إليكَ ابنَ عباسٍ جميعٌ وسائرٌ

إليكَ ابنَ عباسٍ جميعٌ وسائرٌ

سرى فأنا سارٍ لِمُغناكَ سائرُ

سرى فأنا سارٍ لِمُغناكَ سائرُ

To you, Ibn Abbas, everyone and every wayfarer

To you, O son of Abbas, all are bound and traveling,

has traveled by night; I too travel by night toward your dwelling.

I set out, for I am traveling to your shrine, traveling,

أحِنُّ إليكم طولَ عُمري وأشتَهي

أحِنُّ إليكم طولَ عُمري وأشتَهي

زيارتكم والحظُّ عن ذاك قاصرُ

زيارتكم والحظُّ عن ذاك قاصرُ

I yearn for you throughout my life, and long

I yearn for you all my life and desire

to visit you, but fortune falls short of that.

To visit you though fortune from that falls short,

وقد طالما عوّلتُ ثُمَّتَ كلما

وقد طالما عوّلتُ ثُمَّتَ كلما

شددت رحالي نحوكم ثار ثائرُ

شددت رحالي نحوكم ثار ثائرُ

How often I resolved to come; then, whenever

And I have long put my trust in you, yet whenever

I tightened my saddles toward you, a disturbance arose.

I strengthened my resolve towards you, obstacles arose,

وما خِلتُ أنّي عاقني عنكمُ سِوى

وما خِلتُ أنّي عاقني عنكمُ سِوى

ذنوبٍ عظامٍ ساعَدَتها المقادرُ

ذنوبٍ عظامٍ ساعَدَتها المقادرُ

I can think of nothing that kept me from you but

And I knew that nothing prevented me from you except

grave sins, aided by the decrees of fate.

Great sins aided by fate,

تُرى هل تَرى عيني ثراكَ فأشتفي

تُرى هل تَرى عيني ثراكَ فأشتفي

برؤية تلك الأرض مما أحاذرُ

برؤية تلك الأرض مما أحاذرُ

I wonder: will my eye see your soil, and I be healed

Will my eyes see your soil, that I may be sated

by seeing that land, of what I fear?

By seeing that land from which I shy away?

فإن اشتياقي نحوكم زاد عَزمُهُ

فإن اشتياقي نحوكم زاد عَزمُهُ

وأغلَبُ ظني أنني اليومَ زائرُ

وأغلَبُ ظني أنني اليومَ زائرُ

For my longing for you has grown in resolve,

For my longing for you has gained resolve

and I think it most likely that today I shall visit.

And most of my thoughts say today I will visit,

وقد آذنَتني بالتداني أمائرُ

وقد آذنَتني بالتداني أمائرُ

وقد بشّرتني بالوِصالِ بشائرُ

وقد بشّرتني بالوِصالِ بشائرُ

And signs have told me I am drawing near,

And signs have intimated to me drawing near

and glad tidings have promised me reunion.

And good news has given me tidings of connection,

وأيقنتُ أنّ الحُجبَ زالت وأنني

وأيقنتُ أنّ الحُجبَ زالت وأنني

دعانيَ داعيكم فلِم لا أبادِرُ

دعانيَ داعيكم فلِم لا أبادِرُ

I became certain that the veils had vanished, and that I

And I was certain that the barriers are gone and that

had been called by your summoner—so why should I not hasten?

Your caller has called me, so why should I not hasten?

وشمّرتُ ذيلُ العزمِ ثم أتَيتُكم

وشمّرتُ ذيلُ العزمِ ثم أتَيتُكم

بإذنكمُ إذ هُيِئَت لي المياسِرُ

بإذنكمُ إذ هُيِئَت لي المياسِرُ

I tucked up the hem of resolve, then came to you

I have girded my loins with determination and come to you

with your permission, when favorable means were prepared for me.

With your permission, as things were made smooth for me,

ولولا تمامُ الإذنِ ما إن تَيَسَّرَت

ولولا تمامُ الإذنِ ما إن تَيَسَّرَت

سُراي وأمسى جدُّها وهو عاثرُ

سُراي وأمسى جدُّها وهو عاثرُ

Without permission fully granted, no ease would have come to

And had permission not been completed, my ease would not have been facilitated

my night journey, and its fortune would have stumbled.

