أرْضَى بصورتهِ وصَدَّ فأغضَبَا

فغدا المحبُّ منعَّماً ومعذَّبا

He was pleased with his image and barred, so the lover became blissful yet tormented

O face of my beloved, you have blamed me

ياوجهَ من أهوى لقد أعْتَبتني

لو أن نائلَهُ الممنَّع أعتبا

If only the attainment of the unattainable would blame

A gazelle whose beauty Allah perfected

ظبيٌ كأنَّ اللَّه كمَّل حسنَهُ

ليغيظ سِرْباً أوْ يُكايدَ رَبْرَبَا

To anger a flock or plot against a doe

The wanton pimp when he simpers his movements captivate

خَنِث الدلال إذا تَبهنَس أوثَقَتْ

حركاتُه وإذ تكلَّم أطربا

And when he speaks he enraptures

With a beautiful image, sweet and fair in appearance

ذو صورةٍ تحلو وتَحْسُنُ منظراً

ومَراشفٍ تصفو وتعذب مشربا

And clear drink that purifies and gives pleasure

So when he appeared before the devout and pious

فإذا بدا للزَّاهدين ذوي التُّقَى

وَجَدَتْ هناك قلوبُهُمْ مُتَقلَّبا

Their hearts therein found perturbation

Wearing two charms to ward off

مُتَوَشِّحٌ بِمعَاذتين يخيفُهُ

ما لا يُخاف وقد سبى مَنْ قد سبى

That which he does not fear though he has captured whom he captured

Bearing arms for the eyes, not adorned

مُتَسَلِّحٌ للعين لا متزَيِّنٌ

إلا بما طبع الإله وركَّبا

Save by what Allah fashioned and assembled

He measured his clothes and jewelry against his face

قاس الملابِسَ والحُليَّ بوجهه

فرأى محاسن وجهه فتسلَّبا

And saw the beauty of his face excel them

That beauty enriched him beyond need of finery

أغناهُ ذاك الحسنُ عن تلك الحُلى

وكفاه ذاك الطِّيبُ أن يتطيَّبا

And that fragrance sufficed that he scent himself

So he went bare, but wears clothes

فغدا سليباً غير أن ملابساً

يَحْمينَه الأبصارَ أن يُتنَهَّبَا

To guard his beauty from being plundered

And protect him from the cold and heat of the air

ويقينَه بردَ الهواءِ وحرَّهُ

إن أصْرَدَ العَصْرَان أو إن ألهبا

Whether the twilight turns cool or grows hot

Clothes are worn to guard and veil

يُكْسَى الثياب صيانَةً وحجابةً

وهو الحقيق بأن يصان ويحجبا

While he in truth merits guarding and veiling

Like a green pearl whose color

كالدرَّة الزهراء ألبِسَ لونُها

صَدفاً يُغَارُ عليه كي لا يَشْحَبَا

Was cloaked in a shell, lest it fade

And of wonders that he appears protected

ومن العجائب أن يُرَى متعوِّذاً

من عين عاشِقِهِ أَلاَ فَتَعَجَّبَا

From the eye of his lover! Wonder at that!

Does he fear my eyes when I was killed by love of him?

