أَلَستُم عائِجينَ بِنا لَعَنّا
نَرى العَرَصاتِ أَو أَثَرَ الخِيامِ
Are you not pleading with us, may we be cursed?
We see the camel-sites or traces of encampments
فَقالوا إِن فَعَلتَ فَأَغنِ عَنّا
دُموعاً غَيرَ راقِيَةِ السِجامِ
So they said: If you do so, spare us
Tears other than shedding blood
فَكَيفَ إِذا رَأَيتُ دِيارَ قَومي
وَجيرانِن لَنا كانوا كِرامِ
How can it be when I see the abodes of my people
And our neighbors who were generous to us
أُكَفكِفُ عَبرَةَ العَينَينِ مِنّي
وَما بَعدَ المَدامِعِ مِن كَلامِ
I hold back the tears from my eyes
And after tears there is no speech
سَيُبلِغُهُنَّ وَحيُ القَولِ عَنّي
وَيُدخِلُ رَأسَهُ تَحتَ القِرامِ
Revelation will convey it to them
And lower its head under the bridge
أُسَيِّدُ ذو خُرَيِّطَةٍ نَهاراً
مِنَ المُتَلَقِّطي قَرَدَ القُسامِ
I lead by day one wearing rags
Among the scavengers, monkeys of archers
فَقُلنَ لَهُ نُواعِدُهُ الثُرَيّا
وَذاكَ عَلَيهِ مُرتَفِعُ الزِحامِ
So they said to him, we will date you, fresh dates
And that is too high to reach
رَآني الغانِياتُ فَقُلنَ هَذا
أَبونا جاءَ مِن تَحتِ السِلامِ
The singing girls saw me and said: "Here is
Our father who came from below peace
فَإِن يَضحَكنَ أَو يَسخَرنَ مِنّي
فَإِنّي كُنتُ مِرقاصَ الخِدامِ
If they laugh or mock me
I was once a dancer of servants
وَلَو جَدّاتُهُنَّ سَأَلنَ عَنّي
رَجَعنَ إِلَيَّ أَضعافَ السَلامِ
If their grandmothers asked about me
They would return double the greetings to me
رَأَينَ شُروخَهُنَّ مُؤَزَّراتٍ
وَشَرخَ لِدِيَّ أَسنانَ الهِرامِ
They saw me wearing torn garments
And a grin that revealed the decaying teeth
تَقولُ بَنِيَّ هَل يَكُ مِن رُجَيلٍ
لِقَومٍ مِنكَ غَيرُ ذَوي سَوامِ
She says: My son, can there be a real man
For a people among you who are not lowly
فَتَنهَضَ نَهضَةً لِبَنيكَ فيها
غِنىً لَهُمُ مِنَ المَلِكِ الشَآمي
Who would rise for your children in a way
That would enrich them without the Syrian King
فَقُلتُ لَهُم وَكَيفَ وَلَيسَ أَمشي
عَلى قَدَمَيَّ وَيحَكُمُ مَرامي
So I said to them: But how can I walk
On my feet or control my affairs
وَهَل لي حيلَةٌ لَكُمُ بِشَيءٍ
إِذا رِجلايَ أَسلَمَتا قِيامي
And what means do I have to help you
When my legs have surrendered standing
رَمَتني بِالثَمانينَ اللَيالي
وَسَهمُ الدَهرِ أَصوَبُ سَهمِ رامي
The eighty nights have thrown me down
And the arrow of fate is a stronger shooter than an archer
وَغَيَّرَ لَونَ راحِلَتي وَلَوني
تَرَدِّيَّ الهَواجِرَ وَاِعتِمامي
It has changed the color of my she-camel and my color
My emaciation and gloominess increasing
وَإِقبالُ المَطِيَّةِ كُلَّ يَومٍ
مِنَ الجَوزاءِ مُلتَهِبِ الضِرامِ
The approach of destiny everyday
From mid-Gemini blazing hot
وَإِدلاجي إِذا الظَلماءُ جارَت
إِلى طَردِ النَهارِ دُجى الظَلامِ
And my being engulfed when darkness descends
Expelling daylight, the gloom of night
أَقولُ لِناقَتي لَمّا تَرامَت
بِنا بيدٌ مُسَربَلَةُ القَتامِ
I say to my camel when she slackens her pace
With a hand that is clad handling the reins
أَغيثي مَن وَراءَكِ مِن رَبيعٍ
أَمامَكِ مُرسَلٍ بِيَدَي هِشامِ
Does any spring survive behind you
Before you unleashed by Hisham's hands?
