بِيني ثَلاثاً سَلْوَةَ الأَيَّامِ
أوْدَى الحِمامُ بِنَاصِرِ الإسْلامِ
Show me three dates, fruit of days
The loss of the supporter of Islam was grievous
وَدَعا دِعَامَتَهُ إِلى تَعْوِيضِها
تَأْسِيسُهُ بالتُّرْبِ دَارَ مُقَامِ
It called for its pillar to be replaced
It was established by soil, an abode of permanence
ودَهى الوَرَى مِنْ ثُكْلِ هَادِيهِم بِما
أعْيَا عَلَى الأفْهامِ والأَوْهامِ
The lands were warned of the bereavement of their guide with what
Exhausted the minds and thoughts
هَذِي الشُّجونُ الجُونُ قَدْ أخَذَتْ عَلى
وَفْدِ العَزَاءِ مَطَالِع الإلْمَامِ
These passions, sorrows took for the delegation of condolences the horizons of knowledge
Its eyelids shed bloody tears
وَتَفَاضَتِ الأجْفَانَ حُمْرُ دُموعِها
فَمِنَ القُلوبِ عَلى الخُدودِ دَوامِ
So from the hearts to the cheeks always
Nothing startled them but news of his existence
مَا رَاعَهُم إلا نَعِيّ وُجودِهِ
فِي حَيْثُ لا أَمْنٌ منَ الأعْدامِ
Where there is no safety from destruction
Had you turned you’d have said a drinking party
فَلَوِ الْتَفَتَّ لَقُلْتَ شُرْبُ مُدَامِ
ولَوِ اسْتَمَعْتَ لَقُلْتَ سِرْبُ حَمَامِ
Had you listened you’d have said a flock of doves
Its lights wandered lost so I remembered what
أَنْوَارُهُ هامُوا لَها فَذَكَرْتُ مَا
نَسِيَتْ نَوَارٌ مِن هَوىً وهُيَامِ
The loves and passions forgot
By God, if they had sacrificed themselves in grief
تَاللَّهِ لَوْ قَتَلُوا عَلَيهِ نُفُوسَهُمْ
أسَفاً لَمَا وَفَّوْا قَضاءَ ذِمامِ
They still wouldn’t have fulfilled the decree of fate
The greatest disaster made lawful a protector of the sanctuary of
خَطْبُ الخُطُوبِ أباحَ مُحْتَكِماً حِمَى
مَلِكِ المُلوكِ فَطاحَ دُونَ مُحامِ
The King of Kings, so it fell short of attainment
Whence and from where did he face adversity?
أَنَّى ومِنْ أيْنَ اسْتَدارَ لَهُ الرَّدَى
والجَيْشُ مِلْءُ عَمائِرٍ ومَوامِ
And the army fills buildings and dwellings
In it the brave ones when they grasped the spears
فِيهِ الكُماةُ إذا هُمُ اعْتَقَلوا القَنا
وافَوْك بِالآسادِ والآجامِ
And plunged into lions and strong champions
Deaf to an attacker, how much transgression turned away from it
أصْماهُ رَامٍ كَمْ ثَنَى عَنْهُ العِدَى
صَرْعَى يُنَاضلُ دُونَهُ ويُرامِي
Felled by his fighting without equal
The light of existence was extinguished by its extinction
نُورُ الوُجودِ أُتِيحَ مِنْ إِطْفائِهِ
مَا ألْبَسَ الدُّنْيا مَسوحَ ظَلامِ
What clothed the world in robes of darkness
The sword of truth, the sword of falsehood destroyed it
سَيْفُ الهُدى أوْدى بِهِ سَيْفُ الرَّدَى
قَدْ يَفْتِكُ الصّمْصامُ بِالصّمْصَامِ
One piercing sword can kill another
The stars have no rising, the mountains have no
مَا لِلنُّجُوم طَوالِعا مَا للْجِبا
لِ رَواسِياً ما لِلبِحارِ طَوامي
Firm roots, the seas have no waves
Why didn’t it sink, why didn’t it fall, why wasn’t it covered
لِمْ لَمْ تَغُرْ لِمْ لَمْ تَزُلْ لِمْ لَمْ تَغُض
مِنْ شِدَّة الحَسَراتِ وَالآلامِ
By the intensity of sorrow and pain?
