لا العيد مِن بَعد سُكان الحِمى عيدُ

لا العيد مِن بَعد سُكان الحِمى عيدُ

وَلا لِصَبري الَّذي أَبليت تَجديدُ

وَلا لِصَبري الَّذي أَبليت تَجديدُ

No feast is a feast after the dwellers of the haven have gone,

The feast is no feast without my beloved's people,

nor is there renewal for the patience I have worn thin.

Nor is my patience which I wasted renewed,

سيان عِنديَ نوح بَعد بَينَهُم

سيان عِنديَ نوح بَعد بَينَهُم

وَمِن بَلابل دَوح اللَهو تَغريدُ

وَمِن بَلابل دَوح اللَهو تَغريدُ

Alike to me are lamentation after their departure

It is the same to me if Noah wept for their separation,

and nightingale-song from the groves of delight.

Or the singing of bulbuls in the gardens of Dawood.

قَد أَغرَقَت مُقلَتي قَلبي بِأَدمُعِها

قَد أَغرَقَت مُقلَتي قَلبي بِأَدمُعِها

إِن السُرور الَّذي أُبديهِ تَقليدُ

إِن السُرور الَّذي أُبديهِ تَقليدُ

My eye has drowned my heart with its tears;

My eyelids drowned my heart with their tears.

indeed, the joy I show is mere imitation.

If I show joy, it is but pretense.

لَو كُنتُ أَعلَم إِن الوَعد آخِرُهُ

لَو كُنتُ أَعلَم إِن الوَعد آخِرُهُ

يُجدى مِن الحُب أَغنَتني المَواعيدُ

يُجدى مِن الحُب أَغنَتني المَواعيدُ

If I knew that a promise, in the end,

Had I known the promise's end

would bring some love, promises would suffice me.

Would renew my love, promises would have deluded me.

سَهران لَيل فراق مالُهُ سحر

سَهران لَيل فراق مالُهُ سحر

وَالسُبُل مَجهولة وَالنجم مَفقود

وَالسُبُل مَجهولة وَالنجم مَفقود

Sleepless in a night of separation with no dawn,

I stayed up the night we parted, it had no dawn,

and the paths are unknown, and the star is lost.

The paths unknown and the star gone.

أَشكو النَوى فَيرق الصَخر مُستَمِعاً

أَشكو النَوى فَيرق الصَخر مُستَمِعاً

لَما أَبث وَتَبكي حالَتي البيدُ

لَما أَبث وَتَبكي حالَتي البيدُ

I lament separation, and stone softens as it listens

I complain to the beloved and the rock softens listening

to what I pour out, while the deserts weep at my plight.

To my sorrows while my condition decays.

هب أَنَّهُم بَخِلوا بِالوَصل لَيتَ لَهُم

هب أَنَّهُم بَخِلوا بِالوَصل لَيتَ لَهُم

ما يُشغل الفكر تَسويف وَتَفنيدُ

ما يُشغل الفكر تَسويف وَتَفنيدُ

Suppose they begrudged reunion; would that they had

If only they were miserly with union, if only for them

something to engage the mind—delay and reproach.

Preoccupations of procrastination and argument.

إِذ لَيسَ لي طَمَع في زور طَيفهم

إِذ لَيسَ لي طَمَع في زور طَيفهم

وَإِن طَمعت فَباب النَوم مَسدودُ

وَإِن طَمعت فَباب النَوم مَسدودُ

For I have no hope of a visit from their dream-image;

For I have no hope in the specter of their illusion,

and if I do hope, the door of sleep is barred.

And if I hoped, the door of sleep is shut.

قَد حَمَلوا اليَوم مَضنى القَلب عَبا نَوى

قَد حَمَلوا اليَوم مَضنى القَلب عَبا نَوى

تَكل عَن حَملِهِ الوخادة القودُ

تَكل عَن حَملِهِ الوخادة القودُ

Today they have laid on one sick at heart a burden of separation

Today they carried the burden of my heart,

that even swift-striding, long-necked camels tire of carrying.

The pillow gave up carrying that load.

بانوا فَلا عَيشَنا تَصفو مَوارِدَهُ

بانوا فَلا عَيشَنا تَصفو مَوارِدَهُ

شَوقاً وَلا ظَلَ ذاكَ العَيش مَمدودُ

شَوقاً وَلا ظَلَ ذاكَ العَيش مَمدودُ

They departed; the springs of our life no longer run clear,

They left, so our life has no pure springs,

because of longing, nor is that life's shade outspread.

Longingly, nor does that life last extended.

وَلا الدِيار الَّتي بِالشام مُشرِقَةُ ال

وَلا الدِيار الَّتي بِالشام مُشرِقَةُ ال

أَطلال يَختالُ فيها بَعدَنا الخودُ

أَطلال يَختالُ فيها بَعدَنا الخودُ

Nor in the dwellings in al-Sham, with their gleaming

Nor are the lands in Damascus shining,

ruins, does a lovely maiden walk proudly after our departure.

Except ruins the tattoo wanders among after us.

دارٌ إِذا ضَل عَنها الضَيف تُرشِدَه

دارٌ إِذا ضَل عَنها الضَيف تُرشِدَه

مِن المَواقد فيها النِد وَالعودُ

مِن المَواقد فيها النِد وَالعودُ

A house where, if a guest loses his way, he is guided

A house that when the guest loses its way,

by incense and aloeswood from the braziers within.

Guides him with fires, hospitality and wood.

قَد كانَ عَهدي بِها وَالأُسد رابِضَة

قَد كانَ عَهدي بِها وَالأُسد رابِضَة

مِن حَولِها وَبِها الشم الصَناديدُ

مِن حَولِها وَبِها الشم الصَناديدُ

I once knew it with lions crouching

That was my experience with it, while lions prowled

around it, and lofty champions within.

