عليك أَميرَ المؤمنين سلامي

وفي يدك الطُّولى زِمامُ غرامي

My leader, upon you be peace

And in your strong hand lies the reins of my love

وأَنتَ الّذي لمّا بلغتُ ديارَه

بلغتُ المُنى عفواً ونلتُ مَرامي

You, when I reached your abode

I found my wishes granted, and obtained my hopes

ولم يك لي إِلّا عليك توكُّلِي

وَلا كانَ إِلّا في ذُراك مقامي

I had no one to rely upon but you

And no place to dwell except in your valleys

وحبُّك ثاوٍ في سوادِ جوانحي

وأَنت صباحي في سوادِ ظلامي

Love of you dwells jet-black in the darkness of my being

You are my morning in the blackness of my night

ولمّا وردتُ العِدَّ في عزّك الّذي

به الشَّرفُ الأقصى بلَلْتُ أُوامي

And when I came to you, so noble

With the highest glory, I soaked my tent ropes

ولستُ أُبالي من لِمامِ عظيمةٍ

أَمامي بها دون الأنامِ إمامي

And I do not care about the great burdens

Before me, while you are my imam before all people

وما لي اِلتِفاتٌ بعد أنْ كنتَ جُنَّتِي

إلى مَنْ رماني عامداً بسهامِ

And after you were my sanctuary

Why would I heed those who shot arrows at me?

وَما شقّت الأوطار إِلّا بلغتُها

بكلِّ صهيلٍ تارةً وبُغامِ

My she-camels bellowed wherever they went

At times with neighing, at times with moaning

ومحتقرين للدّؤوبِ كأنّهمْ

سِراعاً إلى القِيعانِ فوق نَعامِ

Scornful of the evildoers as if they were

Ostriches running atop the sand dunes

إِذا اِلتَفّ مِنهمْ واحدٌ بقبيلةٍ

فَقَد لَفّ نبعٌ منهمُ بثمامِ

If one of them bands with a tribe

It's like a hobbled she-camel banding with bridles

وإِنْ قُذِفوا في حَوْمةٍ فكأنّما

قذفتَ يَبيساً من غَضاً بضرَامِ

And if they're thrown into a war, it's as though

You threw dry, withered sticks at solid rocks

كأنّهمُ لم يعرفوا الموتَ جُرأةً

عليه ولا وارَوْا فتىً برِجامِ

As if they never knew death, so daring towards it

And never saw a brave knight with a spear

فَقُلْ للّذي يَبغي مساماةِ هاشمٍ

وقد فَضَلوا في الفخر كلَّ مُسامِ

So tell those who seek to contend with Hashim

While they have excelled above all contenders in glory

وفيهمْ شعارُ الدّين يجري ومنهمُ

كما شاهد الأقوامُ كلُّ هُمامِ

And through them flows the symbol of religion

And, as all people witnessed, every protector

وقد ملكوا الأرضَ العريضةَ كلَّها

وقادروا عرانين الورى بخطامِ

They ruled the entire vast earth

And led the creation with reins

عدلتَ بحصباء الثّرى أنجُمَ العُلا

وسوّيتَ ظُلْماً جُثَّماً بقيامِ

You set right with the pebbles of earth the stars of highness

And leveled oppressive, squat darkness with rising

فأين ضياءٌ ساطعٌ من ظلامِهِ

وأين سماءٌ من حضيض رَغامِ

Where is the shining light from its darkness?

And where is the sky from the lowly sands?