In one night the life of the Chosen One appeared
في بُونَةٍ بانَتْ حَياةُ المُرْتَضَى
يَحْيَى وقِيدَ إِلى الثَّرى بِزِمَامِ
To live while tied to the ground by a bridle
And there his shrine was drawn to water it
وهُناكَ خُطَّ ضَريحُهُ سَقْياً لَه
هَلا بأفْئِدَةٍ عَلَيهِ حِيامِ
With hearts that weep over it
When he passed away to the abode of peace, our epoch’s beauties
لَمَّا ثَوَى دَارَ السَّلامِ تَرَحَّلَتْ
عَنَّا مَحَاسِنُ دَهْرِنَا بِسَلامِ
Departed from us in peace
There’s no fragrance in the late and early mornings since
لا طِيبَ في الأَسْحارِ والآصالِ مُذْ
طَابَ الثَّرَى مِنْهُ بِخَيْرِ إِمامِ
The soil was scented by the best imam
The appearance of the land ceased from those adornments
عَطَلَتْ ظُهُورُ الأَرْضِ مِنْ تِلْكَ الحُلَى
إذْ حُلِّيَتْ مِنْها بُطُونُ رِجامِ
When its core was adorned by great men
Time itself was too narrow for his magnificence
كانَ الزَّمانُ يَضِيقُ عَنْهُ جَلالَةً
فَإِذَا بِهِ في تُرْبَةٍ وسلامِ
There he is in dust and peace
His eye departed on the day of his trial
هَبْ عَيْنُهُ ذَهَبَتْ بِيَوْمِ حِمَامِهِ
ما ذَاهِبٌّ أثَرٌ لَهُ بِحِمَامِ
No trace of him remains in ordeals
Ask about his miracles in East and West
سَلْ عَنْ ظُباهُ مَشارِقاً ومَغارِباً
تُنْبِئْكَ عَنْ إغْمَادِها في الْهامِ
They will tell you of their concealment in awe
And look on him submitting and fighting
وانْظُرْ إليهِ مُسالِماً ومُحَارِباً
تَجِدِ الهِدَايَةَ أُسْوَةَ الإلْهَامِ
You’ll find guidance a model for inspiration
The encounter with death overcame him though
غَلَبَتْهُ صادِمَةُ المَنُونِ وطَالَما
هابَتْهُ أغْلَبَ مَاضِيَ الإقْدامِ
Its onslaught had overcome the bravest charges
And movement drew back from his stillness
وانْجَابَتِ الحَرَكاتُ عَنْ إسْكانِهِ
ما بَيْنَ أجْداثٍ وبَيْنَ رِمَامِ
Between renewal and spears
Alas, alas if their echoes
وَاهاً وآهاً لَوْ شَفَى تَرْدَادُهَا
مِنْ زَفْرَةٍ مَشْبُوبَةٍ كضِرَامِ
Healed a moaning like the roar of lions
Help, be resolute O Excellency, for fate has decreed
أتْهِمْ وَأنْجِدْ يَا نَجِيبُ فَقَد قَضَى
نَحْباً أَخُو الإنْجَادِ وَالإتهامِ
Death of the brother of decisiveness and prosecution
How can I show patience? What pained me—but good
كَيْفَ احْتِسَابِي ما ألمَّ وَإنَّمَا
حَسَنَاتُ صَبْرٍ فيهِ كالآثَامِ
Deeds of patience in it are like sins
Don’t think me drunk on wine
لا تَحْسِبُوني صَاحِياً مِنْ خَمْرَةٍ
لِلْحُزْنِ فِيهَا العَالَمُونَ نَدَامِي
In it the knowledgeable have lasting regret
Loyalty passed away with his death and our life
أمِنَ الوَفَاءِ وَفَاتُهُ وَحَيَاتُنا
أُفٍّ لِكُفَّارٍ يَدَ الإِنْعامِ
Is shame to ungrateful deniers
Far better than events passed is
سَوْأَى مِنَ الأَحْدَاثِ وَافَتْ بَعدَها
حُسْنَى لهَا فِي اللَّهِ حسنُ مَقَامِ
A future that in God has the best residence
When the imam of guidance withdrew his stay
لَمَّا انْتَأى مَلأَ الهُدَى أثْنَاءَها
فَكَفَى عَظَائِمهَا اكْتفَاءَ عِظامِ
His enormities sufficed the enormities of giants
O their gain with succession in their duties
يَا فَوْزَهُم بِخِلافةٍ تَعْنُو لهَا
خُلَفَاءُ بَيْتَيْ هَاشِمٍ وَهِشَامِ
The caliphs of my clan of Hashim and Hisham
Lasting in descendants, its rule has no
