مالَنا كُلُّنا جَوٍ يا رَسولُ

أَنا أَهوى وَقَلبُكَ المَتبولُ

What ails us all, O Messenger

Why are we all stricken with such passion, O messenger? I am the lover, yet your heart is the one enslaved.

I love her, and your heart is inclined

Whenever my envoy returns from her side, jealousy seizes him, and his words turn to treason.

كُلَّما عادَ مَن بَعَثتُ إِلَيها

غارَ مِنّي وَخانَ فيما يَقولُ

Whenever he whom I send to her returns

Her eyes have corrupted the trust we held dear; reason has fled, leaving hearts insincere.

He becomes jealous of me and lies in what he says

She feigns the same pain of longing I bear, but true passion is found where the body is worn thin.

أَفسَدَت بَينَنا الأَماناتِ عَينا

ها وَخانَت قُلوبَهُنَّ العُقولُ

The eyes of the trusted ones have corrupted between us

When love ferments deep in a passionate heart, every eye can clearly read the signs upon him.

Alas, their hearts and minds are unwise

Grant us provision from your beauty while it lasts, for the bloom of a face is a fleeting state.

تَشتَكي ما اِشتَكَيتُ مِن أَلَمِ الشَو

قِ إِلَيها وَالشَوقُ حَيثُ النُحولُ

She complains of what I complain of from the pain of passion towards her

Unite with us now in this transient sphere, for our sojourn on earth is but brief and short.

And passion lies where leanness is

He who views the world with open eyes longs for its dwellers as one longs for departing caravans.

وَإِذا خامَرَ الهَوى قَلبَ صَبٍّ

فَعَلَيهِ لِكُلِّ عَينٍ دَليلُ

And when love affects the heart of one who pines

If you see I have darkened after being fair, know that the finest spear-shaft is the withered, tough wood.

To each eye he is a guide

I was joined in the desert by a radiant maid—the sun—whose nature is ever to alter her hue.

زَوِّدينا مِن حُسنِ وَجهَكِ ما دا

مَ فَحُسنُ الوُجوهِ حالٌ تَحولُ

Provide us from the beauty of your face what remains

Though veils hide you from her, she left her mark; upon your dark lips lies the sun’s burning kiss.

For the beauty of faces is a state that changes

You are like her: she scorched me, you made me ail; yet beauty in both finds its highest entail.

وَصِلينا نَصِلكِ في هَذِهِ الدُنـ

ـيا فَإِنَّ المُقامَ فيها قَليلُ

And unite us, we will unite with you in this world

We know best—having asked in the lands of Najd—whether our journey is brief or destined to stretch.

For the stay in it is short

For often a question is born of pure longing, and often the answer is mere consolation.

مَن رَآها بِعَينِها شاقَهُ القُطـ

ـطانُ فيها كَما تَشوقُ الحُمولُ

Whoever saw her with his eye, desire pulled him towards her

We linger nowhere, though the spot be sweet, for the land cannot rise and follow our feet.

As the yearning of pregnant camels

Whenever the meadows welcome us, we say: 'Aleppo is our goal; you are but the path.'

إِن تَريني أَدِمتُ بَعدَ بَياضٍ

فَحَميدٌ مِنَ القَناةِ الذُبولُ

The like of her are you, had you greeted me and become sick

In you our steeds and camels find graze, but toward her we drive with relentless pace.

And increased in your sickness

Many are they who bear the title of 'Prince,' but he who dwells there is the one truly sought.

صَحِبَتني عَلى الفَلاةِ فَتاةٌ

عادَةُ اللَونِ عِندَها التَبديلُ

We know better, and we asked explicitly

Though I roamed far from him, east and west, his bounty remained before me, never to fade.

Whether our journey is short or long

It accompanies me wherever I tread, as if every horizon is a guarantor of his face.

سَتَرَتكِ الحِجالُ عَنها وَلَكِن

بِكِ مِنها مِنَ اللَمى تَقبيلُ

And much asking is longing

If censure of his giving should reach any ear, let the critic and criticized be ransom for him.

And much answering is justification

He has subjects revived by the gifts of his hands—the very same gifts that spell death for his foes.

