أَجَل أَيُّها الرَبعُ الَّذي خَفَّ آهِلُه
لَقَد أَدرَكَت فيكَ النَوى ما تُحاوِلُه
O quarter that has faded and its inhabitants have gone
In you, purpose found what it seeks
وَقَفتُ وَأَحشائي مَنازِلُ لِلأَسى
بِهِ وَهوَ قَفرٌ قَد تَعَفَّت مَنازِلُه
I stood still while my insides were homes to sorrow
For it while it was desolate with its homes collapsing
أُسائِلُكُم ما بالُهُ حَكَمَ البِلى
عَلَيهِ وَإِلّا فَاِترُكوني أُسائِلُه
I ask you why decay has ruled over it
Else leave me be asking it
لَقَد أَحسَنَ الدَمعُ المُحاماةَ بَعدَما
أَساءَ الأَسى إِذ جاوَرَ القَلبَ داخِلُه
Indeed, after wrongdoing dwelled inside the heart
Tears defended well
دَعا شَوقُهُ يا ناصِرَ الشَوقِ دَعوَةً
فَلَبّاهُ طَلُّ الدَمعِ يَجري وَوابِلُه
Its longing called, O fulfiller of longing, a call
So the downpour of tears responded profusely
بِيَومٍ تُريكَ المَوتَ في صورَةِ النَوى
أَواخِرُهُ مِن حَسرَةٍ وَأَوائِلُه
A day you will see death in the form of purpose
Its latter fraught with regret and its beginning
وَقَفنا عَلى جَمرِ الوَداعِ عَشِيَّةً
وَلا قَلبَ إِلّا وَهوَ تَغلي مَراجِلُه
We stood on the embers of farewell one evening
With every heart boiling and its pots
وَفي الكِلَّةِ الصَفراءِ جُؤذَرُ رَملَةٍ
غَدا مُستَقِلّاً وَالفِراقُ مُعادِلُه
Our she-camels, we have saddened them by our worries
Until we thought they were his she-camels
تَيَقَّنتُ أَنَّ البَينَ أَوَّلُ فاتِكٍ
بِهِ مُذ رَأَيتُ الهَجرَ وَهوَ يُغازِلُه
When the night takes off its dress, you see them
Responding with their saddlebags from every side
يُعَنِّفُني أَن ضِقتُ ذَرعاً بِنَأيِهِ
وَيَجزَعُ أَن ضاقَت عَلَيهِ خَلاخِلُهُ
To the pole of life, who if I praised people for his virtues
Their palms would not encompass his merits
أَتَتكَ أَميرَ المُؤمِنينَ وَقَد أَتى
عَلَيها المَلا أَدماثُهُ وَجَراوِلُه
Of might, benevolence, generosity and piety
Are dependants whose provisions are his traits
وَصَلنَ السُرى بِالوَخدِ في كُلِّ صَحصَحٍ
وَبِالسُهُدِ المَوصولِ وَالنَومُ خاذِلُه
Remove the darkness of injustice from the face of a nation
Lit for it by the setting star of truth
رَواحِلُنا قَد بَزَّنا الهَمُّ أَمرَها
إِلى أَن حَسِبنا أَنَّهُنَّ رَواحِلُه
The caliphate sought refuge in his steadfastness and gathered
Around its bosom his spears and swords
إِذا خَلَعَ اللَيلُ النَهارَ رَأَيتَها
بِإِرقالِها مِن كُلِّ وَجهٍ تُقابِلُه
She came to him providing while it was as though
She had been corresponding with him before undoubtedly
إِلى قُطُبِ الدُنيا الَّذي لَو بِفَضلِهِ
مَدَحتُ بَني الدُنيا كَفَتهُم فَضائِلُه
With al-Mu'tasim billah, through whom the bonds of religion were protected
And its means converged around him
مَنِ البَأسُ وَالمَعروفُ وَالجودُ وَالتُقى
عِيالٌ عَلَيهِ رِزقُهُنَّ شَمائِلُه
God cared through him for the subjects with mercy
Whose worldliness does not make it abandon him
جَلا ظُلُماتِ الظُلمِ عَن وَجهِ أُمَّةٍ
أَضاءَ لَها مِن كَوكَبِ الحَقِّ آفِلهُ
So they became in the morning, with their hearts pouring unto him
And his mercy pouring upon them, its reach
وَلاذَت بِحُقوَيهِ الخِلافَةُ وَاِلتَقَت
عَلى خِدرِها أَرماحُهُ وَمَناصِلُه
He stood up so justice stood up in every town
As an orator, and kingship's knot was untied
أَتَتهُ مُغِذّاً قَد أَتاها كَأَنَّها
وَلا شَكَّ كانَت قَبلَ ذاكَ تُراسِلُه
He unsheathed the sword of truth until it was as though
Its scabbard was soft iron and its straps
بِمُعتَصِمٍ بِاللَهِ قَد عُصِمَت بِهِ
عُرى الدينِ وَاِلتَفَّت عَلَيها وَسائِلُه
We approved despite the nights his rule
And is there one to repeal what the Lord of the Throne decrees?
