went unadorned, except for clothes

    That shield him from eyes, lest he be plundered,

  12. ويقينَه بردَ الهواءِ وحرَّهُ

    إن أصْرَدَ العَصْرَان أو إن ألهبا

    And protect him from the air's cold and heat,

    When day and night bring bitter cold or blaze.

  13. يُكْسَى الثياب صيانَةً وحجابةً

    وهو الحقيق بأن يصان ويحجبا

    He is clothed for protection and concealment,

    And he deserves to be protected and concealed.

  14. كالدرَّة الزهراء ألبِسَ لونُها

    صَدفاً يُغَارُ عليه كي لا يَشْحَبَا

    Like the radiant pearl, whose hue is clothed

    In a shell, jealously guarded lest it fade.

  15. ومن العجائب أن يُرَى متعوِّذاً

    من عين عاشِقِهِ أَلاَ فَتَعَجَّبَا

    And it is a wonder to see him seeking protection

    From his lover's evil eye—behold, marvel at it!

  16. أيخافُ عَيْنَيْ من قُتلْتُ بحبِّهِ

    قَلَبَ الحديثَ كما اشتهى أن يُقْلَبَا

    Does he whose love has slain me fear my two eyes?

    He has reversed the story just as he wished it reversed.

  17. لاقيت من صُدْغٍ عليه مُعَقْرَب

    أفْعى تبرِّحُ بالفؤاد وعقربا

    In a scorpion-curled temple-lock upon him, I encountered

    A viper tormenting the heart, and a scorpion.

  18. يكسوهُ صورة مخلبٍ فكأنما

    يُنْحي على كبدي وقلبي مخلبا

    It casts a claw's shape upon him, as though

    Bringing a claw down upon my liver and my heart.

  19. إني لأرجو بالخليقةِ شِبْهَهُ

    ممّا أحلَّ لنا الإله وطَيَّبَا

    I do hope to find his like among creation,

    Among what God has made lawful and good for us.

  20. أو ما ترى فيما أباح محمدٌ

    عما حماهُ من الخبائث مَرْغبا

    Or do you not see in what Muhammad permitted

    An appealing alternative to the foul things he forbade?

  21. لا سيما وقد اكتهلت وقد تَرى

    ورع الإمام وبأْسَهُ المتهيَّبا

    Especially now that I have reached maturity, and you see

    The Imam's piety and his awe-inspiring might.

  22. أضحتْ أمورُ الناسِ عند مصيرها

    في كف من حامى وجاد وأدَّبَا

    The people's affairs, in their final course, now lie

    In the hand of one who defended, gave generously, and disciplined.

  23. ديناً تكهَّل فاسْتقام صِراطُه

    ومَعَاشَ دنيا للأنام تسبَّبا

    He matured in faith, and its path became straight,

    And secured a worldly livelihood for humankind.

  24. اللَّه أكبرُ والنبيُّ محمدٌ

    وابنُ الخليفةِ غالبٌ لن يُغلَبا

    God is greatest, and Muhammad is the Prophet,

    And the caliph's son is victorious, never to be defeated.

  25. رُزق الإمامُ بِعَقْب هُلْكِ عدوِّهِ

    ولداً أطاب به الإمام وأنجبا

    The Imam was granted, just after his enemy's death,

    A son, through whom the Imam rejoiced and begot nobly.

  26. صدقتْ بشارَتُهُ وأفلح فألُهُ

    هَلَكَ العِدا ونجا الإمام وأَعقبا

    His glad tidings proved true, and his omen prospered:

    The foes perished, the Imam survived, and had offspring.

  27. أحيا لنا أملاً وأردى مَارقاً

    قد كان لفَّفَ للفساد وألَّبا

    He revived a hope for us and slew a renegade

    Who had gathered supporters for corruption and incited them.

  28. لا زال من والى الإمام وَوُدَّهُ

    يحيا ومن عاداه يلقى معطبا

    May whoever is loyal to the Imam and cherishes him ever

    Live, and whoever opposes him meet destruction.

  29. للَّه من ولدٍ أتى وربيعُنا

    مُسْتَحكمٌ وجَنَابُنَا قد أخصبا

    What a son, by God, who came when our spring

    Was firmly established, and our land had grown fertile!

  30. ضحك الزمان إليه ضحْكَةَ قائلٍ

    يا مرحباً بابن الخليفة مرحبا

    Time smiled upon him with the smile of one saying,

    Welcome, son of the caliph—welcome!

  31. فغدا ومولدُهُ بشيرٌ كلّهُ

    بالنصر لم يكُ مثلُهُ لِيُكذَّبا

    Thus he came, his birth entirely a herald

    Of victory—a herald like this could not prove false.