وتَدُومُ في الأَعقَابِ ليسَ لِحُكْمِها
نَسْخٌ مدَى الأَحْقَابِ والأَعْوَامِ
Abrogation the length of eons and years
Satisfy their imam then carry out his pact
أرْضَوْا إمَامَهُمُ فَأَمْضَوْا عَهْدَهُ
وَوَفَوْا لأَنْفِ الْبَغْيِ بِالإرْغَامِ
And check rebellion forcefully
The most deserving of care in his view
قَسَماً بِهِ لَوْلا إمَارَةُ نَجْلِهِ
لَغَدَا الهُدَى نَثْراً بِغَيْرِ نِظَامِ
Is one no request of a litigant goes past
By God the advance of his Thursday with its leader
أتَرَاهُ كُوشِفَ بالذِي هُوَ كَائِنٌ
فَاعْتَامَهُ مِنْ جَوْهَرٍ مُعْتَامِ
Under the banner to the worshippers of idols
From every thrust of his lance their shields
وَأقَامَهُ للنَّاسِ يَجْمَعُهُمْ عَلَى
سُلْطَانِهِ وَرَآهُ خَيْرَ قِوَامِ
You see with it a thousand bedecked in amulets
Their countries trembled from his oath of allegiance by which
دَهَمَتهُمُ دُهْمُ الخُطوبِ فَشَدَّ ما
جَلَّى دُجَاهَا مِنْهُ بَدْرُ تَمَامِ
Souls in bodies passed away
And their ribs were detached from hearts
لَمَّا ارْتَضَاهُ نَضَاهُ عَضْباً حاسِماً
غُدِرَ العِدَى مِنْ رَأْيهِ بِحُسَامِ
As if they were blossoms without veils
For Muhammad the multitudes of Ahmed were promised
أَوْلى ذِمَامٍ بالرِّعَايَةِ عِنْدَهُ
مَا لَمْ يُجَاوِزْهُ سُؤالُ مُضامِ
Never to cease being flowers of days
And it was as if a brilliant omen in its rise
للَّهِ زَحْفُ خَمِيسهِ بِزَعِيمِهِ
تَحْتَ اللوَاءِ لعُبَّدِ الأَصْنَامِ
In their face from his smiling face
A king whose nobility in kings an elite cultivated
مِنْ كُلِّ مورد رُمْحَهُ أَدرَاعَهُم
فَتَرَى بِهِ ألِفاً مُخالِطَ لامِ
It is the pride of swords and pens
Good tidings to the people of an Abbasid state
رَجَفَتْ بلادهُمُ لِبَيْعَتِهِ التِي
مَرَّتْ بهَا الأرْوَاحُ في الأجْسَامِ
Victorious, its banners and flags held high
Forever they are succeeded by imams
وعَنِ القُلوبِ تَفَقَّأَتْ أضْلاعُهُم
فَكأَنَّها الأزْهَارُ دُونَ كِمَامِ
The blossoms of glory, loftiest visions
In their day they revived yesterday’s caliph
لمُحَمَّدٍ وُعِدَتْ رعَايَا أحمَدٍ
ألا تَزَالَ زَوَاهِرَ الأَيَّامِ
Similar to it in repeal and enforcement
Those attributes are like the attributes that compared
وكأنَّ بِشْراً سَاطِعاً إشْرَاقُهُ
في وَجْهِهَا مِنْ وَجْهِهِ البسَّامِ
To their father wrapped in clouds
My shame at thought rendered impotent by sorrow
مَلِكٌ نَمَتْهُ في المُلوكِ عِصَابَةٌ
هِيَ مَفْخَرُ الأسْيَافِ والأقْلامِ
From rising to its rights and fulfillments
I would prolong congratulations and condolences
بُشْرَى الأَنامِ بِدَوْلَةٍ حَفْصِيَّةٍ
مَنْصُورَةِ الرَّايَاتِ والأَعْلامِ
But for me its completion suffices Abu Tammam
That calamity is not like other calamities
أبَداً تُوافِي مِنْهُمُ بأئِمَّةٍ
زُهْرِ المَنَاقِبِ رُجَّحِ الأَحْلامِ
And I swear it’s not like other oaths
في يَوْمِهِم أحْيَوْا خَليفَةَ أمْسهِم
شَبَهاً بِهِ في النَّقْضِ والإبْرَامِ
تِلْكَ الشَّمَائِلُ كَالشَّمائِلِ قَد سَمَتْ
بِأَبِي غَمَام مُقْلِعٌ بغَمَامِ
يا خَجْلَتِي لِلْفِكْر أقْعَدَهُ الأسَى
عَنْ نَهْضَةٍ بحقُوقِها وقِيامِ
كُنْتُ المُطيلَ مُهَنِّئاً ومُعَزِّياً
لَكِنْ كفانِيها أبُو تَمَّامِ
تِلْكَ الرّزِيَّةُ لا رَزِيَّةَ مِثْلُها
والقسْمُ لَيْسَ كَسَائِر الأقْسامِ
