لأمِّ عمرٍو باللِّوى مَربَعُ

طامسةٌ أعلامُهُ بلْقعُ

For Umm 'Amr there is, in the sands, a square enclosure

With flags concealed in the ground.

تروحُ عنه الطيرُ وحشيّةً

والأُسدُ من خِيفَتِه تَفْزَعُ

The wild birds flee it

And lions quake with fear.

برسمِ دارٍ ما بها مؤنِسٌ

إلاّ صِلالٌ في الثَّرى وقَّعُ

It traces the plan of an abode wherein is no companion

Save the fox in the dust and the owl.

رُقشٌ يخاف الموتُ من نَفْثِها

والسمُّ في أنيابها مُنْقَعُ

A mansion fearful of death when it sniffs,

And poison lurks in its jaws.

لما وقفنَ العِيسَ في رسمِه

والعينُ من عِرفانِهِ تَدمَعُ

When the scout halted at its ruins,

And the eye overflowed with recognition,

ذكرتُ ما قد كنتُ ألهو بهِ

فبتُّ والقلبُ شجٍ مُوجَعُ

I remembered what I was distracted from

I awoke with my grieving heart shot through.

كأنّ بالنارِ لما شَفَّني

من حبِّ أَرْوى كَبِدي تُلذَعُ

It's as if Sirius, what suffering it inflicts,

Aims to melt my liver with yearning!

عجبتُ من قومٍ أتَوْا أحمداً

بخُطّةٍ ليس لها موضِعُ

I was amazed by folk who came to Ahmad

With a message that lacked any place.

قالوا له لو شئتَ أعلمتَنا

إلى مَن الغايةُ والمَفْزَعُ

"If you wished, you could reveal to us,"

They said "where the answer lies, and the resolution,

إذا توفيتَ وفارَقْتَنا

وفيهمُ في الملكِ من يَطمعُ

Should you die and so leave us

While amongst them are those ambitious for rule."

فقالَ لو أعلمتكم مَفزَعاً

ماذا عَسيتمْ فيه أن تَصنعوا

So he replied: "Even if I told you of a refuge,

What would you be able to do,

صنيعُ أهلِ العِجلِ إذْ فارقوا

هارون فالتَركُ لهُ أوْسَعُ

like the People of the Calf when they deserted Aaron?

Departing from him is more fitting.

وفي الذي قال بيانٌ لمن

كان له أُذنٌ بها يَسمَعُ

And the words he spoke make clear,

To anyone with an ear to hear,

ثم أتتهُ بعدَ ذا عَزمةٍ

من ربِّه ليس لها مَدفَعُ

Then came to him a resolve

From his Lord which none can repel.

أبلِع وإلاّ لم تكنْ مُبلغاً

واللهُ منهم عاصمٌ يَمنعُ

"Preach or you haven't conveyed,"

While God will protect them from harm.

فعندها قام النبيُّ الذي

كان بما يأمرُهُ يَصدَعُ

At this the Prophet rose — he who obeyed

When his Lord commanded — and took

يَخطب مأموراً وفي كفِّه

كفُّ عليٍّ نورُها يَلْمَعُ

The hand of Ali in his, a light in his palm

That flashes radiances. One hand that lifts,

رافِعُها أكرمْ بكفِّ الذي

يَرفع والكفِّ التي تُرفعُ

The nobler hand, lifts the hand that is lifted.

And the angels around him bear witness —

يَقولُ والأملاكُ من حولِهِ

والله فيهم شاهدٌ يَسمَعُ

With God present amongst them — as he declares:

"Whoever I am his master, this man here is his master."

من كنتُ مولاه فهذا له

مولىً فلم يَرضَوا ولم يَقنعوا

Yet still they were not satisfied or convinced.

So they accused and denied the truthful, firmly rooted one.

فاتّهموه وانحنت منهمُ

على خلافِ الصادقِ الأضلُعُ

But a people were led astray by their malice

As though their nostrils had been sliced!

وضلّ قوم غاظَهم قولُه

كأنّما آنافهمْ تُجدَعُ

Until when they buried him in his grave,

And they dispersed after interring him, they neglected

حتى إذا وارَوْهُ في قبرِه

وانصرفوا من دفِنهِ ضيَّعوا

What he had yesterday enjoined and bequeathed.

They bought delusion for guidance.

ما قال بالأمسِ وأوصى به

واشتروا الضُرَّ بما يَنفعُ

They severed their ties of kinship after him.

So they will be recompensed for what they severed.

وقطّعوا أرحامَه بعدَهُ

فسوف يُجزون بما قطّعوا

They schemed treachery against his deputy,

Damn what they plotted!

