يا حُسنَ بَغلِ الحُسَيني

يَراكَ مِن غَيرِ عينِ

How lovely is al-Husayni’s mule!

It sees you without an eye,

وَسَمعُه لا بِأُذنٍ

كَلّا وَلا أُذُنَينِ

And its hearing is not through one ear—

No indeed, nor through two.

وَمَشيُهُ بِثلاثٍ

مِن أَرجُلٍ وَيَدَينِ

And it does its walking on three

Of its hind legs and forelegs.

وَطولُهُ في قِياسٍ

يَنوفُ عَن قَبضَتَينِ

Its stature, when measured,

Exceeds two fist-lengths.

وَأَكلُه مِن شَعيرٍ

غُرارَةً دونَ مَيْنِ

And what it eats in barley

Is a whole sackful—no lie.

وَرُبّما صامَ عاماً

وَرُبّما سَنَتَينِ

Perhaps it fasts for a year,

And perhaps for two.

وَمَشيُهُ قَدرَ فِترٍ

كَمَشيِنا فَرسَخَينِ

For it to walk a single span

Is like our walking two parasangs.

وَالمِيلُ يَقطَعُهُ في

عامَينِ مُتّصِلَينِ

And a mile it traverses in

Two unbroken years.

بَغلٌ حلا وَهوَ أَحلى

إِذا اِعتَلاهُ الحُسيني

A lovely mule—and lovelier still

When al-Husayni mounts it.