1. تزِلُّ الليالي مرَّةً وتصيبُ

    ويعزُبُ حِلمُ الدهرِ ثمَّ يثوبُ

    The nights stumble once, then hit the mark.

    Time's forbearance departs, then returns.

  2. وتَستلقِحُ الآمالُ بَعدَ حِيالها

    أواناً ويَنأَى الحظُّ ثم يؤوبُ

    And hopes conceive after lying barren

    for a time; fortune withdraws, then returns.

  3. ولولا قُفولُ الشمس بعد أُفولِها

    هوتْ مَعَها الأرواحُ حين تغيبُ

    Were it not for the sun's return after its setting,

    souls would fall with it when it disappears.

  4. تَنَظَّرْ وإن ضاقت بصدرٍ رِحابُهُ

    فُروج صَلاحٍ ذَرعُهنّ رحيبُ

    Wait—even if a breast's wide spaces grow cramped—

    for openings of relief whose span is ample.

  5. فما كلُّ عينٍ خالجتْك مريضةٌ

    وخطفةِ برقٍ خالستْك خَلوبُ

    For not every eye that stirs you is ailing,

    nor every lightning flash that steals upon you deceptive.

  6. قَضَتْ ظُلُماتُ البُعدِ فيك قَضاءَها

    فصُبْحاً فهذا الفجرُ منك قريبُ

    The shadows of separation have carried out their decree upon you;

    morning, then! This dawn is near you.

  7. بَدتْ أوجهُ الأيّام غُراً ضواحكاً

    وكنَّ وفي استبشارِهنّ قُطوبُ

    The faces of the days appeared radiant and laughing,

    though once, amid their rejoicing, there was frowning.

  8. وطارحْنني عُذرَ البريءِ وربما

    سَبقنَ وفي أعذارهنّ ذُنوبُ

    They offered me an innocent man's excuse, though sometimes

    they had done so before, with sins within their excuses.

  9. أرى كَبِدي قد أَثلجتْ في ضلوعها

    وكانت على جمرِ الفراقِ تذوبُ

    I see my liver has cooled within its ribs,

    where once it melted on separation's embers.

  10. وراحت إليها بعدَ طُول التياحِها

    صَباً قَرَّةٌ تَندَى لها وتطيبُ

    And after its long thirst, there came to it

    a cool east breeze, bringing it moisture and delight.

  11. سَرَى الفضلُ من مَيسانَ يُشْرِقُ بعدما

    أطال دُجى الزَّوراءِ منه غروبُ

    Al-Fadl traveled by night from Maysan, shining after

    his setting had prolonged al-Zawra's darkness.

  12. وهبّت رياح الجودِ بُشرَى بقربِهِ

    لها سالفٌ من نشرِها وجنيبُ

    The winds of bounty blew, heralding his nearness,

    with a forerunner of their fragrance and a south breeze.

  13. وما خِلتُ أن البدرَ يطلُعُ مُصعِداً

    ولا أنَّ ريح المكرماتِ جَنوبُ

    I had not thought the full moon would rise on an upward journey,

    nor that the wind of noble deeds would be a south wind.

  14. تزاحمتِ الأيّامُ قبلَ لقائه

    بجنبيَّ من ذَنب الفراقِ تتوبُ

    The days thronged before my meeting with him,

    at my two sides, repenting the sin of separation.

  15. وتُقسِمُ لي أَيْمانَ صدقٍ بأنْ غداً

    تراه وبعضُ المُقسِمينَ كذوبُ

    They swear truthful oaths to me: tomorrow

    you will see him—though some who swear are liars.

  16. وقد زادني شكراً لِحُسْنِ وفائها

    بما وَعَدتْ أنَّ الوفاءَ غريبُ

    My gratitude for how faithfully they kept

    their promise grew, for faithfulness is rare.

  17. كفَى البين أني لِنْتُ تحتَ عِراكِهِ

    وخُرتُ وُعودي في الخطوبِ صليبُ

    It was enough for separation that I yielded beneath its assaults

    and weakened, though my wood is hard amid calamities.

  18. وقاربتُ من خَطوِي رِضاً بقضائِهِ

    ولي بين أحداثِ الزمانِ وُثوبُ

    I shortened my steps, accepting its decree,

    though amid time's upheavals I have my leaps.

