أضحتْ ثغورُ النّصرِ تبسمُ بالظَفَر

وغدتْ خيولُ النّصرِ واضحةَ الغُرر

The lips of victory smile with triumph,

And the steeds of victory display their pearls.

يا ابنَ السّراةِ ذوي العُلى من هاشمٍ

والأكرمينَ أُولي المناقبِ من مُضرْ

O son of the saddle-makers, the lofty Hashimites,

And the most generous, the nobles of Mudar.

مُتقلّدي الذِّكر المنزَّل فيهمُ

إنْ نازلوا بَدلاً العَضْب الذَّكرْ

Bearers of the Revealed Remembrance descended among them,

When they come down to a land, the Remembrance comes down.

أَنتَ ابنُ عمِّ المصطفى وسميُّه

أَبشرْ فإنّكَ بعدَهُ خيرُ البشرْ

You are the cousin of Mustafa and his namesake,

Receive good tidings, for after him you are the best of men.

من راحتيكَ المُزن في المَحْلِ اجتدى

وإلى سَناكَ البدرُ في الليلِ افتقرْ

From your rest the misfortunes became energetic,

And to your brilliance the full moon in the night needed.

أَدنى وليٍ في رضاكَ مُعظّم

وأَجلُّ ذي مُلْكٍ بسخطكَ مُحتقرْ

The lowest of your allies is revered,

And the greatest king is despised by your anger.

أضحى حمى الباغي رضاكَ ممنّعاً

بينَ الورى وغدا دمُ الباغي هدَرْ

The sanctuary of the rebel has become forbidden by your pleasure,

And the blood of the rebel free among mankind.

لو كنتَ في زمنِ النبيِّ لأُنزِلتْ

في هذهِ السِّير التي لكم سُورْ

If you were in the time of the Prophet,

Verses would have been revealed in these biographies that are dedicated to you.

بكمُ الورى في نعمةٍ لا تنقضي

لا تنقضي واللّه نعمةُ من شكَرْ

Through you mankind lives in unending bounty,

A bounty that, by God, will not end through one who gives thanks.

في أَنفسٍ بكم تُقرُّ وأَلنسٍ

بكمُ يقرُّ وأَعينٍ بكم تقرْ

In souls appeased through you, in softness,

Through you it appeases, and in eyes, through you they see.

عاصيكمُ لم يقضِ إلاّ نحبَهُ

من دهرهِ ومطيعكم إلاّ الوَطَرْ

Whoever disobeys you reaches only his demise

From his days, and whoever obeys you, only joy.

لما شفعتَ العزمَ وهو مؤيّدٌ

بالحزمِ أَسفرَ بالمُنى منكَ السّفَرْ

When you combined determination, strengthened

By wisdom, your travel was illuminated by purpose.

وبرزتَ مثلَ الشمّسِ تُشرق للورى

وسَناكَ يحجُبُ عنكَ ناظرَ مَنْ نَظَرْ

You appeared like the shining sun, illuminating the world,

While your brilliance veils from you the onlooker's sight.

في شيبةٍ مفطورةٍ لله من

أَنوارهِ سبحانَهُ فيما فَطَرْ

In a natural whiteness from His lights,

Glory be to Him for what He originated.

بيضاء يستسقي بها صوبُ الحيا

وبأصلها إذ أجدبوا استسقى عُمَرْ

A whiteness whose direction the living petition when thirsty,

And through its origin, when they were barren, Umar petitioned rain.

وكأَنما تلك المظلّةُ هالةٌ

وجه الإمام يضيء فيها كالقَمَرْ

As if that shade were a halo,

With the Imam's face illuminating through it like the moon.

للهِ جيشٌ للخليفةِ قادَهُ

ربُّ الخليفة بالميامنِ والظّفَر

For God is an army led for the Caliph

By the Lord of the Caliph with favor and triumph.

مَجْرٌ إذا جَرَّ القنا لا يرتضي

وَجْهَ المجرَّةِ أَنْ يكونَ لها مَجَرْ

A torrent, when the channels overflow, does not accept

That its course's direction be a course for it.

أَشجارُ خطٍّ إن تشاجرت العدى

أَضحتْ لها هاماتُ مُخيطهم ثمر

Trees of lineage, if the enemies dispute,

Become for them stubborn camels whose humps bear fruit.

فوق الجياد الجُردِ ما وردت وغىً

إلاّ وخيل عدوّها عنها صَدَرْ

Above the smooth steeds they did not charge disturbance,

Except their horses' chests defended them from it.

يتركن في الظمأ الزُّلال بصفوه

ويَرِدْنَ في الرَّوعَ الدِّماء على كَدَرْ

They leave fresh water in thirst for its purity,

And they attain in alarm blood in its turbidity.

فالأرضُ وهي فسيحةٌ ضاقتْ به

وعلى العدى منه فما وجدوا مَقَرْ

So the earth, however spacious, narrowed around him,

And the enemies found against him no refuge.

قد أَوقدوا ناراً هم احترقوا بها

وشرارِهم متطايرٌ بهم الشَّرَرْ

They ignited a fire and were consumed by it,

With their ashes and embers scattered about.

لما أَبوا ما فيه خيرُهمُ أَتوا

ما فيهم بَشَرٌ نجا إلاّ بِشَرْ

When they refused what was best for them, they came upon

What was worst for them - none were saved but the wretched.

هذي أميرَ المؤمنين قصيدةٌ

غرّاءُ تَقْصدُ قبّةَ الملكِ الأغَرْ

This, O Commander of the Faithful, is a poem,

Virtuous, seeking the pavilion of the most generous king.

حسناءُ يَهديها وليٌّ مُخلصٌ

لكم الولاءَ فأَوْلها حسنَ النّظرْ

Beautiful - presented by a loyal ally to you -

To whom allegiance is due. So begin it with a gracious glance!

صُوَرٌ تقوم بها معانٍ منكمُ

إنّ المعانيَ زائناتٌ للصُّوَرْ

It is formed of images describing you.

Indeed the meanings are adornments of forms.

دقّتْ لمعنى السِّحر إلاّ أَنّها

راقتْ ورقّتْ مثل أَنفاسِ السّحَرْ

It approaches the meaning of magic, were it not

That it flowed and floated like the breaths of magic.

لما رأَيتُ مَنارَ بيتكَ كعبةً

وافيتُ فيمن حَجَّ بيتكَ واعتمرْ

When I saw the minaret of your house as a Kaaba,

I came as one performing pilgrimage and umrah to your house.

وهجرتُ أَوطاني إليه ومَن رأَى

شرفاً له في أَنْ يفارقها هَجَرْ

I abandoned my homelands to it, and whoever sees

Honor for himself in parting with it, parts.

ونأَيتُ عن قومي ليرفعَ دونهم

قدري اصطناعُك لي فجئتُ على قدرْ

I distanced myself from my people so that

My worth might rise above them through your patronage. So I came to match it.