رَعى اللَهُ فيهِ لِلرَعِيَّةِ رَأفَةً
تُزايِلُهُ الدُنيا وَلَيسَت تُزايِلُه
Indeed, the time has come for one to guide his unsullied heart
To the edge of a blade in God's hand, its worker
فَأَضحَوا وَقَد فاضَت إِلَيهِ قُلوبُهُم
وَرَحمَتُهُ فيهِم تَفيضُ وَنائِلُه
And how many covenant-breakers whose hopes
Were ruined by it and whose falsehood for your truth was demolished
وَقامَ فَقامَ العَدلُ في كُلِّ بَلدَةٍ
خَطيباً وَأَضحى المُلكُ قَد شَقَّ بازِلُه
You enabled him from your mercy's breadth forgiveness
And pardon when your fighter enabled you to fight him
وَجَرَّدَ سَيفَ الحَقِّ حَتّى كَأَنَّهُ
مِنَ السَلِّ مودٍ غِمدُهُ وَحَمائِلُه
And acknowledging the sin clothed his soul
And his body when his tribes did not clothe him
رَضينا عَلى رَغمِ اللَيالي بِحُكمِهِ
وَهَل دافِعٌ أَمراً وَذو العَرشِ قائِلُه
When a betrayer seeks betrayal through betrayal
It is right that his dishonorable acts shame him
لَقَد حانَ مَن يُهدي سُوَيداءَ قَلبِهِ
لِحَدِّ سِنانٍ في يَدِ اللَهِ عامِلُه
If he undertakes travels, then white tombs
And waterways of death are his destinations
وَكَم ناكِثٍ لِلعَهدِ قَد نَكَثَت بِهِ
أَمانيهِ وَاِستَخذى لِحَقِّكَ باطِلُه
And if he builds walls against himself
Then those are his shackles, not his strongholds
فَأَمكَنتَهُ مِن رُمَّةِ العَفوِ رَأفَةً
وَمَغفِرَةً إِذ أَمكَنَتكَ مَقاتِلُه
Unless make him know you are angry
And leave him be, for fear is undoubtedly his killer
وَحاطَ لَهُ الإِقرارُ بِالذَنبِ روحَهُ
وَجُثمانَهُ إِذ لَم تَحُطهُ قَبائِلُه
Through Abu Ishaq's prosperity, the Almighty's hand reached long
And the channel of religion stood up, its shoulder strengthened
إِذا مارِقٌ بِالغَدرِ حاوَلَ غَدرَةً
فَذاكَ حَرِيٌّ أَن تَئيمَ حَلائِلُه
He is a sea, whichever coast you come to him from
Its shores are benevolence and generosity
فَإِن باشَرَ الإِصحارَ فَالبيضُ وَالقَنا
قِراهُ وَأَحواضُ المَنايا مَناهِلُه
He grew accustomed to extending his palm until if
He folded it for clasping, his fingers would not respond to him
وَإِن يَبنِ حيطاناً عَلَيهِ فَإِنَّما
أُولَئِكَ عُقّالاتُهُ لا مَعاقِلُه
If there was nothing in his palm but his soul
He would give it generously, so let its asker beware of God
وَإِلّا فَأَعلِمهُ بِأَنَّكَ ساخِطٌ
وَدَعهُ فَإِنَّ الخَوفَ لا شَكَّ قاتِلُه
A bestowal, if the one made bashful by it could avoid it
He would become, among people, one who blames him
بِيُمنِ أَبي إِسحاقَ طالَت يَدُ العُلى
وَقامَت قَناةُ الدينِ وَاِشتَدَّ كاهِلُه
When a hopeful person designates its plenty as his wishes
His gifts until his hopeful one becomes hopeful
هُوَ اليَمُّ مِن أَيِّ النَواحي أَتَيتَهُ
فَلُجَّتُهُ المَعروفُ وَالجودُ ساحِلُه
Distractions that stir the heart, if not for their connection
To the merit of defending God, their whisperer allures him
تَعَوَّدَ بَسطَ الكَفِّ حَتّى لَو أَنَّهُ
ثَناها لِقَبضٍ لَم تُجِبهُ أَنامِلُه
The imam of guidance and the son of guidance, what felicity
Which the ode hastened unto you and its sayer
وَلَو لَم يَكُن في كَفِّهِ غَيرُ روحِهِ
لَجادَ بِها فَليَتَّقِ اللَهَ سائِلُه
Your hope for the usurper is readily ample wealth
And the first day of meeting you is its fulfiller
عَطاءٌ لَوِ اِسطاعَ الَّذي يَستَميحُهُ
لَأَصبَحَ مِن بَينِ الوَرى وَهوَ عاذِلُه
إِذا آمِلٌ ساماهُ قَرطَسَ في المُنى
مَواهِبَهُ حَتّى يُؤَمِّلَ آمِلُه
لُهىً تَستَثيرُ القَلبَ لَولا اِتِّصالُها
بِحُسنِ دِفاعِ اللَهِ وُسوِسَ سائِلُه
إِمامَ الهُدى وَاِبنَ الهُدى أَيُّ فَرحَةٍ
تَعَجَّلَها فيكَ القَريضُ وَقائِلُه
رَجاؤُكَ لِلباغي الغِنى عاجِلُ الغِنى
وَأَوَّلُ يَومٍ مِن لِقائِكَ آجِلُه