  19. حَملتُ وُسوقَ البُعدِ فوق أضالع

    من الثِّقْلِ عَضَّاتٌ بها ونُدوبُ

    I bore separation's camel-loads upon ribs

    with bite marks and scars upon them from the weight.

  20. أَخُبُّ حِذارَ الشامتينَ تجلُّداً

    بهنّ وما تحتَ الخَبَالِ نَجيبُ

    I trot, steeling myself for fear of gloating foes,

    upon them; what lies beneath affliction is a thoroughbred.

  21. إن تُعقبِ الأيّامُ حُسْنَى تسوءُها

    فللصبرِ أُخرَى حُلوةٌ وعَقِيبُ

    If the days follow a kindness by spoiling it,

    patience has another sweet turn and a sequel.

  22. سَمَتْ أعينٌ مغضوضةٌ وتراجَعتْ

    إلى أُنسِها بعد النفور قُلوبُ

    Downcast eyes lifted, and back came

    hearts to their familiar ease after estrangement.

  23. وعادت تسرّ الرائدين خميلةٌ

    تَعاورَها بَعدَ الحسَين جُدوبُ

    And once more a grove delights those seeking pasture,

    which droughts had beset in turn after al-Husayn.

  24. فماءُ الندَى عَذبُ اللِّصابِ مُرَقْرَقٌ

    وغصنُ المُنَى وَحْفُ النباتِ رطيبُ

    So bounty's water is sweet in the ravines, rippling clear,

    and hope's branch is thick with foliage and fresh.

  25. سيلُقي عصاهُ وادعاً كلُّ خابطٍ

    على الرزقِ يطوِي أرضَه ويجوبُ

    Every wanderer will lay down his staff at ease,

    folding up his land and traversing it in search of sustenance.

  26. وهل ينفُضُ الجوَّ العريضَ لنُجعةٍ

    أريبٌ واوديه أعمُّ خصيبُ

    And would one scour the wide expanse for pasture—

    a discerning man, when his valleys are lush and fertile?

  27. أقولُ لآمالي وهنّ رواقدٌ

    خذي أُهبةَ اليقظانِ حانَ هُبوبُ

    I say to my hopes as they lie asleep:

    Make ready like one awake: the time to rise has come.

  28. إذا الصاحبُ استقبلتِ غرَّةَ وجههِ

    بدا قمرٌ واف وماسَ قضيبُ

    When you encounter the radiance of the Sahib's face,

    a full moon appears and a slender branch sways.

  29. ولم تَفتحِي الأجفانَ عن طَرْف لافتٍ

    إلى نائباتِ الدهرِ حين تَنوبُ

    You will not open your eyelids upon an eye that turns

    toward time's calamities whenever they strike.

  30. سلامٌ وحيَّا اللهُ والمجدُ سُنَّةً

    لها في دُجُنَّاتِ الظلامِ ثُقوبُ

    Peace! May God and glory bless a tradition

    whose radiance pierces the darkest folds of night.

  31. وزادَت عَلاءً في الزمان وبَسْطَةً

    يَدٌ تُصْرِمُ الأنواءُ وهي حَلُوب

    And may it grow in loftiness and largesse through time—

    a hand that yields milk when the rain-stars run dry.

  32. لآثارِها في كلِّ شهباءَ روضةٌ

    وفي كلِّ عَمياءِ المياهِ قليبُ

    Its traces leave a garden in every gray wasteland,

    and in every land blind to water, a well.

  33. حمى مجدَهُ وافى الحمائل سيفُهُ

    غيورٌ إذا ما المجدُ صِيمَ غَضوبُ

    His sword, long in its baldrics, guarded his glory,

    jealous and wrathful whenever glory is assailed.

  34. له كلَّ يَومٍ نهضةٌ دون عِرضهِ

    إذا نام حُبَّاً للبقاءِ حَسيبُ

    Each day he rises in defense of his honor,

    when a well-born man sleeps for love of life.

  35. قليلةُ أُنسِ الجفنِ بالغُمْضِ عينُهُ

    ولِلعارِ مَسرىً نحوه ودبيبُ

    His eye gives its lid little familiarity with sleep,

    while disgrace can travel by night and creep toward him.

  36. إذا سال وادي اللُّؤمِ حَلَّتْ بيوتُهُ

    بأرعنَ لا ترقَى إليه عُيوبُ

    When the valley of baseness floods, his dwellings settle

    on a jutting height that faults cannot ascend.