And its continuity not made, but stumbling,

وإِذ تمَّ منك الإذنُ هاجت بلابِلي

وإِذ تمَّ منك الإذنُ هاجت بلابِلي

وثارت حُشاشاتي لكُم والشراشرُ

وثارت حُشاشاتي لكُم والشراشرُ

When your permission was complete, my anxieties surged,

And when permission from you was complete, my confusions stirred

and my vital spirits and my whole being stirred for you.

And my flutterings for you arose and the sparks flew,

وأصبحتُ إذ سافرتُ نحوكَ مالكا

وأصبحتُ إذ سافرتُ نحوكَ مالكا

كياسرةَ الدُنيا ودوني القَياصِر

كياسرةَ الدُنيا ودوني القَياصِر

When I journeyed toward you, I became master of

And when I traveled towards you possessing

the world's Khosrows, with the Caesars beneath me.

The reins of worldly rule, while below me are the weak,

بلى بل مُلوكُ الأرضِ طُراً ومُلكُهم

بلى بل مُلوكُ الأرضِ طُراً ومُلكُهم

لدونَ الذي منكم بهِ أنا ظافر

لدونَ الذي منكم بهِ أنا ظافر

Yes—rather, all the earth's kings and their dominion

Rather, the kings of earth altogether, their kingdom

are surely beneath what I have won from you.

Is below what through you I have attained,

لقد قابَلَتني في منىً غايةُ المُنى

لقد قابَلَتني في منىً غايةُ المُنى

وأيقنتُ أنَّ الحَبرَ للكَسرِ جابِر

وأيقنتُ أنَّ الحَبرَ للكَسرِ جابِر

Indeed, at Mina, the utmost of my wishes came to meet me,

The pinnacle of hopes met me in Mina

and I knew that the scholar mends what is broken.

And I knew the ink is to the fragment a mender,

وفي عَرَفاتٍ قد عَرَفتُ عوارفاً

وفي عَرَفاتٍ قد عَرَفتُ عوارفاً

له دونَها السُحبُ الغِداقُ الغزائر

له دونَها السُحبُ الغِداقُ الغزائر

At Arafat, I came to know bounties

And in Arafat I came to know secrets

of his, beside which abundant, rain-laden clouds fall short.

Beside which the rising clouds are but rain-makers,

وفي الكر أضحى كَرُّ كل فضيلةٍ

وفي الكر أضحى كَرُّ كل فضيلةٍ

بِأفضالِهِ وهو الملىءُ المُغامِرُ

بِأفضالِهِ وهو الملىءُ المُغامِرُ

At al-Karr, every virtue came rushing forth

And in Muzdalifa, the excellence of all merit

through his bounty—he, the richly endowed, lavish giver.

Became evident through his overflowing favors,

وقالوا كرىً يضنفي الكَرى ويجي العُرى

وقالوا كرىً يضنفي الكَرى ويجي العُرى

ويحي القرا حتى كأنهُ لوافرُ

ويحي القرا حتى كأنهُ لوافرُ

They said: Kara [unclear verb] sleep and [unclear verb] the bonds,

And they said, “A boil that ripens boons and brings the bare

and [unclear verb] the back, until it seems truly abundant [sense uncertain].

And gives life to tombs, as though it were abundant,”

ولكنني والحمدُ للَه لم أجد

ولكنني والحمدُ للَه لم أجد

به كلّ ذا حفَّ باللُطفِ قادرُ

به كلّ ذا حفَّ باللُطفِ قادرُ

Yet I—praise be to God—did not find

But praise be to God, I did not find in it

any of that there; a mighty One enveloped me in gentleness.

All this enveloped with subtle kindness,

وأشعِرتُ لما أن عَلَوثُ على الهُدى

وأشعِرتُ لما أن عَلَوثُ على الهُدى

عُلاً وهدىً إني إلى اللَهِ شاكرُ

عُلاً وهدىً إني إلى اللَهِ شاكرُ

And when I ascended al-Huda, I was made to feel

And I felt that when minds rise above guidance

elevation and guidance; indeed, I am grateful to God.

Lofty and rightly guided, I thank God,

صراطُ كرىً أفضى إلى جنة الهُدى

صراطُ كرىً أفضى إلى جنة الهُدى

فلا بِدعَ إن بانَ العنا وهو نافرُ

فلا بِدعَ إن بانَ العنا وهو نافرُ

Kara's path led to the garden of al-Huda,

The path of the boil led to the garden of guidance

so no wonder weariness vanished, taking flight.

