يا عاتباً وعتابُه افْرَاقُ

ما هكذَا يَتَحَاسبُ العُشَّاقُ

O you who reproach me, and your reproach is separation

Lovers do not reproach each other like this

ما كِدتُ اعرفُ عيبَ من احببتُهُ

حتى سلوتُ فصرتُ لا أَشْتَاقُ

I had hardly recognized the fault of the one I loved

Until I asked around, so I ceased to yearn

واذا افاقَ الوجدُ وأَندَمَلَ الهَوى

رأَتِ القلوبُ ولم ترَ الأَحدَاقُ

And when passion subsided and desire faded

The hearts saw, though the eyes did not

سَقياً لعيشٍ بالمَطِيْرَةِ غافِلٍ

لم ينسِنيهِ الأَسرُ والاطْلاقُ

A drink of life with al-Mutayrah, heedless

Captivity and freedom did not make me forget it

ومسارحِ الالحاظ بينَ حَدائِقٍ

يستنُّ فيها ماؤُها الرَقْرَاقُ

And the theaters of glances amid gardens

Where their water murmurs gently

وهَواجرٍ اظلالُهنَّ صَفيقَةٌ

ونواسمٍ أَنفاسَهُنَّ رِقَاقُ

And chambers whose shadows are whispers

And breaths of their winds are soft

وعلى الغُصونِ من الحَمامِ هواتفٌ

يَصْدَحْن في اعناقِها الاطْوَاقُ

And on the branches, from the doves, are voices

Ringing in their slender necks

عَجباً عجبتُ لمن تَضيقُ فِجاجُهُ

والشَّامُ شامٌ والعراقُ عِرَاقُ

I wonder at one whose horizons are narrow

While Syria is Syria and Iraq is Iraq

طيَّانَ يلصقُ بالحَصِيْرِ حصيرَه

شرُّ المهادِ العَجزُ والامْلاقُ

A weak man sticks to his mat

The worst bed is incapacity and slackness

حَاولْ جَسيماتٍ الامور ولا تَقُلْ

انَّ المحامدَ والعُلا أَرزَاقُ

Attempt great matters, and do not say

Glories and high ranks are allotted

وارغبْ بنفسكَ أَنْ تكونَ مقصراً

عن غايةٍ فيها الطِلابُ سبَاقُ

And make your soul desire to be deficient

From a goal the seekers race to

لا تَشفِقنَّ فانَّ يومكَ انْ أَتى

مِيْقَاتُهُ لم ينفعِ الاشفَاقُ

Do not worry, for when your day comes

Its time, worrying will not avail

واذا عَجَزْتَ عن العَدُوِّ فَدَارهِ

وامزج له انَّ المِزَاج وِفَاقُ

And if you cannot reach the abode of your enemy

And mix with him, mingling is harmony

فالنارُ بالماءِ الذي هو ضِدُّهَا

تُعطِي النضاجَ وطبعُها الاحْرَاقُ

For fire and its opposite, water

Give produce, and its nature is burning

بأَبى وأُمى من حَلا في ناظرِي

من بَيْنَهِنَّ وللعيونِ مَذَاقُ

By my father and mother, of those who delighted

My sight among them, and eyes have taste

يا مَنْ يُعَلّلُ نفسَهُ بلقائِنا

يَفنى الحنينُ ويُذْهَلُ المُشَاقُ

O you who makes excuses for himself by meeting us

Yearning passes, rigors ease

لا كانَ آخِرَ عهدِكم ووصالِكم

يومَ التَّفرُّقِ وَقْفَةٌ وعِنَاقُ

If your last meeting and union with us

Was the day of parting, an embrace and clinging

بينى وبينكم بلادٌ أهلُها

عُوذُ النِّعاجِ سِلاحُها الأَروَاقُ

Between me and you are lands whose people

Take staves as weapons, staves their armor

فيها البديلُ من الأوانس كالدُّمى

عينُ المها ومن النِّعَاجِ نِيَاقُ

There the substitutes for pleasures are like dolls

The blink of an eye, and the ewes, bleating

أُزجي بها قُلُصاً سُيُورُ رحالِها

ونِعَالِها وسِجَالِها ارباقُ

I entertain them sullenly, their saddlebags

Their slippers, their arguments, babbling

تعتادها بعدَ القيادِ سَلاهبٌ

