تَذَكَّر أَميرَ اللَهِ وَالعَهدُ يُذكَرُ

مَقامي وَإِنشاديكَ وَالناسُ حُضَّرُ

Remember the Prince of God, and let the covenant be remembered,

Remember, O Prince of God—for old pledges are meant to be recalled—

My ode and my singing to you, while people gather,

My standing before you, reciting verse while the gathered crowds bore witness,

وَنَثري عَلَيكَ الدُرَّ يا دُرَّ هاشِمٍ

فَيا مَن رَأى دُرّاً عَلى الدُرِّ يُنثَرُ

And I strew pearls upon you, O pearl of Hashim,

And how I scattered pearls of praise upon you, O Pearl of Hashim;

So one who saw a pearl strewn upon a pearl,

For who has ever seen pearls scattered upon a Pearl before?

أَبوكَ الَّذي لَم يَملِكِ الأَرضَ مِثلَهُ

وَعَمُّكَ موسى صِنوُهُ المُتَحَيِّرُ

Your father, who none ruled the land like him,

Your father, the likes of whom the earth has never known as sovereign,

And your uncle Musa, his glory bewildered,

And your uncle Musa, his peerless twin in glory;

وَجَدّاكَ مَهدِيُّ الهُدى وَشَقيقُهُ

أَبو أُمِّكَ الأَدنى أَبو الفَضلِ جَعفَرُ

Made you the Guided Mahdi and his brother,

Your grandfathers: Al-Mahdi, the guide of righteousness, and his brother,

The father of your mother, the younger, Abu Al Fadl Ja'far,

Your mother's closest kin, Abu al-Fadl Ja'far.

وَما مِثلُ مَنصوريكَ مَنصورِ هاشِمٍ

وَمَنصورِ قَحطانٍ إِذا عُدَّ مَفخَرُ

And none like your supporter Mansur of Hashim,

And none compare to your two Mansours: the Mansour of Hashim,

And Mansur of Qahtan, if his glories are recounted,

And the Mansour of Qahtan, when boasts of lineage are tallied.

فَمَن ذا الَّذي يَرمي بِسَهمَيكَ في الوَرى

وَعَبدُ مُنافٍ والِداكَ وَحِميَرُ

So who is it that can shoot arrows at you in the land,

Who among mankind can strike with two arrows such as yours,

The servant of Manaf, your fathers, and Khumayr,

When both Abd Manaf and Himyar claim you as their son?

تَحَسَّنَتِ الدُنيا بِوَجهِ خَليفَةٍ

هُوَ الصُبحُ إِلّا أَنَّهُ الدَهرَ مُسفِرُ

The world was beautified by the face of a caliph,

The world has been beautified by the face of a Caliph,

He is the dawn, except that he is eternally radiant,

Who is the very Morning, save that his light shines eternally.

إِمامٌ يَسوسُ المُلكَ تِسعينَ حِجَّةً

عَلَيهِ لَهُ مِنهُ رِداءٌ وَمِئزَرُ

An imam who rules the kingdom for ninety arguments,

An Imam who shall govern the realm for ninety years,

For him, from him, is a cloak and waist wrapper,

Clothed in the mantle and raiment of absolute authority.

يُشيرُ إِلَيهِ الجودُ مِن وَجَناتِهِ

وَيَنظُرُ مِن أَعطافِهِ حينَ يَنظُرُ

Generosity gestures to him from its cheeks,

Generosity signals its presence from his very cheeks,

And looks from its sides when it looks,

And gazes forth from his bearing whenever he turns his gaze.

مَضَت لي شُهورٌ مُذ حَبِستُ ثَلاثَةٌ

كَأَنِّيَ قَد أَذنَبتُ ما لَيسَ يُغفَرُ

Months have passed for me, three are detained,

Three months have passed since I was cast into this confinement,

As if I had sinned what cannot be forgiven,

As though I had committed a sin that can never be forgiven.

فَإِن كُنتُ لَم أُذنِب فَفيمَ حَبَستَني

وَإِن كُنتُ ذا ذَنبٍ فَعَفوُكَ أَكبَرُ

If I had not sinned, why did you detain me?

If I am innocent of sin, for what cause do you hold me?

And if I had sinned, your pardon is greater.

And if I am indeed guilty, surely your mercy is greater still.