سارَتِ العِيسَ يُرَجِّعْنَ الحَنِينا

وَيُجَاذِبْنَ مِنَ الشَّوْقِ البُرينا

The camels marched, yearning and longing returned

And passion seized us from afar

دامِياتٍ مِنْ حَقِّي أَخْفافُها

تَقْطَعُ البِيدُ سَهَولاً وحُزُونا

Swift she-camels whose gait cut through

The wilderness, sad and grieving

وَعَلَى طُولِ طَواها حُرِمَتْ

عُشْبَهَا المُخْضَرَّ والماءَ المَعِينا

Deprived of their lush greenery and flowing water

Along the length of their route

كلما جَدَّ بها الوَجْدُ إلَى

غايَة لَمْ تَدْرِها إلاَّ ظُنُونا

Whenever passion intensified, heading

To limits known only vaguely

قُلْتُ لِلْحَادِي أعِذْ أَشْواقَها

بالسُّرَى إنَّ مِنَ الشَّوقِ جُنُونا

I said to the guide, protect their yearning

With the Pleiades, for passion is madness

آهِ مِنْ يَوْمِ بهِ أَبْكِي دَماً

إنَّ لِلْعِيسِ وَلِي فيهِ شُؤُونا

Oh what a day when I weep blood

For the she-camel has affairs there to tend

أَسَرَتْ ألْبَابَنا لَمَّا سَرَتْ

تَحْمِلُ الحُسْنَ بُدوراً وغُصُونا

When they marched, they captivated all hearts

Bearing beauty, with ringlet and branch

كلُّ سَمْراءَ وما أنْصَفْتُها

فَضَحَتْ سُمْرَ القَنا لَوناً وَلِينا

Any dark beauty I described

Pales next to their graceful hue and softness

أعْدَتِ القَلْبَ فُتُوراً وضَنىً

لَيْتَها مِنْ وَسَنِ تُعْدِي الجُفونا

They returned the heart to indifference and grief

Would that she were a doe leaping playfully

ثَغْرُها الدُّرِّيُّ مِنْ أنْفاسِهِ

مِسْكُ دارينَ وَخَمْرُ الأَنْدرِينا

Her pearl-like smile breathes the fragrance

Of musk from Darine and wine from Andarin

أَخَذَتْ قَلْبي وَصَبرِي والكَرَى

يَوْمَ بَيْعي النَّفْسَ منها أَرَبُونا

She took my heart, patience and dignity

The day I sold her my soul at such loss

لا أقالَ اللهُ لِي مِنْ حُبِّها

بَيعَه يَوْماً وَلاَ فَكَّ رُهُونا

May God never offer to buy her love from me

Or release me from her bond

صاحِبي قِفْ بي فإني لم أجِدْ

لِي عَلَى الوَجْدِ وَلا الصَّبْر مُعِينا

My friend, stand by me, for I find

No aid against passion, or patience within

وَسَلِ الرَّيْعَ الذِي سُكَّانُهُ

رَحَلُوا عنهُ عساهُ أَنْ يُبِينا

Ask the encampment whose dwellers

Departed, if it can show us the way

نَسَخَتْ آياتِهِ أَيْدِي البَلَى

فأرَتْ عَيْنِيَ منهُ الصَّادَ شِينا

The hands of fate effaced its verses

My eyes saw only the sad transformed to nothing

وَجَنوبٌ وَشمالٌ جَعَلاَ

تُرْبَهُ فِي جَبهَةِ الدَّهْرِ غضوناً

South and north made its soil

On the brow of time green shrubs

فَثَراهُ وَحَصَاهُ أبَداً

يَفْضُلانِ المِسْكَ وَالدُّرَّ الثَّمينا

Its ruins and pebbles forever

Excel the most precious musk and pearls

سَحَبَتْ فيهِ الصَّبا أذْيالَها

بِمَدِيحي لإِمامِ المُرسَلِينا

The morning breeze there trails its hem

At my praise of the Imam of Messengers

أحْمَدَ الهادِي الَّذي أُمَّتُه

رَضِيَ الله لها الإسلامَ دينا

Ahmad the Guide, whose nation

God approved Islam as their faith

كانَ سِرّاً في ضَمِيرِ الغَيْبِ مِنْ

قَبْلِ أَنْ يُخْلَقَ كَوْنٌ أَوْ يكونا

He was a secret in the cosmos’ heart

Before any universe existed or came to be

تُشْرِقُ الأَكْوانُ مِنْ أَنوارِهِ

كُلَّما أوْدَعَها اللهُ جَبِينا

Universes shine with his lights

Whenever God placed them in a brow

أسْجَدَ اللهُ لهُ أمْلاكُهُ

يَوْمَ خَرُّوا لأَبيهِ ساجِدينا

God's angels prostrated to him

The day they fell prostrate before his father

ودَعَا آدَمُ باسْمِ المُصْطَفَى

دَعْوَةً قالَ لها الصِّدْقُ آمِينا

And Adam supplicated in the name of Mustafa

A prayer to which truth responded “Amen”