  37. وقامَ بأمرِ المُلك يَحسِمُ داءَهُ

    بصيرٌ بأدواءِ الزمانِ طبيبُ

    He took charge of the kingdom's affairs, cutting out its sickness,

    a physician keenly aware of time's diseases.

  38. له مَدَدٌ من سيفِهِ ولسانِهِ

    قؤولٌ إذا ضاقَ المَجالُ ضَروبُ

    He draws support from his sword and his tongue,

    eloquent, and when the field grows narrow, a mighty striker.

  39. إذا يَبِستْ أقلامُهُ أو تصامتتْ

    فصارمُهُ رَطْبُ اللسانِ خَطيبُ

    If his pens run dry or fall silent,

    his sharp sword is an orator with a moist tongue.

  40. يُرَى كلَّ يومٍ لابساً دَمَ قارنٍ

    له جَسَدٌ فوق الترابِ سَليبُ

    Each day it is seen wearing the blood of an opponent,

    whose stripped body lies upon the dust.

  41. ولم أرَ مثلَ السيف عُريانَ كاسياً

    ولا أمردَ الخدَّين وهْو خضيبُ

    I have never seen anything like the sword: naked yet clothed,

    or beardless of cheek yet dyed.

  42. وقد جرّبوه عاطلاً ومقلَّداً

    وقادوه يَعْصِي حبلَهُ ويُجيبُ

    They have tested him unadorned and invested with authority,

    and led him, as he resisted his tether and obeyed.

  43. فما وَجَدُوا مَعْ طُولِ ما اجتهدوا له

    فتىً عنه في جُلَّى تنوبُ ينوبُ

    They found, despite all their long efforts for him,

    no man to take his place when a great calamity struck.

  44. فعادوا فعاذوا ناهضين بعاجزٍ

    حضورُهُمُ ما أخَّرواه مَغيبُ

    So they returned and sought refuge, striving with an incapable man;

    their presence, so long as they kept him back, was absence.

  45. أمينٌ على ما ضيَّعوا من حقوقه

    سليمٌ وودّ الغادرين مَشوبُ

    He faithfully guards the rights of his they squandered,

    untainted, while traitors' affection is adulterated.

  46. من البيض إلا أن يُحلِّي وجوهَهُم

    إذا هُجِروا خَلْفَ الترابِ شُحوبُ

    Of the fair-faced, unless their faces are adorned

    with pallor when they are forsaken beneath the dust.

  47. صِبَاحٌ نجومُ العزِّ فوق جِباههم

    طوالعُ غُرٌّ والنجومُ تغيبُ

    Radiant-faced, with stars of honor above their brows,

    rising bright while the stars set.

  48. عصائبُ تيجان الملوك سِماتُهم

    ويومُهُمُ تحتَ الرِّماح عَصيبُ

    The headbands of kings' crowns are their marks,

    and their day beneath the spears is grim.

  49. إذا حِيزَ بيتُ الفخرِ حَلَّقَ منهُمُ

    عليه شَبابٌ طيِّبونَ وشِيبُ

    When the house of glory is claimed, those from their ranks gather

    around it: noble youths and gray-haired elders.

  50. لهم كلُّ مقرورٍ عن الحِلم ظَنُّهُ

    يقينٌ وَهَافي عزمتيه لبيبُ

    Through them, each man whose conjecture is chilled short of sound judgment gains

    certainty, and one whose two resolves falter becomes wise.

  51. تَغِيضُ أكف الواجدين وكَفُّهُ

    على العُدْمِ تَهمِي مرّةً وتصوبُ

    The hands of the wealthy run dry, but his hand,

    even in want, pours forth once and rains again.

  52. تكادُ من الإشراق جِلدةُ خدّهِ

    تَغَصُّ بماءِ البِشر وهْو مَهيبُ

    The skin of his cheek, so radiant, almost

    chokes with the water of gladness, though he inspires awe.

  53. يقيكَ الردَى غَمْرٌ يُجاريك في النَّدَى

    فيعقِلُ عِيٌّ رُسْغَهُ ولُغوبُ

    May the fool who vies with you in bounty shield you from death,

    for ineptitude and exhaustion fetter his ankle.

