إذا لم يقرِّبْ منك إلا التذلُّلُ

وعزَّ فؤادٌ فهو للبعد أحملُ

If nothing brings you near but abasement

And a proud heart bears separation more easily

سلوناك لما كنتَ أوّلَ غادرٍ

وما راعنا في الحبِّ أنكَ أوّلُ

They asked us why you were the first to abandon,

And we never considered that you would be the first to do so

إذا أحدُ الحِبَّين كان ممرَّضاً

فأوفى الحبيبين الذي يَتَبدّلُ

If one of the two lovers is sick

The most faithful of the two beloved is he who changes

وقالت مشيبٌ والجمالُ عدوُّهُ

فقلت خضبناه فأين التجمُّلُ

And gray hair said, and beauty is its enemy

So I said, "We will dye it - where is adornment?"

سوادان لكن مؤنسٌ ومنفِّرٌ

وما منهما إلا يحولُ فينصُلُ

Black and white, yet comforting and repelling

And neither except changes then is reconciled

وساترتُها سِنَّ الكمال بِصبغةٍ

رأتها فقالت صِبغةُ الله أفضلُ

And I masked the peak of perfection with dye

She saw it and said, “God's dye is superior"

وبغَّض خدّاً بالمشيب معنبراً

إليها عِذارٌ بالشبابِ مغلَّلُ

And gray hair made a rosy cheek hated

To which coquetry with youth is fettered

وكان بعيني شُعلةً وهو مظلمٌ

فصار بقلبي ظلمةً وهو مُشْعَلُ

It was a flame in my eyes while dark

So it became in my heart darkness while ignited

سمحتُ ببذل العيش يا حارِ بعدكم

وكنت بكتمان النصيحة أبخلُ

I was lenient in sacrificing life after you

And I was stingiest in concealing advice

وبتّ أرى أن الجفاء سَجيّةٌ

لكلّ خليلٍ والوفاءَ تعمُّلُ

And I came to see that aloofness is the disposition

Of every friend, and loyalty is pretentious

وحَرَّم عزُّ الموسويِّ جوانبي

على الضّيم حتى جازها ما يحلِّلُ

The pride of Musawi has forbidden my sides

To lowliness until it permits what unties

أحقُّ بآمالي أخو كرمٍ أرى

بعينِ يقيني عنده ما أؤمِّلُ

The hopes I have are more deserved by the brother of generosity I see

In the eye of my conviction what I wish for at his hand

ولما أتاح الدهرُ لي من لقائه

بشائرَ عَجلَى بالذي أتأجَّلُ

And when time made meeting him available to me

With notifications of acceleration with that which I yearn for

جلا ليَ وجهاً طالعاً من أُحبُّه

ومدّ يميناً حقُّها ما تُقَبَّلُ

A face I love rose to me, emanating

And a right hand stretched out, truly unmatchable

فقلت أمصباحٌ أم الشمس أفتقت

وهذي اليد البيضاءُ أم فاضَ جدولُ

I said, “Is it a lamp or did the sun just rise?

Is this white hand or did springs just burst?”

وناشرني ودّاً شككتُ لطيبه

أفغمةُ مسكٍ أم رداءٌ ممندَلُ

And he spread affection toward me, I doubted from his kindness

“Is it the aroma of musk or a perfumed garment?”

أبا القاسم استمتع بها نبويَّةً

تراجَعَ عنها الناسُ فيما توغَّلوا

Abu al-Qasim, delight in this prophetic manner

From which people recoil as they have plunged ahead

محاسنُ إن سارت فقد سار كوكبٌ

بذكرك أو طارت فقد طار أجدلُ

When perfections travelled, a planet travelled

By the mention of you or they flew, an ostriches flew

تحدَّثَ عنها الناطقون وأصبحتْ

بها العيسُ تُحدَى والسوابقُ تصهَلُ

Those speaking talked about it and it became

Through which the steeds are challenged and the racers neigh

سما للعلا قومٌ سواك فلم تُنَلْ

سماؤك حتماً إن باعك أطولُ

A people ascended the heights besides you so your ascension

Would inevitably be inaccessible if the tallest were sold

وأغرى الكمالُ الحاسدين بأهله

قديماً ولكن داءُ شانيك أعضلُ

And perfection made envious of its people jealous

Earlier while the illness of your detractor is more incomprehensible

ألستَ من القوم استخفّت سيوفهم

رقابَ عِداً كانت على الموت تثقُلُ

Are you not from the people whose swords regarded lightly

The necks of enemies which heavily weighed down death?

