هجرتْ بعدك العيونُ الرقادا

وتملَّت جفونُهنَّ السهادا

After you, the eyes forsook sleep,

and sleeplessness took possession of their lids.

نبأٌ كادت الكواكب تنه

دَّ له والرُّبَى تصير وهادا

News at which the stars nearly heaved

a sigh for him, and the hills became level plains.

وتكاد الأرضون تزحف والأ

فلاكُ تنشقُّ خيفةً وانتقادا

The earths nearly crawled forward, while the

celestial spheres split apart in fear and rupture.

وتكاد الأرواح من لوعة الفق

دان حُزناً تفارق الأجسادا

Spirits, from anguish at the loss—

nearly left their bodies in grief.

وتكاد القواضِبُ البُتْر من فقد

دٍ عليه تحاربُ الأغمادا

The keen, severing swords nearly, for the loss—

of him, waged war upon their sheaths.

وقلوبُ الورى تطيرُ بلا عق

لٍ وكانت مثل الرواسي شدادَا

The hearts of mankind flew without rea—

son, though once they had been firm as mountains.

ودَّ كلٌّ يَفديك بالمال والأو

لاد طُرّاً لو أن شخصاً يُفَادَا

Each wished to ransom you with wealth and chil—

dren—all of them—if any person could be ransomed.

ليلة الأربعاءِ كنْتِ إذْ غا

دَرتِ في بلقعِ اليفاعِ جوادَا

On Wednesday night, when you de—

parted, riding into the barren uplands,

لوفاة الإمام ذي العدل سلط

ان بن سيف تُحرِّكُ الآبادَا

at the death of the Imam, the just Sult—

an ibn Sayf, who stirred the ages.

كان للدين كعبةً ولذِي الفضل

مَلاذاً وللضعيفِ سِنادَا

He was a Kaaba for religion, and for the virtuous

a refuge, and for the weak a support.

ولأهل التُّقى مآلا وذِي الفا

قةِ مالاً وللأنام عِمادا

For the God-fearing, a haven; and for one in pover—

ty, wealth; for all mankind, a pillar.

ثم أضحى في قعْرِ لحدٍ وحيداً

بعد عِزٍّ يُقلقلُ الأوتادا

Then he came to lie alone in the depths of a grave,

after glory that shook the mountain-pegs.

لهفَ نفسي عليه من سيّدٍ لا

زلتُ من سيْبِ كفه مُستفادا

Alas for him—what a lord! I have not

ceased to benefit from the bounty of his hand.

سوفَ أبكي عليه ما دمتُ حيّاً

بدموع تحكى الحَيَا والعِهَادا

I shall weep for him as long as I live,

with tears resembling rain and its returning showers.

ولو أني أبكي مَدَى الدهر ما أذْ

رَيتُ مِعشار ما بنَى لي وشَادا

Even if I wept for all of time, I would not ach—

ieve a tenth of what he built and raised for me.

لستُ أُحْصى له فضائلَ تَتْرَى

جَمَّةً كلما سألتُ أفادَا

I cannot number his virtues, following one another,

abundant; whenever I asked, he granted.

يا لَهُ من إمام حق وصدقٍ

همُّه في ذاتِ الإله اجتهادَا

What an imam of truth and sincerity!

His concern, in God’s cause, was striving.

باسطِ العدل باذلِ المال ملْكٍ

يعربيٍّ أَوْرَى الأنام زِنادَا

One who spread justice and gave wealth—a king,

a Ya‘rubi who kindled a firebrand among mankind.

حيث ساسَ الورَى بعدلٍ وفضلٍ

سادَ بالعدل من تولى وسادَا

When he governed creation with justice and grace,

through justice he surpassed all who ruled and held sway.

قد حباهُ الإله مجداً وعزّاً

وسخاءً وطارفاً وتِلاَدا

God bestowed upon him glory and might,

generosity, new wealth, and inherited treasure.

