أَرَيتَكَ الآنَ أَلمَعُ البُروق

أَم شَعلٌ مُرفَضَةٌ عَن حَريق

I saw you now, more radiant than lightning,

Or a flaming torch ablaze from fire’s strike,

في عارِضٍ تَعرِضُ أَجوازُهُ

بَينَ سُوى خَبتِ فَرمَلِ الشُقوق

Appearing between nothing but barren sands

Among the cracked, parched, empty dunes.

أَسالَ بَطحانَ وَلَم يَتَّرِك

أَن مُلِئَت مِنهُ فِجاجُ العَقيق

He asked about the valley and left no water;

Its agate pools were filled from its long brim.

نَبَّهَني عَن زَورَةٍ مِن هَوىً

مُوَكَّلٍ في مَضجَعي بِالطُروق

He warned me of the scheming love that lurks

In my bed at night with piercing pangs.

عَدُوَّةٌ بادٍ لَنا ضِغنُها

أَنزَلَها الحُبُّ مَحَلَّ الصَديق

A hostile, raging love whose bitter sting

Was brought by love to where a friend once lived.

لا أُتبِعُ المَتبولَ عَتباً وَلا

أَلومُ غَيرَ البارِئِ المُستَفيق

I don’t blame the confused for their reproach,

Nor fault the Maker, the All-Seeing, All-Wise.

سَأَلتُ عَن مالي وَلا مالُ لي

غَيرَ بَقايا تُرِكَت لِلحُقوقِ

I asked about my money, but have no wealth,

Save scraps that law and rights to me allot,

مُوَجَّهاتٍ لِذَوي عَيلَةٍ

تُقَضُّ مِنهُم في فَريقٍ فَريق

Due payments for dependents that are paid

By bits and pieces from time to time.

هَلّا اِتَّقى الظالِمُ مِن دَعوَتي

تُقاهُ مِن أُثفِيَّةِ المَنجَنيق

If only the oppressor feared my prayers,

That guard me from the stone thrower’s sharp shots,

زَوَت وَزيرَ السوءِ عَن مُلكِهِ

إِلى المَكانِ المُستَشَقِّ السَحيق

Which removed the minister of evil from his rule

To a distant, elevated, awful place!

مُناكِدٌ قَد كانَ مِن لُؤمِهِ

يَحمي عَلى الناسِ بِلالَ الحُلوق

A tyrant who would cruelly impose

Upon the people the injustices of greed.

وَفي أَمينِ اللَهِ لي مُنصِفٌ

إِن حادَ خَصمي عَن سَواءِ الطَريق

But in God’s trustee I have found justice,

If my opponent strays off the right path.

وَمُعتَمِدٌ عَلى اللَهِ قَد

أَيَّدَهُ اللَهُ بِعَقدٍ وَثيق

And my trust in God, whom He has aided

With a firm, unbreakable, covenanted bond.

تَرى عُرى التَدبيرِ يَحكَمنَ عَن

مُقتَصِدٍ فيما يُعاني شَفيق

You see the reins of rule held by one who judges

With balance, gentle to the suffering.

حَلَفتُ بِالمَسعى وَبِالخَيفِ مِن

مِنى وَبِالبَيتِ الحَرامِ العَتيق

I swore by the black stone, the Ancient House,

The running between Safa and Marwa's mounts,

تَحُجُّهُ الأَركُبُ مَخشوشَةً

رُكبانُها مِن كُلِّ فَجٍّ عَميق

Their riders chanting God's praises from each valley,

No vain talk nor sin reported of them.

يُكَبِّرونَ اللَهَ لا مُخبِرٌ

عَن رَفثٍ مِنهُم وَلا عَن فُسوق

We found you when you sought us out

With a tender, compassionate governance,

لَقَد وَجدنا لَكَ إِذ سُستَنا

سِياسَةَ الحاني عَلَينا الشَفيق

You gathered Bani Ja'far, divided by wrongs,

With righteousness when they were split by sins.