يَدَي خَيرِ الَّذينَ بَقوا وَماتوا
إِماماً وَاِبنِ أَملاكٍ عِظامِ
The hands of the best of those who lived and died
As Imam and son of great kingdoms
بِهِ يُحيِ البِلادَ وَمَن عَلَيها
مِنَ النَعَمِ البَهائِمِ وَالرَنامِ
Through him the country and those who are in it live
With animal blessings and greenery
مِنَ الوَسمِيِّ مُبتَرِكٌ بُعاقٌ
يَسوقُ عِشارَ مُرتَجِزٍ رُكامِ
An emaciated camel led by a one-eyed man
Driving the harvest of heaped junk
فَإِن تُبلِغكِ أَربَعُكِ اللَواتي
بِهِنَّ إِلَيكِ رَرجِع كُلَّ عامِ
If you reach the four, those
Through whom I return to you every year
تَكوني مِثلَ مَيِّتَةٍ فَحَيَّت
وَقَد بَلِيَت بِتَنضاحِ الرِهامِ
You would be like a dead woman revived
Who has endured being ripped by arrows
قَدِ اِستَبطَأتُ ناجِيَةً ذَمولاً
وَإِنَّ الهَمَّ بي فيها لَسامي
I missed a she-camel accustomed and tamed
And anxiety about her really worried me
أَقولُ لَها إِذا عَطَفَت وَعَضَّت
بِمورِكَةِ الوِراكِ مَعَ الزِمامِ
I say to her when she turns around and pulls
The nose-rein along with the halter
إِلامَ تَلَفَّتينَ وَأَنتِ تَحتي
وَخَيرُ الناسِ كُلَّهُمُ أَمامي
Why do you keep turning while you are my mount
And the best people are all ahead of me?
مَتى تَأتي الرُصافَةَ تَستَريحي
مِنَ التَهجيرِ وَالدَبَرِ الدَوامي
When will we reach al-Rusafah to rest
From roaming and endless travelling
وَيُلقى الرَحلُ عَنكِ وَتَستَغيثي
بِمِلءِ الأَرضِ وَالمَلِكِ الهُمامِ
Where the luggage will be unloaded off you and you will scream
For help from the King of all kings
كَأَنَّ أَراقِماً عَلِقَت يَداها
مُعَلَّقَةً إِلى عَمَدِ الرُخامِ
It is as if spider webs spend the night building
On the nostrils from the mucus of snot
تَزِفُّ إِذا العُرى لَقِيَت بُراها
زَفيفَ الهادِجاتِ مِنَ النَعامِ
I fear every twittering sound and thunder
From sheep that protects its sleepers
إِذا رَضراضَةٌ وَطِأَت عَلَيها
خَضَبنَ بُطونَ مُثعَلَةٍ رِثامِ
It is as if the barn owls when hatched in exile
Have piercing stares that observe me
إِذا شَرَكُ الطَريقِ تَرَسَّمَتهُ
تَأَوَّدُ تَحتَهُ حَذَرَ الكَلامِ
They provoke the anklets to jingle when
Chests that rest meet the slumbering strides
كَأَنَّ العَنكَبوتَ تَبيتُ تَبني
عَلى الخَيشومِ مِن زَبَدِ اللُغامِ
As if the tips of Yathrib's spears fell upon it
From the feathers of doves
أَخِشَّةَ كُلَّ جُرشُعَةٍ وَغَوجٍ
مِنَ النَعَمِ الَّذي يَحمي سَنامي
I have turned to you, best of people, alive
So you can revive me or be my support
كَأَنَّ العيسَ حينَ أُنِخنَ هَجراً
مُفَقَّأَةٌ نَواظِرُها سَوامي
To the King of Kings I carry my burden
Piled up on the pack-saddles
تُثيرُ قَعاقِعَ الأَلحى إِذا ما
تَلاقَت هاجِدَ العَرَقِ النِيامِ
From the year that left nothing
Of cattle, worn out by droughts
فَما بَلَغَت بِنا إِلّا جَريضاً
بِنِقيٍ في العِظامِ وَلا السَنامِ
Your pledge is God's pledge, he takes hold of it
So no bond can detach from it
كَأَنَّ النَجمَ وَالجَوزاءَ يَسري
عَلى آثارِ صادِرَةٍ أَوامِ
I carry my mount and my mount carries me
Not lightly with my huge body