فَتَلَقَّى آدَمُ مِنْ رَبِّهِ

كلماتٍ هُنَّ كَنْزُ المُذْنِبِينا

So Adam received from his Lord

Words that are the treasure of all sinners

وَبهِ جَنَّاتُ عَدْنٍ رُفِعَتْ

عَلَماً أَبْوابُها لِلْمُسْلِمِينا

By them the Gardens of Eden were raised

Their gates stand open for all Muslims

ودُعُوا أَنْ تِلْكُمُ الدارُ لكمْ

فادْخُلُوها بسَلامٍ آمِنِينا

“This is your abode, yours for all time

Enter it in peace and security” they were told

وَبهِ نُوحٌ دَعا في فُلْكِهِ

فَأَغاثَ اللهُ نوحاً والسَّفِينا

And through him Noah supplicated in his ark

So God brought rescue to Noah and his ship

وَأَغَاثَ اللهَ ذَا النُّونِ بهِ

بَعْدَ ما أَغْرَى بهِ في البَحْرِ نُونا

And God rescued Jonah through him

After he was swallowed in the sea as Jonah

وَشَفَى أَيُّوبَ مِنْ ضُرٍّ كما

سَرَّ يَعْقُوبَ وَقد كانَ حَزِينا

And healed Job of harm, just as

He brought joy to Jacob when he was grieving

وَخليلُ اللهِ هَمِّتْ قَومُهُ

أنْ يَكِيدُوهُ فكانوا الأخسرينا

And the Friend of God, when his people

Plotted to deceive him, they failed, led astray

ونور المصطفى إطفاء ما

أوقدوه وتولوا مدبرينا

The light of Mustafa extinguished their fires

And they turned away, retreating

وَجدَتْهُ أنبياءُ اللهِ في

كلِّ فضْلٍ واجِداً ما يَجِدُونا

All prophets found through him

Every excellence whenever they sought

مَصْدَرُ الرَّحْمَةِ لِلْخَلْقِ فلا

عَجَبٌ أَنْ يَتَوَلَّى الصَّالحينا

The source of mercy for creation, so no wonder

That he protects the righteous

خَتَمَ اللهُ النَّبِيِّينَ بهِ

قَبْلَ أنْ يجْبُلَ مِنْ آدَمَ طِينا

God sealed prophets through him

Before creating Adam from clay

فَهْوَ فِي آبائِهمْ خيرُ أبٍ

وَهْوَ في أبنائِهِمْ خيرُ البَنِينا

He is the best father to their forefathers

And the best son to their descendants

قد عَلاَ بالرُّوحِ والجِسْمِ عُلاً

رَجَعَتْ مِنْ دونها الرُّوحُ الأَمِينا

He ascended in spirit and body beyond

Any ascent, to which even the Trusted Spirit bowed

وَرَأَى مِنْ قابِ قَوْسَيْنِ الَّذي

رُدَّ مُوسَى دُونَه مِنْ طُورِ سِينا

He saw what Moses was denied

From the slopes of Mount Sinai

وَوَجِيهاً كانَ مُوسَى عِنْدَهُ

مِثْلَما قد كانَ جِبْرِيلُ مَكِينا

And Moses was an intimate to him

Just as Gabriel was his trusted ally

صَلَوَاتُ اللهِ ذِي الفَضْلِ عَلَى

رُسُلِ اللهِ إلينا أجْمَعِينا

Blessings of God, Lord of Favor, upon

All messengers to us without exception

أكْرَمُ الخُلْقِ هُمُ الرُّسْلُ لنا

وَأبو القاسِمِ خيرُ الأَكْرَمينا

The best of all people are the messengers

And Abu Al-Qasim is best of the best

فَتَعَالَى مَنْ بَرَا صُورَتَهُ

مِنْ جَمَالٍ أُودِعَ الماءَ المَهينا

Exalted is He who created his brilliant form

With a beauty He placed in the humble water

وَاصْطَفَى مَحْتِدَهُ مِنْ دَوْحَةٍ

أنْبَتَتْ أَفْنانُها عِلماً ودِينا

And chose his grandfather from the nobility

Whose roots produced knowledge and faith

