خيالٌ زائرٌ منّي خيالاً

وقد مَدَّ الظّلامُ له الظِّلالا

A phantom of mine paid a visit in the form of a phantom

And the darkness unfolded its shades for it

تَخلّلَ وهْو بدْرٌ من جُفوني

غماماً بعد ما قَلَّ انهْمالا

It infiltrated, being a full moon from my eyelids,

A cloud after sparse brows had abated

ولولا ذاك لاغتدتِ الأعادي

إلى قُرْبي وحَرَّمتِ الوِصالا

And were it not for that, the enemies would have dared

To approach me and forbidden would have been the tryst

ولكن لاح بدراً في غمامٍ

فلم تَره العيونُ ولا تَلالا

But a full moon shone through clouds

So eyes did not see it or slopes

كأنَّ جبينَه سيفٌ صقيلٌ

أجادَ يدُ الجمالِ له الصِّقالا

As if its brow was a polished sword

The hand of Beauty had perfected its polish for it

وباتَ الجفنُ منّي وهْو جفنٌ

له حتّى إذا ما اللّيلُ مالا

And my eyelid spent the night from me, and it was an eyelid

That belonged to it until when night declined

أطالَ الصُّبحُ مُبتدِراً لحَزبي

يداً فاستلّهُ منّي اسْتِلالا

Dawn lengthened to take the lead to my party

So it snatched it from me with full authority

وعُدْتُ مُضرَّجاً بِدَمي بُكاءً

على إثْرِ الخليطِ غداةَ زالا

And I returned drenched in my blood, weeping

Over the trace the next morning after it departed

فأجْلَى الصُّبحُ منّي عن صَريعٍ

قَتيلِ هوىً ولم يَشْهَدْ قِتالا

So dawn rescued from me one slain

A martyr of my passion though no battle took place

عُهودٌ لم يَزلْ ذِكْري جديداً

لَهُنَّ ولم تَدُمْنَ ولن يُزالا

Vows that my mention remained forever new for them

And they did not last and will never cease

فيا للهِ زائدتي غراماً

بزَوْرتها وقاتلَتي دَلالا

Oh God, its visit increased my passion for it

And its coquetry killed me and my guide

تِبيتُ الدَّهرَ أجفاني قِصاراً

إذا ليلي منَ الأحزانِ طالا

I spend the days with eyelids short

When my night is long with sorrows

ولو شغَل الكَرى باللّيلِ عَيْني

رأيتُ لها بها عنها اشْتِغالا

And if cares distracted my eye by night

I would see because of it, from it, and about it, distraction

تَأوّبَني خيالٌ من هُمومٍ

وإن كاثَرْنَ بالعددِ الرِّمالا

A phantom of worries has made me sleepless

Even if they multiplied in number like specks of sand

فَثُرْ يا حاديَ الأنضاءِ واعجَلْ

وقُمْ فاحلُلْ عنِ النَّضْوِ العِقالا

So rise O guide of beauties and hurry

And get up and take off the hobbles of firmness

تَغنَّ فهُنَّ أنضاءٌ خِفافٌ

وقد حُمِّلْنَ أعباءً ثِقالا

They sing though they are gentle beauties

And they carried heavy burdens

وَرْكبٍ كالكواكبِ ليس يَخْشَى

ضَلالاً في الظّلامِ ولا كَلالا

A caravan like the stars that does not fear

Straying in the dark or weariness

أسِيرُ أمامَهمْ كسِنانِ رُمْحٍ

تَزيدُ به الأنابيبُ اعْتِدالا

I walk ahead of them like the teeth of a spear

Increasing balance for the spearheads

أَجوبُ البِيدَ بالشّمسِ ارْتِداءً

إذا ارتفَعَتْ وبالظِّلِّ انْتِعالا

I cloak myself at sunrise with the sun

When it rises and cool myself in its shade when it sets

وأَشتملُ الظّلامَ وفي شِمالي

زِمامُ شِمِلَّةٍ تَحْكي الشَّمالا

And I wrap myself in darkness while in my left

Is the reign of a wrap that describes the north

منَ اللاّتي إذا طَرِبتْ لحَدْوٍ

