أَلا يا مَليكا يُرتَجى وَيهابُ

وَبَحراً لَهُ في المَكرُماتِ عَبابُ

Behold, O king to be hoped for and feared,

And a sea of generosity ever turbid!

وَمَولى عَدَتني مُذ نَشأتُ مَكارِمٌ

تَصوبُ بِها مِن راحَتَيهِ سَحابُ

And a lord who has graced me since I grew up with generosity

Whose clouds of favor rain upon me.

أَطَعتُكَ في سِرّي وَجَهريَ جاهِداً

فَلَم يَكُ لي إِلّا الملامَ ثَوابُ

I obeyed you openly and in secret striving

Yet for me there was only blame as reward.

وَأَعمَلتُ جُهدي في رِضاكَ مُشَمِّراً

وَمِن دونِ أَن أَفضي إِلَيهِ حِجابُ

And I strove with all my might to please you

Without attaining the object of my quest.

وَلَمّا كَبا جَدّي لَدَيكَ وَلَم يَسُغ

لِنَفسي عَلى سُوءِ المُقامِ شَرابُ

And when my effort with you was unavailing

And I could not on hard conditions quench my thirst,

وَقَلَّ اِصطِباري حينَ لا ليَ عِندَكُم

مِنَ العَطفِ إِلّا قَسوَةٌ وَعِتابُ

And my patience ran out, since with you

I met with nothing but harshness and reproach,

فَرَرتُ بِنَفسي أَبتَغي فَرجَةً لَها

عَلى أَنَّ حُلوَ العَيشِ بَعدَكَ صابُ

I fled with myself seeking deliverance for it

Although after you the sweetness of life is miserable.

وَما هَزَّني إِلّا رَسولُكَ إِذ جَرَت

إِلَيَّ بِهِ صُمُّ الهِضابِ رِكابُ

But only your messenger drove me away

When the night of desolation came to me riding,

فَقالَ مَقالاً لم أَجِد عَن مَقالِهِ

مَناباً وَعَن بَعضِ الأُمورِ سَحابُ

And said in words I found no way of avoiding,

Though clouds encompass some events:

دَعاكَ أَميرُ المُؤمِنينَ مُثَوِّباً

فَقُلتُ أَميرُ المُؤمِنينَ مُجابُ

The Commander of the Faithful has summoned you with favor.

I said: To the Commander of the Faithful I shall come.

فَجئتُ أُغِذُّ السَيرَ حَتّى كَأَنَّما

تَطيرُ بِسَيري في الفَلاةِ عُقابُ

So I traveled feeding my journey

As though eagles in the desert bore me on.

وَما كُنتُ بَعدَ البَينِ إِلذا مُوَطِّناً

بِعَزمي عَلى أَن لا يَكونَ إِيّابُ

And after separation I was not wont

To turn back with resolve that there should be no return.

وَلَكِنَّكَ الدُنيا إِليَّ حَبيبَةٌ

فَما عَنكَ لي إِلّا إِلَيكَ ذَهابُ

But you are to me a beloved world

So I have no course but to come back to you.

أَصِب بِالرِضا عَنّي مَسَرَّةَ مُهجَتي

وَإِن لَم يَكُن فيما أُتيتُ صَوابُ

Gladden my afflicted soul with acceptance of me

Though in what I have done there is no right.

وَفَضلُكَ في تَركِ المَلامِ فَإِنَّهُ

وَحَقِّكَ في قَلبي ظُبّى وَحِرابُ

Your bounty in forbearing to blame, for it

Is your due from my heart, a fawn, a ruin.

إِذا كانت النُعمى تُكَدَّرُ بِالأَذى

فَما هيَ إِلّا مِحنَةٌ وَعَذابُ

When blessings are embittered by annoyance

They become only trial and punishment.

وَلا تَقبضَنْ بِالمَنعِ كَفّي فَإِنَّهُ

وَجَدِّكَ نُقضٌ لِلعُلا وَخَرابُ

So do not close my hands through denial, for it

In your truth, is breach of compact and devastation.

فَواللَهِ ما أَبغي بِذَلِكَ غَيرَ أَن

تُحَلّى بِجَدوى راحَتَيكَ رِقابُ

By God, I desire by that nothing but

That necks should be adorned by your favors.

وَيَهدي إِلَيكَ الناسُ دونَ تَصَنُّعٍ

مَحَبَّةَ صِدقٍ لَم يَشُبها كِذابُ

And that people unsolicited should guide

To you, with true love no liar has rivaled.

فَكُلٌّ نَوالٍ لي إِلَيكَ اِنتسابُهُ

وَأَنتَ عَلَيهِ بِالثَناءِ مُئابُ

So everyone who attaches himself to me,

And you praise him for that attachment.

بَقيتَ مَكينَ الأَمرِ ما ذَرَّ شارِقٌ

وَما لاحَ في أُفقِ السَماءِ رَبابُ

You remain firmly seated however long the daybreak gleamed,

And the Pleiades glimmered in the sky’s expanse.