لِمَنِ الحُدوجُ تَهُزُّهُنَّ الأَنيُقُ
وَالرَكبُ يَطفو في السَرابِ وَيَغرَقُ
For whom do the camels sway their graceful necks?
And the caravan floats in the mirage, yet sinks down
يَقطَعنَ أَعراضَ العَقيقِ فَمُشئِمٌ
يَحدو رَكائِبَهُ الغَرامُ وَمُعرِقُ
They cut through the expanse of ruby sands while melancholy
His steeds spurred by passion and eagerness gallop on
أَبقَوا أَسيراً بَعدَهُم لا يُفتَدى
مِمّا يَجِنُّ وَطالِباً لا يَلحَقُ
They left behind a captive who cannot be ransomed
From what he reaps, though the seeker cannot overtake
يَهفو الوُلوعُ بِهِ فَيَطرِفُ طَرفَهُ
وَيَزيدُ جولانُ الدُموعِ فَيُطرِقُ
Yearning overwhelms him so he glances sideways
And the flowing of tears makes him bow his head lower
وَوَراءَ ذاكَ الخِدرِ عارِضُ مُزنَةٍ
لا ناقِعٌ ظَمَأً وَلا مُتَأَلِّقُ
Beyond the drowsy one, a sad she-camel rises
Neither a slaker of thirst, nor a sparkling one
وَمُحَجَّبٍ فَإِذا بَدا مِن نورِهِ
لِلرَكبِ مُلتَهِبُ المَطالِعِ مونِقُ
And a veiled one, so when his light emerged
The horizon for the caravan glowed, radiant
خَرّوا عَلى شُعَبِ الرِحالِ وَأَسنَدوا
أَيدي الطِعانِ إِلى قُلوبٍ تَخفِقُ
They knelt down on the flanks of the she-camels and leaned
The hands of the slender one against hearts that throb
هَل عَهدُنا بَعدَ التَفَرُّقِ راجِعٌ
أَو غُصنُنا بَعدَ التَسَلُّبِ مورِقُ
After our parting, will our covenant return?
Or after our estrangement, will our branch burgeon?
شَوقٌ أَقامَ وَأَنتِ غَيرُ مُقيمَةٍ
وَالشَوقُ بِالكَلفِ المُعَنّى أَعلَقُ
Yearning remained though you did not stay
And yearning clings with feigned affection, more binding
ما كُنتُ أَحظى في الدُنوِّ فَكَيفَ بي
وَاليَومَ نَحنُ مُغَرِّبٌ وَمُشَرِّقُ
Never was I fortunate in life, so how could I be
When today we are exiled and lands lie between us
مِن أَجلِ حُبُّكِ قُلتُ عاوَدَ أُنسَهُ
ذاكَ الحِمى وَسُقي اللَوى وَالأَبرَقُ
For love of you I said the fever returned to haunt him
The craving, the flare, and the lightning strike back
طَرَقَ الخَيالُ بِبَطنِ وَجرَةَ بَعدَما
زَعَمَ العَواذِلُ أَنَّهُ لا يَطرُقُ
The specter crept into the belly of the wineskin after
The censurers claimed it would not return
أَتَحَنُّناً بَعدَ الرُقادِ وَقُسوَةً
أَيّامَ أُصفيكِ الوِدادَ وَأُمذَقُ
Do you show tenderness after sleep and harshness
On days when I profess to you love and make you taste?
