أينَ في عصرنا نرى لك مِثلا

أينَ في عصرنا نرى لك مِثلا

جئتَ بعداً فَفُقتَ من جاءَ قبلا

جئتَ بعداً فَفُقتَ من جاءَ قبلا

Where in our age can we behold your equal?

Where in our age can we see your equal?

You came later, yet became the one who had come first.

You came later, yet surpassed those who came before.

كلَّما قد بلغتَ غايةَ فضلٍ

كلَّما قد بلغتَ غايةَ فضلٍ

زدت جِدًّا فزادَك الله فضلا

زدت جِدًّا فزادَك الله فضلا

Whenever your merit reached its utmost goal,

Whenever you reached the height of excellence,

you strove still harder, and God increased you in merit.

you increased your striving, and God increased your excellence.

وإذا قيلَ بعضُ جدِّك هذا

وإذا قيلَ بعضُ جدِّك هذا

لك كلُّ الفضل انتهى قلت كلاّ

لك كلُّ الفضل انتهى قلت كلاّ

And whenever someone said, “This is but part of your striving;

And when told, 'This is but part of your striving;

all excellence is yours—it has reached its end,” you said, “No.”

all excellence has culminated in you,' you said, 'No!'

لم تزل هكذا تجدُّ إلى أن

لم تزل هكذا تجدُّ إلى أن

قيلَ مهلاً لك انتهى الفضلُ كلاّ

قيلَ مهلاً لك انتهى الفضلُ كلاّ

So you went on, pressing forward, until

You kept striving thus, until

they said, “Gently! Excellence is exhausted.” Still you said, “No.”

they said, 'Slow down! Excellence ends in you!'—'No!'

نلتَ أقصى العُلى وتبغي مَزيداً

نلتَ أقصى العُلى وتبغي مَزيداً

عزَّ مَن هكذا براكَ وجلاّ

عزَّ مَن هكذا براكَ وجلاّ

You attained the furthest height, yet seek still more—

You attained the utmost heights, yet seek still more;

Mighty is He who fashioned you thus and brought your splendor to light.

mighty and exalted is He who fashioned you thus.

لو على قدرِكَ اتخذتَ خليلاً

لو على قدرِكَ اتخذتَ خليلاً

لاتخذتَ الهلالَ في الأُفقِ خِلاّ

لاتخذتَ الهلالَ في الأُفقِ خِلاّ

Had you chosen a friend equal to your stature,

Had you chosen a friend to match your stature,

you would have taken the crescent in the sky as your companion.

you would have chosen the crescent on the horizon as your friend.

أيّما خصلةٍ من المجدِ عنَّت

أيّما خصلةٍ من المجدِ عنَّت

لم تفز من قِداحها بالمُعلّى

لم تفز من قِداحها بالمُعلّى

Whatever virtue of glory presented itself,

What quality of glory ever presented itself

you won from its lot-arrows al-Muʿallā—the highest share.

without your winning its highest-ranking lot-arrow?

قد بحثتَ العلومَ فنًّا ففنًّا

قد بحثتَ العلومَ فنًّا ففنًّا

وبها قد أحطتَ عقلاً ونقلا

وبها قد أحطتَ عقلاً ونقلا

You awakened the sciences among us into flourishing branches,

You explored the sciences, discipline by discipline,

and encompassed them through reason and transmitted learning.

and mastered them through reason and transmitted learning.

وشحنتَ الزمانَ هدياً ونسكا

وشحنتَ الزمانَ هدياً ونسكا

وقضيتَ الحقوقَ فرضاً ونفلا

وقضيتَ الحقوقَ فرضاً ونفلا

You filled the age with guidance and devotion,

You filled the age with guidance and devotion,

and discharged every right, obligatory and freely given.

and fulfilled obligations, prescribed and voluntary.

فإِلى أينَ عنكَ يبغي انحرافٌ

فإِلى أينَ عنكَ يبغي انحرافٌ

ضلَّ من لا يراكَ لله ظِلاّ

ضلَّ من لا يراكَ لله ظِلاّ

So where could rectitude turn, seeking to veer away from you?

Where, then, could deviation seek to go, away from you?

Astray is whoever does not see you as God’s shadow.

Astray is he who does not see you as God's shadow.

