أَبى آبي الهَوى أَن لا تُفيقا

أَبى آبي الهَوى أَن لا تُفيقا

وَحَمَّلَكَ الهَوى ما لَن تُطيقا

وَحَمَّلَكَ الهَوى ما لَن تُطيقا

He who resists love refused to let you remain insensible,

My passion refused that we should not awake,

And love burdened you with what you will not be able to bear.

And passion burdened you with what you cannot bear.

بِرُغمِ البَينِ لا صارَمتُ شُرّاً

بِرُغمِ البَينِ لا صارَمتُ شُرّاً

وَلا زالَت وَإِن بَعُدَت صَديقا

وَلا زالَت وَإِن بَعُدَت صَديقا

Despite separation, I have not broken with Shurr,

Despite the distance, I am no enemy,

Nor has she ceased to be a friend, though far away.

And though far, still a friend.

كَذاكَ بَكَيتُ مِن طَرَبٍ إِلَيها

كَذاكَ بَكَيتُ مِن طَرَبٍ إِلَيها

وَبِتُّ أَشيمُ بِالنَجَفِ البُروقا

وَبِتُّ أَشيمُ بِالنَجَفِ البُروقا

Thus I wept from longing for her,

Thus I wept from desire for her,

And spent the night at al-Najaf watching the lightning.

And spend my night longing in Burooq.

وَما أَدري إِذا ما جُنَّ لَيلٌ

وَما أَدري إِذا ما جُنَّ لَيلٌ

أَشَوقاً في فُؤادي أَم حَريقا

أَشَوقاً في فُؤادي أَم حَريقا

And I do not know, when night grows dark,

And I know not, when a night comes,

Whether my heart holds longing or a fire.

Whether in my heart it is passion or fire.

أَلا يا مُقلَتَيَّ دَهَمتُماني

أَلا يا مُقلَتَيَّ دَهَمتُماني

بِلَحظِكُما فَذوقا ثُمَّ ذوقا

بِلَحظِكُما فَذوقا ثُمَّ ذوقا

Ah, O my two eyes, you have assailed me

Oh, my two glances, you have oppressed me

With your glances—so taste, then taste again!

With your gaze, so taste, and taste again!

لَقَد قالَ الرَوافِضُ في عَليٍّ

لَقَد قالَ الرَوافِضُ في عَليٍّ

مَقالاً جامِعاً كُفراً وَموقا

مَقالاً جامِعاً كُفراً وَموقا

The Rafidites indeed said of Ali

The Rawafidh have said of Ali

Words that combined unbelief and folly.

A comprehensive saying of blasphemy and spurning.

زَنادِقَةٌ أَرادَت كَسبَ مالٍ

زَنادِقَةٌ أَرادَت كَسبَ مالٍ

مِنَ الجُهّالِ فَاِتَّخَذَتهُ سوقا

مِنَ الجُهّالِ فَاِتَّخَذَتهُ سوقا

Heretics sought to earn money

The heretics wanted to gain money

From the ignorant, so they made him a marketplace.

From the ignorant, so they took him as merchandise.

وَأَشهَدُ أَنَّهُ مِنهُم بَريٌّ

وَأَشهَدُ أَنَّهُ مِنهُم بَريٌّ

وَكانَ بِأَن يُقَتِّلَهُم خَليقا

وَكانَ بِأَن يُقَتِّلَهُم خَليقا

And I bear witness that he is free of them,

And I bear witness that he is innocent of them

And it befitted him to put them to death.

And it was fitting for him to kill them.

كَما كَذَبوا عَلَيهِ وَهوَ حَيٌّ

كَما كَذَبوا عَلَيهِ وَهوَ حَيٌّ

فَأَطعَمَ نارَهُ مِنهُم فَريقا

فَأَطعَمَ نارَهُ مِنهُم فَريقا

Just as they lied about him while he was alive,

Just as they lied about him while he lived,

So he fed his fire with a group of them.

So he fed a group of them his fire.

وَكانوا بِالرِضا شُغِفوا زَماناً

وَكانوا بِالرِضا شُغِفوا زَماناً

وَقَد نَفَخوا بِهِ في الناسِ بوقا

وَقَد نَفَخوا بِهِ في الناسِ بوقا

And for a time they had been besotted with al-Rida,

And for a time they were enamored with Al-Ridha,

And had trumpeted him among the people.

And they trumpeted him among the people.

وَقالوا إِنَّهُ رَبٌّ قَديرٌ

وَقالوا إِنَّهُ رَبٌّ قَديرٌ

فَكَم لَصِقَ السَوادُ بِهِ لُصوقا

فَكَم لَصِقَ السَوادُ بِهِ لُصوقا

And they said, 'He is an all-powerful lord.'

And they said he is an Almighty Lord,

How firmly blackness clung to him!

So how much blackness did the miscreants paste on him!

