سلامٌ مِن لَدُن رَوضِ السلام

يَخُصُّ ذَراكَ يا نَجلَ الإِمَامِ

Greetings of peace from the garden of peace

Specifically for you, O son of the Imam

يَهُبُّ مَعَ النَّوَاسِمِ كُلّ صُبحٍ

وَيَسرِي بِالعَشِيِّ مَعَ الغَمامِ

It comes with the soft breezes every morn

And flows at dusk with the clouds

إذَا اعتَكَرَ الظلامُ عَلَيهِ أَورَى

زِنَادَ البَرقِ في غَسَقِ الظّلامِ

When darkness descends, it lights

The lightning flash in the gloom of darkness

لِيُخبِرَ عَن فُؤَادٍ فيكَ صَبٍّ

عَمِيدٍ مُنذُ بَينِك مُستَهامِ

To tell of a heart filled with love for you

A pillar since between us stood the trustee

وعَن عَهدٍ نَأى مَولاهُ عَنهُ

فلاحَ القَلبُ مِنهُ فِي غَرَامِ

And of a covenant whose lord has abandoned

So the heart was inflamed with passion for him

تَمرُّ لَهُ المَطاعِمُ وَهيَ شَهدٌ

وَيضنَى بالشّرابِ وبالطّعامِ

Foods pass him by though they are sweet

And he dislikes drinks and food

تَهَيّأ كَي يَطيرَ هَوىً وَشَوقاً

إِلَيكَ فَعَأقَهُ سُوقُ الحَمَامِ

He readied himself to fly in passion and longing

To you, but the pace of the dove prevented him

وَلِي زُغبٌ كَزُغب الطَّيرِ فُلّت

بِهِنّ شَباةُ حَدِّي واعتِزَامِي

And I have a yearning like the yearning of birds

With it the youth of my limit and resolve

فإِن أَقصِر فمن عَدَم المُوَالي

وإن السَّهم بِالرِّيش اللُّؤامِ

If I fall short then 'tis from lack of loyalty

And if the arrow misses, blame the defective feather

وَمَن رَامَ النُّهوضَ بلا جَنَاحٍ

كَمَن رَكِبَ الجَموحَ بلا لِجَامِ

He who hopes to rise without wings

Is like one who mounts a steed without reins

وَإنِّي لا غِنًى لِي مِن مَسيرٍ

يَبُذُّ إلَيكُمُ رَتكَ النّعامِ

And I have no alternative but to journey

To you slowly, like the gait of ostriches

فَعِزِّي في الوُفودِ على ذَراكُم

وذلّي في الإِقامَةِ فِي مُقَامِي

My pride is in visiting your abode

And my humility in staying in my place

ذَوَى لِبِعَادِكُم نَورُ القَوَافِي

وَجَفّ لِبَنِكُم مَاءُ الكلامِ

The light of poetry has dimmed in your absence

And the water of speech dried up without you

فَمَا تَحكِي لَنَا الألفَاظُ مَعنَى

ولا يَجرِي القَرِيضُ عَلَى نِظامِ

Words cannot convey meaning to us

Nor can verse flow into meter

لَقينَا الدَّهرَ بَعدَك أيَّ دَهرٍ

وَهَذَا العَامُ بَعدكَ أيُّ عَام

After you we met time, what time!

And this year without you, what a year!

بَعِيدٌ نَفعُهُ دانٍ أذَاهُ

ظَهيرٌ لِلّئامِ عَلَى الكِرَامِ

Its benefit remote, harmful to the close

An ally to villains against the noble

أخَاف حِمَى بَلَنسِيَةٍ وَكَانَت

تَطِيرُ بِهَا البُزاة عَلَى الحَمَامِ

I fear the fever of Valencia which

Used to make the heroes fly to the baths

وجالَت حَولَها خَيلُ النَّصَارَى

وَكَانَت قَد حَماهَا مِنكَ حَامِ

And around it roamed the steeds of Christians

Though you protected it from every defender

وَمَرّوا آمِنينَ بِجَنبَتَيهَا

وَكَانُوا يَرهبونَكَ فِي المَنَامِ

And they passed secure by its sides

When they feared you in their dreams

وَمَا يُخشَى العَرِينُ بِغَيرِ لَيثٍ

وهَل يُخشَى القُرَابُ بلا حُسَامِ

Without a lion, the den is not feared

Nor is the tomb feared without swords

وَكَانَت لا يُخَافُ الهَرجُ فِيهَا

كَأَن المَرء فِي البَلَدِ الحَرَامِ

Wherein no chaos was feared

As if one were in the holy land

فَأضحَت لا حَيَاةَ لِسَاكِنِيهَا

بِهَا إلا حياة كالحِمام

So it has no life left for its inhabitants

Save a life like that of turtledoves

أسَيِّدَنا أبَا زَيدٍ رَضَعنَا

ثُدِي البِرِّ وَالنِّعَمِ الجِسَامِ

Our master Abu Zayd who suckled us

The teat of righteousness and great bounties

فَصِرنَا بَعدَ رِحلَتِهِ كُهولاً

أُعِيدَ عَلَيهِمُ مُرُّ الفِطَامُ

After his departure we grew into elders

Returned to the bitterness of weaning

سَمَا وَحَمى الثّغورَ عَلَى الأعَادِي

رَعَاهُ اللهُ مِن سَامٍ وَحَامِ

Exalted, he protected the borders from enemies

May God protect him from poison and fever

فَيَا ابنَ خليفَةِ اللهِ المُصَفَّى

وَصِنوَ إِمَامِنَا خَيرِ الأنَامِ

O son of the caliph of God, the chosen one

And grandson of our Imam, best of all men

لَكُم عُرِفَ اقتِنَاءُ المَجدِ قِدماً

وَتَكشِيفُ المُلِمَّاتِ العِظَامِ

Yours is the old purchase of glory

And the unveiling of momentous calamities

وَرَفعُ المَعلُومَاتِ عَلَى رَوَاسٍ

مُؤطّدَةٍ وَإيضاحُ المَعَامِي

And the raising of lofty flags

Firmly planted and clarifying policies

وَمَا مَن قَيسُ عَيلانٍ أبُوهُ

بنابٍ فِي الأُمُورِ وَلا كَهام

No son of Qays Aylan had his father

Keen in matters and wise

لَعَلَّ العَبدَ يَغلَطُ فِيهِ وَقتٌ

فَيُسعِفُهُ بِإدرَاكِ المَرَامش

Perhaps the servant errs at times

So he helps him realize his hopes

وَيُنجِدُهُ عَلَى غَولِ الفَيَافِي

بِصهوَةِ وَاخِدٍ سَلِسِ الزَّمَام

And aids him against the injustice of deserts

With the roar of a smooth-reined lion

لِيُبلِغَنِي استلامَ بَنانِ مَلكٍ

تُقِرُّ بِفَضلِ نِعمَتِهِ عِظَامِي

To bring me the receipt of the construction of a royal palace

Wherein my bones may settle, thanks to his bounty

وَألثُمُ تُربَ نَعلَيه فأَقضِي

بِلَثمِ تُرَابِهَا بَعضَ الذِّمَامِ

And I may kiss the dust of his shoes, and so

Fulfill some of my hopes with that dust