شغلتْه العُلَى وكسبُ المعالي

فنفَى عنه زَيْنَباً وسعادَاً

Lofty aims and the gaining of honors occupied him;

they drove Zaynab and Su‘ad from his thoughts.

ليلَه ساهراً يُناجِي ويرجو

الله يدعوهُ للأنام السدادَا

His night was spent wakeful, communing and hoping,

calling upon God for mankind’s right guidance.

ملأَ الخافقين نَيلا وجوداً

والنواحي هداية ورشادَا

He filled the two horizons with gifts and munificence,

and every region with guidance and rectitude.

ساسَ أَهلَ الآفاق بالرأ

ي واللطفِ فصارُوا لربهم زُهَّادَا

He governed the people of Iraq with gentleness and forbear—

ance, until they renounced this world for the Hereafter.

رضىَ الله عنه حيّاً وميْتاً

وحَباهُ الرضوان والإسعادَا

May God be pleased with him, living and dead,

and grant him divine favor and felicity.

بوَّأَ الله روحه في نعيمٍ

خالداً لا يخافُ فيه نَكادَا

May God lodge his spirit in bliss,

everlasting, fearing no adversity there.

كان بالأربعاءِ من شهر ذي القع

دة موتُ الإمام أعني الجوادا

It was on Wednesday, in the month of Dhu al-Qa—

‘da, that the Imam—the noble one—died.

ومضى الألف بعد تسعين عاماً

في حسابِ التاريخ يُتْلَى عِدادا

Ninety years after the thousand had passed,

in the reckoning of the date, counted in succession.

بي من الحُزن والكآبةِ من فقدان

ه ما يقطِّعُ الأَكبادا

Within me, from grief and gloom at los—

ing him, is anguish that tears livers apart.

قد لَعمرِي لولا أبو العرب السا

مِي لصرنا بعد الإمام رمادَا

By my life, were it not for Abu al-‘Arab, the exal—

ted, we would have become ashes after the Imam.

وابتُلِى الناسُ بالبلاءِ عظيماً

بيِّناً والصلاحُ صارَ فسادا

The people were afflicted with a grievous trial,

when red-hot iron clashed, raging destruction.

واطْلخَمَّ الأمرُ الشديدُ وأضحى

الخلقُ بالويلِ والثبورِ تنادَى

The dire affair grew dark and thick, and

creation cried out in woe and ruin.

لكنِ اللهُ مَنَّ فضلا علينا

بجوادٍ لا يخلِفُ الميعادَا

But God, out of His grace toward us,

gave a generous man who never breaks a promise.

ولَعَمْرِي لو صوِّر الملكُ شخصاً

كان رأساً وقلبَه والفؤادَا

By my life, the strength of sovereignty dwells in him;

he is its head, its heart, and its very soul.

ما لقينَا له عدوّاً من النا

س جميعاً أمثلُ هذا يُعَادَى

We found him no enemy among all peo—

ple—could the like of this man ever be opposed?

قبلته القلوبُ فاتفق النا

سُ عليه محبةً وودادَا

Hearts accepted him, and the peo—

ple agreed in love and affection for him.

وكذاك العبادُ لو لم يخافوا

ربَّهم أصبحوا له عُبَّادا

Likewise, his subjects never opposed

their lord; they became his devoted servants.

جمعَ اللهُ في خلائقه الغُرِّ

طباعاً تُنْسِى الأبَ الأولادَا

God gathered within his noble nature

traits that make a father forget his children.

لا يبالِي بمالِه لو سألنا

هُ جميعاً أعْطَى وثنّى وزادَا

He cares nothing for his wealth—if we asked him for

all of it, he would give, double, and add.

روحَه إن تسألْهُ يعطِكَها لكن

خَفِ اللهَ واعفُ واخشَ المعادَا

Even his soul—if asked of him—was something he would give,

offering it himself, though he feared the Day of Return.

هَكذا كان جدهُ وأبوهُ

والفتَى الحرُّ يشبهِ الأجدادَا

Such were his grandfather and his father;

the freeborn youth resembles his forebears.