فللّه أيّامٌ مضين وأنتُمُ

تخوضون فيها الخيلَ لُجَّ قَتامِ

By Allah, there were days past when you

Plunged your horses into the pitch darkness

وللخيلِ إمّا بالجسومِ طريحةً

عِثارٌ وإمّا بالصّعيدِ بهامِ

And for the horses there’s either tripping with bodies

Or slipping in the dusty earth

وما إنْ ترى في ذلك الحين آمراً

مطاعاً سوى رمِحٍ وحدِّ حُسامِ

And you see no obeyed commander in that time

Other than a spear and the edge of a sword

ولمّا أردتمْ فصلَ ما كان مُلبِساً

ضربتمْ لُهاماً في الورى بلُهامِ

And when you wanted to resolve the ambiguity

You struck with pure white swords in the creation

وما زلتُمُ حتى أخذتمْ تراثَكم

وأنتمْ كرامٌ من أكفّ لئامِ

And you did not stop until you reclaimed your inheritance

While you are generous, not vile misers

وَطارَ الّذي لا خيرَ فيه كأنّه

عقيبَ اِنبلاجِ الصّبح طيفُ مَنامِ

And he who is no good flew away like

An apparition after the dawn's emergence

وحقُّكُمُ في النّاس ما كان خافياً

ولكنْ تغابٍ دونه وتَعامِ

Your right among the people was hidden

Though not absent, merely concealed

وفُزتُم به من غير أنْ تتدنّسوا

بعارٍ وأنْ تُقْذَوْا عليه بذامِ

You won it without being disgraced

Or fight over it with the insignificant

فللّه ما قاسيتُمُ من شديدةٍ

وداويتُمُ في اللَّه أيّ سَقامِ

By Allah, the immense hardships you endured

And in Allah you cured every disease

وعرّضتُمُ أجلادكمْ في حفيظةٍ

لكلِّ كُلومٍ صَعْبةٍ وكَلامِ

You exposed your bodies to harm

To every frowning face and harsh word

وحُمِّلْتُمُ الأعباءَ وهي ثقيلةٌ

وكم من ثقيلٍ فوق ثِقْلِ سِلامِ

You carried heavy burdens steadily

Though many heavier than tranquil peace

وإنْ كنتُمُ عُرِّيتُمُ من مقامكمْ

زماناً فكم صُدَّ الضُّحى بظلامِ

And if you were evicted from your positions

For a time, how often the dawn is veiled in darkness!

فَواديكمُ والحمدُ للّه مُفْهقٌ

من العزّ فينا والبحورُ طوامِ

Your valley, praise to Allah, is a refuge

For our glory, and the seas are surging

وأنتمْ كما شئتُمْ وشاء وليُّكمْ

ودمعُ الّذي يُشجى بذلك هامِ

You are as you wish, as your Guardian wished

And the tears of those who mourn this flow

وبالقائمِ الماضي الشّبا قامتِ العُلا

وهبّتْ عيونٌ بعد طول مَنامِ

With the arising of the past and future imam

The heights rose after a long sleep

ولولاه كنّا مثلَ نَهْبٍ مقسَّمٍ

وَلَيسَ لَنا في ذي الأذيّة حامِ

And were it not for him, we would be

Like divided war booty, with no protector against the unjust

هَنيئاً بِهَذا العيد يا خيرَ مفطرٍ

كما كنتَ عصرَ اليومِ خيرَ صيامِ

Congratulations on this feast, O best of those who break fast

Just as you were the best to fast in the day

فإنْ تركوا مآكلاً ومشارباً

فإنّك ترّاكٌ لكلّ حَرامِ

If they have abandoned food and drink

You are the most ascetic of all prohibitions

وإنْ جانبوا بعضَ الأثامِ تورُّعاً

فَأنتَ الّذي جانبتَ كلَّ أَثامِ

If they shun some sins reverently

You are the one who shunned all iniquities

وَإِنْ خَشَع الأقوامُ يوماً لربّهم

فأين خشوعٌ من خشوع شَمامِ

And if the people humbled themselves to their Lord one day

Where is the humility like your humility?

