1. وعزة اللَه ما شوقي إلى العلم

    ولا لنار بدت ليلاً بذي سلم

    By God's might, my longing is not for the landmark,

    Nor for a fire that appeared at night at Dhu Salam,

  2. ولا لدار ولا حي نشأت به

    ولا لعمر ولا زيد من الأمم

    Nor for a home or a tribe among whom I grew up,

    Nor for Amr or Zayd among the peoples,

  3. ولا لرهط ولا حزب ولا فرق

    ولا لطفل ولا ألوى لذي رحم

    Nor for a clan, a party, or factions,

    Nor for a child, nor do I turn toward a kinsman.

  4. بل كل شوقي وأشجاني وما انجبلت

    بلابلي فيه يقظاناً وفي حلمي

    Rather, all my longing, my sorrows, and the substance

    Of my heart's inborn turmoil, awake and in my dreams,

  5. لنظرة من إمام القوم تحصل لي

    ونفحة فيهما يرقى العلا قدمي

    Are for a glance from the people's imam, bestowed on me,

    And a breath—through these two my foot ascends the heights—

  6. وشرب كاس هلال الشرق روقه

    للعارفين وأسداهم من النعم

    And for drinking a cup the crescent of the East has made pure

    For the knowers, bestowing blessings upon them.

  7. هو الذي ظهرت في الكون همته

    فصار أشهر من نار على علم

    He is the one whose resolve became manifest in the cosmos,

    So he became more renowned than a fire upon a mountain.

  8. هو الذي ضجت الدنيا بنوبته

    هو الذي سار في الأعراب والعجم

    He is the one whose turn made the world resound;

    He is the one whose renown spread among Bedouins and non-Arabs.

  9. هو الذي مداتي نور الطريق بدا

    هو الذي أغرق المحتاج بالكرم

    He is the one at whose coming the path's light appeared [reading uncertain].

    He is the one who immersed the needy in generosity.

  10. جوامع الكلم العظمى حقيقته

    ونطقه كله من مجمع الكلم

    His true essence is the loftiest all-embracing speech,

    And all his utterance comes from the gathering-place of words.

  11. مظاهر الحكم الحسنا طريقته

    وسيره حكمة من أبدع الحكم

    His path manifests the fairest wisdom,

    And his conduct is wisdom of the most wondrous kind.

  12. فرع من المنشأ العالي الشريف نشا

    فطاب أصلاً لطيب الأصل بالقدم

    A branch, he sprang from a lofty and noble origin;

    So his lineage was pure, for its root was pure from of old.

  13. راياته في بلاد اللَه قد خفقت

    وصوت جلجاله قد رن في الحرم

    His banners have fluttered throughout God's lands,

    And his thunderous peal has rung within the Sanctuary.

  14. هو الإمام الرفاعي الذي خرجت

    له يد المصطفى المبعوث للأمم

    He is Imam al-Rifa‘i, to whom there came forth

    The hand of the Chosen One, sent to the nations.

  15. وظاهراً بين كل الخلق قبلها

    وفاز في همة تعلو على الهمم

    And openly, before all creation, he kissed it,

    And triumphed with a resolve that rises above all resolves.

  16. لا غرو فهو ابنه من آل فاطمه

    بل من أجل بني الإشراف كلهم

    No wonder: he is his descendant, of Fatima's family,

    Indeed, among the most exalted of all the noble descendants.

  17. سليل حضرة مولانا الحسين بلا

    شك ووارثه في رفعة القدم

    A scion of our revered master al-Husayn, without

    Doubt, and his heir in exalted spiritual standing.

  18. عين العيون إمام الصالحين ومن

    له سباع الفلا من جملة الخدم

    The essence of essences, imam of the righteous, and one

    Whose servants include the wild beasts of the wilderness.

  19. بحر بصولته كم في الورى خمدت

    نار وكم أنقذ العاني من الظلم

    An ocean: through his might, how often among humankind was quenched

    A fire! How often he rescued the captive from oppression!

  20. وكم جهولٌ لجا في باب دولته

    بعد الشقاوة أضحى من ذوي الحكم

    How many an ignorant man sought refuge at the gate of his dominion,

    And, after wretchedness, became one possessed of wisdom!

  21. وكم ضعيف به أحواله انتهضت

    إلى المعالي واتجاه من النقم

    How many a weak man's fortunes rose through him

    To the heights, turning away from afflictions.

  22. نعم الولي الذي لا شك فيه ولا

    ريب ومحسوبه عار من الندم

    Excellent is the saint in whom there is neither doubt nor

    Misgiving; his follower is free of regret.

