هذه واسِطُ أم ذا حُلُمُ

أَنا من شَوْقي إليها عَدَمُ

Is this a medium, or one with dreams?

Of longing for her, I am devoid

وعُيوني لِتَرى أَطْلالَها

دائِماً مدمَعُها الجاري دَمُ

And my eyes to see her ruins

Are ever flowing with bloody tears

أَتَداعَى كلَّما ريحُ الصَّبا

هبَّ منها عارِضٌ مُبْتَسِمُ

Whenever the morning breeze would blow

A smiling cheek it carries from her

كيفَ لا تأخُذُ قَلبي لوعَتي

وأَنا عبدٌ بَعيدٌ عنهُمُ

How can my heart not take my agony

When I'm a slave, from them far removed

سادَةُ الحَيِّ الَّذينَ اشْتَهَروا

ودَرَتْهُمْ في البَرايا الأُمَمُ

The masters of the living, famous men

Whose renown the nations spread

كَنَزوا الوجدَ بأَلبابٍ لنا

فهوَ فيها دائِماً يلتَطِمُ

They buried passion in our hearts

So it's in turmoil, always colliding

قَسَماً فيهِمْ وهذا لم يَزَلْ

عند أهلِ الحُبِّ نِعْمَ القَسَمُ

By them, though, a fair share was given

Among lovers, a most gracious share

هُمْ مَضامينُ فُؤادي ولَهُمْ

في فُؤادي من هَواهُمْ طِلْسَمُ

They're the refuge of my heart, and for them

In my heart, of their love, a talisman

بيتُ قَلبي حَرَمُ الحُبِّ لهُمْ

ها هوَ البيتُ وهذا الحَرَمُ

My heart's abode is the shrine of love for them

For them is power at dusk's fall

هُمْ لَهُمْ في حضرَةِ الطَّمْسِ يدٌ

ولَهُمْ فوقَ الثُّريَّا قَدَمُ

And over Al-Thurayya, feet

They taught me the elegy and love-sickness for them

علَّموني النَّوْحَ والَهَفي بِهِمْ

فرَوَيْتُ الوجدَ نصًّا عنهُمُ

So I quenched passionate love, text from them

A fate that marks me as their slave

قِسمَةٌ ترسِمُ أنِّي عبدُهُمْ

ومن الآزالِ تَجري القِسَمُ

And from misfortunes the shares run

Our destiny was sealed when

أُحْكِمَتْ قِسمَتُنا حيثُ بِها

نُقِشَ اللَّوْحُ وخطَّ القلَمُ

The tablet was inscribed, the pen wrote

Passionate love spilled my tears, confused

سَفَحَ الوجدُ دُموعي عَيْلَماً

مُذْ تَرآى بانُهُمْ والعَلَمُ

Since their sign appeared, and the banner

How can I not love people of whom

كيفَ لا أَعشَقُ قوماً جاءَ في

مُحْكَمِ الذِّكرِ لنا حُبُّهُمُ

In scripture secure, love of them was made

Among them is Sheikh Bo Tayha of Wasit

منهُمُ شيخُ بُطَيْحا واسِطٍ

مُفْرَدُ القَوْمِ الأحيدُ العَلَمُ

Unique among men, the most glorious flag

The one circled by the lofty of state

والَّذي طافَ أُولو الحالِ بهِ

وأُفيضَ السِّرُّ منهُ لهمُ

And from him the mysteries to them flowed

Master of the foremost folk, their greatest

سيِّدُ القَوْمِ الأُولى أَعظَمُهُمْ

وفَتى كُبَّارِهِمْ شيخُهُمُ

And the youth of their elders, their Sheikh

He walked the path of God, singular

سارَ في اللهِ مَسيراً مُفرداً

عَجَزَتْ عن مُرْتَقاهُ الهِمَمُ

Ambitions fell short of his ascent

If his tigers appeared openly

لو تجلَّى النُّمورُ من طلعَتِهِ

علناً لانْجابَ فيهِ الظُلَمُ

Darkness would be lit up in his light

