يا دارَ سَلْمَى بسَفح ذي سلَمِ
حيّاكِ حيّاكِ واكفُ الدِّيمِ
O abode of Salma in the foothills of Salam,
I greet you, yes I greet you, so spare me your blame!
نِداءُ صبٍّ لا يُسْتجابُ لَهُ
وغيرُ مُجدٍ نداهُ ذا صَمَمِ
The call of a passionate lover goes unanswered,
His unprofitable calling is that of the resolute.
أينَ الأُلى أَقْفَروكَ وارْتَحلُوا
وأوحشوا الرَّبع بعد أُنْسهِمِ
Where are the friends? It is deserted and they are gone,
Having made the encampment lonely after their company,
كانوا وشملُ الْوصالِ مُنتَظَمٌ
فأصبَحوا وهو غير منتظم
They were together under the tent of communion organized,
Then they broke camp and it was left disorganized.
أنأَتْهُمُ عَنكَ أيْنُقٌ رُسُمٌ
ما لِي وما لِلأَيانقِ الرُّسْم
Did the beautiful gazelles pass by you? What have I
To do with gazelles or their images?
مَريضةُ الفْنِ لحظُ مُقْلَتِها
يُحِلُّ صيدَ القلوبِ في الحَرمِ
The gentle-eyed beauty who captures hearts
With a glance makes hunting souls lawful in the sanctuary.
كَتَمتُ مِنْها خَوف الوشاةِ هوىً
أَصبْحَ بالدَّمعِ غيرَ مُتكتم
I concealed a secret passion from the spies in fear
It manifested itself through tears that could no longer be contained
وجاهلٍ بي يَلُومني سَفَهاً
ولَوْ دَرى ما أُجِنُّ لَمْ يَلُمِ
Though the ignorant blame me in their foolishness
If they but knew what I suffer, they would not blame.
أَوقَفَني ما رَآهُ مِن غَزَلي
ومِن نَسيبي مَواقِفَ التُّهمِ
What he saw of my intoxication and my staggerings
Has made him stand accusing me of suspicion and accusation.
أَسْتَغفرُ الله لَم يكُنْ أَبداً
سلوكُ وادِي الغَرامِ مِن شيمي
I seek God’s forgiveness―never was it
My custom to walk the path of passion.
وقَدْ أقولُ النَسيبَ مُفتَتِحاً
مَدْحاً وليسَ النَّسيب من هِمَمي
Sometimes I would overtly praise the beautiful one,
Not in praise―the beautiful one is not worthy of praise from me!
هَيْهَات قَلْبي ما دَام يَصحبُني
بغيرِ آلِ النَّبِيّ لَمْ يَهِمِ
Never, so long as my heart accompanies me
Without the House of the Prophet, it will not be distracted.
لا كُنتُ لاَ كنتُ إنْ جرى أبداً
بمدحِ قومٍ سواهمُ قلمي
Neither was I, nor would I ever be, if
My pen flowed one day in praise of other people.
إن قلْتُ مدحاً فَفِيهمُ وإذا
أقسَمتُ يوماً فإِنّهم قسمي
If I say something in praise, then it is in their praise, and if
One day I swear an oath, then it is by them I swear.
حَسْبهمُ أن يكونَ فَضْلَهمُ
في النّاسِ فَضْلُ الشِّفا على الألَمِ
It is enough that their merit
Is to people like the merit of healing over pain.
قَدْ عَدل اللهُ في بَريّتِه
واللهُ في العَدْلِ غيرُ مُتَّهمِ
God has been just among His creation,
And God is never suspected of injustice.
إذا خصَّ خيرَ الورى وعِيرتَهُ
مِن كلِّ فَضلٍ بأوفَرِ القِسَمِ
Since He has especially chosen the best of people and their progeny
With the greatest share of every merit and favor,
لو قُلتُ ما قُلْتُ فيهمُ قَصْرَتْ
عَنْ عُشْرِ مِعشار فَضلِهمْ كلمي
If I said what I said about them I would have fallen
Short by ninety-nine out of every hundred of their merits.
وحَقَّهمْ مَا أَبرَّه قَسَماً
وما أُحَيْلاَ وحقَّهمْ بِفَمِي
Their right is the most binding oath, and by my mouth,
Their right is true—such is my belief.
