1. حُيّيت يا وادي الحِمى مِن وادي

    وَسَقى معَاهدَكَ الغمامُ الغادي

    Hail, O valley of al-Hima—what a valley!

    And may the morning clouds water your familiar haunts.

  2. كانت سُعادُ مُقيمةً بك إنّها

    رَحَلتْ فوآ أسفي لبُعْد سُعادِ

    Su'ad once dwelt in you; indeed, she

    has departed—alas, my sorrow at Su'ad's remoteness!

  3. حَدّثَتني عن أهلِها وبلادِها

    كرّرْ عليّ حديثهَم يا حادي

    She told me of her people and her homeland.

    Repeat their story to me, O camel-driver.

  4. وأردتُ دمعي أن يكف فخلني

    فالدمع دمعي والفؤَادُ فؤادِي

    And I wished my tears to cease, so leave me be;

    for the tears are mine, and the heart is mine.

  5. قالوا فسَدتَ وقد مضَى زمن الصِّبَا

    اللهُ يُصْلحُ لو أراد فسادَي

    They said, ‘You have grown corrupt, though youth's days have passed.’

    God would mend my corruption, if He wished.

  6. أنَا قد ضَللتُ ولو أراد لَقد هدى

    فهو المضلّ بعلِمكم والهادي

    I have indeed strayed; had He wished, He would surely have guided me.

    For He is, as you know, the one who leads astray and the Guide.

  7. أنا جارُ هاتيك القبور ومَسكني

    كُثُبٌ وكلٌّ يَعْرِفون ودآدي

    I am a neighbor to those graves, and my dwelling

    is among dunes, and all know my affection.

  8. فمحمّدٌ ومحمَّدٌ وعليَّ لِيْ

    أطوادُ عِزّ أيما أطواد

    For Muhammad, Muhammad, and Ali are to me

    mountains of honor—what mountains!

  9. دنياي حاطوني بها ورفاقتي

    ومطيتي هي من أولاك وَزادي

    They protected me in my worldly life; my companions,

    my mount, and my provisions come from those men.

  10. وأنا السعيدُ بحبّهم وبقُرْبهم

    من لا يحبّهُم شقيٌّ مُرادِ

    And I am blessed by loving them and being near them;

    whoever does not love them is wretched in his aims.

  11. غابوا فأنسني عليٌّ وَرَاءهمُ

    ففديتُه قرباً بغير بعادِ

    They departed; Ali comforted me in their wake.

    So may I be his ransom, in nearness without separation.

  12. وأمنتُ من جور الزَمان بوجهه

    وبلغتُ غاية بُغْيتي ومُرَادي

    And through his countenance I was safe from time's injustice,

    and attained the utmost of my wish and desire.

  13. وهدايةُ الله العَمى مِن ناظري

    وهُدَى الورى وكفى به من هاد

    And he is God's guidance, [dispelling] blindness from my eye,

    and mankind's guidance; he suffices as a guide.

  14. رَجُلٌ ضِياءُ جبِينِه ونوالِه

    قد عَمّ للأغوارِ والأنجادِ

    A man whose brow's radiance and bounty

    have reached the lowlands and the highlands.

  15. يَهَبُ المِئين من الألوفِ وحَاتمٌ

    يُمناهُ قابضةٌ عَلَى الأحادِ

    He gives hundreds of thousands, while Hatim

    keeps his right hand clenched over single coins.

  16. ملأتْ فضائلُه البلادَ ومالُه

    المجموعُ مُلكُ أياديَ الوُفّاد

    His virtues have filled the lands, and his wealth,

    amassed, belongs to the hands of visiting delegations.

  17. ما زال رَبَّ مكارمٍ ومراحمٍ

    ونباهةٍ عفافةٍ ورشاد

    He has ever been a master of noble deeds and mercies,

    and of eminence, chastity, and rectitude.

  18. وعَلَى عليٍّ بن الحُسينِ توكلي

    وإليه من بعدِ الإِلهِ معادي

    And in Ali ibn al-Husayn I put my trust,

    and to him, after God, is my return.

  19. الموجد السِّرِّ القديمَ وجملَة

    الأسرار موجودٌ وراء الإيجادِ

    The bringer-into-being of the ancient mystery and all

    mysteries exists beyond creation.

  20. كالبحر في علمٍ وفي كرمٍ وفي

    حِلْمٍ كراسِخ شامخِ الأطوادِ

    Like the sea in knowledge, and in generosity, and in

    forbearance like the firmly rooted, towering mountains.

  21. كالشّمس في الإشراقِ نورُ جبينه

    الوضّاحِ أو كالبدرِ وسط النادي

    Like the sun in radiance is the light of his brow,

    resplendent—or like the full moon amid the assembly.

  22. أمَّا أنا فسعدتُ حين مَدحتُه

    حتى طُروسي أُسْعِدَت بمدادِ

    As for me, I found happiness when I praised him,

    till even my pages were gladdened by ink.

  23. لا تجعلوا لعليّ نَدًّا إنّهُ

    عالٍ على النُّطراء والأنداد

    Do not set up an equal to Ali; indeed, he

    is exalted above peers and equals.

  24. كم قد أظلّ الناسَ واسعَ جاهه

    كم شادَ بل كم سَدّ كلَّ سدادِ

    How often his vast influence has sheltered the people!

    How often he built—nay, how thoroughly he closed every breach!

  25. فجميعُ سرِ حسينٌ سِرّ محمّدٍ

    فيه وعِزُّ الغاب بالأسادِ

    For all Husayn's mystery—the mystery of Muhammad—

    is in him; the forest's might lies in its lions.

  26. بعث النبيّ إليه إن صل أُمتي

    فلأنتَ بعدي أجودُ الأجوادِ

    The Prophet sent him word: ‘Give generously to my community,

    for after me you are the most generous of the generous.

  27. وإذا دُعيتَ فكُنْ سريعاً مُنجداً

    فلأنْتَ بعدي أمجدُ الأمجادِ

    And when you are called, be swift in giving aid,

    for after me you are the most glorious of the glorious.’

  28. سَدّدت أحوال القبائل عن يدٍ

    بَلْ حُطتَهُم فجميعُهُم لك فادي

    You set the tribes' affairs aright by your hand;

    nay, you protected them, so all would give their lives for you.

  29. يا مفخراً لعُواجةٍ ولأهلِها

    إذ أنْتَ بالأفق الهلالُ الهادي

    O source of pride for Uwajah and its people,

    for you are the guiding crescent on the horizon.

  30. سَرْدَقْتَها خَنْدَقتها مَنَّعْتَها

    والله ما يعدُو عليهَا العَادي

    You enclosed it, dug a trench around it, and fortified it;

    by God, no aggressor attacks it.

  31. والكلُّ مَحْفُوطٌ بسرك طالما

    مَنَعُوا بني العباس عن بغْدادِ

    And all are protected by your secret; for long

    they kept the sons of al-Abbas away from Baghdad.

  32. أنا يا عليُّ ونسْلُ حمير كلَّهم

    مَهْمَا سُئلتَ فقل أولاك عبادي

    I, O Ali, and all the descendants of Himyar—

    whatever you are asked, say: ‘Those are my servants.’