وأزمعوا غدراً بمولاهمْ

تبّاً لما كانوا به أزمَعوا

They shall not gain access tomorrow to his basin,

Nor he intercession amongst them.

لا هم عليه يَردوا حوضَهُ

غداً ولا هُوْ فيهمُ يَشفعُ

A basin, its span from Ayla to Sanaa in Sham's land,

Or vaster still... There shall be erected for it

حوضٌ له ما بين صَنعا إلى

أيلةَ أرضِ الشامِ أو أوسَعُ

A standard for guidance, while the basin

Gushes with a torrent from which all drink.

يُنصبُ فيه علمٌ للهُدى

والحوضُ من ماءٍ له مُترَعُ

Flowing from His mercy a generosity

Whiter than silver or more brilliant.

يَفيض من رحمته كوثرٌ

أبيضُ كالفضّةِ أو أنصَعُ

Its pebbles are ruby and pearls —

No fingertip has ever touched the like!

حَصاهُ ياقوتٌ ومَرجانة

ولؤلؤٌ لم تَجنِهِ إصْبَعُ

Its ground is musk, its borders shake

As sweet basil sways delicately.

بَطحاؤه مِسك وحافاتُه

يَهتزُّ منها مونِقٌ مُونِعُ

The green growth below paradise flourishes,

What blooms above stirs with a saffron radiance.

أخضرُ ما دونَ الجَنى ناضرٌ

وفاقعٌ أصفرُ ما يَطلُعُ

Essences waft on its breeze

When the wind blows them about gently.

والعِطرُ والرّيحانُ أنواعُهُ

تَسطعُ إن هبَّتْ به زَعْزَعُ

A wind commanded, blowing without cease,

From gardens that suffer no decay.

ريحٌ من الجنَّةِ مأمورةٌ

دائمةٌ ليس لها مَنزعُ

When it passes by it, the purest musk diffuses

More fragrant than when first it flows.

إذا مَرته فاحَ من ريحِه

أزكى من المِسك إذا يَسطَعُ

In it are vessels and cups

From which even the starving glutton drinks his fill.

فيه أباريقُ وقِدْحانُه

يَذبُّ عنها الأنزعُ الأصْلَعُ

Ibn Abi Talib shields them from those

Who approach to drink like she-camels lifting their tails.

يذبُّ عنه ابن أبي طالبٍ

ذبَّكَ جَربى إبلٍ تَشْرَعُ

When they draw near to imbibe,

They are told "Damn you, go back!

إذا دنوا منه لكي يَشربوا

قيلَ لهم تبّاً لكم فارجِعوا

"Continue to impoverished pastures,

Which feed or quench appetites,"

دونكموا فالتمسوا مَنهلاً

يُريكم أو مَطعماً يُشْبعُ

This is for those who befriended Ahmad's family

And followed none but them.

هذا لمن والى بني أحمدٍ

ولم يكنْ غيرَهمُ يَتْبَعُ

So triumph belongs to those who drink from his pool,

While woe and degradation befall those debarred!"

فالفوزُ للشاربِ من حوضِه

والويلُ والذلُّ لمن يَمنَعُ

The people, on the Day of Gathering, their signs

Are five, while four-fifths are damned.

فالناسُ يومَ الحَشرِ آياتُهم

خَمسٌ فمنهمْ هالكٌ أربَعُ

Their vanguard is the Calf, and their Pharaoh

Is the terrible antichrist.

قائدُها العِجلُ وفِرعونها

وسامريُّ الأمةِ المُفْظِعُ

As is the apostate, defective and jet black,

A worshipper of Lat and Uzza, hunchbacked.

ومارقٌ من دينه مِخْدَجٌ

أسودٌ عبدٌ لُكَعٌ أَوْكَعُ

And there is the banner whose leader

Will shine like the rising sun.

ورايةٌ قائِدُها وجهُه

كأنّه الشمسُ إذا تطلُعُ

The chosen one, Haydar, will meet the Prophet

As the standard of praise is raised.

غداً يلاقي المصطفى حيدرٌ

ورايةُ الحمدِ له تُرفَعُ

With the Garden commanded concerning him,

And Hellfire shrinking before his awe.

مولىً له الجنّةُ مأمورةٌ

والنارُ من إجلالِه تَفْزَعُ

The Imam of the Truth whom followers assist

As they drink from the pool without being denied.

إمامُ صدقٍ وله شيعةٌ

يُرووا من الحوض ولم يُمنعوا

So it was that revelation came from our Lord:

"O partisans of Truth, have no fear!"

بذاك جاءَ الوحيُ من ربِّنا

يا شيعةَ الحقِّ فلا تَجزعوا