مِنْ أُنسٍ جانَبَتْ أَحْسَابُهُمْ

طُرُقَ الذَّمِّ شِمالاً ويَمِينا

A people God protected so that

Ahmad's secret would remain entrusted to them

ما رأَينا كَرَمَ الأخْلاقِ في

غَيرِ ما تَأْتُونَهُ أَوْ يَدَّعُونا

Time polished their manners to the utmost

Nobility they lay claim to is truly theirs

يَغْضَبُ المَوْتُ إذا ما غَضِبُوا

وَإذا ما غَضِبُوا هُمُ يَغْفِرُونا

Death grows angry when they are angry

And when angry they forgive and pardon

مَعْشَرٌ صَانَهُمُ اللهُ لأَنْ

يُودَعُوا مِنْ أحْمَدَ السِّرِّ المَصُونا

A people God protected so that

Ahmad's secret would remain entrusted to them

هَذبَ السُّؤْدُدُ أَخْلاقَهُم

فَلَهُمْ مِنْ شَرَفٍ ما يَدَّعُونا

Their manners are refined through gallantry

Any nobility they claim is truly theirs

عَجَباً والمُصْطَفَى الشَّمْسُ الذَّي

ظَهَرَتْ أنْوَارُهُ لْلْمُبْصِرِينا

Wondrous! He is the manifest Sun whose light

Appeared clearly to those who see

شَهِدَ الكُفَّارَ بالغَيْبِ لَهُ

وَأَتاهُمْ فَإذا هُمْ مُبْلِسونا

He warned the infidels of the unseen for him

And when he came they were inert and lifeless

أغْلَقُوا بابَ الهُدَى مِنْ دُونِهِمْ

بَعْدَ ما كانُوا بهِ يَسْتَفْتِحُونا

They closed the door of guidance behind them

After having opened it wide

وَعَمُوا عنه فلا وَاللهِ ما

تَنْفَعُ الشِّمْسُ لَدَى القَوْمِ العَمِينا

By God, the sun benefits not the blind

He brought them a Book firmly composed

وَأَتاهُمْ بِكِتابٍ أُحْكِمَتْ

منه آياتٌ لقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلونا

With clear verses for reasonable people

Men and Jinn heard and not one

سَمِعَتْهُ الإِنْسُ وَالجِنُّ فما

أنْكَرُوا مِنْ فَضْلِهِ الحقَّ المُبِينا

Denied his clear and manifest favour

They were incapable of producing a chapter

عَجَزُوا عَنْ سُورَةٍ مِنْ مِثْلِهِ

فَهُمُ اليَوْمَ له مُسْتَسْلِمُونا

The likes of it, so now to him submit

He said to the infidels, when he rendered them mute

قال لِلْكُفَّارِ إذْ أَفْحَمَهُمْ

بالتَّحَدِّي مالكمْ لا تَنْطِقُونا

With his challenge, "Why do you not speak?"

He related what would befall them, just as

قَصَّ ما يَأتي عليهمْ مِثْلَما

قَصَّ أَخْبارَ القُرونِ الأَوَّلِينا

He told of bygone generations and their tales

Consider their accounts, realized as

وأَتَتْ أَخْبارُهُ في حِكَمٍ

فَتَأملْها ثِماراً وَفُنُونا

Fruits and arts, and lessons to learn

He divided mercy among those who recited it

قَسَّمَ الرَّحْمَة فِي قُرَّائِهِ

وَعَذابَ الخِزْيِ في المُسْتَقْسِمِينا

And humiliating torment for those who apportioned others to Him

None can match him, and in his similitudes

ما لَهُ مثْلٌ وَفي أمْثالِهِ

أَبداً مَوْعَظَةٌ لِلْمُتَّقِينا

Is eternal guidance for the reverent

God showed mercy through him, and how many

رَحِمَ اللهُ بهِ الخَلْقَ وَكَمْ

أَهْلَكَ اللهُ بآياتٍ قُرُونا

Were destroyed by the verses of the Quran