من آل أَعوجَ والصريحِ عِتَاقُ

Familiar with them after the journey are villainous guides

Of the crooked family, and the honest, freed slaves

يَرقُمنَ بالبيداءِ كلَّ مضلّةٍ

بسنابِكٍ آثارُهُنَّ حِقَاقُ

They roam with every misguidance in the wilderness

Their landmarks are traces, traces zigzagging

وعلى المَخَارم والصُوى من وَقْعِهَا

مُلُسُ الجَلامِدِ والحَصى افْلاَقُ

As if they are Indian swords

Drawn from their sheaths at dawn

وكأَنهنَّ صَوارمٌ هِنديةٌ

يَسْتَلُّها من ليلهِ الاشْرَاقُ

And I rode the ship after you, returning

My companions the anchors from its sides

وركبتُ بعدَكم السَّفينَ مُدَبِّراً

لي من نواتِئِهِ النَّبيطِ رفَاقُ

I grew hopeful, seeking high dignity, and took cover

In the greatest who grows the aspirations

أَنْمى الى شَرفِ الرجاءِ واحتمى

بأجلِّ من تُنمى بهِ الأعْرَاقُ

And I visit in the Abode of the Caliphate, an abode

For its Lord all the countries yearn

وأَزوُر في دارِ الخِلافةِ مَنْزلاً

كلُّ البلادِ لِرّبِّهِ رُسْتَاقُ

Aspirations cast us toward Him whom

The horizons aim for, to Him cast

تَرمى بنا الهِمَمُ العظامُ الى الذي

تَرمى اليهِ بأهلها الآفَاقُ

By the Powerful Bestower, the crises of our affair

Returned to their staffs

بالقادرِ المُعْطى أَزَمَّةَ أمرِنا

عادتْ الى عيدانِها الاورَاقُ

And God erased by it misguidance and blindness

And cured hearts filled with hypocrisy

ومَحى الالهُ به الضَّلالةَ والعَمىَ

وشَفى قلوباً حَشْوُهُنَّ نِفَاقُ

A king whom tents are too narrow for, his only

Shelters being the shades of wide spaces

ملك تضيقُ به الخيامُ فماله

الا ظِلالُ المُرهَفاتِ رُوَاقُ

His remoteness is feared, and his nearness formidable

His glance and attention are dreaded

يُخْشَى تَباعُدُهُ ويُرهَبُ قُربُهُ

ويُهابُ منه اللحْظُ والاطْرَاقُ

In his grasp is the sword by which he gives life

And takes it, it is lethal and curing

في كفِّهِ السيفُ الذي يُحَيي به

ويُميتُ فهو السَمُّ والدِّرياقُ

O king whom the lifespans and provisions

Proceed according to his command

ياأيها الملكُ الذي عن أَمْرِهِ

تَتَصَرفُ الآجالُ والارْزَاقُ

After you thunder and lightning

And for you are the swords and spilled blood

بعداتكَ الارعادُ والابْرَاقُ

ولكَ الصَّوارمُ والدَّمُ المُهْرَاقُ

And for you are prophethood, caliphate and guidance

All merits besides these are pretense

ولكَ النبوةُ والخِلافةُ والهُدَىٍ

كل الفضَائلِ غيرهنَّ دِقَاقُ

The citadels of the yellow-faced Byzantines were opened by might

And by the right hand of your grandfather strongholds unlock

فُتحتْ ثغورُ بنى الأُصيفرِ عَنْوَةً

وبيمْنِ جَدِّك تُفتحُ الأغْلاقُ

Give glad tidings to the Commander of the Faithful, for he

Is a moon that rose, and the full moon in it has set

أَبشرْ أَميرَ المؤمنينَ فانَّه

قمرٌ بدا والبدرُ فيه مُحَاقُ

After the countries were obstinate then submitted

The allegiance of the people of earth, though they differed

من بعدِ ما عَنَتِ البلادُ وأَذْعَنَتْ

طاعاتُ أَهلِ الأَرضِ وهي شِقَاقُ

Among them the tongues had no hope

Until your fluttering banner rose high

ما كانَ فيهم للاسنَّةِ مَطْمَعٌ

