سرْ ناشداً يا أيّها السائرُ

سرْ ناشداً يا أيّها السائرُ

ما حار مَنْ مَقْصِدُه الحائرُ

ما حار مَنْ مَقْصِدُه الحائرُ

Go forth seeking, O traveler.

O traveler, I implore you,

None whose destination is al-Ha'ir is bewildered.

None who sought guidance ever went astray,

ما حار مَن زار إِمامَ الهدى

ما حار مَن زار إِمامَ الهدى

خيرَ مزورٍ زاره الزّائر

خيرَ مزورٍ زاره الزّائر

None who visits the imam of guidance is bewildered,

None who visited the Imam of guidance,

The finest one a visitor has ever visited.

The best visited by visitors, ever went astray,

من جَدُّهُ أطهرُ جدٍّ وَمَنْ

من جَدُّهُ أطهرُ جدٍّ وَمَنْ

أَبوه لا شكَّ الابُ الطاهر

أَبوه لا شكَّ الابُ الطاهر

He whose grandfather is the purest of grandfathers, and whose

His grandfather is the purest ancestor,

Father is, without doubt, the pure father.

And his father, undoubtedly, the righteous father,

مُقَاسِمُ النارِ له المسلمُ ال

مُقَاسِمُ النارِ له المسلمُ ال

مؤمنُ منَّا ولها الكافر

مؤمنُ منَّا ولها الكافر

He who shares with the Fire: his is the Muslim, the

The one who will divide hellfire,

Believer among us, and the unbeliever belongs to it.

Every believing Muslim of us, and every disbeliever for it,

دان بدينِ الحقِّ طفلاً وما

دان بدينِ الحقِّ طفلاً وما

إِنْ دانَ لا بادٍ ولا حاضر

إِنْ دانَ لا بادٍ ولا حاضر

He embraced the true faith as a child, when

He adhered to the religion of truth as a child,

Neither desert-dweller nor townsman had embraced it.

Not out of compulsion or coercion,

الواردُ الكهفَ على فتيةٍ

الواردُ الكهفَ على فتيةٍ

لا واردٌ منهم ولا صادر

لا واردٌ منهم ولا صادر

He who entered the cave to visit youths,

The one who entered the cave upon youths

None of them coming in or going out,

With no visitor among them nor one leaving,

حتى إِذا سلَّم ردُّوا وفي

حتى إِذا سلَّم ردُّوا وفي

ردهمُ ما يُخْبِرُ الخابر

ردهمُ ما يُخْبِرُ الخابر

Until, when he greeted them, they replied; and in

Until when they bid farewell, their farewell

Their reply was what the knowledgeable one reports.

Informed the informer,

أَذكرُ شجوي ببني هاشمٍ

أَذكرُ شجوي ببني هاشمٍ

شجوي الذي يَشْجَى به الذاكرُ

شجوي الذي يَشْجَى به الذاكرُ

I recall my grief for the sons of Hashim—

I remember my ardour for the Hashimites,

My grief, which saddens whoever recalls it.

My ardour that saddens the rememberer,

أَذْكُرُهُمْ ما ضحكَ الروضُ أو

أَذْكُرُهُمْ ما ضحكَ الروضُ أو

ما ناحَ فيه وبكى الطائر

ما ناحَ فيه وبكى الطائر

I remember them as long as the garden laughs, or

I remember them whenever the meadow laughed

As long as the bird wails and weeps within it.

Or whenever a bird therein cried and wept,

مُساهِري وَجْدي بما نابهم

مُساهِري وَجْدي بما نابهم

لا نامَ عنهم وجديَ الساهر

لا نامَ عنهم وجديَ الساهر

My anguish over what befell them is my night companion;

My vigils and ardour for what befell them

May my wakeful anguish never sleep, heedless of them.

Neither sleep regarding them, nor my vigils sleep,

يومُ الحسينِ ابتزَّ صبري فما

يومُ الحسينِ ابتزَّ صبري فما

منِّيَ لا صبرٌ ولا الصابر

منِّيَ لا صبرٌ ولا الصابر

The day of al-Husayn snatched away my patience, so

The day of Hussein my patience was severed

Neither patience nor my patient self is left.

I had no more patience nor endurance,

لهفي على مولايَ مُسْتَنصراً

لهفي على مولايَ مُسْتَنصراً

غُيِّبَ عن نَصْرَتِهِ الناصر

غُيِّبَ عن نَصْرَتِهِ الناصر

My anguish for my master, calling for help,

Yearning for my Master, seeking aid,

The helper was kept away from aiding him.

While his supporter was prevented from aiding,

ظمآن والمهرُ به ما به

ظمآن والمهرُ به ما به

لا يبعدُ المهرُ ولا الماهرُ

لا يبعدُ المهرُ ولا الماهرُ

Thirsting, and the colt afflicted as it was—

Thirsty, while the sun by midday

May neither the colt nor the skilled rider perish.

Did not distance, nor the skilled one,

حتى إِذا دار بما ساءنا

حتى إِذا دار بما ساءنا

على الحسينِ القَدَرُ الدائر

على الحسينِ القَدَرُ الدائر

Until, when it turned, bringing what grieved us,

Until when it turned, with what saddened us,

Upon al-Husayn—the ever-turning fate—

Against Hussein, the circling decree,

خرَّ يُضاهي قمراً زاهراً

خرَّ يُضاهي قمراً زاهراً

وأين منهُ القمرُ الزاهر

وأين منهُ القمرُ الزاهر

He fell, resembling a radiant moon;

He fell, rivaling a shining moon,

Yet how could the radiant moon compare with him?

While, where is the shining moon from him?

وأمُّ كلثومٍ ونسوانُها

وأمُّ كلثومٍ ونسوانُها

بمنظرٍ يُكْبِرُهُ الناظر

بمنظرٍ يُكْبِرُهُ الناظر

And Umm Kulthum and her women

And Umm Kulthum and her women

Are in a scene that overwhelms the beholder.

Appearing in a scene that amazes the onlooker,

يسابقُ الطِرفَ إليها وقد

يسابقُ الطِرفَ إليها وقد

أنحى على منحره الناحر

أنحى على منحره الناحر

He races against the noble steed toward her, while

The glance racing to them, and he

The slaughterer has already borne down upon his throat.

Had collapsed, throat-slit, by the slaughterer,

والدمعُ من مقلتها قاطرٌ

والدمعُ من مقلتها قاطرٌ

والدمُ من أَوداجِهِ قاطر

والدمُ من أَوداجِهِ قاطر

And tears drip from her eye,

And tears from her eyelids pouring,

And blood drips from his jugular veins.

And blood from his jugular gushing,

يا مَنْ هُوَ الصفوةُ من هاشمٍ

يا مَنْ هُوَ الصفوةُ من هاشمٍ

يعرفُها الأولُ والآخرُ

يعرفُها الأولُ والآخرُ

O you who are the elect of Hashim,

O finest of Hashim's line they know,

Whom the first and the last recognize:

The former and the latter,

ذا الشاعر الضبيُّ يَلْقَى بكم

ذا الشاعر الضبيُّ يَلْقَى بكم

ما ليسَ يَلْقَى بكمُ شاعرُ

ما ليسَ يَلْقَى بكمُ شاعرُ

This poet, al-Dabbi, experiences through you

This eloquent youth meets you

What no poet experiences through you.

With what no other poet meets you with.