غَدا المُلكُ مَعمورَ الحِمى وَالمَنازِلِ
مُنَوِّرَ وَحفِ الرَوضِ عَذبَ المَناهِلِ
The land flourished with mansions and homes
Illuminated, its meadows refreshed with sweet springs
بِمُعتَصِمٍ بِاللَهِ أَصبَحَ مَلجَأً
وَمُعتَصَماً حِرزاً لِكُلِّ مُوائِلِ
With al-Mu'tasim Bi'llah it found refuge
And protection, a haven for all seekers
لَقَد أَلبَسَ اللَهُ الإِمامَ فَضائِلاً
وَتابَعَ فيها بِاللُهى وَالفَواضِلِ
God adorned the Imam with virtues
Continuously granting him glory and grace
فَأَضحَت عَطاياهُ نَوازِعَ شُرَّداً
تُسائِلُ في الآفاقِ عَن كُلِّ سائِلِ
His gifts urged away the ones gone astray
Seeking throughout the horizons every asker
مَواهِبُ جُدنَ الأَرضَ حَتّى كَأَنَّما
أَخَذنَ بِآدابِ السَحابِ الهَواطِلِ
Gifts saturating the earth’s expanse as though
They had taken to the ways of pouring rainclouds
إِذا كانَ فَخراً لِلمُمَدَّحِ وَصفُهُ
بِيَومِ عِقابٍ أَو نَدىً مِنهُ هامِلِ
If his virtues make him proud on a day
Of wrath or a downpour of gifts to him inclining
فَكَم لَحظَةٍ أَهدَيتَها لِاِبنِ نَكبَةٍ
فَأَصبَحَ مِنها ذا عِقابٍ وَنائِلِ
How many moments you gifted one fallen from grace
And he became, due to them, wrathful and attaining
شَهِدتُ أَميرَ المُؤمِنينَ شَهادَةً
كَثيرٌ ذَوو تَصديقِها في المَحافِلِ
I bear witness the Commander of Believers bore witness
With many others corroborating in gatherings
لَقَد لَبِسَ الأَفشينُ قَسطَلَةَ الوَغى
مِحَشّاً بِنَصلِ السَيفِ غَيرَ مُواكِلِ
The Fearless One wore the coat of turmoil
Girt with the sword’s blade, no requiter relenting
وَسارَت بِهِ بَينَ القَنابِلِ وَالقَنا
عَزائِمُ كانَت كَالقَنا وَالقَنابِلِ
He marched among cannons and cannonballs
With resolves like the cannons and cannonballs
وَجَرَّدَ مِن آرائِهِ حينَ أُضرِمَت
بِهِ الحَربُ حَدّاً مِثلَ حَدِّ المَناصِلِ
He shed from his principles when war
Lit against him, blades like unsheathed scimitars
رَأى بابَكٌ مِنهُ الَّتي لا شَوى لَها
فَتُرجى سِوى نَزعِ الشَوى وَالمَفاصِلِ
Baghdad saw in him what no cure can mend
Save extracting the diseased flesh and joints
تَراهُ إِلى الهَيجاءِ أَوَّلَ راكِبٍ
وَتَحتَ صَبيرِ المَوتِ أَوَّلَ نازِلِ
You see him the first rider to fierce frays
And the first to descend under death’s threshing sledge
تَسَربَلَ سِربالاً مِنَ الصَبرِ وَاِرتَدى
عَلَيهِ بعَضبٍ في الكَريهَةِ قاصِلِ
He cloaked himself in the garb of patience and donned
Over it coarse wool in detested tribulation
وَقَد ظُلِّلَت عِقبانُ أَعلامِهِ ضُحىً
بِعِقبانِ طَيرٍ في الدِماءِ نَواهِلِ
The staves of his standards were shaded at dawn
By the staves of birds dripping blood, extolling
أَقامَت مَعَ الراياتِ حَتّى كَأَنَّها
مِنَ الجَيشِ إِلّا أَنَّها لَم تُقاتِلِ
The standards remained with the army as though
They were the army, save they did no fighting
