وَمُهتَزَّةِ الأَعطافِ نازِحَةِ العَطفِ
مُنَعَّمَةِ الأَطرافِ فاتِرَةِ الطَرفِ
Her limbs sway and her affections allure,
Her figure is supple and her will demure,
تَثَنّى عَلى قَدٍّ غَريبٍ قَوامُهُ
وَتَضحَكُ عَن مُستَعذَبٍ أَفلَجِ الرَصفِ
She walks with a gait so unique and spare
And smiles with a charm so subtle and rare.
إِذا بَعُدَت أَبلَت وَإِن قَرُبَت شَفَت
فَهِجرانُها يُبلي وَلُقيانُها يَشفي
When distant, she yearns; when present, she heals,
Her absence brings sorrows, her company feels
بَذَلتُ لَها الوَصلَ الَّذي بَخِلَت بِهِ
وَأَصفَيتُها الوِدَّ الَّذي لَم تَكُن تُصفي
Like the joy of life's essence long denied me,
Her friendship is gentle, her wrath terrified me,
وَأَبدَيتُ وِجداني بِها وَصَبابَتي
وَإِنَّ الَّذي أُبدي لَدونَ الَّذي أُخفي
I've shown her my passion, my innermost fire,
Though it's less than the love I struggled to hide.
دُنُوّاً فَقَد تَيَّمتِ بِالبُعدِ وَالنَوى
وَوَصلاً فَقَد عَنَّيتِ بِالصَدِّ وَالصَدفِ
If she chooses to love me, I'm filled with desire,
If she chooses to leave, I'm steeped in ire.
أَما يَظفَرُ المَحرومُ عِندَكِ بِالجِدا
وَلا يَطمَعُ المَظلومُ عِندَكِ في النِصفِ
To the one long deprived is her love ever lost?
Can one she has spurned still seek her at cost?
لَعَمرُ أَميرِ المُؤمِنينَ لَقَد كَفى
نَوائِبَ دَهرٍ مِثلُهُ مِثلَها يَكفي
By the Lord of the Faithful, I've suffered enough,
At the hands of a fate and a lady so rough.
غَدا وَهوَ كَهفُ المُسلِمينَ وَرِدءُهُم
فَأَكرِم بِهِ مِن رِدءِ قَومٍ وَمِن كَهفِ
Tomorrow he'll be the true refuge we seek,
So honor him well, both as shelter and peak.
كَريمُ السَجايا وافِرُ الجودِ وَالنَدى
فَلا ناقِصُ النُعمى وَلا جامِدُ الكَفِّ
Noble of nature, generous to a fault,
No blessing he lacks, no closed hand ever taut.
يَحِنُّ إِلى المَعروفِ حَتّى يُنيلَهُ
كَما حَنَّ إِلفٌ مُستَهامٌ إِلى إِلفِ
He yearns to give goodness its proper due,
As yearns for its kin a beast born anew.
وَيَقلَقُ حَتّى يُنجِزَ الوَعدَ مِثلَ ما
يُجافي الَّذي يَمشي عَلى رَمَضِ الرَضفِ
He refuses to rest until promise is kept,
Like one who walks far across deserts adept.
مَتى ما أَصِف أَخلاقَكَ الغُرَّ تَعتَرِض
غَرائِبُ أَفعالٍ تَزيدُ عَلى الوَصفِ
When I describe him, his merits pour forth
In a stream of great deeds that astound at their worth.
وَإِمّا أَعِد نَفسي عَلَيكَ رَغيبَةً
مِنَ النَيلِ أُصبِح في أَمانٍ مِنَ الخُلفِ
Either I find hope that his gifts will allow
Me to bask in his grace, or forget my vain vow.
وَما أَلفُ أَلفٍ مِن جَداكَ كَثيرَةٌ
فَكَيفَ أَخافُ الفَوتَ عِندَكَ في أَلفِ
Though countless the boons he has granted me, free,
Having known such generosity, how could he now let me be?