أَيَترُكُ لَونَهُ لا ضَوءَ فيهِ

أَيَترُكُ لَونَهُ لا ضَوءَ فيهِ

وَيَكسو الشَمسَ وَالقَمَرَ البَريقا

وَيَكسو الشَمسَ وَالقَمَرَ البَريقا

Does he leave his own color without light,

Does he leave his color without light in it,

And clothe the sun and moon in brilliance?

And clothe the sun and the shining moon?

فَظَلَّ إِمامُهُم في البَطنِ دَهراً

فَظَلَّ إِمامُهُم في البَطنِ دَهراً

وَلايَجِدُ المُسَيكينُ الطَريقا

وَلايَجِدُ المُسَيكينُ الطَريقا

So their imam remained in the womb for an age,

So their imam remained in the belly for ages,

And the poor little fellow could not find the way.

And the poor wretches find no way.

فَلَمّا أَن أُتيحَ لَهُ طَريقٌ

فَلَمّا أَن أُتيحَ لَهُ طَريقٌ

تَغَيَّبَ نازِحاً عَنهُم سَحيقا

تَغَيَّبَ نازِحاً عَنهُم سَحيقا

Then, when a way was opened to him,

But when a way was opened for him,

He vanished, withdrawing far away from them.

He slipped away from them into the distant darkness.

وَفَرَّ مِنَ الأَنامِ وَكانَ حيناً

وَفَرَّ مِنَ الأَنامِ وَكانَ حيناً

يُقاسي بَينَهُم ضُرّاً وَضيقا

يُقاسي بَينَهُم ضُرّاً وَضيقا

And fled mankind; for a time he had been

And he fled from the people, though for a time

Suffering harm and distress among them.

He suffered distress and confinement among them.

فَمَن يَقضي إِذا كانَ اِختِلافٌ

فَمَن يَقضي إِذا كانَ اِختِلافٌ

وَيَستَأدي الفَرائِضَ وَالحُقوقا

وَيَستَأدي الفَرائِضَ وَالحُقوقا

Who, then, judges when a dispute arises,

So who will decide when there is disagreement

And exacts the prescribed dues and rights?

And carry out religious duties and rights?

وَقالَ المَوصِليُّ إِلَيهِ بابٌ

وَقالَ المَوصِليُّ إِلَيهِ بابٌ

فَلِم لَم يُعطَ لِلَثغَتَهُ لَعوقا

فَلِم لَم يُعطَ لِلَثغَتَهُ لَعوقا

And al-Mawsili said, 'There is a gate to him.'

And Al-Mawsili said, “For him there is a door,

Then why was he not given a medicinal paste for his lisp

So why was his stutter not given a tie?”

وَيَبريهِ فَقَد أَضناهُ سُقمٌ

وَيَبريهِ فَقَد أَضناهُ سُقمٌ

كَأَنَّ بِوَجهِهِ مِنهُ خَلوقا

كَأَنَّ بِوَجهِهِ مِنهُ خَلوقا

To cure him? For sickness has wasted him away,

And it weakened him, as if from it

As though it had left saffron perfume on his face.

Were locks upon his face.

وَقالَ وَفي الأَئِمَّةِ زُهدُ دَينٍ

وَقالَ وَفي الأَئِمَّةِ زُهدُ دَينٍ

وَلَم يَرَ مِثلَ شَيعَتَهِم فُسوقا

وَلَم يَرَ مِثلَ شَيعَتَهِم فُسوقا

And he said, 'The imams have religious asceticism,'

And he said, “In the Imams is the asceticism of religion,

Yet he had seen no debauchery like their followers'.

And he did not see the like of their followers in debauchery.”

وَقَد عُرِضَت قَيانُهُمُ عَلَينا

وَقَد عُرِضَت قَيانُهُمُ عَلَينا

وَباعوا بَعضَهُم مِنّا رَقيقا

وَباعوا بَعضَهُم مِنّا رَقيقا

And their singing slave girls were offered to us,

And their female slaves were offered to us,

And they sold some of them to us as slaves.

And some of them sold others of us as chattel,

يُناطِحُ هامُهُنَّ لِكُلِّ بابٍ

يُناطِحُ هامُهُنَّ لِكُلِّ بابٍ

مِنَ السودانِ يَحسَبُهُنَّ بوقا

مِنَ السودانِ يَحسَبُهُنَّ بوقا

Their heads butt against every gate;

Their ambition for every door

Black women, whom he takes for trumpets,

Of the black women they supposed to be cows.

عَظيماتٌ مِنَ البُختِ اللَواتي

عَظيماتٌ مِنَ البُختِ اللَواتي

تَخالُ شِفاهَها عُشَراً فَليقا

تَخالُ شِفاهَها عُشَراً فَليقا

Huge Bactrian she-camels, whose

Lofty ladies of fortune, whose lips

Lips you would take for split milkweed pods.

Appear to be ten thick coins.