If he called a dead man, he'd hurry compliant

لو دَعا مَيْتاً لوافَى مُسرِعاً

أو دَحا الطَّوْدَ له ينهَدِمُ

Or sang to the hills and they'd crumble

The unique one, grandson of Mustafa

واحِدُ الآحادِ شِبْلُ المُصْطَفى

غَوْثُ كُبَّارِ الرِّجالِ الأَعظَمُ

Succor of the greatest men, the utmost

Al-Rifa’i, whose ambition

الرِّفاعِيِّ الَّذي همَّتُهُ

لأفانينِ المَعالي سُلَّمُ

Was the heights of glory, a ladder

The poles took shelter in his cloak

لاذَتِ الأَقطابُ في سُدَّتِهِ

عُرْبُهُمْ بين الوَرَى والعَجَمُ

Arabs and non-Arabs, all together

Where are my words to the meaning of his pride?

أَينَ من مدحِيَ معنى عِزِّهِ

كَلِماتٌ باسمِهِ تنتَظِمُ

Words about him, construed, will cohere

Without mention of him, many a mention

هو لولا ذِكرُهُ ما حَسُنَتْ

رُبَّ ذِكرٍ فيه تَحلو الكَلِمُ

Would not be sweet, however pleasing the words

Wondrous, astoundingly wondrous, that

عَجَباً واعَجَباً واعَجَباً

أَنا مَيْتٌ وبقَوْلي حِكَمُ

I am dead, yet by my words decree

Have you heard a decree from one dead,

هل سمعْتُمْ حِكَماً من ميِّتٍ

تحتَ أطْباقِ الهَوَى ينعَدِمُ

Annihilated under layers of love?

Give me a draft of the wine of those

وا بروحي نهْلَةً من خمرِ مَنْ

سكَنَتْ رُوحي المَدى عندَهُمُ

Whose spirits the expanse near them settled

And wondrously when I call them I see

وعَجَباً حينَ أدعوهُمْ أَرى

شخصَهُمْ ضِمني كما أنِّي هُمُ

Their persons within me, as though I am them

Al-Rawabi and Rabee’a al-Munhana

والرَّوابي ورَبيعِ المُنْحَنى

ورِياضٍ مثلُها خُلْقُهُمُ

And Riyyad, their nature is his

If I complain, it's about them my plaint

أَنا إنْ أَشجُو ففيهِمْ شَجَني

ولئنْ أَبكي فدَمْعي لَهُمُ

And if I weep, my tears are theirs

My smile is when I see their faces

وابْتسامي أَنْ أَرى طلعَتَهُمْ

وعُبوسي إنْ هُمُ ما ابْتَسموا

And my gloom if they do not smile

Their covenant is my creed, their closeness my soul

عهدُهُمْ ديني ورُوحي قربُهُمْ

وغَرامي فيهُمُ مُعْتَصِمُ

And my passion for them is my bond

In them my longings never cease

لا انْقَضى فيهِمْ شُجوني أَبداً

كيفَ والشَّجْوُ اصْطِلامٌ منهُمُ

How, when longing comes from them?

They draw near or distance or go far

قرَّبوا أَو بعَّدوا أَو باعَدوا

أَما في مجموعِها عَبْدُهُمُ

But in sum I am their slave

God established my loyalty to them

ثبَّتَ اللهُ عليهِمْ أَنَّتي

وحَنيني ما انْجَلى بدْرُهُمُ

And my yearning—its full moon has not waned

And upon them at all times, forever

وعليهِمْ كلَّ آنٍ أَبداً

مِسكُ نشرٍ نشرُهُ مثلُهُمُ

The fragrance of basil, its scent like theirs

It expresses from me the tales of passion

يُروَ عنِّي من أَحاديثِ الهَوَى

ما يُرَوِّي بالشَّذا رُحْبَهُمُ

Quenching aridity, their spaciousness

It shows me ever at their door

لأَراني دائماً في بابِهِمْ

واصِلَ الأَشجانِ لا أنْفَصِمُ

Joined to sadness, never to be sundered