طلوبين لحَّاقين عُصْمُ يلملمٍ

تَزاورُ عن أرماحهم ثم تنزِلُ

Wanted ones, steadfast, the protection of a guardian

Whose spears alternated then descended

مشت فوق أنماط الملوك جيادُهم

وباتت بأعواد الأسرَّة تُعقَلُ

Their steeds walked above the standards of kings

And settled under the pegs of litters

غلامُكمُ في الجحفل ابنُ عَجاجةٍ

مغيِّمةٍ من دَجْنها الدمُ يهطِلُ

Your boy in the battle, son of a grim

Dark woman whom blood pours from her darkness

يعانِقُ منه الموتَ عريانَ تحتها

شجاعٌ بغير الصبر لا يتنثَّلُ

Embracing death naked beneath her without patience

Valiant whom without composure does not become gentle

وشيخُكُم في المحفِل ابنُ مهابةٍ

يوقَّرُ عزّاً بينكم ويبجَّلُ

And your elder in the assembly, son of awe

Honored among you and is revered

غَنيٌّ ببادي رأيه عنه تَلِيِّهِ

صموتٌ كمكفىٍّ قؤولٌ فيفصِلُ

Wealthy in the desolate opinion of his mind without his worrying

Silent like a sealed letter, eloquent thus clarifying

وكهلُكُمُ في فتكه وانبساطه

فتىً وفتاكم في الحجا متكهِّلُ

And your middle-aged in his violence and composure

Is youthful and your youthful in argument is wise

وأنتم ولاة الدِّين أربابُ حقّهِ

مُبِينُوه في آياته وهو مشكِلُ

And you all are the caretakers of the religion and experts in its truth

Clarifying it in its verses and it is ambiguous

مساقطُ وحيِ الله في جُحُراتكم

وبينكُمُ كان الكتاب يُنزَّلُ

Places of descent of God's revelation are in your dens

And among you the scripture would descend

يذادُ عن الحوض الشقيُّ ببغضكم

ويورَدُ من أحببتموه فينهَلُ

The wretched will be prevented from the Fountain due to hating you

And whoever loves you arrives and drinks

ختمتم على حرّ الخواطر أنه

لكم ما انتهى فكرٌ وأسمح مِقوَلُ

You have sealed off the hot conscience that

What thought has reached its end and most eloquent utterance is for you

تؤدَّى فروضُ الشعرِ ما قيل فيكُمُ

وفي الناس إما جازَكم يتنقّلُ

The duties of poetry are fulfilled, whatever is said about you

And of people either exceeds or falls short of you

نحمِّسُ من آثاركم وعلاكُمُ

وننسبُ من أحلامكم ونُغزِّلُ

We inspire from your ruins and your heights

And attribute from your dreams and compose odes

لك الخير ظنّي في اعتلاقك عاذري

فلا تتركنْ يا حُرُّ وعدَك يُعذَلُ

Good is my assumption of your reconciliation, excuse me

So do not forsake, O' free one, and nullify your promise

لعمري وبعضُ الرَّيثِ خيرٌ مغبّةً

ولكن حسابُ الناس لي فيك أعجلُ

By my life, some respite is better in misfortune

But people's account of me in you is swifter

تشبَّثْ بها أكرومةً فيَّ إنها

كتابٌ يوَفَّى في يديك مسجَّلُ

Hold fast to it, unbreakably indeed it is

A letter fulfilled in your hand inscribed

وصبراً مضى شهر الصيام وغودرت

مغانيه حتى الحولِ تعفو وتعطُلُ

And patience - the month of fasting has passed and its

Tunes were concealed until next year so it may pardon and dismiss

علمتُك حرّاناً عليه وبعضُهم

بفُرقته مستبشرٌ متهلِّلُ

I taught you they were forbidden and some of them

Were rejoicing over separation, exhilarated

تعفَّفتَ فاليومان عندك واحدٌ

وأحظاهما ما كان بالدِّين يُشغَلُ

You were chaste so today with you is the same

And most special of the two is what preoccupies you with religion

تناهت بك الأيام حتى قد اغتدى

مهنِّيك عجزاً من مداهُنَّ ينكُلُ

Days with you have ended to the point that

Your incapacity has become accustomed and enduring to decline

فوالله ما أدري هل الدهر عارفٌ

بفضلك إلهاماً أم الدهرُ يَغفُلُ

So by Allah I know not is time knowing

Of your grace intuitively or of time negating