1. Fate, you have paralyzed the hand of glory,
And rendered its neck infirm after its graceful beauty.

2. I have tried to follow the path of opinion, so if
I stumble over the pitfalls of fate, then move on.

3. I have cut off the ties of excessive longing, yet
My soul cannot detach itself from disgrace and shame.

4. I hastily destroyed the foundation of good,
Take it slowly! Do you not walk at a leisurely pace?

5. My hopes and the hopes of the youths have withered away,
Grieving at their loss in the most generous of lands.

6. I came to Egypt, so it granted me
Acts of generosity that nourished my hopes.

7. A people I knew through gaining thousands, and their perfection
Was that they came to me though I did not ask.

8. I was among the viziers of the state when
The horse raised its guide rope onto its shoulder.

9. And I attained favors from the great commanders,
And seclusion that protected me from harm.

10. You who blame me for loving the Family of Fatima,
The blame is yours if you fall short in blaming me.

11. For God’s sake, go to the two palaces and weep with me
Over them, not over Siffin and Jamal.

12. And say to their inhabitants, by God, my wounds
Did not heal among you, nor my gashes close up.

13. What do you think the Franks would have done
To the progeny of the Commander of the Faithful Ali?

14. Was there anything in the matter but dividing up
What you possessed, between the ruling of captivity and booty?

15. Yet you took possession of it, though the name of your grandfather
Is Muhammad, and your father is the Best of Cloaks.

16. I passed by the palace while its pillars were empty
Of delegations, though once they were a place for kissing.

17. So I turned my face away in fear of criticism
From the enemies, though the face of affection did not turn away.

18. The morning after your courts were deserted,
I let flow my tears of sorrow, and returned, deserted of paths.

19. I weep over the excellent traits that were yours,
Which time has stripped away though they did not pass.

20. The house of hospitality was intimacy for your visitor,
And today it is lonelier than a wilderness and hills.

21. If it perceived your excellent traits, the nature of fasting
Would complain of the injustice of fate, unbearable.

22. The people's clothing for the two feasts has worn out,
A new inheritance has come to them from it and affliction.

23. The day of the Gulf was a day of your adornment,
When you adorned yourselves upon the camels.

24. The New Year and the two Eids - how many floods of generosity
They brought, with no stinting or holding back!

25. The land shook on the Day of Ghadir at what
Swayed between your two palaces of glory.

26. The horses were paraded on the Day of the Stallions in robes
Like brides in their finery and gowns.

27. You never hosted the towns of guests with abundance of
Dishes except upon shoulders and in haste.

28. You never distinguished your kin with kindness
Until you included the remotest tribes and creeds.

29. Your pensions were for people of all faiths, the resident guest,
The traveling messenger, and the envoys.

30. Then there were the gifts of Tunis, which were magnified
By ties to the people of all lands and states.

31. For the mosques, your endowments were blessings
For those who strove in knowledge and deed.

32. The world would sometimes return to its ruin through you,
And return through you, with reason set loose.

33. By God, on the Day of Resurrection, none of your haters will succeed,
Nor will any but your loyal friend be saved from God's torment.

34. None who betrayed the covenant of Imam Adid ibn Ali
Will attain the spring of God that was left behind.

35. My imams, my guides, my provision
When I am called to account for what I sent forth of my deeds!

36. By God, I never gave them their due in praise,
For their merit is like pouring rain.

37. Even if words were redoubled and outstripped,
I would still be, by God's praise, falling short.

38. They are the door of salvation, in this world and the next,
And loving them - it is the foundation of religion and deed.

39. The light of guidance, and lamps of darkness,
And the place of rain, if the clouds weep in that abode.

40. Imams created as pure light, so their light
Is from the essence of the sincere light of God, undepleted.

41. By God, I will never cease loving them,
As long as God lengthens my days.

42. This was uttered by the pauper while he fears
Death, not stumbling.