  32. ذكرٌ أغرّ كأنَّ غرة وجهِهِ

    رَأْيُ الإمام إذا أضاء الغيهبا

    A radiant boy, the brightness of whose face is like

    The Imam's judgment when it lights the deepest dark.

  33. ضمن النجابة عنه يومَ وِلادِهِ

    قمرٌ وشمسٌ أدَّياهُ وكوكبَا

    At his birth, his nobility was vouched for

    By a moon and a sun, who brought him forth and shone like stars.

  34. وافى الإمام وقد أجدَّ رحيلُهُ

    عَضُداً يعين على الخطوب ومنكبا

    He came to the Imam, whose departure was now urgent,

    An arm to aid against calamities, and a shoulder.

  35. حقاً لقد نطقَ البشيرُ بيمنهِ

    ولربما نطق البشير فأعربا

    Truly, the herald spoke of his good fortune,

    And often a herald speaks and makes things plain.

  36. فألٌ لعمرك لم أَعِفْه ولم أَعِفْ

    منه البريح ولا النَّطيحَ الأعضبا

    An omen, by your life, I did not read from birds, nor did I read

    In it a left-crossing beast or a head-on beast with a broken horn.

  37. ورأيتُهُ القُمْرِيَّ غرّد في ذُرىً

    خضراء يانِعَةِ الجنَى لا الأخطبا

    I saw it as a turtledove warbling in treetops

    Green and rich with ripe fruit—not as a roller.

  38. ما قُوبلَتْ رِجَلُ الملوك بمثلهِ

    إلا ليملك مشرقاً أو مغربا

    No army of kings ever encountered its like

    Except to gain dominion over east or west.

  39. فَلْيُمْضِ عزمَتَهُ الإمامُ فإنه

    قد هزَّ منها مَشْرَفِيَّاً مِقْضَبَا

    Let the Imam carry through his resolve, for he

    Has brandished from it a keen-cutting Mashrafi sword.

  40. فاليمنُ مقرونٌ به عونٌ له

    ظِلٌّ عليه إذا الهَجيرُ تَلهَّبا

    Good fortune is bound to him, a help to him,

    A shade over him when the midday heat blazes.

  41. والليثُ في الهيجاء لابُس جُنَّةٍ

    من نفسه تكفيه أن يتأهَّبا

    And the lion in battle wears armor

    Of his own self, enough to spare him further preparation.

  42. واللّه واقيهِ الردى ومُسَهِّلٌ

    ما قد رجا ومذَلِّلٌ ما استصعبا

    And God shields him from death, and makes easy

    What he has hoped for, taming whatever proved difficult.

  43. هي فرصةٌ سنحت ونعمى أقبلت

    وغنيمة أَزِفَتْ وصيد أَكثبا

    It is an opportunity offered, a blessing approaching,

    Spoils drawing near, and quarry come within reach.

  44. وافى هزبرٌ بالحديقة مِسْحَلاً

    وأظلَّ صقرٌ بالبسيطة أرنبا

    A lion has come upon a wild ass in the garden,

    And a falcon overshadows a hare on the plain.

  45. وجد السنانُ منَ الطريدة مطعناً

    ورأى الحسامُ من الضريبة مَضرِبا

    The spearhead has found a place to pierce in the quarry,

    And the sword has found a place to strike in its target.

  46. لا يهلِكنَّ على الخليفة هالكٌ

    قد أرْغَبَ الناسَ الإمامُ وأرهَبا

    Let no doomed man perish opposing the caliph:

    The Imam has offered men inducements and inspired fear.

  47. هو عَارِضٌ زَجلٌ فمن شاء الحيا

    أرضى ومن شاء الصواعق أغضبا

    He is a thundering cloud: whoever wants rain

    Pleases him; whoever wants thunderbolts angers him.

  48. ملك إذا اعتسف الملوك طريقَهم

    في ملكهم ركب الطريق السَّبسَبَا

    A king who, when other kings stray along their road

    In ruling, takes the broad and open path.

  49. أعلاهُ طَوْلٌ أن يُرى متكبِّراً

    وحماه عزٌّ أن يُرَى مُتَسَحِّبَا

    His bounty raises him above being seen as arrogant,

    And his dignity shields him from presumptuous familiarity.

  50. نَمْتَاحُ منه حَاتميَّاً ماجداً

    ونُثير منه هاشمياً قُلَّبَا

    We draw from him a noble giver like Hatim,

    And rouse in him a resourceful Hashimite.

