حَتّامَ عَنْ جَهْلٍ تَلُومُ

مَهْلاً فَإنَّ اللَّوم لُومُ

Hattam, do not blame in ignorance,

Gently, for blame is blame.

طَرْفي الَّذي يَشْكُو السُّهادَ

وقَلْبيَ المضْنَى الْكَليمُ

My eyes that lament sleeplessness

And my grieving, suffering heart.

إنَّ الشَّقا في الحُبٍّ عِنْ

دَ العَاشِقينَ هُوَ النعيمُ

Verily, in love is bliss

For lovers, that is delight.

مَا الحُبُّ إلأَّ مُقْلَةٌ

عَبْراءُ أو جِسْمُ سَقيمُ

What is love but a poor heart

Weeping, or a frail body?

وبَلاَبلٌ بَينَ الجوانحِ

لا تَنَامُ ولا تُنيمُ

And nightingales between my ribs

That neither sleep nor make sleep.

يا مَنْ أُكَتِّمُ حبَّه

واللهُ بي وبه عليمُ

O you whom I conceal my love,

Yet God knows of me and him.

ما لي وما لِلوائِمي

أَعَليكَ ذُو عَقْلٍ يلومُ

What business have I, what business have my critics,

Does one of reason blame me?

يا هَلْ تُراه يَعُودُ لي

بكَ ذلكَ الزَّمن القديمُ

O would that he return to me

That bygone time.

وهَنيُّ عَيْشٍ بالِلَوى

لَوْ أنَّ عَيْشَ هنيً يَدوُمُ

And the soft life with passion

If only a soft life would last.

وبِرَامةٍ إذ نِلْتُ مِنْ

وَصْلِ الأحبّةِ مَا أَرومُ

And with tranquility when I attained

The company of loved ones I desire.

يا حبّذا تِلكَ الرّبوع

وحبّذا تِلكَ الرسومُ

Oh, happy were those meadows

And happy were those dwellings.

يا تَاركينَ بمهجتي

شرراً يذُوبُ لَه الجحيمُ

O you who left in my mind

Sparks that melt hell itself.

طَالَ المِطالَ ولم يهبّ

لِصِدْقِ وعدِكمُ نَسيمُ

The waiting has been long but

No breeze came true to your promise.

مَطْل الغَنِيّ غريمَهُ

حاشاكمُ خُلقٌ ذميمُ

Delay of the wealthy is offensive,

Far from you, a vile trait.

أَيَخاَفُ طُولَ المطْلِ مَنْ

أهْلُ الغَريّ لَهُ غَريمُ

Does one whose loved ones wrong him

Fear prolonging the wait?

بأبي وبيْ ذاكَ المحلُّ

ومَنْ بتُربَتِهِ مُقيمُ

By my father and by that place

And he who lies in its dust.

يا ليتَ شعري هَلْ إلى

تلكَ المواطن لي قدومُ

Oh would that I know, will I

To those lands have a return?

ومَتى أنالُ بهنّ مِنْ

تَعْفير خدّي ما أرومُ

And when will I gain from

Kissing its earth what I wish?

ومَتَى أرَاني خادِماً

بإزاءِ تُربتِه أقومُ

And when will I see myself serving

By the side of its dust I stand?

حيَّاك قبراً بالغَريّ

مِن الحيا هطلٌ سَجومُ

Greetings O grave in the meadow

From the living, pouring rain.

يا قبرُ فيك المرتضَى

والسَيّدُ السَّندُ الكريمُ

O grave in you is the Chosen One

The Master, the Noble, the Generous.

فيكَ الوصيُّ أخو النَبي

المخْتَار والنَّبَأُ العظيمُ

In you is the Trustee, the Prophet's brother

The Selected, the Great News.

فيكَ النَّجاةُ من الرَّدى

فيكَ الصِّراطِ المستْقَيمُ

In you is salvation from evil

In you is the Straight Path.

فيكَ الموازرُ والمواخِي

والمواسي والحَميمُ

In you is the helper, the sympathizer

The comforter, the intimate.

فيكَ الشَجاعةُ والنِّدَى

والعِلْمُ والدّينُ القَويمُ

In you is valor, faithfulness

Knowledge, upright religion.

فِيكَ المكَارمُ والعُلاَ

والمجدُ والشرفُ الصميمُ

In you are nobility and prestige

Glory and true honor.

فيكَ الإمامةُ والزَّعامةُ

والكرامة لا تَريمُ

In you is the Imamate and leadership

And prestige that knows no peer.

فيكَ الذي يُشفي بتُربِ

نِعالِه الطَّرفُ السَّقِيمُ

In you is he who cures with the dust

Of his sandals the ailing eye.

فيكَ الذي لَو أنصفَتْ

لهَوتْ لِمَصْرعِهِ النّجومُ

In you is he whom, had justice been done,

The stars would have lamented his death.

فيكَ الّذي كانَتْ تُحاذرُ

بأسَهُ الصَيدُ القرومُ

In you is he who the beasts of prey

Feared his might.

فيكَ الّذي كانَت تخفَ

لِهولِ موقفِهِ الحُلومُ

In you is he at whose terrible stance

Resolute heros shake in fear.

فيكَ الخصيمُ عَنِ المُهَيْمنِ

يومَ تجتمعُ الخصومُ

In you is the adversary against the Almighty

When adversaries gather.

لِمُحبِّهِ دارُ البَقا

ولِمَنْ يُعاديهِ الجحيمُ

For those who love him is lasting home

And for those who oppose, hellfire.

مَنْ ذا سواهُ لِهَذهِ

وَلِتِلْكَ في الأخرى قَسِيمُ

Who else but he shall share that

And this in the hereafter?

صَرَفتهُ أرباب الشَقَا

عَمَّا حَبَاهُ بهِ العَليمُ

Evildoers denied him

What the All-Knowing granted him.

لَمْ تُرْعَ تِلكَ المكرماتُ

وذلك السَّبقُ القديمُ

Those virtues were not heeded

Nor that ancient precedence.

خُذْها أَميرَ المؤمنين

كما زَهَا الدرُّ النَّظِيمُ

Take them, Commander of the Faithful,

As pearls are threaded.

كالرَّوضِ باكرَه الحيا

وتَخطّرتْ فيهِ النّسيمُ

Like a garden in first bloom

Stirred by the breeze.

عَذراء لم يَفْتَضَها

أَهْلَ الحجازِ ولا تميمُ

A maiden whom the people of Hijaz nor Tamim

Had taken her virginity.

مِن مُخْلِصٍ لكَ لم تُخالجَهُ

الشّكوكُ ولا الوهوم

From a loyal one whose doubts never

Seized him nor misgivings.

واعْذِرْ فَكلَّ مُفَوَّهٍ

لَسِنٍ بحقّكَ لا يقومُ

Forgive, for every speaker

With your rights cannot contend.

مَنْ ذا يَفِي بعَظيم حَقّكَ

إنّه الحقُّ العَظيمُ

Who can fully meet your great rights?

Indeed, it is a supreme truth.

فأَجِزْهُ واقْبَلْ عَذرَهُ

فالعُذرُ يقْبَلُه الكريمُ

So excuse and accept his plea

For the noble accept excuse.

واشفعْ لَهُ إذْ لَيْسَ يَنْفَعُهُ

الصَّديقُ ولا الحميمُ

And intercede for him, as neither

Friend nor mate can benefit him.

فَعَسَاه يَظْفَرُ مِنْ رِضى

رَبّ الأَنام بما يَرومُ

May he gain by your pleasure

What he hopes from the Lord of Men.