أيخافُ عَيْنَيْ من قُتلْتُ بحبِّهِ

قَلَبَ الحديثَ كما اشتهى أن يُقْلَبَا

He inverted the tale as he wished to invert it

I met on his cheek a scorpion

لاقيت من صُدْغٍ عليه مُعَقْرَب

أفْعى تبرِّحُ بالفؤاد وعقربا

A viper that wounds my heart and a scorpion

Adorning him is the form of a claw, as though

يكسوهُ صورة مخلبٍ فكأنما

يُنْحي على كبدي وقلبي مخلبا

He slashes at my liver and heart with his claw

Verily, I wish for his likeness among creatures

إني لأرجو بالخليقةِ شِبْهَهُ

ممّا أحلَّ لنا الإله وطَيَّبَا

What Allah made lawful for us and purified

Or what you see of what Muhammad permitted

أو ما ترى فيما أباح محمدٌ

عما حماهُ من الخبائث مَرْغبا

And prohibited of foul things, seeking the pure

Especially since the Imam's piety and might were perfected

لا سيما وقد اكتهلت وقد تَرى

ورع الإمام وبأْسَهُ المتهيَّبا

The people's affairs ended according to their destiny

In the hand of one who protected, was generous, and disciplined

أضحتْ أمورُ الناسِ عند مصيرها

في كف من حامى وجاد وأدَّبَا

A religion whose path was made straight

And worldly livelihood paved for the people

ديناً تكهَّل فاسْتقام صِراطُه

ومَعَاشَ دنيا للأنام تسبَّبا

Allah is Greater, and the Prophet is Muhammad

And the son of the Caliph is victorious, he will not be defeated

اللَّه أكبرُ والنبيُّ محمدٌ

وابنُ الخليفةِ غالبٌ لن يُغلَبا

The Imam was granted after his enemy's destruction

A son who delighted the Imam and whom he begot

رُزق الإمامُ بِعَقْب هُلْكِ عدوِّهِ

ولداً أطاب به الإمام وأنجبا

His prophecy was true, and he succeeded, so his state proved false

The enemy perished, and the Imam endured and begot

صدقتْ بشارَتُهُ وأفلح فألُهُ

هَلَكَ العِدا ونجا الإمام وأَعقبا

He gave us hope anew, and dashed the deceiver

Who had long engaged in corruption and incited it

أحيا لنا أملاً وأردى مَارقاً

قد كان لفَّفَ للفساد وألَّبا

Still loving and obeying the Imam are his wont

He lives, and whoever opposes him finds fault

لا زال من والى الإمام وَوُدَّهُ

يحيا ومن عاداه يلقى معطبا

The Imam was granted with a son after his absence

Our springtime is settled, and our side prolific

للَّه من ولدٍ أتى وربيعُنا

مُسْتَحكمٌ وجَنَابُنَا قد أخصبا

Fate smiled at him the smile of one saying

Welcome O son of the Caliph, welcome!