أيُّها المُقتفي الأئمَّةَ لا يُخطئُ

أيُّها المُقتفي الأئمَّةَ لا يُخطئُ

قولاً لهم ولم تعدُ فِعلا

قولاً لهم ولم تعدُ فِعلا

O follower of the Imams: whatever claim

O follower of the Imams, never missing

is spoken for them, you have turned into deed.

a word of theirs, nor straying from their deeds,

قل لمن يدَّعي النيابةَ عنهم

قل لمن يدَّعي النيابةَ عنهم

هكذا عنهم يُنابُ وإلاّ

هكذا عنهم يُنابُ وإلاّ

Say to the one who claims to act in their stead:

tell whoever claims to act as their deputy:

this is how they are represented—or not at all.

'This is how they are represented—or else...'

أنت يا كعبةً إليها الرجا حجَّ

أنت يا كعبةً إليها الرجا حجَّ

ويا قِبلةً لها المدحُ صلَّى

ويا قِبلةً لها المدحُ صلَّى

You are a Kaaba toward which hope makes pilgrimage,

You are, O Kaaba to which hope has made pilgrimage,

and a qibla toward which praise performs its prayer.

and O qibla toward which praise has prayed,

مَشعر الحقّ مستجارُ ذوي الحقِّ

مَشعر الحقّ مستجارُ ذوي الحقِّ

ومَن لم يقل بما قلتُ ضلاّ

ومَن لم يقل بما قلتُ ضلاّ

A watering place of truth, a refuge for those who possess a rightful claim—

truth's sacred shrine, refuge of those in the right;

whoever does not say what I have said has gone astray.

and whoever does not say as I have said has strayed.

فيك لو أُعطيت مُناها الثريَّا

فيك لو أُعطيت مُناها الثريَّا

لتمنَّت بأن تُرى لكَ نعلا

لتمنَّت بأن تُرى لكَ نعلا

Were you to claim the Pleiades among your possessions,

If the Pleiades were granted their wish concerning you,

they would wish to be seen as a sandal beneath your feet.

they would wish to be seen as your sandal.

يا وقور النديَّ جئت بجيلٍ

يا وقور النديَّ جئت بجيلٍ

خيرهم في ندِّيه طاش جهلا

خيرهم في ندِّيه طاش جهلا

O dignified lord of the gathering, you have come with a generation

O dignified one in council, you came among a generation

whose finest man, even in his own assembly, reels with ignorance.

whose best was rash with ignorance in his own council.

ما عسى أن يقولَ فيكَ مريبٌ

ما عسى أن يقولَ فيكَ مريبٌ

صقلت عَرضَك المكارمُ صقلا

صقلت عَرضَك المكارمُ صقلا

What could any skeptic possibly say of you,

What could a doubter say against you?

when noble deeds have sown your honor like a field?

Noble virtues have thoroughly burnished your honor.

لك أفدي مُعذَّباً بمعاليك

لك أفدي مُعذَّباً بمعاليك

إليها يمدُّ باعاً أشلاّ

إليها يمدُّ باعاً أشلاّ

May I ransom you from one who lays claim to your lofty qualities,

For you I would give as ransom one tormented by your heights,

stretching toward them an arm already withered.

who reaches toward them with a palsied arm.

يتعالى بجهله وهو يدري

يتعالى بجهله وهو يدري

أنَّ مِن مفرِقيه كعبَك أعلى

أنَّ مِن مفرِقيه كعبَك أعلى

He exalts himself through ignorance, though he knows

He vaunts himself in his ignorance, though he knows

that your heel stands higher than the crown of his head.

that your heel is higher than both sides of his crown.

لو رأى الليثُ كيف رشّحت أشبا

لو رأى الليثُ كيف رشّحت أشبا

لكَ لارتاحَ أَن يُرى لك شِبلا

لكَ لارتاحَ أَن يُرى لك شِبلا

Had meanness seen how you put Ashʿab forward,

If the lion saw how you nurtured cubs

it would rejoice to know that it had a cub of yours.

of yours, he would rejoice to be seen as your cub.

غُرراً قد نجلتها ليس ترضى

غُرراً قد نجلتها ليس ترضى

معها البدرَ ينتمي لكَ نجلا

معها البدرَ ينتمي لكَ نجلا

You fathered a radiant glory that would not consent

Radiant offspring you have begotten; you would not accept

unless the full moon too claimed descent from you as a son.

the full moon beside them, claiming to be your son.

طبتَ نسلاً وكنتَ أزكى بني المج

طبتَ نسلاً وكنتَ أزكى بني المج

دِ وما كلُّ مَن زكى طابَ نسلا

دِ وما كلُّ مَن زكى طابَ نسلا

Noble in lineage, you were the purest of the sons of glory

Your offspring are noble, and you were the purest among the sons of

in blood—and everyone pure in blood is noble in descent.

glory; not everyone pure has noble offspring.