مِثلُها أَنتِ لَوَّحَتني وَأَسقَمـ

ـتِ وَزادَت أَبهاكُما العُطبولُ

We have not settled in a place, and if we had settled

A swift racing steed, a spear striking far, a glittering hauberk, and a sword polished bright.

Departure from the place would not be possible

When they dawn upon the enemy’s lands, he cries: 'Those are the storm-clouds; these are the floods!'

نَحنُ أَدرى وَقَد سَأَلنا بِنَجدٍ

أَقَصيرٌ طَريقُنا أَم يَطولُ

Whenever the meadow welcomed us we said

They struck him, sending his sturdy mail flying, scattering like feathers caught in the wind.

Halab is our destination, and you are the way

His steeds hunt their steeds as one hunts the wild beast; his vanguard alone takes an army in chains.

وَكَثيرٌ مِنَ السُؤالِ اِشتِياقٌ

وَكَثيرٌ مِن رَدِّهِ تَعليلُ

In you are the pasture of our steeds and transports

When war shows its face, terror whispers to him that its horrors are nothing but phantoms and smoke.

And to it our provisions and supplies

If he is in health, then the Age is sound; but if he falls ill, all Time is diseased.

لا أَقَمنا عَلى مَكانٍ وَإِن طا

بَ وَلا يُمكِنُ المَكانَ الرَحيلُ

And many are named the prince

And should his presence be missed in a place, his renown leaves behind a beautiful face.

And the prince through whom hope is placed

There is no hero but you, O Ali, whose sword stands drawn to defend his good name.

كُلَّما رَحَّبَت بِنا الرَوضُ قُلنا

حَلَبٌ قَصدُنا وَأَنتِ السَبيلُ

Whom you miss east and west

How could Iraq and Egypt fear harm, when your squadrons and steeds stand guard at the gate?

And those facing you call, he does not disappear

If you were to swerve from the path of the foe, they would tether their steeds to our palms and our lotes.

فيكِ مَرعى جِيادِنا وَالمَطايا

وَإِلَيها وَجيفُنا وَالذَميلُ

And with me wherever I went, it's as if

And he who is saved by your shielding arm would know he is truly the weak and abased.

Every face, through my face, had a guarantor

All your life you have raided the Byzantine lands; when is the promise of your homeward return?

وَالمُسَمَّونَ بِالأَميرِ كَثيرٌ

وَالأَميرُ الَّذي بِها المَأمولُ

And if the lover visited a listening ear

Yet behind you lie Romans as fierce as the fore—to which of your flanks will you turn to strike?

The lover and the beloved ransom him

All men fell short of the heights you aspire; your tasks were upheld by the spear and the blade.

الَّذي زُلتَ عَنهُ شَرقاً وَغَرباً

وَنَداهُ مُقابِلي ما يَزولُ

And supporters you give life through your hands

He around whom cups of death are passed is not like the one served the vintage wine.

Blessings other than them were killed by it

I am not content that your hand is free, while Time is a miser in showing me you.

وَمَعي أَينَما سَلَكتُ كَأَنّي

كُلُّ وَجهٍ لَهُ بِوَجهي كَفيلُ

A preceding horse, and a long spear

My distance from you spoils the joy of your gifts; my pasture is lush, yet my body is gaunt.

And a polished, straight sword

If I were to dwell in a world beyond this, and grace reached me there, it would flow from your hand.

وَإِذا العَذلُ في النَدا زارَ سَمعاً

فَفِداهُ العَذولُ وَالمَعذولُ

Whenever the lands of an enemy see the dawn

If you live, I own thousands of slaves like Kafur; in your bounty I find both a realm and a Nile.

They say, “Those are the rains, these are the floods”

If calamities spare you, I care not a whit who else gets ensnared in the nets of despair.