Around it, and it had young courageous men.

لا أَوحش اللَه مِن قَوم صَغيرَهُم

لا أَوحش اللَه مِن قَوم صَغيرَهُم

مِن أَكبَر الناس بِالإِحسان مَعدودُ

مِن أَكبَر الناس بِالإِحسان مَعدودُ

May God never leave us bereft of a people whose youngest

May God not make miserable a people whose young

is counted among the greatest of men for his kindness.

Are counted with the greatest men in kindness.

إِني لَأَحسد قَلبي حَيث يَتبَعهُم

إِني لَأَحسد قَلبي حَيث يَتبَعهُم

وَأَندب الجسم مني وَهُوَ مَبعودُ

وَأَندب الجسم مني وَهُوَ مَبعودُ

I truly envy my heart, for it follows them,

I envy my heart that follows them,

and mourn this body of mine, kept far away.

And lament my body when it is abandoned.

وَالآن لي عَوض عَمَن فَجَعتُ بِهِ

وَالآن لي عَوض عَمَن فَجَعتُ بِهِ

عِندَ الإِمام وَحيد الدَهر مَوجودُ

عِندَ الإِمام وَحيد الدَهر مَوجودُ

And now I have compensation for the one whose loss bereaved me,

And now instead of those I grieved over,

found with the Imam, peerless in his age:

I have the Imam, the unique of the age, found.

جَمال وَجه الهُدى وَالدين مِن نَقلت

جَمال وَجه الهُدى وَالدين مِن نَقلت

لَنا حَديث سَجاياهُ الأَسانيدُ

لَنا حَديث سَجاياهُ الأَسانيدُ

the beauty of the face of guidance and faith, whose

The beauty of the face of guidance and religion

character has been recounted to us through chains of transmission.

Whose narrations the narrators transmitted to us.

نجل الوَلي الَّذي شاعَت مَناقِبُهُ

نجل الوَلي الَّذي شاعَت مَناقِبُهُ

مَنصور مِن دَأبِهِ ذكر وَتَوحيدُ

مَنصور مِن دَأبِهِ ذكر وَتَوحيدُ

Son of the saint whose virtues have spread far—

The son of the Righteous One whose virtues

Mansur, whose practice is remembrance and affirming God's oneness.

Spread, Mansoor whose work is remembrance and oneness.

مُذ لاحَ صُبح الغِنى مِن نور غُرَتِهِ

مُذ لاحَ صُبح الغِنى مِن نور غُرَتِهِ

زالَت لَيالي اِفتِقار كُلَها سودُ

زالَت لَيالي اِفتِقار كُلَها سودُ

Since the dawn of plenty shone from the radiance of his brow,

Since the dawn of riches shone from his rising sun

the nights of poverty, all dark, have passed away.

All the dark nights of poverty disappeared.

مَن حَلَ ساحتَهُ فازَت مَقاصِدُهُ

مَن حَلَ ساحتَهُ فازَت مَقاصِدُهُ

بِالنَجح إِذ هُوَ لِلآمال مَقصودُ

بِالنَجح إِذ هُوَ لِلآمال مَقصودُ

Whoever alights in his courtyard sees his aims crowned

Whoever frequents him, his purposes succeed

with success, for he is the one to whom hopes turn.

With success, as he is the destination of hopes.

إِني عَرَفتُ بِهِ فَالشامُ تَحسِدُني

إِني عَرَفتُ بِهِ فَالشامُ تَحسِدُني

وَكُلُ ذي نِعمة في الناس مَحسودُ

وَكُلُ ذي نِعمة في الناس مَحسودُ

I have become known through him, so al-Sham envies me;

I knew through him, so Damascus envies me

and everyone blessed among mankind is envied.

And all endowed among the people envy me.

أَسدى إِلَيَّ يَداً أَحياءُ ناشكرت

أَسدى إِلَيَّ يَداً أَحياءُ ناشكرت

صَنيعَها وَأب في اللَحد مَلحودُ

صَنيعَها وَأب في اللَحد مَلحودُ

He bestowed on me a favor; our living have thanked

He extended a hand to me, so I thanked

its kindness, as has a father buried in the grave.

Its bounty, though a father lies in the grave slighted.

وَافيتُهُ فَسمعت السَعد يُنشِدُني

وَافيتُهُ فَسمعت السَعد يُنشِدُني

مِن أُم باب سَعيد فَهُوَ مَسعودُ

مِن أُم باب سَعيد فَهُوَ مَسعودُ

I came to him and heard Good Fortune chanting to me:

I went to him, so I heard good fortune chant to me

“Whoever seeks Sa'id's door is fortunate.”

"Good tidings, you have come to one always fortunate."

وَزُرتَهُ لا سِوى ظِلي يُسايِرُني

وَزُرتَهُ لا سِوى ظِلي يُسايِرُني

ثُم اِنثَنيت وَحَولي الغيد وَالصَيدُ

ثُم اِنثَنيت وَحَولي الغيد وَالصَيدُ

I visited him with none but my shadow walking beside me,

I visited him, none but my shadow accompanied me,

then returned with graceful maidens and proud men around me.

Then I turned back, while game and prey surrounded me.

شِعري يُحسّنهُ فيهِ المَديح كَما

شِعري يُحسّنهُ فيهِ المَديح كَما

يُحسن العِقد مِن ذات البَها جيدُ

يُحسن العِقد مِن ذات البَها جيدُ

My poetry is beautified by praise of him, just as

My poetry adorns praise of him therein

a beautiful woman's neck lends beauty to a necklace.

As jewelry adorns the beautiful neck.