زَارَ الْحَيَا بِمَزِارِهِ الْبُسْتَانَا
وأَثَارَ منْ أزْهَارِهِ ألْوَانا
The youth visited his garden's shrine,
And stirred its flowers of varied hues.
فَغَدَا بهِ وبِصِنْوِهِ يَخْتَالُ في
حُلَلِ النَّضَارَةِ مُونِقاً رَيَّانا
So he went about it, dressed so fine,
In robes of radiant youthfulness,
وَيَمِيسُ أفْنَاناً فَتُبْصِرُ خُرَّداً
تَثْنِي القُدودَ لَطَافَةً وَلِبَانا
A comely, brisk, and sprightly lad.
You'd see the branches bend aside
وكَأَنَّمَا الأدْوَاحُ فِيهِ مَفَارِقٌ
بِلِبَاسِهَا قَطْرُ النَّدَى تِيجَانا
With supple, tender movements, while
The dewdrops on them shone as brides
وَكَأَنَّمَا رَام الثَّنَاءُ فَلَمْ يُطِقْ
فَشَدَتْ بِهِ أطْيَارُهُ أَلْحَانا
With glittering coronets and smiles.
And birds vie in their songs, aspire,
مِنْ كُلِّ مُفْتَنِّ الصَّفِيرِ قَدِ ارْتَقَى
فَنَناً فأَفْحَمَ خَاطِباً سُحْبَانا
To heights of eloquence and art.
A custom of the rose they sire -
هِيَ عَادَةٌ لِلْمُزنِ يَحْفَظُ رَسْمَهَا
حِفْظَ الأَميرِ العَدْل والإِحْسَانا
Fair rule of justice to impart.
He strolled to sweet jasmine and drank
أَسْرَى إِلى النِّسْرينِ يُرْضِعُهُ النَّدى
وَيُهِبُّ طَرْفَ النَّرْجسِ الوَسْنانا
The dew, then lavished his gaze upon
The narcissus as it bowed and sank.
وَحَبَا العَرَارَ بِصُفْرَةٍ ذَهَبِيَّةٍ
رَاعَتْ فَتَاه بكمِّهَا فَتَّانا
And thump of bees from which were born
Dense swarms, on blossoms there that burst,
وَدْقٌ تَوَلَّدَ عَنهُ وَقْدٌ في الرُّبَى
لأَزَاهِرٍ طَلَعَتْ بِهَا شُهْبَانا
Those meadows once put on their gowns
Of light, though patched with shade athirst.
تِلْكَ الأَهَاضِيبُ اسْتَهَلَّتْ دِيمَةً
فَكَسَى الهِضَابَ النَّوْرُ وَالغِيطَانا
Dawn rose on their cheeks scarlet red,
Lit with a radiance divine for God.
شَرِقَتْ بِعارِضِها المُلِثِّ وأشْرَقَتْ
للَّهِ أَمْوَاهٌ غَدَتْ نِيرَانا
How excellent morn's musky breath
Bearing sweet basil's scent abroad,
يَا حَبَّذا خَضِل البَهَار مُنَافِحاً
بِأرِيجِهِ الخَيْرِيِّ وَالرّيْحَانا
The myrtle hugging scented pinks,
The winds careering wide and free
وَالآسُ يَلْتَثِمُ البَنَفْسَجَ عارِضاً
واليَاسَمِينُ يُغازِلُ السَّوسَانا
In a vast plain that never shrinks.
Surging they sweep the pollen on
والرِّيحُ تُرْكِضُ سُبَّقاً منْ خَيْلِها
في رَوْضَةٍ رَحُبَتْ لَها مَيْدانَا
To heaving breaths that give rebirth
To treasures in the deep withdrawals.
هَوْجَاءُ تَسْتَشْرِي فَيُلْقِحُ مَدُّها
هَيْجَاءَ تُنْتِجُ حَبْرَةً وأَمانا
Flowers and blossoms I have known
As gentle, neither keen of sword
حَرْباً عَهِدْتُ أزَاهِراً وَمَزَاهِراً
أوْزَارَها لا صَارِماً وَسِنانا
Nor lance, but petals soft unfurled.
The mild and calm frolic and twirl
يَغْدُو الحَليمُ يُجَرِّرُ الأذْيالَ مِنْ
طَرَبٍ هُناكَ ويُسْبِلُ الأرْدانا
Their skirts in joy, their hair down-curled.
As if the mere ripples trouble the lake,
وكَأنَّما هابَ الغَدِيرُ هُبُوبَهَا
فَاهْتاجَ مِقْداماً وَكَعَّ جَبَانا
So the coward quakes while the bold heart throbs.
Their ripples reveal constancy's sake,
يُبْدِي مُعَنَّاها الثَّباتَ وإنَّما
يُخْفِي جَناناً يَصْحَبُ الرَّجْفَانا
Though hiding their depths when perturbation sobs.
Ah, poor hyacinth sheathed in mail darkly
وَاهاً لَهُ لَبِسَ الدِّلاصَ كَأَنَّما
يَخشَى مِنَ القَصَبِ اللِّدانِ طِعانا
As though it would stab with lily-leaf spear!
Yet from their blues he took staves, sparkly,
واسْتَلّ مِنْ زُرْقِ المَذانِبِ حَوْلَهُ
قُضُباً تَرَقْرَقُ كالظُّبَى لَمَعَانا
Quivering like partridges when hawks appear.
They flow to banish sorrow, nothing alike
سالَتْ تَفُذّ الهَمَّ لَيْسَتْ كالتِي
صَالَتْ تَقُدُّ الهامَ والأَبْدَانا
The flow to enflame the heart and frame.