ضحك الزمان إليه ضحْكَةَ قائلٍ

يا مرحباً بابن الخليفة مرحبا

So his birth was a harbinger, all of it

Foretelling victory, unmatched in being belied

فغدا ومولدُهُ بشيرٌ كلّهُ

بالنصر لم يكُ مثلُهُ لِيُكذَّبا

A mention that shone as if the brightness of his face

Was the Imam's view when the horizon lit up

ذكرٌ أغرّ كأنَّ غرة وجهِهِ

رَأْيُ الإمام إذا أضاء الغيهبا

His safety after birth guaranteed

Moon and sun financed him, and planet

ضمن النجابة عنه يومَ وِلادِهِ

قمرٌ وشمسٌ أدَّياهُ وكوكبَا

The Imam attained, though his journey was hard

A support to aid against adversities and carry burdens

وافى الإمام وقد أجدَّ رحيلُهُ

عَضُداً يعين على الخطوب ومنكبا

Truly, the herald spoke with his right hand

And perhaps the herald spoke eloquently

حقاً لقد نطقَ البشيرُ بيمنهِ

ولربما نطق البشير فأعربا

So excellence to you! I will not blame him, nor

Will I blame the oryx or the kicking mule

فألٌ لعمرك لم أَعِفْه ولم أَعِفْ

منه البريح ولا النَّطيحَ الأعضبا

I saw him the moon-like warbling in green

Pastures, ripe with produce, not dried-up

ورأيتُهُ القُمْرِيَّ غرّد في ذُرىً

خضراء يانِعَةِ الجنَى لا الأخطبا

None of the feet of kings were met like him

Except to rule East or West

ما قُوبلَتْ رِجَلُ الملوك بمثلهِ

إلا ليملك مشرقاً أو مغربا

So let the Imam resolve, for he

Has shaken the arrogant, brought low

فَلْيُمْضِ عزمَتَهُ الإمامُ فإنه

قد هزَّ منها مَشْرَفِيَّاً مِقْضَبَا

A king, when kings darken their path

In their kingdom, rode the paved road

فاليمنُ مقرونٌ به عونٌ له

ظِلٌّ عليه إذا الهَجيرُ تَلهَّبا

His height prevents him from seeming arrogant

And might protects him from appearing withdrawn

والليثُ في الهيجاء لابُس جُنَّةٍ

من نفسه تكفيه أن يتأهَّبا

We take from him a Hatim-like nobleman

And elicit from him a Hashimite, versatile

واللّه واقيهِ الردى ومُسَهِّلٌ

ما قد رجا ومذَلِّلٌ ما استصعبا

He trembles when he brandishes a soft spear

And if you clash, you clashed with one solid and stiff

هي فرصةٌ سنحت ونعمى أقبلت

وغنيمة أَزِفَتْ وصيد أَكثبا

His steps were still hoped for, for his chastity

And his refusal still anticipated

وافى هزبرٌ بالحديقة مِسْحَلاً

وأظلَّ صقرٌ بالبسيطة أرنبا

Pardoning is his nature, but he

Forgives when forgiving is best

وجد السنانُ منَ الطريدة مطعناً

ورأى الحسامُ من الضريبة مَضرِبا

So if a transgressor transgressed, his eye overlooked

His sin as if he had not sinned

لا يهلِكنَّ على الخليفة هالكٌ

قد أرْغَبَ الناسَ الإمامُ وأرهَبا

And if the treacherous persisted in their treachery

He severed the noses from the foreheads and frightened them

هو عَارِضٌ زَجلٌ فمن شاء الحيا

أرضى ومن شاء الصواعق أغضبا

I warn the ungrateful through him

And give good tidings through him to the free man, though needy

ملك إذا اعتسف الملوك طريقَهم

في ملكهم ركب الطريق السَّبسَبَا

O you who compose praise of the Imam and seek

The breaths of his attainment, you have gone astray

أعلاهُ طَوْلٌ أن يُرى متكبِّراً

وحماه عزٌّ أن يُرَى مُتَسَحِّبَا

An affliction from pouring rain befell you

And a cloud saw in affliction a downpour

نَمْتَاحُ منه حَاتميَّاً ماجداً

ونُثير منه هاشمياً قُلَّبَا

As for his enemies, they found no escape

While his hopefuls found their wish

يهتزُّ حينَ يُهزُّ لَدْناً ناعماً

وإذا قَرَعتَ قرعت صلداً صُلَّبَا

He sought the hand of the gentle in marriage and had he not

His virtues, the request would not be sought

ما زال قدماً عُرْفُهُ متوقَّعاً

لِعُفاته ونكيرُهُ مترقَّبا

He shot the necks of the traitors with his arrows

And their breastplates were the extent of survival, so did not avail

والعفوُ منه سجيةٌ لكنَّه

يعفو إذا ما العفو كان الأَصْوبا

Whenever God wills, he shortens a term

And when He ordains, He desires a consequence

فإذا جَنَى جانٍ تَغَاضَتْ عَيْنُهُ

عن ذنبه فكأنه ما أذنبا

And I say a guided word in his warning

That judges the case that will not be criticized

وإذا تتابع في الخيانة أهلُها

جَدع الأنُوف منَ الجباه فأَوْعبا

Our Imam's life will lengthen in bliss

Until he is accompanied by a retinue of his sons

فأنا النذير به لغامِطِ نعمة

وأنا البشير بِهِ لِحُرٍّ أجدبا

The reversal of his teknonym foretells

He will be seen as seventieth of seventy elders

يا ناظمي مِدَحَ الإمام وطالبي

نفحاتِ نائِلِه ذهبتم مذهبا

Until you see him in his sons enveloped

And he seems to wither on the hillsides enveloped

وافَى مَصابٌ من سَحَابٍ رِيَّهُ

ورأى سحابٌ في مَصَابٍ مَسْكَبا

Two heralds brought him news of five

God turned them to the concealed Imam

أمَّا عِداه فما أصابوا مَهْرَبا

ومؤمِّلوه فقد أصابوا مطلبا

That the Imam may see my speculation and joy

His servant has speculated and rejoiced

خطب السؤالَ إلى العُفاة ولم يكن

لو لا مكارمُه السؤال ليُخطبَا

I found many good omens for him

And did not, like others, shoo away the fox

ورمى نحور الخائنين بسهمهِ

وتِراسُهم قَدَرُ البقاءِ فما نبا

The Caliph's due is that I prolong his praise

But I was concise though inclined to babble

ومتى أراد اللَّهُ قصَّرَ مدةً

وإذا قضى فأراد أمراً عَقَّبا

His hands lengthened upon my tongue so it ceased

That eloquence, and I ceased though given to babble

وأقولُ قولَ مسدَّدٍ في زجرهِ

يقضي القضية لم يكن ليؤنَّبا

سيطول عمرُ إمامنا في غبطة

حتى يواكبَ من بنيه موكباً

مقلوبُ كنيتهِ يُخَبِّر أنه

سيُرى لسابِع سبعة غُرٍّ أبَا

حتى تراه في بنيه قد احتبى

فَيُخال يذبُلَ في الهضاب قد احتبى

ولقد أتاه مُبَشِّران بخمسةٍ

ردَّ الإلهُ على الإمام الغُيَّبا

ليرى الإمام تكهُّني وتَطَيُّبي

فلقد تكهَّن عبدُهُ وتطيَّبا

إني وجدت له فُؤُولاً جمَّةً

منه ولم أزجُر كغيري ثعلبا

حقُّ الخليفةِ أن أُطيلَ مديحَهُ

لكنني أوجزتُ لما أطنبا

طالت يداهُ على لساني فانتهتْ

تلك البلاغةُ فانتهَيْتُ وأَسْهَبا