سُرجاً للعُلى ولدتَ وكلٌّ

سُرجاً للعُلى ولدتَ وكلٌّ

كم له من نهار فخرٍ تجلّى

كم له من نهار فخرٍ تجلّى

You were born for the heights, a master; and every

You begot lamps for loftiness, and each—

path of pride belonging to you shines manifest.

how many a day of pride has shone for him!

لك خلقٌ لو ذاقه مُجتني النحلِ

لك خلقٌ لو ذاقه مُجتني النحلِ

دعى ما جنيتُ ما عشتُ نحلا

دعى ما جنيتُ ما عشتُ نحلا

Yours is a character that, had the honey-gatherer tasted it,

Your character—if a gatherer of honey tasted it,

he would leave what he had gathered and never gather honey again.

he would cry, 'Never in my life have I gathered honey!'

ذاك للذائقين حلوٌ وهذا

ذاك للذائقين حلوٌ وهذا

في فم الذوق منه أَحلا وأَحلا

في فم الذوق منه أَحلا وأَحلا

That is sweet to those who taste; but this,

That is sweet to those who taste it, but this

upon the palate, is sweeter and sweeter still.

in taste's mouth is sweeter than that, sweeter still.

خفَّة الروح لا كأَخلاق قومٍ

خفَّة الروح لا كأَخلاق قومٍ

أبداً في الأرواح تُحدِثُ ثِقلا

أبداً في الأرواح تُحدِثُ ثِقلا

A lightness of spirit—not like the dispositions of people

A lightness of spirit, unlike the manners of some people

who forever lay a burden upon spirits.

that constantly burden other spirits.

هو روضُ النُهى وقد جعلَ اللهُ

هو روضُ النُهى وقد جعلَ اللهُ

له منكَ رائقُ البشرِ طَلاّ

له منكَ رائقُ البشرِ طَلاّ

It is the garden of understanding, and God has made

It is a garden of understanding, and God has made

your radiant good cheer its shade.

your limpid cheerfulness its dew.

قد لعمري حملتَ أعباءَ جودٍ

قد لعمري حملتَ أعباءَ جودٍ

لو بها الدهرُ يستقلُّ لكلاّ

لو بها الدهرُ يستقلُّ لكلاّ

By my life, you have borne the burdens of generosity—

Indeed, by my life, you have borne burdens of generosity

burdens beneath which Time itself would fail.

that would exhaust Time itself, were it to shoulder them.

ومن الرمل لو عطاؤك يُعطى

ومن الرمل لو عطاؤك يُعطى

نفذ الرملُ من يديه وملاّ

نفذ الرملُ من يديه وملاّ

Were your bounty given away from the sands,

And were your bounty to be dispensed from sand,

the sand would run out from his hands, and he would weary.

the sand would run out in its hands, and it would weary.

لقد اختطَّ داركَ المجدُ للحمد

لقد اختطَّ داركَ المجدُ للحمد

وفيها الندى ترعرعَ طِفلا

وفيها الندى ترعرعَ طِفلا

Glory made your house a dwelling place for praise,

Glory itself laid out your house for praise,

and in it munificence grew up from childhood.

and there generosity grew up as a child.

منه جيد المحبِّ يلبسُ طوقاً

منه جيد المحبِّ يلبسُ طوقاً

ويدُ الكاشحينَ تحملُ غِلاّ

ويدُ الكاشحينَ تحملُ غِلاّ

From it the host of lovers wears a collar of honor,

From it, the lover's neck wears a necklace,

while the hands of the spiteful bear shackles.

and the hand of the spiteful bears a shackle.

دُم شكيمَ المصاقِع اللّد واسلم

دُم شكيمَ المصاقِع اللّد واسلم

شرفاً للخصيم تنطقَ فصلا

شرفاً للخصيم تنطقَ فصلا

Break the defiance of contentious masters of speech, and remain

Remain the curb of obstinate orators, and live unharmed,

an honor to the adversary before whom you pronounce judgment.

an honor to your adversary, uttering decisive judgment,

بلسانٍ يُريه نَضنَضَةَ الصلِّ

بلسانٍ يُريه نَضنَضَةَ الصلِّ

فَيُغضي كيلا يُساورُ صِلاّ

فَيُغضي كيلا يُساورُ صِلاّ

With your tongue you show him the darting flicker

with a tongue that shows him the viper's tongue-flicker,

until whoever challenges the viper is called blunt.

so he lowers his gaze, lest he confront a viper.