فَلَمّا رَآهُ الخُرَّمِيّونَ وَالقَنا
بِوَبلٍ أَعاليهِ مُغيثَ الأَسافِلِ
When the Khurramites and the cannons saw
Him lofty, savior of the lowly ranks
رَأَوا مِنهُ لَيثاً فَاِبذَعَرَّت حُماتُهُم
وَقَد حَكَمَت فيهِ حُماةُ العَوامِلِ
They saw in him a lion, and so their protective throngs
Fled, while the experienced read well the omens
عَشِيَّةَ صَدَّ البابَكِيُّ عَنِ القَنا
صُدودَ المُقالي لا صُدودَ المُجامِلِ
One evening he turned back the cannons, not with
Agreeable repulsions but true repulsions
تَحَدَّرَ مِن لِهبَيهِ يَرجو غَنيمَةً
بِساحَةِ لا الواني وَلا المُتَخاذِلِ
He descended, desiring spoils, to a field with
No flags, no cowardly, no weak submissive
فَكانَ كَشاةِ الرَملِ قَيَّضَهُ الرَدى
لِقانِصِهِ مِن قَبلِ نَصبِ الحَبائِلِ
So fate made him a victim for his foe
Before the entanglement could fully entwine him
وَفي سَنَةٍ قَد أَنفَدَ الدَهرُ عُظمَها
فَلَم يُرجَ مِنها مُفرَجٌ دونَ قابِلِ
In a year whose importance time had depleted
Leaving no solution but what fate dictated
فَكانَت كَنابٍ شارِفِ السِنِّ طَرَّقَت
بِسَقبٍ وَكانَت في مَخيلَةِ حائِلِ
It was like an aged camel, its spine cracked
By burdens, lost to the thoughts of stumblers
وَعاذَ بِإِطرافِ المَعاقِلِ مُعصِماً
وَأُنسِيَ أَنَّ اللَهَ فَوقَ المَعاقِلِ
He sought refuge in the extremities of citadels
Sheltering, reminded God rules o’er citadels
فَوَلّى وَما أَبقى الرَدى مِن حُماتِهِ
لَهُ غَيرَ أَسآرِ الرِماحِ الذَوابِلِ
He retreated, leaving the foe no remnant of his legions
Save the tips of spears, slender, finely tapered
أَما وَأَبيهِ وَهوَ مَن لا أَبا لَهُ
يُعَدُّ لَقَد أَمسى مُضيءَ المَقاتِلِ
But by his life, and he's one whose life is peerless!
He remains, in fact, illumined in battles
فُتوحُ أَميرِ المُؤمِنينَ تَفَتَّحَت
لَهُنَّ أَزاهيرُ الرُبا وَالخَمائِلِ
The conquests of the Commander shine as flowers
Of meadows and gardens begin to bloom and unfurl
وَعاداتُ نَصرٍ لَم تَزَل تَستَعيدُها
عِصابَةُ حَقٍّ في عِصابَةِ باطِلِ
And ways of aid cease not to be restored
By the party of truth against the party of falsehood
وَما هُوَ إِلّا الوَحيُ أَو حَدُّ مُرهَفٍ
تُميلُ ظُباهُ أَخدَعَي كُلِّ مائِلِ
It is either revelation or the edge of a piercing wit
Whose subtlety sways those tilted in their leaning
فَهَذا دَواءُ الداءِ مِن كُلِّ عالِمٍ
وَهَذا دَواءُ الداءِ مِن كُلِّ جاهِلِ
And here is the cure for the disease, from every fool
O you slumbering, ignoring guidance’s path
فَيَأَيُّها النُوّامُ عَن رَيِّقِ الهُدى
وَقَد جادَكُم مِن ديمَةٍ بَعدَ وابِلِ
After a downpour, will you not rouse from sleep?
It is truth! If you wake you gain, but if unaware,
هُوَ الحَقُّ إِن تَستَيقِظوا فيهِ تَغنَموا
وَإِن تَغفُلوا فَالسَيفُ لَيسَ بِغافِلِ
The sword will not be unaware, nor be sleeping
