إلام سهاد القلب والناس نوّم

ويهتزّ منه العطف إن قيل مريم

The heart's ardour slumbers though people sleep,

And when Mary is mentioned, tenderness tremors from it,

ومدمع عيني كلما رمت ردّه

يفيض على الخدين شوقا ويسجم

And whenever my eye's tear is held back,

It overflows with yearning on the cheeks engraving,

فهل لسهاد القلب نومٌ وهل له

سكون وهل للدمع رد محكم

Does the heart's ardour really sleep? And does it

Have tranquility? And do held back tears solidify?

بلى إن تكن بالرشف مريم أعرضت

بألحاظها المرضى وللصب ترجم

Yes, If with the sipping Mary has turned away,

With her afflicted glances, and to passion she interprets,

كتمت هواها كي يقال سلوتها

وهل يألف الكتمان صب متيم

She concealed her love so it would be said her craving has rested,

And does craving acquaintance concealment, o passionate lover?

ولي مهجة في النازعات وعبرة

من المرسلات ديمة بل وديم

And for me intimacy in "The Stormers", and a lesson,

From "The Sent Ones" lasting, rather persisting,

فما الودق إلا صبة من مدامعي

وما البرق إلا القلب إذ هو يضرم

Thus the drizzle is but a downpour of my tears,

And the lightning bolt but my heart when it blazes,

لقد اشعلت قلبا وفيه توطنت

فلله جنات حوتها جهنم

It ignited a heart in which it nested,

So upon it Allah's gardens that envelop hellfire,

وإن جلت في نظمي عليها تسرّعا

تناثر دمعي قبل ما لانظم ينظم

And if I hastened in my prose praising her,

My tears scatter before my rhyme schemes organize,

ولو جاءها خصم على مغرم له

لماد صريعا وانثنى وهو مغرم

And if an adversary of her lovesick came,

He would strike him dead and bend as he is perishing,

معاطفها قضب على صبح وجهها

غدائرها ليل تدجدج مظلم

Her touches are the Pleaides vis-á-vis the dawn of her face,

Her tresses are a dark night of utter darkness,

أما وحباب الثغر وهو مفلّح

وما هو إلا والجواهر توءم

As to the rosebud mouth and it is crimsoning,

And it is nothing but the gems are twinning,

وعطف كغصن البان هزّت له الصبا

بحقّف وألحاظ رنت وهي أسهم

And a flexion like a willow branch the zephyr shook for it,

With glances that chirped and they are arrows,

لفيك من الشمس المنيرة ضوؤها

وليس لها منك الحيا والتبسم

From the luminous sun is its illumination,

And from you is not livelihood and the smiling,

وللريم منك الجيد والعين والحشا

وليس لها منك الروادف والفم

And for the gazelle from you are the neck, eye, and cheek,

And from you are not the hillsides and the mouth,

إذا حدثت في تربة أو تنفّست

فهاروت أو مسك علاه التنسم

If she conversed in a plot of land or breathed in air,

It would be aromatic musk the breathing inhales,

رماني الهوى منها فهنت من اجله

وليس الهوى إلا الهوان المرخم

Passion cast me from her so I wavered because of it,

And passion is nothing but disgrace, humiliating,

وخوفني حتى انتهيت لما يشا

كما خاف مولاه الوليّ المعظم

And it frightened me until I ended up surrendered,

As her master, the mighty saint fearful,

حليف العلا ماء العيون من ارتقى

إلى المكرمات قبل ما هو يفطم

The witness to the Highest is the eyes' tears of one who rose,

To benevolence before he ceases suckling,

إليه انتهى التعليم والعلم كله

وما الناس إلا عالم ومعلم

To him achieved education and knowledge entirely,

And people are nothing but learned and teacher,

تقي همام موثق بعهوده

جواد كريم من كرام غطمطم

The ardent, dignified pilgrim to his pledges,

The generous, noble one from honorable noble chiefs,

بلى إنه البحر المحيط بفضله

ولكنّه اشهى مذاقا وأعظم

Yes, he is the all-encompassing sea in his virtues,

But it has the most delicious and greatest flavor,

وثج غيوث السحب إذ هي تراكمت

وليس لها منك العطا والتكرم

The cheering clouds rumbled when they accumulated,

And from you are not charity and generosity,

جنان نعيم في زهو لدى الهنا

ولكنه في البأس صبر جهنم

Gardens of bliss in splendor next to houris,

But in ordeal, patience of hellfire,

ولا غرو إن سلطت نقما على العدا

وجادت مع الرضوان لا غرو أنعم

No wonder to unleash vengeance on enemies,

And spend pleasurably, no wonder He who boons,

له خلق أزهى من الروض ضاحكا

وفهم لسحنون يلى هو أفهم

For him a nature more sprightly than the meadow smiling,

And an intellect solving even more comprehending than Luqman.