  23. من مظهر الصمد امتدت عنايته

    من ثابت قدماً عن ثابت القدم

    From the manifestation of the Eternal Refuge his care extended,

    From one steadfast in footing, from another steadfast of foot.

  24. أحواله في كبار الأوليا عرفت

    وذاته بين أهل اللَه كالعلم

    His spiritual states were known among the greatest saints,

    And among God's people his person is like a landmark.

  25. إني أناديه والأحشا بها لهب

    والدمع جار وقد مليت من المي

    I call upon him, with flame within my heart,

    And tears flowing; I have grown weary of my pain.

  26. والفقد والبعد والهجران حل على

    صندوق فكري وقد حارت لذا هممي

    Loss, distance, and abandonment have settled upon

    The chest of my thoughts, bewildering my aspirations.

  27. يا أحمد الأوليا يا سيد الصلحا

    يا جهبذ الأصفاي يا صاحب العلم

    O Ahmad of the saints, O master of the righteous,

    O sage of the pure, O possessor of knowledge,

  28. يا فخر سادات أهل العصر يا سندي

    يا مخرج المغرم الداعي من النقم

    O pride of the masters of this age, O my support,

    O deliverer of the love-stricken supplicant from afflictions,

  29. غوثاه بالمصطفى والمرسلين وفي

    كل الصحابة أهل المجد والهمم

    Help! By the Chosen One and the messengers, and through

    All the Companions, people of glory and high resolve,

  30. بالصالحين بأشياخ الطريق كذا

    بالأربعين بسادات ذوي الشيم

    By the righteous, by the masters of the path, likewise

    By the Forty, by the masters endowed with noble character,

  31. بالقطب بالسبعة الأفراد سادتنا

    بالعارفين بأهل الحال والكرم

    By the Pole, by the Seven Solitaries, our masters,

    By the knowers, by those of spiritual states and generosity,

  32. أسرع وقم واكفني شر الزمان وجد

    عطفاً بنظرة لطفٍ تحمي لي عدمي

    Hasten, arise, shield me from the age's evil, and bestow

    Compassion, with a gentle glance that safeguards my nothingness.

  33. وانهض بهمتك العليا وقل حصل ال

    مقصود صدقاً وأسعف وأرع لي ذممي

    Rise with your supreme resolve, and say, 'Attained is the

    Goal, truly!' Give aid, and safeguard my covenants for me.

  34. وكن وسيلة أمري أنت واسطتي

    للَه في نيل ما أرجوه من نعم

    Be the means in my affair: you are my intermediary

    To God, in attaining the blessings I hope for.

  35. لا تشمتن بي الأعدا فقد حكموا

    أني تلفت وأموري آل للعدم

    Do not let my enemies gloat over me; they have declared

    That I have perished, and my affairs have come to nothing.

  36. غوثاه يا ابن رسول اللَه خذ بيدي

    يا سيد الوليا يا ثابت القدم

    Help, O son of God's Messenger! Take my hand,

    O master of the saints, O steadfast of foot.

  37. ما لي لباب رسول اللَه واسطةً

    إلاك فاسمح وقل لا تخش من ندم

    I have no intermediary at the door of God's Messenger

    But you; be generous and say, 'Fear no regret.'

  38. عبد لبابك بالخوف الوفي أتى

    وأتقن المدح من نثر ومنتظم

    A servant has come to your door in steadfast awe,

    And perfected praise in prose and measured verse.

  39. وقال هلا وصلتم بعد صدكم

    لطفاً ليشفي الجوى الفاني من السقم

    He said, 'Will you not grant reunion after your rejection,

    In kindness, so the wasting, love-sick one may be healed of illness?'

  40. كم ذا ينوح على الأعتاب من شجن

    وكم يصيح على الأبواب من ألم

    How often this one wails at the thresholds in grief,

    And how often he cries out at the doors in pain!

  41. أبو الهدى أحقر الطلاب خادمكم

    لا تطردوه بفضل البيت والحرم

    Abu al-Huda, the humblest of seekers, is your servant;

    Do not drive him away, by the merit of the House and the Sanctuary.

  42. صلى الإله على المختار جدكم

    خير الفريقين من عربٍ ومن عجم

    May God bless the Chosen One, your forefather,

    The best of both peoples, Arabs and non-Arabs,

  43. والآل والصحب والأتباع سادتنا

    والتابعين لهم سيراً على القدم

    And his family, companions, and followers, our masters,

    And those who follow them, walking in their footsteps.