لاَ حُلتُ عَن ودِّهم ولو تَلِفَتْ
رُوحيَ في ذاكَ أو أرِيقَ دَمي
I can never detach from loving them, even if
My soul thereby is ruined or my blood is shed.
حُبّهُمُ شِيمتي ومُعْتقَدي
ومَذْهَبي في الورَى ومُلْتزمي
Loving them is my honor, my creed, my doctrine;
They are my way in life and my bond.
وهوَ جَوازِي عَلى الصِّراط إذا
زلّتْ بما قَدْ جَنيتُهُ قَدمي
They are my passage over the narrow bridge when my feet slip
Because of the sins I have accumulated.
لا يُبْعد اللهُ غيرَ زِعْنفةٍ
مِن كلِّ رِجسٍ عن الرَّشادِ عَمِي
May God never remove from His rightly guided friends
Any glistening speck of filth.
قد كتموا مِن سَنَا فَضائِلهمْ
ما لَمْ يكنْ نورُه بمنكتمِ
From them they have concealed merits whose light
Was never hidden from anyone who sought it.
وأسِّسُوا ظُلْمَهُمْ فكَمْ هُتِكَتْ
من حُرَمٍ للنّبيِّ في الحَرَمِ
They established their own injustice. So just see
How many times the sanctity of the Prophet was violated in that sanctuary!
واسْتَوجَسوا مِن عِقاب خالِقهمْ
ما أُوعِدوا في قَطيعةِ الرَّحِمِ
And they demanded vengeance from their Creator,
Just as they were threatened over the severing of ties of kinship.
وحَلَّلوا عَقْدَ عَهْدِ أَفْضل مَنْ
وصَى بحفْظِ العُهودِ والذِّممِ
They made lawful the breaking of the pact with the best one ever
To command pact-keeping and oaths.
وزَحْزحوا مَنْصب الإمامةِ عَنْ
مَعْدنِ فَصْلِ الخِطاب والحِكمِ
They deposed from the office of the imamate
The source of the wisdom of the decisive open orations.
أكانَ مَنْ لم يَسْجُدْ إلى صَنَمٍ
أَولَى بميراثِ سيّدِ الأُمَمِ
Was the one who never bowed to an idol more rightful
To the inheritance of the Lord of nations,
أَمِ الذي ما انْحنَى لِخالِقهِ
حتّى انْحنى في السّجودِ للصَّنمِ
Or rather was it deserved by the one who never bent his neck
In submission to his Creator until he bowed down, prostrate to an idol?
أفٍّ لَها إمرةً مَضَتْ عَجَلاً
دَامَتْ مراراتها ولم تَدُمِ
Woe to those wrongdoing ones whose bitternesses passed quickly
Whose agonies lasted only a short while!
ذاكَ متاعُ الغرور حينَ مضَى
مَضَى بلا تَوبةٍ ولا نَدمِ
Such are the wares of delusion, which once passed
Passed without repentance or regret.
وعارضٌ أَقْشَعَتْ سحابُهُ
كأنّما أَبصروهُ في الحُلُمِ
Those clouds discharged and disappeared
As if they had seen their destination in a dream.
نفسي فِداء الغريّ إنّ بِه
خَيرُ إمامٍ مَشى عَلى قدمٍ
My soul is the ransom of the noble one, for indeed
By him is the best imam who ever walked on foot.
نَفْسي فِداء الغريّ إنّ بهِ
من لا يُسامَى في القَدرِ والعِظَمِ
My soul is the ransom of the noble one, for indeed
By him is one whose like no one would dare vie against in glory and greatness.
نَفْسي فِداء الغريّ إنّ بهِ
جلاء هَمَي والبرءُ مِن سقمِي
My soul is ransom of the noble one, for indeed
By him have my worries disappeared and I have recovered from my ailments.
نَفْسي فِداء الغريّ مِنْ بَلَدٍ
ما ضَمَّ من سُؤددٍ ومِنْ كَرمٍ
My soul is ransom of the noble one from a land
That gathered bounty and generosity like no other.
نَفْسي فِدَى مَنْ ثَوى به فَلَقَدْ
ثَوتْ بهِ المكرمات عَنْ أمَمٍ
My soul is ransom of one whose encampment gathered
Therein the honored imams from their peoples.
