بَكى لِشَتاتِ الدينِ مُكتَئِبٌ صَبُّ

وَفاضَ بِفَرطِ الدَمعِ مِن عَينِهِ غَربُ

A grieving orphan wept copiously for the disunity of the faith,

His eyes overflowing with a flood of tears.

وَقامَ إِمامٌ لَم يَكُن ذا هِدايَةٍ

فَلَيسَ لَهُ دينٌ وَلَيسَ لَهُ لُبُّ

And there arose an imam without guidance,

With neither religion nor heart.

وَما كانَتِ الأَنباءُ تَأتي بِمِثلِهِ

يُمَلَّكُ يَوماً أَو تَدينُ لَهُ العُربُ

Never did news come of one like him

To be made king one day or obeyed by the Arabs,

وَلَكِن كَما قالَ الَّذينَ تَتابَعوا مِنَ

السَلَفِ الماضي الَّذي ضَمَّهُ التُربُ

But as was said by past generations interred in dust:

"The Abbasid kings in books are seven,

مُلوكُ بَني العَبّاسِ في الكُتبِ سَبعَةٌ

وَلَم تَأتِنا عَن ثامِنٍ لَهُمُ كُتبُ

No books have come to us of an eighth Abbasid king."

So too the Companions of the Cave in the cave are seven,

كَذَلِكَ أَهلُ الكَهفِ في الكَهفِ سَبعَةٌ

خِيارٌ إِذا عُدّوا وَثامِنُهُم كَلبُ

Upright men when counted, and their eighth is their dog.

And indeed I elevate their dog above you in rank

وَإِنّي لَأُعلي كَلبَهُم عَنكَ رِفَعَةً

لِأَنَّكَ ذو ذَنبٍ وَلَيسَ لَهُ ذَنبُ

For you are guilty while he is without guilt.

When you were made our king, to our misery,

كَأَنَّكَ إِذ مُلِّكتَنا لِشَقائِنا

عَجوزٌ عَلَيها التاجُ وَالعِقدُ وَالاِتبُ

It was as if an old woman was crowned with crown and necklace.

People's affairs are certainly corrupted when their kingdom

لَقَد ضاعَ أَمرُ الناسِ إِذ ساسَ مُلكَهُم

وَصَيفٌ وَأَشناسٌ وَقَد عَظُمَ الكَربُ

Is ruled by nobodies and riffraff while worries grow grave.

The superiority of Marwan's son will rip open a gaping wound

وَفَضلُ اِبنِ مَروانٍ سَيَثلِمُ ثُلمَةً

يَظَلُّ لَها الاِسلامُ لَيسَ لَهُ شِعبُ

For which Islam will remain darkened without splendor.

Your business is Turkish, disgrace clings to it,

وَهَمُّكَ تُركِيٌّ عَلَيهِ مَهانَةٌ

فَأَنتَ لَهُ أُمٌّ وَأَنتَ لَهُ أَبُّ

You are his mother, you are his father.

And I hope there will shine from its setting place

وَإِنّي لَأَرجو أَن يُرى مِن مَغيبِها

مَطالِعُ شَمسٍ قَد يَغَصُّ بِها الشَربُ

A rising sun that will choke the necks of the arrogant.