فلا زلتَ طلّاعاً لكلِّ ثنيَّةٍ

من العمرِ سبّاقاً لكلّ حِمامِ

You never ceased rising to every twist and turn

Of life, preceding all to the basin

وإن لم يدمْ شيءٌ فمُتّعتَ بالّذي

به أنتَ مشغوفٌ بكلّ دوامِ

And if nothing remains, you are pleased with that

By which you are passionate, always persisting

وبُلّغتَ من ذُخرِ النُّبُوّةِ كلّما

تُرامِي وعنه بالنّضالِ تُحامي

You have delivered all the treasures of prophecy

Stretching to reach them and guarding them in struggle

فبشّرْ بوالي العهدِ قومَك عاجلاً

فَلا طَرْفَ إلّا نَحو ذلك سامِ

So deliver good tidings to your people of the heir apparent

Let no eye turn except to that with joy

وَلا اِجتازَ ثَلْمٌ لم تَرِدْهُ بريبةٍ

ولا مرّ نقصٌ محتوٍ بتمامِ

No blemish passed which you did not heal perfectly

No deficiency passed enveloped in completeness

وَلا اِعتلَّ شيءٌ كان فيك مُصحَّحاً

ولا اِنحلَّ منكَ الدَّهرَ سلكُ نظامِ

Nothing faltered that you had corrected

No organization fell from you into disorder

وإنْ أجدبتْ أجراعُ قومٍ فلا يزلْ

جنابُك ممطوراً بكلّ غَمامِ

And if the vessels of a people dried up

Your side is still clouded with every cloud

فَلا تَحفِلَن إلّا بما أنا قائلٌ

ولا تسعمنْ في المدحِ غير كلامي

So pay me no heed except what I say

And do not wander beyond my words of praise

ونُصحُكمُ فرضٌ فدونك قولةً

حططتُ لها حتّى أقولَ لِثامي

Advising you is an obligation, so hear me say

I have prepared these words to recite my wrap

لَقَد ظَفِرت أيّامُكُم بِمُحمَّدٍ

بماضٍ حديدِ الغَرْب غيرِ كَهامِ

Your days have triumphed with Muhammad

The west-piercer whose past is not insignificant

فخدمتُهُ أغنتكُمُ وهو واحدٌ

وكم واحدٍ أغنى غَناءَ أنامِ

I served him, and that enriched you, while he was but one

And how many a one enriched the sleep of slumberers!

فضمّا عَليه باليدين فإنّه

مَلِيٌّ كَما نهوى بكلِّ مَرامِ

So hold fast to him, for he

Is dear, as we desire in every endeavor

وَليسَ سعودُ المرء إلّا رضاكُمُ

وإنْ لم يَطُفْ منكمْ برَبْعِ مَلامِ

And man cannot succeed except by your pleasure

Even if he does not gain a hint of blame from you

خدمتُكمُ والرَّأسُ منّيَ فاحمٌ

وها الرّأسُ مُبَيضُّ الذُّرا كثَغامِ

I served you while my head was humble

Yet here is my head, with hair white like pebbles

وَلَم تَظفروا منّي بِهَفوةِ عامدٍ

تطأطئُ رأسي أو تجرّ مَلامي

And you gained no intentional error from me

To bow my head, or drag my wrap

فمَغْنىً جفوتمْ لا وطأتُ تُرابه

ولا ضُربتْ يوماً عليه خيامي

You neglected me, but I never stepped on soil

Nor did I ever pitch my tents upon it

وما لِيَ تعريجٌ بغير شعابكمْ

ووادٍ حللتمْ فيه دارُ مقامي

I have no wandering except to your valleys

And no abode where you made my dwelling place

وعنكمْ ضرابي او طعانِيَ في العِدا

وفيكمْ جِدالي كلُّه وخصامي

From you is my striking or stabbing an enemy

In you lies all my contention and dispute

فلا زلتُ موقوفَ الغرامِ عليكمُ

إلى أنْ أَزورَ تربتي بحِمامي

I am still enamored with love for you

Until I bury my body with my tent pegs

وعَقْرُكمُ لا كان منه ترحُّلِي

ودرُّكُمُ لا كان منه فطامي

Your estrangement never caused me to wander

Nor your nearness ever caused me to wean

وإنِّيَ منكمْ وُصْلَةً وولادَةً

وفي حبّكمْ لا زلت عنه مسامي

I am connected to you in birth and descent

And in love of you I persist eternally

وسِيطَ بلحمي وُدُّكمْ ثمّ رُوِّيَتْ

عظامِيَ منه وهي غيرُ عظامي

Your affection infiltrated my flesh

Then my bones were saturated – but not my bones

وذكرُكُمُ زادي وقوتِيَ في الورى

ومثلُ شرابي طعمُهُ وطعامي

Remembrance of you is my provision and livelihood in life

And like my drink and food in flavor and substance