وَصادِيَةُ الصُدورِ نَضَحتُ لَيلاً
لَهُنَّ سِجالَ آجِنَةٍ طَوامي
On top ships sailing the arid land
War spoils paired with male swords
كَأَنَّ نِصالَ يَثرِبَ ساقَطَتها
عَلى الأَرجاءِ مِن ريشِ الحَمامِ
Your hands, spring of people, in one of them
In the other, the holy months
عَمَدتُ إِلَيكَ خَيرَ الناسَ حَيّاً
لِتَنعَشَ أَو يَكونَ بِكَ اِعتِصامي
If not for you, people would be
Scattered beads fallen from a string
إِلى مَلِكِ المُلوكِ جَمَعتُ هَمّي
عَلى المُتَرَدَّفاتِ مِنَ السَمامِ
People do not gather unless
To feud and quarrel bitterly
مِنَ السَنَةِ الَّتي لَم تُبقِ شَيئاً
مِنَ الأَنعامِ بالِيَةَ الثُمامِ
The sky gave good tidings to the land when
We talked about the coming of the Imam
وَحَبلُ اللَهِ حَبلُكَ مَن يَنَلهُ
فَما لِعُرىً إِلَيهِ مِنِ اِنفِصامِ
To the people of Iraq, though they are
Remnants, like body parts and lumps
فَإِنّي حامِلٌ رَحلي وَرَحلي
إِلَيكَ لا الوُهونِ مِنَ العِظامِ
He came visiting us, his visit was
One of the greatest blessings to us
عَلى سُفُنِ الفَلاةِ مُرَدَّفاتٍ
جُناةَ الحَربِ بِالذَكَرِ الحُسامِ
The Commander of the Faithful, through him we live
The robes of sins have been cut off
يَداكَ يَدٌ رَبيعَ الناسِ فيها
وَفي الأُخرى الشُهورُ مِنَ الحَرامِ
He came with the Sunnah of the two Caliphs in which
Is a healing for chests of sickness
فَإِنَّ الناسَ لَولا أَنتَ كانوا
حَصى خَرَزٍ تَساقَطَ مِن نِظامِ
God saw you most worthy of all people
Of the authority of the Caliphate and peace
وَلَيسَ الناسُ مُجتَمِعينَ إِلّا
لِخِندِفَ في المَشورَةِ وَالخِصامِ
When he travels through a land he sees
Shaded for him with clouds
وَبَشَّرَتِ السَماءُ الأَرضَ لَمّا
تَحَدَّثنا بِإِقبالِ الإِمامِ
I saw you filling the earth with justice
And light while it is clad in darkness
إِلى أَهلِ العِراقِ وَإِنَّما هُم
بَقايا مِثلُ أَشلاءٍ وَهامِ
I saw oppression, when you stood up, lose
Its covering by the two sharp blades of your holy one
أَتانا زائِراً كانَت عَلَينا
زِيارَتَهُ مِنَ النِعَمِ العِظامِ
You are not going to attain what you intend
With the forearms of the flexible bow
أَميرُ المُؤمِنينَ بِهِ نُعِشنا
وَجُذَّ حِبالُ آصارِ الإِثامِ
You will be disgraced if you meet in Najd's expanse
‘Aṭiyyah between Zamzam and the Station
فَجاءَ بِسُنَّةِ العُمَرَينِ فيها
شِفاءٌ لِلصُدورِ مِنَ السَقامِ
‘Aṭiyyah, the horseman of al-Qasa' when
It settled down breaking its fast
رَآكَ اللَهُ أَولى الناسِ طُرّاً
بِأَعوادِ الخِلافَةِ وَالسَلامِ
If you meet him there returning
Then which of the two conceals destruction
إِذا ما سارَ في أَرضٍ تَراها
مُظَلَّلَةً عَلَيهِ مِنَ الغَمامِ
رَأَيتُكَ قَد مَلَأتَ الأَرضَ عَدلاً
وَضَوءً وَهيَ مُلبَسَةُ الظَلامِ
رَأَيتُ الظُلمَ لَمّا قُمتَ جُذَّت
عُراهُ بِشَفرَتَي ذَكَرٍ هُذامِ
تَعَنَّ فَلَستَ مُدرِكَ ما تَعَنّى
إِلَيهِ بِساعِدَي جُعَلِ الرَغامِ
سَتَخزى إِن لَقيتَ بِغَورِ نَجدٍ
عَطِيَّةَ بَينَ زَمزَمَ وَالمَقامِ
عَطِيَّةَ فارِسَ القَسعاءِ يَوماً
وَيَوماً وَهيَ راكِدَةُ الصِيامِ
إِذا الخَطَفى لَقيتَ بِهِ مُعيداً
فَأَيُّهُما يُضَمِّرُ لِلضِمامِ