حَسِبْتَ من النُّسوعِ لها انْسِلالا

Of those that if they swayed to the song

You would think snakes were crawling out of them

فلو سلَختْ بنا في الشَّرْقِ شَهْراً

سبَقْتُ بها إلى الغَرْبِ الهلالا

So if they carried me east for a month

I would outrace the crescent to the west

فلمّا أن نظَمْتُ بها وِشاحاً

على خَصْرِ الفلا سَيْراً فجالا

So when I strung them on a sash

Around the waist of the hill, traveling high

قَصدْتُ بها الكمالَ وليس يَلْقَى

سوى النُّقْصانِ مَن حازَ الكَمالا

I sought perfection, and none meets

Other than defect, he who attains perfection

وهل لكمالِ دينِ اللهِ مِثْلٌ

به عَيْنُ امرئٍ تَرجو اكْتِحالا

And does the perfection of Allah's religion have the like

By which the eye of any man hopes for kohl

به أَكملتُ دينَ المجدِ لمّا

حثَثْتُ لِحَجِّ حَضْرتِه الجِمالا

By it I perfected the religion of Glory when

I inspired pilgrimage to His Beautiful Presence

تَرحّلَ طارقُ الحدَثانِ عنّي

غداةَ إليه ألقيتُ الرِّحالا

The visitor of chatter departed from me

The next morning after I cast off my saddlebags

وبشَّر زائِريه منه بِشْرٌ

له احتقَر النّوالَ مَنِ اسْتَنالا

And give good tidings to its visitors that there is

Glad tidings for it, he who attained it belittled gifts

يَدُلُّ إليه طِيبُ الذِّكرِ عنه

فليسَ يَخافُ قاصِدهُ ضَلالا

The good mention of it guides to it

So its seeker does not fear straying

إذا عقَد الذِّمامَ لِما رَجاهُ

فلا يَخْشَى لعُقْدتِه انْحِلالا

If he ties the pact for what he hopes

Then he need not fear its unraveling

إذا ما قامَ دونَ الدِّينِ خَصمٌ

بلَوا منه أَشدَّ فَتىً مِحالا

Whenever an opponent of the religion rises

Testing the fiercest warrior without effect

أخو رَأْيٍ أَبَى إلاّ عليه

حُسامُ الدّينِ أن يَرضَى اتِّكالا

A brother of opinion who refused

Except to lean on it the sword of religion to be content

لخُوزِسْتانَ بُشْرَى أن رأَيْنا

به لرِكابِه العالي احْتِلالا

To Khuzestan is the good news that we saw

Its lofty procession settled in it

أفاضَ لعَدْلِه سَجْلاً عليها

كفَى بمكانِه الحَرْبَ السِّجالا

It poured for its justice a surging torrent

Sufficient as its place wars argued

فإن نلتُمْ إنالةَ ساكنيها

فقد قَلّتْ لِمثْلكمُ مَنالا

So if you attain the attainment of its dwellers

Then few like you have attained

لكُمْ أهدَى الغداةَ بها التّهاني

مَعاشر شَبّهوا بالماء آلا

For you it presented in the morning the congratulations

O folk who resemble water in abundance

وخُوزسْتانُ أَوْلَى أن تُهنّا

بمَدِّكمُ عليها لكمْ ظِلالا

And Khuzestan is more deserving to be congratulated

For your extension over it of shades

قضَى دينَ الرّجاءِ به زَمانٌ

لنا مَلَّ المِطالَ به المُطالا

An era fulfilled the debt of hope through it for us

Hopes for it desires fulfilled

وألقَتْ رايةُ السُّلطانِ ظِلاًّ

عليه من العِدا طُرّاً أدالا

And the banner of the Sultan cast a shadow

Over it keeping hostile birds away

وآل إلى المَسَرّةِ كُلُّ حُزْنٍ

وخَيرُ الأمرِ أحمَدُه مآلا

And every sadness declined

Into joy, and the best of affairs is its outcome

وأَصبَحَ فيه طَعْمُ العَيشِ حُلْواً

ومَشْرَبُ أهلِهِ عَذْباً زُلالا

And the taste of life within it was sweet

