أكُؤُوسٌ مُتْرَعاتٌ منْ عقارِ

أكُؤُوسٌ مُتْرَعاتٌ منْ عقارِ

مُزِجَتْ بالظَّلْمِ منْ ذِي الاِحْوِرارِ

مُزِجَتْ بالظَّلْمِ منْ ذِي الاِحْوِرارِ

Are these cups brimming with wine,

Pastures of mansions blended with darkness

blended with saliva from a dark-eyed one,

From the possessor of fiery passion

أَمْ نِظامٌ مِنْ أَخِي الإحسْانِ مَنْ

أَمْ نِظامٌ مِنْ أَخِي الإحسْانِ مَنْ

فاقَ في مَجْدٍ أثيلٍ ونِجارِ

فاقَ في مَجْدٍ أثيلٍ ونِجارِ

or verse from a man of beneficence, who

Or a system from my kind brother

excelled in deep-rooted glory and lineage?

Who excelled in glorious and brilliant glory

الْعِصاميِّ الْعِظَامِيِّ الذي

الْعِصاميِّ الْعِظَامِيِّ الذي

أَتْعَبَتْ أفعالُهُ كُلَّ مُجاري

أَتْعَبَتْ أفعالُهُ كُلَّ مُجاري

Self-made and noble-born, whose

The determined, the great, who

deeds exhausted every rival.

His actions exhausted every channel

رَوِّحِ الْقَلْبَ فَما الرَّاحُ إذا

رَوِّحِ الْقَلْبَ فَما الرَّاحُ إذا

ما أَدَارَتْها أَكُفٌّ للجوَارِي

ما أَدَارَتْها أَكُفٌّ للجوَارِي

Refresh the heart—for what is wine, when

Refresh the heart, for comfort is useless

maidens' hands pass it round?

Unless stirred by palms for the maids

هَزّ أَعْطافي نَشَاطاً حُسْنُهُ

هَزّ أَعْطافي نَشَاطاً حُسْنُهُ

فَهُوَ السِّحْرُ الذي حَلّ لِقارِي

فَهُوَ السِّحْرُ الذي حَلّ لِقارِي

Its beauty stirred my limbs with delight;

His beauty shook my limbs lively

for it is magic made lawful for a reader.

It is the magic that fascinated the reciter

فَلَقَدْ شادَ قُصُوراً مالَها

فَلَقَدْ شادَ قُصُوراً مالَها

مِنْ قُصُورٍ عِنْدَ تَقْصِيرِ الْمُجاري

مِنْ قُصُورٍ عِنْدَ تَقْصِيرِ الْمُجاري

For he built palaces that have no

He built palaces, unmatched

shortcoming, while the rival falls short.

By any palace however channels are narrowed

دُمْتَ تُحْيي عِلْمَ آباءٍ مَضَوْا

دُمْتَ تُحْيي عِلْمَ آباءٍ مَضَوْا

مِنْ بَني الْمُخْتارِ في تِلكَ الدّيارِ

مِنْ بَني الْمُخْتارِ في تِلكَ الدّيارِ

May you keep reviving the learning of forefathers gone before,

You kept alive the knowledge of fathers passed away

among the descendants of the Chosen One in those lands,

From the chosen people in those lands

سَابِحاً يا شَرَفَ الإسْلامِ في

سَابِحاً يا شَرَفَ الإسْلامِ في

بَحْرِ منْ عِلْمِ النّحارِيرِ الْبِحارِ

بَحْرِ منْ عِلْمِ النّحارِيرِ الْبِحارِ

swimming, O honor of Islam, in

Swimming, O glory of Islam, in

a sea of the learning of master scholars, oceans themselves.

The sea of the deep knowledge of the learned

تَسْتَقي الأزْهارَ والأَثْمارَ بال

تَسْتَقي الأزْهارَ والأَثْمارَ بال

وابِلِ الْمِغْزارِ والْغَيْثِ المثارِ

وابِلِ الْمِغْزارِ والْغَيْثِ المثارِ

You water the blossoms and fruits with the

You seek flowers and fruits without

copious downpour and the rain stirred up.

The pouring plentiful rain and fruitful rain

تنْظُرُ الْحقَ إذا ما أظْلمَتْ

تنْظُرُ الْحقَ إذا ما أظْلمَتْ

طُلْمَةٌ قد أَشْكَلَتْ بالاِنتِصارِ

طُلْمَةٌ قد أَشْكَلَتْ بالاِنتِصارِ

You discern the truth whenever there falls

You see the truth when darkened

[darkness] made obscure by taking sides.

By perplexing darkness with prevailing

ثُمَّ ذَمَ في كلُ فن حائضاً

ثُمَّ ذَمَ في كلُ فن حائضاً

رَائِضاً جامِحهُ رَوْض اخْتبارِ

رَائِضاً جامِحهُ رَوْض اخْتبارِ

Then [remain] [immersed] in every art,

Then you dispraised in every art a menstruating

taming its unruly steed through the discipline of testing.

Galloping she-camel the courtyard of trial

الْزَمِ النّحْريرَ مَنْ أَرْبَى عَلَى

الْزَمِ النّحْريرَ مَنْ أَرْبَى عَلَى

كُلِّ شَيْخٍ سابِقٍ يَوْمَ التّباري

كُلِّ شَيْخٍ سابِقٍ يَوْمَ التّباري

Keep close to the master scholar who surpassed

Hold on to writing, he who won over

every leading elder on the day of contest:

Every preceding Sheikh on the day of competition

الْحُسَيْنَ السَّيِّدَ الْقَرْمَ الّذي

الْحُسَيْنَ السَّيِّدَ الْقَرْمَ الّذي

فاقَ في عِلْمٍ وزُهْدٍ ووَقارِ

فاقَ في عِلْمٍ وزُهْدٍ ووَقارِ

al-Husayn, the noble lord, the eminent chief, who

Al-Husayn the master of nobility who

excelled in learning, asceticism, and dignity.

Excelled in knowledge, asceticism and dignity

وَسَلامُ الله يَغْشَاكَ وتَغْ

وَسَلامُ الله يَغْشَاكَ وتَغْ

شاهُ في لَيْلٍ وصُبْحٍ ونَهارِ

شاهُ في لَيْلٍ وصُبْحٍ ونَهارِ

And may God's peace enfold you, and may you visit

May Allah's peace cover you and

him by night, at dawn, and by day.

Cover you in night, morning and day

وَإذا ما قَصَّرَتْ أَقْلامُنَا

وَإذا ما قَصَّرَتْ أَقْلامُنَا

عَنْ حُقُوقٍ للأَخِلاّء كِبارِ

عَنْ حُقُوقٍ للأَخِلاّء كِبارِ

And if our pens fall short

If our pens fall short

of the great obligations owed to friends,

Of the rights of the great intimate friends

فالّذي قَدْ حَلّ في الْقَلْبِ من ال

فالّذي قَدْ حَلّ في الْقَلْبِ من ال

حُبِّ يُغْني عَنْ عَناءِ الاِعْتِذارِ

حُبِّ يُغْني عَنْ عَناءِ الاِعْتِذارِ

then what has settled in the heart—

Then what settled in the heart of

love—spares us the trouble of apology.

Love suffices the toil of apology