وَمَوالٍ تُحيِيهِمِ مِن يَدَيهِ

نِعَمٌ غَيرُهُم بِها مَقتولُ

You attack him, his coats of mail are scattered

As the winds scatter the leaves

فَرَسٌ سابِقٌ وَرُمحٌ طَويلٌ

وَدِلاصٌ زُغفٌ وَسَيفٌ صَقيلُ

Your horses hunt his horses, hunting the terrified

And take captive the infantry on Thursday

كُلَّما صَبَّحَت دِيارَ عَدُوٍّ

قالَ تِلكَ الغُيوثُ هَذي السُيولُ

And if war turns away, fancy makes his mind believe

That it is due to his frightfulness

دَهِمَتهُ تَطايِرُ الزَرَدَ المُحـ

ـكَمَ عَنهُ كَما يَطيرُ النَسيلُ

And if it holds, then time is sound

And if it falters, then time is sick

تَقنِصُ الخَيلَ خَيلَهُ قَنَصَ الوَحـ

ـشِ وَيَستَأسِرُ الخَميسَ الرَعيلُ

And if his face disappears from a place

Through him, from its flourishing, is a beautiful face

وَإِذا الحَربُ أَعرَضَت زَعَمَ الهَو

لُ لِعَينَيهِ أَنَّهُ تَهويلُ

None but you O Ali are protectors

Whose sword, for his honor, is unleashed

وَإِذا صَحَّ فَالزَمانُ صَحيحٌ

وَإِذا اِعتَلَّ فَالزَمانُ عَليلُ

How can Iraq and Egypt not feel safe

While your elite and the horses are below them

وَإِذا غابَ وَجهُهُ عَن مَكانٍ

فَبِهِ مِن ثَناهُ وَجهٌ جَميلُ

If you had deviated from the path of the enemies

The jujubes would harness their horses and palm trees

لَيسَ إِلّاكَ يا عَلِيُّ هُمامٌ

سَيفُهُ دونَ عِرضِهِ مَسلولُ

And he who is made mighty by your defense of him

Knows that without you he is disgraced and humiliated

كَيفَ لا يَأمَنُ العِراقُ وَمِصرٌ

وَسَراياكَ دونَها وَالخُيولُ

You are, for life, raiding the Romans

So when is the promise for the return?

لَو تَحَرَّفتَ عَن طَريقِ الأَعادي

رَبَطَ السِدرُ خَيلَهُم وَالنَخيلُ

And beyond the Romans, behind your back, are Romans

So to which of your sides do you incline?

وَدَرى مَن أَعَزَّهُ الدَفعُ عَنهُ

فيهِما أَنَّهُ الحَقيرُ الذَليلُ

The people altogether refrained from striving like you

And the brave, noble ones took it on

أَنتَ طولَ الحَياةِ لِلرومِ غازٍ

فَمَتى الوَعدُ أَن يَكونَ القُفولُ

That which deaths are controlled by

Is what glories are controlled by

وَسِوى الرومِ خَلفَ ظَهرِكَ رومٌ

فَعَلى أَيِّ جانِبَيكَ تَميلُ

I will not be pleased that you just be generous

And my time to just see you stingy

قَعَدَ الناسُ كُلُّهُم عَن مَساعي

كَ وَقامَت بِها القَنا وَالنُصولُ

The distance from you embittered the sweetness of gifts

My land flourishing and my body frail

ما الَّذي عِندَهُ تُدارُ المَنايا

كَالَّذي عِندَهُ تُدارُ الشَمولُ

If you take up residence in a home other than my home

And bliss comes to me, you are the source

لَستُ أَرضى بِأَن تَكونَ جَواداً

وَزَماني بِأَن أَراكَ بَخيلُ

Of my slaves, if you live for me, a thousand infidels

And for me from your help are farms and the Nile valley

نَغَّصَ البُعدُ عَنكَ قُربَ العَطايا

مَرتَعي مُخصِبٌ وَجِسمي هَزيلُ

I care not if misfortunes are cautious of you

Those whose plots and guile ensnare them

إِن تَبَوَّأتُ غَيرَ دُنيايَ داراً

وَأَتاني نَيلٌ فَأَنتَ المُنيلُ

مِن عَبيدي إِن عِشتَ لي أَلفُ كافو

رٍ وَلي مِن نَداكَ ريفٌ وَنيلُ

ما أُبالي إِذا اِتَّقَتكَ الرَزايا

مَن دَهَتهُ حُبولُها وَالخُبولُ