So no innovation, when flaws become manifest,

وأصبحتُ في قَرنِ المنازلِ سارياً

وأصبحتُ في قَرنِ المنازلِ سارياً

إذا ما اختَفى نجدُ بدا ليَ غائرُ

إذا ما اختَفى نجدُ بدا ليَ غائرُ

I journeyed by night through Qarn al-Manazil:

And I came to be, in the sphere of rituals, passing

whenever a height disappeared, a hollow appeared to me.

When the plateau disappears, the depression appears clear,

وأضحيتُ عندَ الحبرِ في أرضهِ التي

وأضحيتُ عندَ الحبرِ في أرضهِ التي

بها طافَ جبريلُ السفيرُ المُسافِرُ

بها طافَ جبريلُ السفيرُ المُسافِرُ

I found myself with the scholar, in his land,

And I arrived at the ink in his land which

where Gabriel, the traveling envoy, had roamed.

Gabriel, the traveling emissary, circumambulated around,

فنِعمَ البِلا والطائِفُ الألطَفُ الذي

فنِعمَ البِلا والطائِفُ الألطَفُ الذي

فضائلُهُ في العالَمينَ ظواهِرُ

فضائلُهُ في العالَمينَ ظواهِرُ

What a fine land—and most gracious Taif, whose

What an excellent place to stay, the gentle Taif

virtues are manifest throughout the worlds.

Whose virtues in both worlds are visible,

وبادرتُ أسعى نحوَ رَوضَتِهِ التي

وبادرتُ أسعى نحوَ رَوضَتِهِ التي

بها الأرضُ للآفاقِ طُرّاً تُفاخِرُ

بها الأرضُ للآفاقِ طُرّاً تُفاخِرُ

I hastened, striving toward his garden,

And I hastened striving towards his garden in which

through which the earth boasts to every horizon.

The land prides itself to horizons for hosting it,

وأدركَني في بابها أيُّ هَيبَةٍ

وأدركَني في بابها أيُّ هَيبَةٍ

تخِرُّ لها الأذواءُ بَل والأكابِرُ

تخِرُّ لها الأذواءُ بَل والأكابِرُ

At its gate such awe overtook me

And at its door overcame me such awe

that titled princes—indeed, even the great—fall prostrate before it.

That even mountains bow to it, moreover the great,

وفاضت دموعي فرحةً ومهابةً

وفاضت دموعي فرحةً ومهابةً

ومن شدَّةِ الأفراحِ تبكي المحاجِرُ

ومن شدَّةِ الأفراحِ تبكي المحاجِرُ

My tears overflowed with joy and reverent awe,

My tears flowed in joy and reverence

and from overwhelming joy the eye-sockets weep.

And from intense joy even rocks weep,

وقابَلَني بالفَتحِ والنَصرِ وانجَلَت

وقابَلَني بالفَتحِ والنَصرِ وانجَلَت

ليَ الحُجبُ عَن ذاك السنا والستائرُ

ليَ الحُجبُ عَن ذاك السنا والستائرُ

He met me with triumph and victory, and there fell away

And he met me with opening and victory, and veils

for me the veils and curtains concealing that radiance.

Were lifted from that brilliant sun and curtains,

وقُيِّضَ لي سَلمانُ خادمُهُ الذي

وقُيِّضَ لي سَلمانُ خادمُهُ الذي

يُماسيهِ في أبوابهِ ويُباكِرُ

يُماسيهِ في أبوابهِ ويُباكِرُ

Salman, his servant, was provided for me—he who

And Salman, his attendant, who keeps his company

keeps him company at his doors, evening and morning.

At his doors night and day, was appointed to me,

فأنزَلَني في منزِلٍ أيِّ منزلٍ

فأنزَلَني في منزِلٍ أيِّ منزلٍ

وعُجِّلَ لي من بيتهِ المُتياسِرُ

وعُجِّلَ لي من بيتهِ المُتياسِرُ

He lodged me in a dwelling—what a dwelling!—

So he lodged me in a residence - what a residence! -

and whatever his house could readily provide was brought to me at once.

And the facilitated from his house was hastened to me,

وقامَ بأحوالي جميعاً نيابَةً

وقامَ بأحوالي جميعاً نيابَةً

عنِ الخَبرِ فهوَ الأهلُ وهوَ العَشائرُ

عنِ الخَبرِ فهوَ الأهلُ وهوَ العَشائرُ

He attended to all my affairs, acting on behalf

And he saw to all my affairs representatively

of the scholar [apparently intended]; so he is family to me, and all my kin.

For the ink - he is the family and he is the tribes,