And the drink of its people fresh and limpid

فكان لَقىً لأيدي الخَيْلِ دَهراً

عليه الجيشُ يَقتتِلُ اقْتِتالا

For it encountered the hands of steeds an era

Upon it the army battling a skirmish

وبينَ مُطيعِ سلطانٍ وعاصٍ

تُقلَّبُ أرضُه حالاّ فَحالا

And between the obedient to a sultan and dissenters

Its land tossed from one state to another

فوافاها نِطاسِيٌّ عليمٌ

لِيشفي ذلك الدَّاءَ العُضالا

So it was tended by an able healer

To cure that chronic malady

فدُونَك من ثنائي كُلَّ طاوٍ

سُهولَ الأرض طَيّاً والجِبالا

Within you is safety from the criticism of all who blame

The easy terrain and mountains

يَروقُك حين أُوسِعُه افْتِكاراً

ويَرضَى حينَ أُسمِعُه ارْتجالا

You please me when I express it broadly

And you consent when I improvise for you

فقُلْ لحُسامِ دينِ اللهِ أَجمِلْ

فقد كُسِيَتْ بكَ الدُّنيا جَمالا

So say to the sword of Allah’s religion ‘Perfect!’

For the world has been beautified through you

أُتيحَ لنا حُسامٌ منه يَحْمي

مَصونَ الفضلِ عَدْلاً أن يُذالا

A sword from it that protects is made available to us

The treasured virtue not to be disgraced

فدام لدولةِ السّلطانِ عَضْباً

لمَضْربِه الفتوحُ لنا تَوالى

So may there continue for the state of the Sultan hostile zeal!

For its conquests the campaigns succeeded each other for us

ألا يا كعبةً للجُودِ أَضحى

إليه الوفدُ يَرتحِلُ ارْتحالا

Behold! The sanctuary of munificence indeed!

To it, pilgrims travel their travel

بعَثْتُ إليك بابْني مُهدياً لي

دُعاءً مُستطاباً مُستَطالا

I sent my son to you guiding

A cherished prayer extended

فلا تَقطَعْ قديمَ الرّزقِ عنّي

إذا لم أَستزدْ منكمْ نَوالا

So do not cut off my livelihood from of old

If I have not asked increase of you

فقَطْعُ الرِّزقِ عن شَيْخٍ قبيحٌ

إذا ما سِنُّه كِبَراً تَعالى

Cutting provisions for an old man is ugly

If his advanced age is lofty

غداً لك يَشكُرُ السّلطانُ مهما

إليَّ اليومَ أحسنْتَ الفَعالا

Tomorrow the Sultan will thank you for whatever

Good you have done me this day

وهأنذا إلى السّلطانِ غادٍ

أَحُثُّ سُريَ ركائبيَ العِجالا

And here I am, to the Sultan going

Urging on my quick steed

لِيُرضِيَني بما يُولي فَعالاً

وأُرضِيَهُ بما أُملي مَقالا

To satisfy me by what he grants efficaciously

And I satisfy him by what I dictate in words

أُوالي شارداتي للموالي

إذا مَولايَ للإكرامِ والى

I will incline my wanderers to the loyal

If my master is inclined to munificence and plenty

فأكمِلْ يا كمالَ الدّينِ طَولاً

ففيكَ زَرَعْتُ آمالاً طِوالا

So perfect, O perfection of religion, your heights!

For in you I sowed hopes high

سيُهدي خاطري لكَ سائراتٍ

إلى ناديكَ تَتّصِلُ اتِّصالا

My heart will spontaneously guide to you verses

Successively joining your circle

وأُرخِصُ في امتِداحِكَ دُرَّ فكري

وفي دُرّي حَقيقٌ أَن يُغالى

And I permit liberal praise of you by my pearl of thought

And in my pearl it is true to lavish

ومَنْ أَحمدْتَ أَنت له خِلالاً

فلا تَدعنَّه يشكو اخْتِلالا

He whom you have commended his merits for

Let him not complain of imperfection

بَقِيتُمْ طالِعينَ لنا شُموساً

عَوالِيَ لا نَخافُ لها زَوالا

You remain ever emergent suns for us

High aspirations we do not fear their setting