لولا ظُبىً تنسلُّ من لحَظاتِه

لجنيتُ ورداً لاحَ في وجَناتِه

Had it not been for the gazelle gliding through moments

I would have plucked roses shining in its thickets

ظبيٌ تحمّل خصره من ردْفِه

خطَراً إذا ما اختالَ في خُطُواتِه

A gazelle bearing its waist with its saddlecloth

Dangerous when its steps waver

أجني العيونَ جليَّ نورِ جبينهِ

وجنى بمنعِ جنيِّ نورِ لِثاتِه

I avert my eyes from the obvious light of its forehead

And the harvest of the light of its soft mouth

قلبي فيسرةُ ليثِ طرْفٍ فاترٍ

لا يتّقي الهجَماتِ من أجَماتِه

My heart is the left side of a slack-eyed lion

Who doesn’t fear attacks from its opponents

يا أهلَ رامةَ ما ريمكُمُ عَدا

في فتْكةٍ بالأسْدِ عن عاداتِه

O people of Ramah, who reproached you

For the killing of the lion contrary to its nature?

أقطعْتُهُ قلبي فقطّعه أسًى

فعلامَ يُتلِفُ ذاتَه بأداتِه

I gave it my heart so it ripped it apart

Why then does it mend itself with its tools?

ومعرّضٍ للسومِ فيهِ سفاهةً

حرُّ الكلومِ ألذّ من كلِماتِه

And exposing itself to poisoning in it is foolishness

The hottest coals are smoother than its talk

كاتمتُه وجدي فعبّر ناظري

عن سرّ ما ألقاهُ من عبَراتِه

I concealed my passion but my looks

Expressed the secret of what it evoked from me

ولكَمْ نَهى عنّي النُهى فعصيتُه

ورِضيْتُ بيعَ النفسِ في مَرْضاتِه

How often did it forbid me but I disobeyed

Content to sell my soul to its desires

ولقد عدِمْتُ العيشَ لما هالَني

بدرٌ حُدوجُ العيسِ من هالاتِه

And indeed I missed living because of

The full moon of the Staunch's nobility in its haloes

فليَ الغرام وللإمامِ المُرتَجى

مجدٌ عقودُ الحمدِ في لبّاتِه

So passion is mine and glory is for the Imam

Whose praise encompasses its corners

يقظٌ أضاءَ بقلبِه نورُ الهُدى

فكأنّه النبراسُ في مِشكاتِه

Awake, its heart illuminated the light of guidance

As if it were the lantern in its niche

ومحبِّر الألفاظِ يكسو طُرْسَهُ

وشياً صفاتُ الروضِ دون صفاتِه

The embroiderer of words adorns its manuscript

With the attributes of a garden minus its attributes

ربضَ ابنُ حُجْرٍ حَجْرةً عن شأوِه

واغتالَ غَيْلاناً مدى غاياتِه

The son of Hujar crouched in his shyness

And assassinated passions to their farthest goals

أبداً روّيتُه بديهتُهُ فما

يلقاكَ لولا حِلمُه بأناتِه

I have always seen his innate talent so

You cannot meet him but for his patience with people

وموطّأ الأكنافِ قد نسجَ التُقى

ثوباً فأفرَغَهُ على جَنَباتِه

With shoulders spread wide it wove piety

Into a garment it draped over its sides

يا حافظاً يُطْوى صباحُ علومِه

ما مدّ ليلُ الجهلِ من ظُلُماتِه

O you whose morning of knowledge is folded

Before the night of ignorance can spread its darkness

ولئن عدا من عادةٍ محمودةٍ

من أخذِنا للقوتِ في أوقاتِه

If it occasionally diverges from a praiseworthy custom

By providing for us during hard times

واغتالَ بالجدْبِ الغلالَ وخالَنا

إن غلّ نَلبسُهُ على علاّتِه

And if drought ruins the crops leaving us

When the garment of dearth wraps its height

فمليكُه المرهوب يُعدِمه ندىً

فيعودُ حيّ العَود بعدَ مماتِه

Then its revered king executes it, destroying it

But it comes back to life after its death

لا غرْوَ إن صلُحَ الزمانُ بصالحٍ

أفعالُه غُرَرٌ على جَبهاتِه

No wonder if the times improve with a reformer

Whose deeds are assumed to be on its forehead

ملكٌ لو انّ اللهَ قدّم عصرَهُ

لأتى به القرآنُ في آياتِه

A king - if only God had brought forth his time

The Quran would have mentioned him in its verses

كالغيثِ في إروائه ورَوائِه

والليثِ في وثَباتِه وثَباته

Like rain in how it waters and nurtures us

And a lion in its pouncing and steadfastness

ذو راحةٍ وكفتْ ندىً وكفتْ ردًى

فقضَتْ بهُلْكِ عِداتِه وعُداتِه

With tranquility it curbed malice and cured harm

Fulfilling the destruction of its enemies and foes

زهرتْ نجومُ السعدِ عن آرائه

وسطَتْ جيوشُ النصرِ عن راياتِه

The stars of fortune blossomed from its opinions

And the armies of victory hovered around its banners

فرعٌ فالمُجتَلى المُجتَنى

من حُسنِه يحظى ومن ثَمَراتِه

A branch - so the well-pruned and picked from

Gains and fruits and is endowed

ألِفَتْ خزائنُ مالِه من جُودِه

ما تألفُ الأعداءُ من فَتَكاتِه

The treasuries of its money were brought together by its generosity

As enemies are brought together by its violence

يا ماجداً يطوى بشارقِ عدلِه

ما مدّ ليلُ الجهلِ من ظُلُماتِه

O Majid! The dawn of its justice folds up

Whatever night the ignorance spreads in its darkness

إنّا حمِدْنا الدهرَ منكَ ولم نكُنْ

لنذُمّ دهراً أنت من حسَناتِه

We have praised fate because of you and have not

Reviled a fate of which you are one of its best features

اهنأ بعيدٍ أنت معنى لفظِه

فيكَ اكتَسى مُستَحْسَناتِ صِفاتِه

Congratulations on an Eid of which you are the meaning

Its excellent qualities have been adorned by your attributes

فإذا سمعتَ بقائلٍ سمعَ الحَيا

بنوالِه نبِّهْهُ عن غَفَلاتِه

So if you hear a speaker whose talk enlivens the living

Remind him of his negligence and heedlessness

أترى سحابَ الجودِ أقْشَعَ مانعاً

هيهاتَ ليس المَنْعُ من آلاتِه

Do you see the clouds of generosity avariciously holding back?

Impossible! Preventing is not among its tools

أبَتِ المكارمُ أن يضنّ بمشْربٍ

أن غرّقَ الثَقَلينِ بحرُ هِباتِه

The virtues have refused to stint on a sea

Whose downpour drowned both worlds in its gift

ما أنجحَ الآمالَ عند مظفّرٍ

ظفِرَتْ لديه بشافعٍ من ذاتِه

No hopes have succeeded with Muzaffar

As they succeeded with an intercessor from its essence

فاسْلَمْ لتفريقِ النوالِ مضاعِفاً

فينا وجمعِ الحمدِ بعد شَتاتِه

So submit to the separation of bounty multiplied

Among us and the gathering of praise after its dispersion