وفي ذاتِ السلاسلِ من سُلَيْمٍ

غداةَ أتاهمُ الموتُ المُبيرُ

In that same group of chains from Sulaym,

The next morning death, the annihilator, came upon them.

وقد هَزموا أبا حفصٍ عميراً

وصاحبَهُ مِراراً فاستُطيروا

They had defeated Abu Hafs 'Umayr

And his companion Mirar, so they took flight.

وقد قَتلوا من الأنصارِ رهطاً

فحلّ النَّذرُ أو وجبتْ نُذورُ

They had killed a group of the Ansar,

So vows became binding or debts came due.

أزار الموتَ مشيخةً ضِخاماً

جَحاجحةً تُسدُّ بها الثغورُ

Death donned the garb of elderliness, deceptively stout,

With which it blocks up the passes.

وعمرو قد سُقي كأساً بِسَلْعٍ

أقبُّ كأنّه أسدٌ مُغيرُ

And 'Amr was given a poisoned cup at Sal',

Most bitter, as if he were a raiding lion.

فنادى هل بذي حَسَبٍ بِرازٌ

وهل عندَ امرئٍ حرٍّ نكيرُ

So he called out, "Is there anyone of repute, a helper?

Is there anyone with me, a righter of wrongs?"

وصيُّ محمدٍ وأمينُ غيبٍ

ونعمَ أخو الإمامةِ والوزيرُ

The trustee of Muhammad and keeper of confidential talk,

And how excellent the brother of the imamate and vizierate!

إذا ما آيةٌ نَزلت عليه

يَضيقُ بها من القومُ الصُّدورُ

Whenever a revelation would descend upon him,

The hearts of the people would be straitened by it.

وعاها صدرُهُ وحنت عليها

أضالِعُهُ وأحكَمَها الضميرُ

But it expanded his breast and nested upon his ribs,

And his conscience absorbed it completely.

هما أخَوان ذا هادٍ إلى ذا

وذا فينا لأُمّته نذيرُ

They are two brothers, both rightly guided,

And the one is for his community a warner.

فأحمدُ منذرٌ وأخوه هادٍ

دليلٌ لا يَضِلُّ ولا يَحيرُ

So Ahmad is a warner, and his brother Had

A guide who neither leads astray nor causes confusion.

كسابقِ حَلبةٍ وله مَظَلٌّ

أمامَ الخيلِ حيثُ يَرى البصيرُ

Like a runner on the racetrack who has a shelter

In front of the horses where the keen-sighted one can see.