  54. إذا قمتَ في النادي بريئاً من الخنا

    تلفَّتَ من جنبيهِ وهْو مريبُ

    When you stand in the assembly, innocent of foulness,

    he glances to either side, himself suspect.

  55. تَتبَّعَ يقفو الخيرَ منك بشرّهِ

    خِداعاًن كما قَصَّ المَشَمَّةَ ذِيبُ

    He pursues your goodness, following it with his wickedness,

    deceitfully, as a wolf tracks a scent.

  56. تنبَّهَ مشروفاً بغلطةِ دهرهِ

    وبِنتَ بمجدٍ أنتَ فيهِ نسيبُ

    He gained notice, though outclassed, through a blunder of his age,

    while you stood apart in glory to which you are kin.

  57. وقد يُنهِضَ الحظُّ الفتى وهْو عاجزٌ

    لحاجاتِهِ حتى يقالَ نجيبُ

    Fortune may raise a young man, though he is helpless

    in meeting his needs, until they call him gifted.

  58. أنا الحافظُ الذوّادُ عنك وبيننا

    وَشائعُ من بُسْطِ الفلا وسُهوبُ

    I am your guardian and defender, though between us

    lie woven stretches of the desert's carpets and open plains.

  59. شَهَرْتُ لساناً في ودادك جُرْحُهُ

    إذا حَزَّ في جِلد النفاقِ رَغيبُ

    I unsheathed a tongue in affection for you, whose wound

    is wide when it cuts into hypocrisy's skin.

  60. لك الجُمَّةُ الوطفاءُ من ماءِ غَربِهِ

    وعند العِدَا حرٌّ له ولهيبُ

    Yours is the luxuriant, brimming pool of water from its great bucket,

    while for enemies it has heat and flame.

  61. يَسرُّك مكتوباً وشخصُك نازِحٌ

    ويرضيك مسموعاً وأنتَ قريبُ

    It delights you in writing while your person is far away,

    and pleases you when heard while you are near.

  62. وكيف تَروْني قاعداً عن فريضةٍ

    قيامي بها حقٌّ لكم ووُجوبُ

    How could you see me neglecting an obligation

    whose fulfillment by me is your right and my duty?

  63. وفيكم نما غُصني وطالت أراكتي

    وغودرَ عيشي الريُّ وهو قشيبُ

    Among you my branch grew, and my arak tree grew tall,

    and my well-watered life was left still fresh.

  64. شَوىًَ كلُّ سهمٍ طاحَ لي في سواكُمُ

    ولي شُعبةٌ من رأيكم ونصيبُ

    Every arrow of mine that flew toward others fell wide of the mark;

    I have a share and portion of your favor.

  65. ولي بَعْدُ فيكم ذَروةٌ ستنالُها

    يدي ومُنىً في قولها ستُصيبُ

    I still have a summit among you which

    my hand will reach, and hopes whose words will prove true.

  66. متى تذكروا حقِّي أَبِتْ بوفائكم

    وظَهْرُ العلى العاصِي عليَّ رَكوبُ

    Whenever you remember my right, I shall pass the night in your faithfulness,

    and glory's back, once defiant toward me, will be fit to ride.

  67. طَرِبتُ وقد جاء البشيرُ بقربكم

    وذو الشوق عند اسم الحبيبِ طَروبُ

    I rejoiced when the herald brought news of your approach,

    and one who longs rejoices at the beloved's name.

  68. وقمتُ إليه راشفاً من ترابِهِ

    ثرىً لك يحلو رشفُهُ ويطيبُ

    I rose to him, sipping from his dust—

    earth made sweet and pleasant to sip for your sake.

  69. فلا كانَ يا شمسَ الزمانِ وبَدْرَهُ

    لسعدِك من بعدِ الطلوعِ مَغيبُ

    May there never be, O sun and full moon of the age,

    a setting for your good fortune after its rising.

  70. ولا زلتَ مطلوباً تفوتُ ومُدرِكاً

    أواخرَ ما تَبغِي وأنتَ طَلوبُ

    And may you ever be sought yet elusive, and attain

    the furthest ends of what you seek, ever keen in pursuit.

  71. كأنك من حَبِّ القلوبِ مصوَّرٌ

    فأنتَ إلى كلِّ النفوسِ حبيبُ

    As though you were fashioned from the kernels of hearts,

    you are beloved to every soul.