1. Why have your eyes not closed, so you could sleep?
Why do their tears flow like blood?

2. Did you remember the one you loved, whose radiance
Shone in the darkness from the abode of her people?

3. Yes, I remembered my loved ones, so passion stirred me,
My remembrance and yearning for their distant selves.

4. So I spent my night weeping copiously,
My eyes aflame, my heart inflamed with love.

5. Beauty has gathered in an abode I left
With a defiant heart. Were I to say “Be sensible,” they would not heed.

6. Their dwellings are like the orbiting stars, not
A land in Najd, nor a trace in Dhi Salm.

7. Protected by noble souls I was charged with,
And charged with none but generosity and nobility.

8. If I left my family and dwelling behind,
I gained favor and affection from them.

9. Though my body grew thin from illness,
My passion for them grew into a raging fire.

10. O you who blame me for loving them,
Spare me! I don’t heed the critics’ words.

11. What doubts could you have about me, knowing
I am not accused of loving any but them?

12. Indeed my heart does not waver
From them, nor is my loyalty’s rope severed.

13. You exhaust yourself, so spare yourself the effort
Of blaming me, and leave my ardent longing and sickness be.

14. Your concern for me is no greater than
My own concern. But my pain is sweet to me.

15. Far apart are fruitless efforts full of despair
And efforts whose success makes life complete.

16. How could I absolve myself of loving those
Who honored me by their love, silencing all blame?

17. Rather, how could I renounce it, when it
Was ingrained in me from the start, mingled with my blood?

18. I gained nothing from living if
I did not spend my days with my heart enamored of them.

19. I rested in no shade but theirs,
Drank from no cup but theirs.

20. They are the family of Uthman, the Caliphs, the
Pillars of certainty, fountains of dew, protectors of sanctity.

21. A people who are lions in their might, full moons in glory,
Zephyrs in gentleness, brilliant celestial bodies.

22. They ruled by the Master who restored religion
Crowned with the majesty of faith, marked by conviction.

23. Pure of conscience, magnanimous, virtuous,
Resolute, relentless against the hostile.

24. O best of those who ruled the commoners with
Benevolence and defended a kingdom and sanctuary.

25. O ruler whose just decrees fulfill
His Creator’s command over Arab and non-Arab lands.

26. O wise one by whose supreme wisdom
We adhered, having strayed for so long from wisdom.

27. All the kings of earth fear your great might
And their hearts tremble before it.

28. One calls for spreading peace by laying down
Arms, leaving horses and weapons behind.

29. He only wanted pretense out of fear of your
Preparations, and deceit was his sole intention.

30. You saw through his ploy and redoubled
Your efforts to fortify your kingdom, like a lion among thickets.

31. Another desires to curry favor with you,
Hoping to gain from you a great prize.

32. You do not fail one who hopes for your protection
When horror surrounds him on a day of clashing armies.

33. O star that guides us when the paths grow
Dark and blurred before our eyes.

34. May God aid your army, Sultan of the land,
A deep sea with surging waves of mighty warriors.

35. All who defend religion and trust in victory
Appointed by God, clinging to Him for support.

36. How often you repelled the boasts and exalted
The homeland’s dignity with your resolve and determination.

37. You give the enemy consuming flames on battle day
As you give loyalists pure, refreshing drinks.

38. O you who restored strength and glory
To Islam after weakness and old age.

39. The days of your rule are blessed celebrations.
Each day in your presence is a smiling face.

40. Now joyously celebrate the Feast of Sacrifice,
Receiving from it the greatest share of light.

41. Sacrifice yourself for a state that would ransom you, O
Abdul Hamid, with all the people of the world.

42. May God reward you, my Master, on behalf of the nations—
Without you, their twisted affairs would not be set right.

43. May God preserve your noble feats,
A graceful necklace on the bosom of time.

44. If the light of being was adorned, I adorned
Pages with gratitude in writing.

45. How your heroic poets raced with me to you
As their finest praise crowded together.

46. Never did I lag behind the swift,
Or miss a prize among the vying throngs.

47. O House of Uthman! How lofty is your station
In my eyes, how sweet the mention of you on my lips.

48. O nation that has followed the way of the Prophet's
Companions, becoming the best of nations.

49. You remain steadfast, far-reaching in your authority,
Victorious in every heated battle.

50. The kings of the earth hasten to you,
More eagerly than their feet could carry them.