مَنْ كانَ مِثْلَ أَبِي عَلِيٍّ فَلْيَنَلْ

أُفُقُ السَّماءِ بِهِمَّةٍ لَمْ تُخْفَضِ

If one were like my father Ali

He would gain the horizons with unmatched ambition

أَغْنى وَقَدْ أَبْدى النَّدى وَأَعادَهُ

عَنْ أَنْ أَقُولَ لَهُ أَطَلْتَ فَأَعْرِضِ

He was generous having shown kindness and renewed it

Lest I say he prolonged so I object

ما كانَ فِيما نِلْتُ مِنْهُ بِواعِدٍ

فَأَقُولَ إِنَّ الْوَعْدَ غَيْرُ مُمَرِّضِ

What he promised me was no false hope

So I cannot say a promise being broken

سَبَقَتْ مَواهِبُهُ الْوُعُودَ وَرُبَّما

جادَ السَّحابُ وَبَرْقُهُ لَمْ يُومِضِ

His gifts preceded promises and sometimes

The clouds pour forth while the lightning yet flashes

وَقَفَ الْحُسَيْنُ عَلَى السَّماحِ غَرامَهُ

لَيْسَ الْمُحِبُّ عَنِ الْحَبِيبِ بِمُعْرِضِ

Al-Hussein stopped at the overjoyed generosity

No lover turns away from the beloved

كَشّافُ كُلِّ عَظِيمَةٍ إِنْ تَدْعُهُ

لا تَدْعُهُ لِلْخَطْبِ ما لَمْ يُرْمِضِ

He discovers every greatness if you call him

Call not on him for oratory without preparation

وَإِذا أَرَدْتَ إلى الْحُسِيْنِ صَنِيعَةً

فَاعْرِضْ لِفَضْلِ نَوالِهِ وَتَعرَّضِ

And if you want to do Al-Hussein a favor

Incline to the excess of his gifts and petition

إِنَّ السُّؤالَ لَواقِعٌ مِنْهُ بِمَنْ

زِلَةِ النَّوالِ مِنَ الْمُقِلِّ الْمُنْفِضِ

Verily asking will befall from him at the

Status of gifts from the giver freely bestowing

وَلَهُ إِذا وَعَدَ الْجَمِيلَ مَكارِمٌ

لا يَقْتَضِيهِ بِغَيْرِهِنَّ الْمُقْتَضِي

And when he promises good his noble traits

Require no other motives to deliver

مَحْضُ الْعَلاءِ صَرِيحُهُ فِي أُسْرَةٍ

جَمَحِيَّةِ النَّسَبِ الصَّرِيحِ الأَمْحَضِ

Sheer nobility his origins in a family

Pure of lineage, the clearest and most genuine

ضَربَ الْحِمامُ عَلَيْهِمُ فَتَقَوَّضُوا

وَبِناءُ ذاكَ الْمَجْدِ لَمْ يَتَقَوَّضِ

The doves flocked them so they scattered

Yet the edifice of that glory did not fray

قَوْمٌ لَهُمْ شَرَفُ الْحَطِيمِ وَمُبْتَنى الْ

عِزِّ فِي الْبِطاحِ الأَعْرَضِ

A people who have the nobility of resolve and the

Pinnacle of honor in the broad expanse

يُحْيي الثَّنا مَوْتى الْكِرامِ وَرُبَّما

ماتَ اللَّئِيمُ وَرُوحُهُ لَمْ تُقْبَضِ

He brings to life the dead glory and sometimes

The villain dies yet his soul is not seized

ماذا تَقُولُ لِمَنْ أَتاكَ مُصَرِّحاً

نِعَمُ تَعَرِّضُها لِكُلِّ مُعَرِّضِ

What can you say to one who comes avowing

“Fine gifts” exposing them to all who petition?

قَدْ كانَ خَيَّمَ صَرْفُ كُلِّ مَلِمَّةٍ

عِنْدِي فَقالَ لَهُ سَماحُكَ قَوِّضِ

The vicissitudes of time had saddened me

But your generosity said “Dispel!”