As if Canun were lines God hath struck
وَكأَنَّما كانُونُ مِمَّا صَفَّ مِنْ
نُورٍ ونَوْرٍ واصِفٌ نِيسانا
Of light and light, eulogizing Spring's name.
The doe bore her fawn, as is her habit,
قَد حلَّتِ الحَمَلَ الْغَزَالَةُ عَادَةً
خُرِقَتْ وإنْ لم تَبْرَحِ المِيزانا
Though she stirred no scale in so doing now.
In a regime whose fruits it brought intact,
فِي دَوْلَة أَتَّتْ وفَتَّتْ مِنْ جَنَى
مَعْرُوفها ما نَاسَبَ العِرْفانا
Meeting the good its rule allows.
A radiant face either frowning or smiling
غَرَّاءُ تُطْلِعُ لِلْبَسالَةِ والنَّدَى
وَجْهَيْنِ ذا جَهْماً وَذا جَذْلانا
Is Turned to the dew and fresh-breathing morn.
Small wonder that favors perfect compiling
لا غَرْوَ أنْ حَسُنَ الوُجودُ فإنَّهُ
لَمَّا أَطاعَ لَها وَخَفَّ ازْدَانا
When beauty consents, its limbs neatly adorned.
O maker whose beauties the interdictions defied,
يا مَصْنَعاً بَهَرَتْ مَحاسِنُهُ النُّهى
فَسَمَا ذَوَائِبَ إذْ رَسَا أَرْكانا
Soaring sublimely aloft when it stood as a whole,
When they built its balconies out of silver they plied
لَمَّا بَنَوْا شُرُفاتِهِ مِنْ فِضَّة
جَعَلُوا أَدِيمَ قِبابِهِ عِقْيانا
The base of its dome with unending glow.
Tamarisk and lotus are fringed round about
سَدِرَ الخَوَرْنَقُ والسَّدِيرُ لِحُسنِهِ
وَأَنَّى لَهُ أَنْ يُنسِيَ الإيوَانا
By the court, but how should it let these preoccupy?
I see it as one the Gardens of Eden devout,
إِنِّي لأَحْسبُهُ مِنَ الفِرْدَوْسِ مُذْ
أبْصَرْتُهُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ مَكانا
A lodging for saints the Creator on high decreed.
And as if our Imam had purposefully brought
وَكَأَنَّ سَيِّدَنا الإمَامَ أَتَى بِها
عَمْداً لِيُرغِب في الجِنانِ جَنانا
Into being, to tempt us to long for the Gardens of God.
His pronouncements give guidance while his actions wrought
فَمَقالُهُ أَرْشِدْ بِهِ وَفِعالُهُ
مِمَّا يَزيدُ قُلوبَنا إِيمانا
Increase our hearts' faith as on the Path we have trod.
Always he steadfastly walked the Path that redresses,
ولَطالَما اعْتَمَدَ الْمَراضِيَ دائِباً
فاشْتَدَّ في ذاتِ الإلَهِ وَلانا
And thus in his Godhead grew ever more bold and more bright.
Supreme is the rank of the Imam, an image that dresses
إِنَّ الإمامَةَ صورَة أَضْحَى لَها
يَحْيَى لِساناً صَادِقاً وَجَنانا
The tongue of Truth's speaker in succor, and heart with delight.
A king whose right hand is salvation for all of the folk,
مَلِكٌ بِيُمْناه الخَلاصُ عَلى الوَرَى
أنْ يُخْلِصُوا الإسْرارَ والإعْلانا
If only they'll speak and conceal the esoteric aright.
His favors are gardens breezed through by the morn,
آلاؤُهُ كَالرَّوْضِ حَيَّتْهُ الصَّبا
لا يَسْتَطيعُ لِنَشْرِهِ كِتْمانا
Impossible wholly to hide and prevent their delight.
When the tyrant takes refuge under his sheltering form,
وَإِذا يَلوذُ بظِلِّهِ الجَبَّارُ لَمْ
تُحْرِقْهُ شُهْبُ رِماحِهِ شَيْطانا
No fiery lances of devils above him alight.
Auspicious his days, removing rancor and spite.
مَيْمُونَةٌ أَيَّامُهُ مِنْ شَأنِها
أنْ تُذْهِبَ البَغْضَاءَ والشَّنَآنا
The world is illumined by his Lord's kindly might.
Since Guidance sought aid and he gave it outright,
عَمَّ الصَّباحُ العالَمِينَ فَأَصْبَحُوا
طُرّاً بِنِعْمَةِ رَبِّهِم إِخْوانا
His time of rule vanquished all trials and blight.
The rebellious necks of tyrants bow down at his sight,
لَمَّا اسْتَعانَ بِهِ الهُدَى فَأَعانَه
لانَتْ لَهُ أزْمانُهُ أَعْوانا
And leopards lay down all their claws at his side.
Arabs and non-Arabs kiss his noble carpet,
خَضَعَتْ لَهُ صِيدُ الْمُلوكِ وَشُوسُها
وتَعَوَّضَتْ مِنْ بَأْوِها الإذْعَانا
Proof enough of his manifest power and might.
These tyrants, once so unruly, now follow his edict.
هَذِي الطُّغاةُ لأَمْرِهِ مُنقَادَةٌ
فَكَأَنَّها لَمْ تَعْرِفِ الطُّغْيَانا
As if they had never known any tyrannous spite.
Calmness contents the Imam, though far and wide
عَرَبٌ وعُجْمٌ يَلْثِمُونَ بِساطَهُ
وكَفَى عَلى تَمْكِينِهِ بُرْهانا
His rule extends, no king's can equal his might.
يَهْنِي الإمَامَ المُرْتَضَى سُلْطانُهُ
أَنْ فَاتَ أمْلاكَ الدُّنَى سُلْطانا