أَنّى اِهتَديتِ وَما اِهتَدَيتُ وَبَينَنا
سورٌ عَلَيَّ مِنَ الطِعانِ وَخَندَقُ
How did you find guidance when I did not? Between us
Is a wall against me of censure and trench
وَمُطَلَّحينَ لَهُم بِكُلِّ ثَنيَّةٍ
مُلقىً وِسادَتُهُ الثَرى وَالمَرفِقُ
With smooth cheeks lying in every crease
Pillowing his head on soil and elbow
أَو قابِضينَ عَلى الأَزَمَّةِ وَالكَرى
يَغشى أَكُفَّهُمُ النُعاسُ فَتَمرُقُ
Or grasping crises and wars
Drowsiness makes their palms give way and tear
أَومَوا إِلى الغَرَضِ البَعيدِ فَكُلُّهُم
ماضٍ يَخُبُّ مَعَ الرَجاءِ وَيُعنِقُ
Or they died striving for the distant goal, so all of them
Are determined though hope is dashed and hangs
وَإِلى أَميرِ المُؤمِنينَ نَجَت بِهِم
ميلَ الجَماجِمِ سَيرُهُنَّ تَدَفُّقُ
And to the Commander of the Faithful they came freely
The inclination of their minds poured forth in waves
كَنَقانِقِ الظَلمانِ أَعجَلَها الدُجى
وَحَدا بِها زَجِلُ الرَواعِدِ مُبرِقُ
Like ostriches of darkness rushed on by night
And hurried by the growling of rumbling thunder
يَطلُبنَ زائِدَةَ المَكارِمِ وَالنَدى
حَيثُ اِستَقَرَّ بِها العَلاءُ المُعرِقُ
Seeking abundant excellence and dew
Where glory settled, refreshed and watered
الزاخِرُ الغَدِقُ الَّذي يُروى بِهِ
ظَمَأُ المُنى وَالوابِلُ المُتَبَعِّقُ
The abundant, generous one who quenches with it
The thirst of wishes and the pouring, trailing rain
أَبُغاةَ هَذا المَجدِ إِنَّ مَرامَهُ
دَحضٌ يُزِلُّ الصاعِدينَ وَيُزلِقُ
You who seek this glory, your ambition
Is to defeat the climbers and make them slip
هَيهاتَ ظَنُّكُمُ تَمَرَّدَ مارِدٌ
مِن دونِ نَيلِكُمُ وَعَزَّ الأَبلَقُ
Alas, your assumption a rebel attacked
Without reaching you - the splendid one was repelled
لا تُحرِجوا هَذي البِحارَ فَرُبَّما
كانَ الَّذي يَروي المَعاطِشَ يَغرَقُ
Do not make the seas shrink back - perhaps
He who quenches the thirsty might also drown
وَدَعوا مُجاذَبَةَ الخِلافَةِ إِنَّها
أَرَجٌ بِغَيرِ ثَنائِهِم لا يَعبَقُ
Leave off vying for the caliphate - it is
A meadow without their praise that does not flower
غَنِيَت بِهِم تَحتَزُّ دونَ مَنالِها
قِمَمُ العِدى وَيُرَدُّ عَنها الفَيلَقُ
It was enriched by them, though they disdain it
The enemy's peaks turn back from it and retreat
كَعَقائِلِ الأَبطالِ تُجلَبُ دونَها
بيضُ القَواضِبِ وَالقَنا المُتَدَفِّقُ
Like the dens of lions bringing down before it
The white ships and the gushing streams
فَهُمُ لِذُروَتِها الَّتي لا تُرتَقى
أَبَداً وَبَيضَتِها الَّتي لا تُفلَقُ
For they are its lofty peak that cannot be climbed
And its egg that cannot be cracked or pierced
أَشَفَت فَكُنتَ شِفاءَها وَلَقَد تُرى
شِلواً بِأَظفارِ العَدوِّ يُمَزَّقُ
You cured it when it was infirm and still you see
It mangled by the enemy's claws, torn apart
كُنتَ الصَباحَ رَمى إِلَيها ضَوءَهُ
وَمَضى بِهَبوَتِهِ الظَلامُ الأَورَقُ
You were the dawn whose light it cast toward
And the darkness fled with its blackened banners
فَسَنامُها لا يُمتَطى وَنَباتُها
لا يُختَلى وَفَناؤُها لا يُطرَقُ
So its path cannot be ridden and its plants cannot be reaped
And its loss cannot be repaired or compensated
وَوَزَنتَ بِالقِسطاسِ غَيرَ مُراقَبٍ
وَالعَدلُ مَهجورُ الطَريقِ مُطَلَّقُ
You weighed with the scales without being watched over
And justice is abandoned, released on its path
في كُلِّ يَومٍ لِلعَدوِّ إِذا اِلتَوى
بِظُباكَ يَومُ أُوارَةٍ وَمُحَرِّقُ
To the enemy, whenever it twists
There is a day of calamity and conflagration
أَنتُم مَوادِعُ كُلِّ خَطبٍ يُتَّقى
وَبِكُم يُفَرَّجُ كُلَّ بابٍ يُغلَقُ
You are the refuge for every peril feared
And through you every closed door is relieved
وَأَبوكُمُ العَبّاسُ ما اِستَسقى بِهِ
بَعدَ القُنوطِ قَبائِلٌ إِلّا سُقوا
And your father al-Abbas, when he supplicated with it
After despair, which tribes were given to drink?