وَلَحَظْتَنِي فَعَرَفْتَ مَوْضِعَ خَلَّتِي

نَظَرَ الطَّبِيبِ إلى الْعَلِيلِ الْمُمْرَضِ

And you looked upon me and recognized my weakness

A doctor’s examination of the frail patient

وَنَظَرْتَ مِنْ تَحْتَ الْخُمُولِ تَطَلُّعِي

كَالْماءِ بُرْقِعَ وَجْهُهُ بِالْعَرْمَضِ

And you saw beneath the lethargy my ambition

Like water, its surface covered in moss

لَمّا رَأَيْتَ الدَّهْرَ يَقْصُرُ هِمَّتِي

عَنْ غايَةِ الأَمَلِ الْبَعِيدِ الْمَرْكَضِ

When you saw time diminish my aspirations

For the distant hopes broadly bound

أَنْهَضْتَنِي وَالسَّهْمُ لَيْسَ بِصائِبٍ

غَرَضاً إِذا الرّامِي بِهِ لَمْ يُنْبِضِ

You roused me though the arrow goes not straight

To a target if the archer does not pull taut

وَالْعَضْبُ لَيْسَ بِبَيِّنٍ تَأْثِيرُهُ

وَالأَثْرُ حَتّى يَنْتَضِيهِ الْمُنْتَضِي

The twig is no clarity unless the

Impression lasts until it fades

وَعَلَيْكَ حَقٌّ رَفْعُ ما أَسَّسْتَهُ

فِي مَذْهَبِ الكَرَمِ الَّذِي لَمْ يُرْفَضِ

And you have a right to raise what you established

In the way of generosity that does not reject

لا يَمْنَعَنَّكَ مِنْ يَدٍ والَيْتَها

أَنِّي بِشكْرِ صَنِيعهِا لَمْ أَنْهَضِ

Let no hand you have aided

Keep you from aiding if I did not give thanks

إِنَّ الْغَمامَ إِذا تَرادَفَ وَبْلُهُ

أَبْقى أَنِيقَ الرَّوْضِ غَيْرَ مُرَوَّضِ

Verily when the clouds amass and rain pours

The lovely garden remains unspoiled

وَلَئِنْ بَقِيتُ لَتَسْمَعَنَّ غَرائِباً

يَقْضِي الزَّمانَ وفَضْلُها لَمْ يَنْقَضِ

And if I remain you will hear wonders

That time ends though their merit stands

يَظْمَا إِلَيْها الْمُنْعِمُونَ فَمَنْ يَرِدْ

يَرِدِ الثَّناءِ الْعَذْبَ غَيْرَ مُبَرَّضِ

To which the benefactors flock so who would

Seek fine sweet praise not made bitter?

هذا وَلَسْتُ بِبالِغٍ بَعْضَ الَّذِي

أَوْلَيْتَ ما لُبِسَ الظَّلامُ وَما نُضِي

This but some of what you have done

Whether dawn cloak it or daylight reveals

أَقْرَضْتَنِي حُسْنَ الصَّنِيعِ تَبَرُّعاً

وَالْقَرْضَ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ جَزاءِ الْمُقْرِضِ

You lent me good grace voluntarily

And a loan is better than a paid creditor

فَاعْذُرْ إِذا ما الدَّهْرُ أَخْمَدَ فِكْرَتِي

أَيُّ الْكِرامِ بَدَهْرِهِ لَمْ يَغْرَضِ

So pardon me if when time dims my mind

Which noble spirit through time remains intact?

جاءَتْكَ تُنْذِرُ بِالتَّوالِي بَعْدَها

كَالفَجْرِ فِي صَدْرِ الصَّباحِ الأَبْيضِ

Thereafter messages came to you in succession

Like dawn through the breast of the bright morn

أَبَنِي أَبِي الْعَيْشِ الأَكارِمَ إِنَّنِي

لُوْ لاكُمْ لَرَضِيتُ ما لَمْ أَرْتَضِ

O sons of my father of plentiful life the most generous

If not for you I would accept less than I desire

ما زِلْتُ أَعْتَرِضُ الْمَوارِدَ قامِحاً

حَتّى وَصَلْتُ إلى الْبُحُورِ الْفُيَّضِ

I continued to intersect the surging tides

Until I reached the pouring, flooding seas