وكريماً يهجِّنُ الكرمَ الفذَّ

نداه ويفضحُ الأجوادَا

He is so generous that singular generosity seems base beside

his largesse, which puts all generous men to shame.

ومليكاً أُحيَى لنا كلَّ فضلٍ

وأمات الأضغانَ والأحتادَا

A king who revived every virtue for us

and killed off rancors and hatreds.

سيداً جَمَّعَ الأنامَ على حبٍّ

له لا ترى له أضْدادا

A lord who joined the two blessings in the love

of him; as you see, he has no rivals.

فهْو قد صار للإمامةِ أهلاً

وهو كفء لها أتتْه تَهادى

He has now become worthy of the imamate,

its equal; it came toward him swaying.

يا سليلَ الإمام سلطانَ لاَ

زِلْتَ إماماً ولا برحتَ تُنادَى

O scion of Imam Sultan, you have ne—

ver ceased to be an imam, nor ceased to summon the people.

قد أتَتْك الجموعُ خاضعة طو

عاً وقد سلّمتْ إليك القيادا

The multitudes have chosen you, submissively, of

their own will, and yielded you the reins.

وحرامٌ على النفوس التي تَرْ

قَى العُلا أن تعطى سِواك المقادَا

It is forbidden for souls that as—

pire to eminence to give the reins to anyone but you.

أنت نِعم الإمام بالفضل والإحس

ان والعُرف قد غَمرْتَ البلادا

You are the finest imam in virtue and beau—

ty and beneficence; you have flooded the land.

أنت يا ذا النوال كاسمكِ حقّاً

وأنا قد بلغتُ المُرادا

You, bearer of this pattern, are true to your name,

and through you I have attained my desire.

أنت عيدٌ لنا وأيامنا صارتْ

برؤياك كُلُّها أعيادَا

You are our feast; our days have become,

at sight of you, festivals one and all.

نشكرُ اللهَ حين صرت إماماً

للبرايا وقد ملكتَ العبادَا

We thank God that you became an imam

for all creatures and came to rule the people.

طِبْ ونَمْ خالياً من الهمِّ والْ

أشغال لا تخشَ فرقةً وبعادَا

Be glad, and sleep free of care and preoccu—

pations; fear no division or hostility.

زادكَ اللهُ منه فضلاً وإحسا

ناً وإن كنتَ لا ترومُ ازديادَا

May God increase you in bounty and bene—

ficence, though you seek no increase.

وأَعزَّ الدينَ والحمى بك طرّاً

وأَذلَّ الأعداءَ والحُسَّادَا

May He strengthen religion and the sanctuary wholly through you,

and humble enemies and the envious.

عِشْ ودُم يا خليفةَ الله في الأ

رض ولا تخشَ روعةً وعنادا

Live and endure, O God’s caliph on the ea—

rth; fear neither terror nor defiance.

وتمل الأيامَ والدهرَ والد

نيا جميعاً والعصرَ والآبادَا

And fill the days, time, and the wor—

ld entire—all ages and eternities.

يا بني يعربَ بن زهران أَنتم

سادةٌ الورى وصِرْتم عِمادا

O sons of Ya‘rub son of Zahran, you are

the lords of mankind and have become its pillars.

بورِكَتْ من عصابةٍ قد بنى الل

هُ لها في العلياءِ بيتاً مُشادَا

Blessed are you, a company for whom Go—

d built a lofty, towering house.

وحَباها دون الأنام بِمُلْك

وكفاها الأضدادَ والأندادَا

He favored it above mankind with a king,

and spared it rivals and peers.

خلّدَ الله مُلككمُ واصْطفاكم

واجْتباكمْ إذْ صِرتمُ أَمجادَا

May God perpetuate your kingdom, selecting you

and choosing you, since you became glorious.

دمَّر الله باغِضِيكمْ كما دمَّ

رَ مِنْ قبلهم ثموداً وعادَا

May God destroy those who hate you as He des—

troyed before them Thamud and ‘Ad.