أمطرتنا يداكَ طلاًّ ووبلاً

أمطرتنا يداكَ طلاًّ ووبلاً

فوردنا نداكَ نهلاً وعلاّ

فوردنا نداكَ نهلاً وعلاّ

Your hands rained on us, now drizzle, now downpour;

Your hands rained upon us drizzle and downpour,

we came to your bounty and drank first and again.

so we came to your bounty for a first draught and a second.

بهدايا يديكَ أُقسم لا أيدي

بهدايا يديكَ أُقسم لا أيدي

الهدايا يرمينَ نحو المصلّى

الهدايا يرمينَ نحو المصلّى

By the gifts of your hands, I swear: never were

By the gifts of your hands I swear, not by the forelegs

gifts borne so sacrosanct toward their destination.

of sacrificial beasts reaching toward the prayer ground.

لجديراً أراكَ في أن أُهنِّيك

لجديراً أراكَ في أن أُهنِّيك

بمن نُبتَ عنه قولاً وفعلا

بمن نُبتَ عنه قولاً وفعلا

You deserve that I should offer you congratulations,

I deem you truly worthy of my congratulating you

yet both my words and my deeds fall short of it.

on him whose deputy you are in word and deed.

ولأحلا الأيام يومُ يد الله

ولأحلا الأيام يومُ يد الله

به سلَّت الحسامَ المُحلَّى

به سلَّت الحسامَ المُحلَّى

Sweetest of days was the day when the hand of God

And sweetest of days is the day when God's hand

through him drew the keen, decisive sword.

drew forth the adorned sword.

يومُ بعثٍ لمن سيُبعثُ فيه

يومُ بعثٍ لمن سيُبعثُ فيه

مالئ المشرقينِ قِسطاً وعدلا

مالئ المشرقينِ قِسطاً وعدلا

The day He sent you to those among whom will be sent

A day of mission for him who shall be sent upon it,

the one who fills the two horizons with equity and justice.

filling the two Easts with equity and justice.

ذاكَ مَن كانَ قُربهُ قابَ قوسينِ

ذاكَ مَن كانَ قُربهُ قابَ قوسينِ

من الله إذ دَنى فتدلَّى

من الله إذ دَنى فتدلَّى

That one belongs to him whose nearness was “two bow-lengths”

That is he whose nearness was two bow-lengths

from God, when he drew near and descended;

from God, when he drew near and descended,

والبشيرُ الذي به قسمَ اللهُ

والبشيرُ الذي به قسمَ اللهُ

على العالمينَ لُطفاً وفضلا

على العالمينَ لُطفاً وفضلا

and to the bearer of glad tidings through whom God apportioned

and the bearer of glad tidings through whom God apportioned

kindness and favor to all the worlds.

kindness and grace among the worlds.

هو للخير كان أصلاً وفرعاً

هو للخير كان أصلاً وفرعاً

وله الخيرُ كانَ فرعاً وأَصلا

وله الخيرُ كانَ فرعاً وأَصلا

He was the branch and source of all that is good,

He was goodness's root and branch,

and goodness itself was both his branch and his root.

and for him, goodness was branch and root.

أيُّها المجزلُ الوهوبُ سماحاً

أيُّها المجزلُ الوهوبُ سماحاً

هاكَ نظماً كجودِ كفَّيك جزلا

هاكَ نظماً كجودِ كفَّيك جزلا

O lavish giver, prodigal in generosity,

O lavish giver, unstinting in generosity,

take a poem abundant as the bounty of your hands—

take this verse, as rich as the bounty of your hands.

بل كعلياك خُذه مُمتنعاً صعبَ

بل كعلياك خُذه مُمتنعاً صعبَ

منالٍ ومثلَ خُلقِك سهلا

منالٍ ومثلَ خُلقِك سهلا

indeed, lofty as you are: take it, proud and hard

Nay, take it like your eminence: unassailable, hard

to attain, though in character gentle and easy.

to attain, yet as easy as your character.

زفَّ بكراً كفاك فيها هديًّا

زفَّ بكراً كفاك فيها هديًّا

لك تجلى وحسبُها بك بعلا

لك تجلى وحسبُها بك بعلا

A virgin bride your hands have ushered forth as a gift;

Lead forth this virgin; she suffices you as a bride,

she is unveiled for you, and glory enough that you are her bridegroom.

unveiled for you, and you suffice her as husband.