Sol 5.6

  1. I yearn for Baghdad, and longing leaves me restless,

    that I may lay my bare cheek in al-Mahdi’s courtyard—

  2. scion of al-Rifa‘i, the Imam, the sanctuary’s valiant champion,

    Imam of the foremost saints, Abu al-Yad.

  3. I glory in al-Mahdi—and God is my witness—

    and in Sayyid al-Hajjaj; for glory belongs to the servant.

  4. To him I belong, deep within the folds of my being; indeed, I

    sipped his noble wine while still in my cradle.

  5. He is the Ghawth and the rain—the pouring rain—and for guidance

    my spirit attends him, whether near or far.

  6. At every calamity, the inward secret beholds issuing from him

    the Indian saber’s sweep, severing dire calamities.

  7. Chief of the sanctuary, al-Rawwas—if I trace his lineage,

    his father is my father, O Mayy—nay, his grandfather is mine.

  8. Upon his spirit be peace from me; around it gather

    love’s manifold favors, fragrant with musk and aloeswood.

Sol 5.6