بَعَجَ الغَمامَ بِدَعوَةٍ مَسموعَةٍ
فَأَجابَهُ شَرقُ البَوارِقِ مُغدِقُ
He took the clouds by a prayer heard
So the east of lightning responded, pouring down
ما مِنكُمُ إِلّا اِبنُ أُمٍّ لِلنَدى
أَو مُصبِحٌ بِدَمِ الأَعادي مُغبِقُ
Each of you is the son of a mother of bounty
Or a kindler with the blood of enemies, staining
لِلَّهِ يَومٌ أَطلَعَتكَ بِهِ العُلى
عَلَماً يُزاوَلُ بِالعُيونِ وَيُرشَقُ
By God, the day exalted you with it to the heights
A flag glancing at eyes and fluttering
لَمّا سَمَت بِكَ غُرَّةٌ مَوموقَةٌ
كَالشَمسِ تَبهَرُ بِالضِياءِ وَتومَقُ
When a glorious, complete new moon carried you
Like the sun, dazzled by the light and blinking
وَبَرَزتَ في بُردِ النَبيِّ وَلِلهُدى
نورٌ عَلى أَطرارِ وَجهِكَ مُشرِقُ
And you came forth in the Prophet's cold - and for guidance
A light on your cheeks' edges shone
وَعَلى السَحابِ الجَودِ ليثَ مُعَظَّماً
ذاكَ الرِداءُ وَزُرَّ ذاكَ اليَلمَقُ
And above the rain cloud, a formidable lion
That gown, and the wrapping of that cloak
وَكَأَنَّ دارَكَ جَنَّةٌ حَصباؤُها ال
جادِيُّ أَو أَنماطُها الإِستَبرَقُ
And your house is like a paradise whose pebbles are not
Of Barmecide origin, or patterned brocade
في مَوقِفٍ تُغضي العُيونُ جَلالَةً
فيهِ وَيَعثُرُ بِالكَلامِ المَنطِقُ
In a stance where eyes are lowered in awe
And speech trips over the articulation
وَكَأَنَّما فَوقَ السَريرِ وَقَد سَما
أَسَدٌ عَلى نَشَزاتِ غابٍ مُطرِقُ
As if above the dais a lion had risen
Crouching over a forest's undergrowth
وَالناسُ إِمّا راجِعٌ مُتَهَيِّبٌ
مِمّا رَأى أَو طالِعٌ مُتَشَوِّقُ
And the people either come back reverently
From what they saw or ascending expectantly
مالوا إِلَيكَ مَحَبَّةً فَتَجَمَّعوا
وَرَأَوا عَلَيكَ مَهابَةً فَتَفَرَّقَوا
They inclined toward you affectionately so assembled
And saw awe in you so scattered
وَطَعَنتَ مِن غُرَرِ الكَلامِ بِفَيصَلٍ
لا يَستَقِلُّ بِهِ السِنانُ الأَزرَقُ
And you stabbed with the finest points of words with a sword
No blue spear can handle on its own
وَغَرَستَ في حَبِّ القُلوبِ مَوَدَّةً
تَزكو عَلى مَرِّ الزَمانِ وَتورِقُ
And you planted in the hearts a love
That grows over the years and flourishes
وَأَنا القَريبُ إِلَيكَ فيهِ وَدونَهُ
لِيَدَي عَدُوِّكَ طَودُ عِزٍ أَعنَقُ
I am the closest to you in it and without it
To the hands of your enemy, a barrier of might, impregnable
عَطفاً أَميرَ المُؤمِنينَ فَإِنَّنا
في دَوحَةِ العَلياءِ لا نَتَفَرَّقِ
Show kindness, Commander of the Faithful, for we
In the orbit of the exalted, will not separate
ما بَينَنا يَومَ الفَخارِ تَفاوُتٌ
أَبَداً كِلانا في المَعالي مُعرِقُ
Between us on the day of pride no distinction
Both of us in glory are steeped
إِلّا الخِلافَةَ مَيَّزَتكَ فَإِنَّني
أَنا عاطِلٌ مِنها وَأَنتَ مُطَوَّقُ
Except the caliphate distinguished you, for I
Am barred from it, while you are crowned