يا تُربةً قد حَوَتْ له رِمَماً
بُورِكتِ من تُرْبةٍ ومنْ رمَمٍ
O earth, covering his remnants
Blessed be you, favored over all other earth and remnants!
ليسَ سِوَى طَيبةٍ تفوقكِ في
الفَضْلِ فتيهي مَا شِئت واحتْكمِي
None rivals you in merit
So pride yourself however you wish, and judge!
فَفِيكِ كشّافُ كلِّ نازِلةٍ
عَنِ البَرايا وفارجُ الغُمَمِ
For you are the unveiler of all things obscure
For humankind and the expeller of all sorts of griefs.
ومَنْ إذا الحربُ أضرَمَتْ لهباً
لم يتأخر عنها ولم يخِمِ
When wars flared into raging flames
He never held back from them or backed away.
قطب رحَاها إذا الكُماة بها
بينَ قَتيلِ وبينَ مُنْهزمِ
The spearhead of its stalwart heroes when the overwhelming cowardly rout fled
Between the falling of the slain and the retreating routed ones.
مَنْ نَامَ في مَرْقدِ النبيّ دُجى
وأعيْنُ المشركين لم تَنَمِ
One who slept in the tomb of the Prophet in the dark
While the eyes of the pagans still did not sleep.
فداهُ بالنّفسِ لَم يَخَفْ أبداً
ما دبَّروا مِن عَظيم كيدِهمِ
His soul ransomed the Prophet; never once fearing
All their tremendous cunning they devised in their evil plans.
يا سيّد الأَوْصياء دَعْوةَ مَنْ
إن هَامَ شوقاً إليكَ لَم يُلَمِ
O Prince of the Executors of the Testament, the call of one
Distracted with passionate desire for you cannot be blamed!
أنتَ ملاَذِي في كلِّ نائبةٍ
أنتَ عياذي وأنتَ مُعْتَصَمِي
You are my resort in every adversity;
You are my aid and protection and support!
بكَ اسْتقامَ الهُدى وقَام ولَوْ
لاَ أنتَ لم يَستقِمْ ولم يَقُمِ
Through you guidance was set straight and if it were not for you,
Neither would it be set straight nor would a rising take place!
وسَابقُ العالَمينَ أنتَ فَمَنْ
مِثلكَ في العَالمين كلّهمِ
And the foremost of the worlds―that is you―so who is
Your equal among all people in both worlds?
ونفسُ خيرِ الأَنامِ أنت فَمَنْ
مِثلكَ في العَالمين كلّهمِ
And the soul of the best of human beings―that is you―so who is
Your equal among all people in both worlds?
كم رُتبةٍ في الفخارِ سَاميةٍ
بَلغتَها قبلَ مَبْلغِ الحُلم
How many sublime positions you reached in virtue
Before attaining maturity!
فيكفَ يخفى ما فيكَ مِن كرمٍ
ومِن خلالٍ غرّ ومِن شِيَمِ
How can your generosity be concealed as well as your
Pristine character and honorable and fine traits?
وخالَفُوا النَصَّ فيكَ وهْو سنىً
كالْبدرِ يَجْلُو حنادِسَ الظُلَمِ
They contradicted the text about you, though it is
As radiantly clear as the full moon dispelling all darkness!
وسَتَرُوا مِن عُلاكَ ما عَلِمُوا
وهيَ لعمرْي نارٌ على عَلَم
They concealed some of your exalted characteristics that they knew,
By my life they are a fire over a banner raised high!
رَامُوا انْتِقاماً بالثار مِنكَ كَمَا
قَتَلْتَ مِنهمْ في اللهِ كُلَّ كمِي
Seeking revenge against you for your avenging of your father; as
You killed so many of them for God’s sake in the battles.
فَحينَ لا نَاصِرٌ لَجأتَ إلى
خيرِ عزيزٍ وخيْرِ مُنْتَقِمِ
So when no victory was found, you fled to
The best refuge and the best avenger.
سَيُنْصِفُ اللهُ مِنْ عِداك ومَا
أَعْدَل ربِّ العِبادِ مِنْ حكمِ
God will do justice for your enemies, and what justice is more just
Than the judgment of the Lord of servants?