وسخط لو أن النحل ترعاه دائما

لمجّته من أفواهها وهو علقم

And wrath if the bees constantly herd,

They would have filled mouths with the wax from it and he bites not,

ولطف لو الأفعى حوته بدمها

لأصبح منها سكرا ذلك الدم

And a gentleness if the viper enveloped its blood,

It would have woken intoxicated by it- the blood certainly,

وعدل لو أن العاشقين احتموا به

لرد سهام الاعين النجل عنهم

And justice, if that lovers sought shelter through him,

He would have deflected glances' arrows from them,

وعزم يزيل الطود بعد رسوخه

فلله ما يسدي لنا حين يعزم

And resolve that removes mountains after its establishment

So by Allah - what serves us when he determines?

ومجدرقى فيه وما غيره رقى

إليه ولو أن المجرة سلم

And a refuge in which no other took refuge

To Him - even if Al Mijrah were a ladder,

إذا شمّرت عن ساقها الحرب بعدما

بدى من ثناياها البلاء المصمم

When the war bared its leg from its folds after,

The affliction became visible from its creases determined,

وجال رماح الهند والريق غائر

وأضراس أفواه المهالك تبسم

And Indian spears flowed and swords plunged

And fangs of mouths of perils smile,

سطا كالأسود الضاريات إذا سطت

له وثبات يا لهنّ ولهذم

He marched like lions in their assault when they marched

For him with leaps - oh what leaps and this persistence

كأنّ رؤوس القوم في الجو إذ رمى

عصائب طير في التخالف حوّم

It is as if the people's heads are in the horizon when he tossed

Turbans of birds fluttering in discord circling,

يلذّ سؤال المعتفين بسمعه

كما لذّفي سمع الطروب الترنم

The supplications of loyalists are delightful to his hearing

As the turtledoves' cooing is delightful in chanting

ترى بذله دأبا يشتت ماله

كأدمع صب هيجتهن أرسم

You see his generosity habitually scattering his money

Like the tears of a passerby it revived carving,

أقام اعوجاج الدين بعد انهدامه

وما زال طول الدهر وهو مقوم

He straightened the deviations of religion after its collapse

And he still lasts the ages upright straightening

أبوه وليّ عقبه سعد أنجم

وما هو إلا الشمس يعرف منهم

His father, guardian of his heel, Saad Anjam

And he is nothing but the sun they recognize direction from,

فإن قلت هل عندي علوم بوصفه

نعم بادرن إني بمارمت أعلم

So if you say, “Do I have knowledge describing him?”

Yes, the spears raced me and I am more knowledgeable,

فماء ولا ملح ولطف ولا هوى

وعلم ولا لد وسيف مصمّم

For water, salt, kindness, passion and knowledge not excellence

And sword determined, and if you say: “Virtues are merits”

وإن قلت إن المكرمات فضائل

فذالك لفظ من معانيه يعلم

That is terms whose meanings are known

His father, his brother, his mother, and his guardian

أبوها أخوها أمّها وكفيلها

سناها دوام الدهر والأخ والحم

His age - eternity and brother and protector

He was nurtured by benefaction, generosity, and piety

لقد أمه المعروف والجود والتقى

وما هو إلا سائر حيث يمموا

And he is nothing but walking wherever they walk

Our Lord prolonged for us his survival

أطال لنا رب العباد بقاءه

ولا زال آناف العدا منه ترغم

And the enemies’ palms from him are still biting

To gladden you the month of fasting has come fulfilling its reward

ليهنئك شهر الصوم وافيت أجره

وعودة عيد الفطر أنت مكرم

And the return of the Feast of Fast-Breaking you are honored

And you still clothe his fast from its nights,

ولا زلت تكسو صومه من لياليه

قياماً وبالإقبال نحوك يقدم

With standing and turning toward you progressing

And the humaneness of mortals toward you above it

ولا زال غضن البشر عندك فوقه

تغرد أطيار السرور وتنغم

Birds of joy still sing and chant,

To you I came, captive in your guarantees,

إليكم اسير جاءكم في ذمامكم

وما في الذمام لازم ومحتّم

And in guarantees persisting and commissioned, rescue me when spirits become somber,

And claws of the disobedient thunder regretting,

أغثني إذا ظلّت نفوس حزينة

وأرعد أفراص العصاة التندّم

Prayer upon the Chosen One - how Eastern horizons radiated!

And how long from your court gaining comes whoever comes!

صلاة على المختار ما ذرّ شارق

وما دام من يأتي لبابك يغنم