جَمَعتَ أَشتاتَ بَني جَعفَرٍ

بِالبِرِّ لَمّا فُرِّقوا بِالعُقوق

You brought them yesterday the justice

You always have, being just to all.

وَكُنتَ بِالطولِ الَّذي جِئتَهُ

إِلَيهِمِ بِالأَمسِ عَينَ الخَليق

You do not neglect duties to a loved one,

So how could you forget the rights of a sibling?

وَما أَضَعتَ الحَقَّ في أَجنَبٍ

فَكَيفَ تَنسى واجِباً في الشَقيق

The world yielded to you what it once refused,

And peace what was once broken and split.

جادَت لَكَ الدُنيا بِما مانَعَت

وَاِبتَدَأَت في رَتقِ تِلكَ الفُتوق

The Shia, nobles now fallen into disgrace,

Have bowed to peace after their breach.

فَشيعَةُ الشاري إِلى ذِلَّةٍ

قَد جَنَحوا لِلسِلمِ بَعدَ المُروق

The honor of the Safavids lies abandoned,

Pawned to one of the necklaces of necks.

وَرِمَّةُ الصَفّارِ مَتروكَةٌ

رَهناً لِإِحدى عَلقاتِ العُلوق

And the traitor of Basra, whom we fear

No refuge can be found in such straits,

وَحائِنُ البَصرَةِ عِندَ الَّتي

تُخشى عَلَيهِ لاحِجٍ في مَضيق

Seeks to flee if he sees an escape

From his plight by any means or road.

يَنوي فِراراً لَو يَرى مَخلَصاً

مِن سَبَبٍ يُفضي بِهِ أَو طَريق

Yet your beloved continues to be watered

By the rivers of plenty and barren steeps.

لازالَ مَعشوقُكَ يُسقى الحَيا

مِن كُلِّ داني المُزنِ واهي الخُروق

We have not known, since first seeing him,

Any new conquest or pleasant time,

فَما خَلَونا مُذ رَأَيناهُ مِن

فَتحٍ جَديدٍ وَزَمانٍ أَنيق

He went out overlooking the meeting place

Of the Tigris, facing it with bright face.

أَشرَفَ نَظّاراً إِلى مُلتَقى

دِجلَةَ يَلقاها بِوَجهٍ طَليق

Gazing at the sun as its light appears

At dawn, like the sunrise when day breaks.

وَطالِعَ الشَمسَ عَلى مَوعِدٍ

بِمِثلِ ضَوءِ الشَمسِ عِندَ الشُروق

I have not seen a palace as beautiful

As it appears to all who look upon it.

لَم أَرَ كَالمَعشوقِ قَصراً بَدا

لِأَعيُنِ الرائينَ غَيرَ المَشوق

This one prominently displayed its beauty,

While the other raced to catch up behind.

هَذاكَ قَد بَرَّزَ حُسنِهِ

سَبقاً وَهَذا مُسرِعٌ في اللُحوق

Both are an early dawn whose clouds

Were folded behind it with heavy rain.

هُما صَبوحٌ باكِرٌ غَيمُهُ

ثُنِّيَ في أَعقابِهِ بِالغَبوق

Water does not give me delight,

So give me the surah of that sweet draft,

الماءُ لا يَبعَثُ لي نَشوَةً

فَعاطَني سَورَةَ ذاكَ الرَحيق

It suffices that you soften its sharpness

With gentle tones played over it smoothly.

حَسبُكَ أَن تَكسِرَ مِن حَدِّها

بِالنَغَمِ الصافي عَلَيها الرَقيق

I have resolved not to drink it mixed,

Unless it is mixed with a clear, pure drink.

آلَيتُ لا أَشرَبُ مَمزوجَةً

إِن لَم تَكُن مَزجَةَ ريقٍ بِريق