حتّى استَطارَ لواؤُكَ الخَفَّاقُ

And those who hated you saw

That no sanctity or pact protected against you

ورأى مساهمُك الكريهةَ أَنَّهُ

لم ينجُ منكَ تَوقُّرٌ ونِزَاقُ

They turned away with what the warrior turns with when defeated

But this was a trick, and that a bond

ولَّوا بهم ما بالقَنا من أَفكَلٍ

لكنَّ ذا خببٌ وذاكَ وثاقُ

As if those gazelles with their palms

Among them, that strife and contention

وكأنَّما تلكَ الظُّبى باكفِّهمْ

فيهم وذاكَ النزاعُ والاغْرَاقُ

Their bowstrings attached to their necks

As if their strings are fetters, choking

عَلِقَتْ باسهُمِها القِسيُّ كأَنما

أَوتارُها لرقابِهم أَرْهَاقُ

If they would listen to virtue, it would tell them

Fleeing battle is disgrace

لو يُنصتُونَ الى العلا قالتْ لهم

انَّ الفِرارَ من الحِمامِ ابَاقُ

The ways of your Lord with an enemy when tyrannical

And blood in your palm continuously pouring

عاداتُ ربكَ في العدوِّ اذا طغَى

ودمٌ بكفكَ لا يَزالُ يُرَاقُ

And you aided a people, between their souls

No concord, the blood of hearts pulsating

ونصرتَ قوماً ليس بينَ نفوسِهم

وفُواقها بدمِ القُلوبِ فَواقُ

Days of the sons of Daylam amongst them

A cup passed around brimming with trouble

ايامُ ابناءِ الديالمِ بينَهم

كأسٌ تُدارُ من المَنُونِ دِهَاقُ

By you, after its pillars of glory quaked

It stood firm, and the caliphate was supported

بكَ بعد ما رجفت قواعدُ عزِّها

ثَبَتَتْ وقامتْ بالخلافةِ سَاقُ

If their opinion strayed, you are their meteor

Their pillar, if leaves withered

انْ ضَلَّ رأيُهم فانتَ شِهابُهم

وثِمالُهم انْ عَزَّتِ الأورَاقُ

And to you is their refuge, when adversity remains

Constricting them, and the pass narrowed

واليكَ مفزعُهم اذا باقَتْهُمُ

بالشرِّ بائقةٌ وضاقَ خِنَاقُ

A glorious one guaranteed protection and sufficiency

In him are valor and excellent manners

ضَمِنَ الحمايةَ والكفايةَ ماجدٌ

فيهِ الشجاعةُ والندى اخلاقُ

And He granted us sanctuary when sanctuary is booty

Going ahead with pride, preceding

وأجَارنا حينَ الجوارُ غنيمةٌ

ماضٍ على غلوائِه سَبَّاقُ

One who has violated oaths with them

Kept safe, as well as pact and covenant

مَنْ عنده الذِممُ المضاعةُ عندَهم

محفوظةٌ والعَهدُ والميثَاقُ

The ropes of his gifts were tied to his loyalty

And by the like let hopes be suspended

وُصِلَتْ حبالُ عَطائِهِ بوفائِهِ

وبمثلها فليعلَق العلاقُ

One inferior to me criticizes me

But pearl is not shamed by perforation

يعتاضُ من قدرى بما هو دونهِ

والدر ليس يشينُه الانفاقُ

I have only that it be said, 'zeal

Preceded the flies of the sword, unbearable'

ما فيَّ الاَّ أَنْ يقالَ حميةٌ

سَبَقَتْ ذُبابَ السيفِ ليس تُطاقُ

I am not reassured, nor do I yearn for passion

And for every living being in life there is an aim

لا أَطمئِنُ ولا أَتوقُ الى هَوىً

ولكل حَيٍّ في الحياةِ مَتَاقُ

And I live on the affliction which if it were

Tears, the deep valleys would not be watered

واعيش بالبَلَلِ الذي لو أَنَّهُ

دَمْعٌ لما رَويَتْ بهِ الآمَاقُ

And lack of dirhams increases my chastity

For dirhams, necks are struck

وَيَزِيدُني عُدْمُ الدَّراهمِ عِفَّةً

وعلى الدَّراهِمِ تُضربُ الأَعنَاقُ