  51. يهتزُّ حينَ يُهزُّ لَدْناً ناعماً

    وإذا قَرَعتَ قرعت صلداً صُلَّبَا

    He sways when stirred, supple and gentle,

    But when you strike him, you strike what is hard and solid.

  52. ما زال قدماً عُرْفُهُ متوقَّعاً

    لِعُفاته ونكيرُهُ مترقَّبا

    His kindness has long been expected

    By his petitioners, and his severity awaited.

  53. والعفوُ منه سجيةٌ لكنَّه

    يعفو إذا ما العفو كان الأَصْوبا

    Forgiveness is his nature, yet he

    Forgives when forgiveness is the wisest course.

  54. فإذا جَنَى جانٍ تَغَاضَتْ عَيْنُهُ

    عن ذنبه فكأنه ما أذنبا

    When someone commits a wrong, his eye turns away

    From the offense, as though he had never sinned.

  55. وإذا تتابع في الخيانة أهلُها

    جَدع الأنُوف منَ الجباه فأَوْعبا

    But when traitors persist in treachery,

    He lops noses off at the brow, cutting them away completely.

  56. فأنا النذير به لغامِطِ نعمة

    وأنا البشير بِهِ لِحُرٍّ أجدبا

    So I warn the ungrateful of him,

    And herald him to the noble man struck by drought.

  57. يا ناظمي مِدَحَ الإمام وطالبي

    نفحاتِ نائِلِه ذهبتم مذهبا

    O you who compose the Imam's praises and seek

    Wafts of his bounty, you have chosen your course.

  58. وافَى مَصابٌ من سَحَابٍ رِيَّهُ

    ورأى سحابٌ في مَصَابٍ مَسْكَبا

    A basin has received its fill from a cloud,

    And a cloud has found a basin into which to pour.

  59. أمَّا عِداه فما أصابوا مَهْرَبا

    ومؤمِّلوه فقد أصابوا مطلبا

    His enemies have found no escape,

    While those who look to him have found what they seek.

  60. خطب السؤالَ إلى العُفاة ولم يكن

    لو لا مكارمُه السؤال ليُخطبَا

    He courted petitioning from those who seek his bounty, though

    But for his noble generosity, petitioning would never be courted.

  61. ورمى نحور الخائنين بسهمهِ

    وتِراسُهم قَدَرُ البقاءِ فما نبا

    And he shot his arrow into the throats of traitors,

    Whose shields were their allotted span of life; it did not glance aside.

  62. ومتى أراد اللَّهُ قصَّرَ مدةً

    وإذا قضى فأراد أمراً عَقَّبا

    Whenever God wills, He cuts a term short,

    And when He decrees and wills a thing, He brings it about.

  63. وأقولُ قولَ مسدَّدٍ في زجرهِ

    يقضي القضية لم يكن ليؤنَّبا

    And I speak the words of one unerring in his augury,

    Who settles the matter and deserves no reproach:

  64. سيطول عمرُ إمامنا في غبطة

    حتى يواكبَ من بنيه موكباً

    Our Imam's life will be long in happiness,

    Until he accompanies a cavalcade of his sons.

  65. مقلوبُ كنيتهِ يُخَبِّر أنه

    سيُرى لسابِع سبعة غُرٍّ أبَا

    His reversed kunya foretells that he

    Will be seen as father to a seventh of seven radiant sons,

  66. حتى تراه في بنيه قد احتبى

    فَيُخال يذبُلَ في الهضاب قد احتبى

    Until you see him seated with knees drawn up among his sons,

    And he seems like Yadhbul seated amid the hills.

  67. ولقد أتاه مُبَشِّران بخمسةٍ

    ردَّ الإلهُ على الإمام الغُيَّبا

    Two heralds have brought him glad tidings of five;

    May God restore the absent ones to the Imam.

  68. ليرى الإمام تكهُّني وتَطَيُّبي

    فلقد تكهَّن عبدُهُ وتطيَّبا

    Let the Imam behold my divination and my good augury,

    For his servant has divined and taken good omens.

  69. إني وجدت له فُؤُولاً جمَّةً

    منه ولم أزجُر كغيري ثعلبا

    I have found for him abundant good omens

    In him, and unlike others I have not read omens from a fox.

  70. حقُّ الخليفةِ أن أُطيلَ مديحَهُ

    لكنني أوجزتُ لما أطنبا

    The caliph deserves that I lengthen his praise,

    But I have been brief because he was lavish.

  71. طالت يداهُ على لساني فانتهتْ

    تلك البلاغةُ فانتهَيْتُ وأَسْهَبا

    His hands outstripped my tongue, and so ended

    That eloquence; I stopped, while he went on at length.