أسْرَف الدّهْرُ فَهَلا قَصَدا

ما عليهِ لوْ شَفَى بَرْحَ الصّدَى

Time was excessive, so why not be moderate?

What fault was it if healing the echo’s wound?

يَنْقَضي يَومي كأَمسي خيبةً

أبَداً أقْرَع بَاباً مُوصَدا

My day passes like my vain yesterday

Knocking forever on a closed door

طالَ قَدْحي لأمَانٍ أُخلِفَتْ

وَعَناءٌ قَدْحُ زَنْدٍ صَلَدا

My cup is long for the trusts that were broken

And the toil of a barren palm trunk

آهِ مِنها نبوةً مذ سَدِكتْ

لمْ تُلبِّثْ نافِقاً أن كَسَدا

Alas, the prophecy since you blocked

Did not last being a hypocrite till it was blocked

عَوْدُ حَالاتي مُنافٍ بدْءَهَا

ليتَ شِعري ما عَدا عَما بَدا

The return of my states, opposing their beginning

Would that I know what was, besides what appeared

سَرْمَداً أَحمِل خَطْباً آدَنِي

وَبِخَطبِي الإِدُّ فيهِ سَمَدا

Eternally I carry worries that approached me

And in my worries, harm upon harm compacted

كَمْ تَمَنيتُ الرّدَى في عِيشَةٍ

ضَرِباً صَارَ لَها صُلب الرّدى

How many times I wished for misery in a living

That became for it the ribs of misery

لا أَوَدّ العُمْرَ أَلْقاهُ إذا

عزّ فيه ما يُقيمُ الأَوَدا

I do not want a lifetime I spend

When rare in it what sets up affections

حَسْبِيَ اللّهُ لِشَتّى نُوَبٍ

لَيْسَ يُحْصيها حِسابٌ أَبَدا

Enough is Allah for diverse sins

That an account does not count, never

قَدْ خَلَعْتُ الصّبْرَ في أثْنائِها

فَرْطَ جَهْدٍ ولَبِست الكَمَدا

I took off patience amidst it

Excess effort and wore perseverance

هَذِهِ مِمّا أُعاني كَبَدي

تَتَلَظّى وَتَشَظّى كَبَدَا

This is some of what strains my liver

Seething and smashing liver

أنَا جَارُ البَحْرِ إلا أنّ لي

مِنْهُ في حالِ الوُرودِ الثَّمَدا

I am a sea neighbour, but I have

From it at the time of influx, the brine

وعَلى ذلِكَ يا نَفْسُ فَلا

تَيْأَسي إنّ مَعَ اليَوم غَدا

And based on that, O self, so do not

Despair, with today comes tomorrow

لِلإمَامِ المُرْتَضَى مِما مَضى

خَلَفٌ يُولِيكَ عَيْشاً رَغَدا

For Al-Murtada from what passed

A successor that gives you a plentiful living

وَمَتى عُدْتَ إِلى اسْتِعْطافِهِ

تَجِدِ العَوْدَ إِلَيْهِ أَحْمَدا

And when you return to pleading to Him

You find return to Him best

مَلِكٌ بالقُرْبِ مِن سُدّتِه

يُحرزُ المَرْءُ العُلى والسؤْدَدا

A king close to his blockade

One gains the height and durability

مِثْلَمَا أحْرَزَعَنْ آبَائِهِ

الأمَراء الراشِدينَ الرُّشَدا

Just as he gained from his fathers

The righteous caliphs and guidance

قَسَم الدّهْرَ لِصَوْلٍ يُتّقَى

ولِطَوْلٍ بينَ بَأسٍ وَنَدَى

He divided time for formidable justice

And length between might and bounty

كَيِفَ لا تُعْنَى أياديهِ بِنَا

وَهوَ أعْلَى النّاسِ عَيْناً ويَدا

Why would not his hands care for us

When he is the highest of people, of eye and hand

إنَّما دَوْلةُ يَحْيَى رَحْمَةٌ

للبَرايا وَحَياةٌ لِلْهُدَى

Indeed, Yahya’s state is a mercy

For creation, and life for guidance

سَدَّ مَا هَدَّ الشأَى سلْطانُهُ

فَتَأمّلْ هلْ ترَى شَيئاً سُدى

It blocked what misguidance dispersed, his rule

So contemplate! Do you see a thing misguided?

أوَ لَمْ يَسكُنْ بِهِ ما شَرَدَا

أوَ لَمْ يَصْلُحْ بِهِ ما فَسَدا

Or did it not settle what was chaotic

Or did it not fix what was corrupt?

نشر الدّعوة لمّا هَمَدتْ

وأقامَ الحَقّ لَمّا قَعَدَا

It spread the call when it waned

And established truth when it settled

بَيّناتٌ فِيهِ آيَاتُ العُلَى

رَاحَ مُرْتاحاً لِحُسنَى وَغَدا

Clear signs in it, signs of the Sublime

At ease, good omen, and tomorrow went

مِنْ عَدِيٍّ في ذُرَاها وكَفَى

أن أقرّت بمَزَاياها العِدى

An enemy in its valuables, and enough

That enemies acknowledged its virtues

عَبّد النَّهْجَ فَأَلْقَى طَيّعاً

بِيَدَيْهِ كُلُّ طَاغٍ عَنَدا

He paved the path so willingly

Every obstinate threw in his hands

سِيَرٌ صَيَّرنَ أَملاكَ الدنى

حينَ عَزّ الدّين فيها أعبُدا

Conduct that made the states of the world

When religion was mighty in it, most devout

دُونَهُ يَعْرضُهُم ديوانُهُم

مُصْدِراً يَعْتامُهُ أو مُورِدا

Below him, their bureaucracy presents them

Exporting or importing

فَلِماذا عَظَّموا مُعْتَصِماً

وَبماذَا فضّلوا مُعتَضِدا

Why then did they revere Al-Mu’tasim

And why did they prefer Al-Mu’tadid?

أوْضَحَ الفَرْقَ بهِ مَن شَأوه

شَادَ عَليْاء تُناصي الفَرْقَدا

He clarified the difference with the one whose affair

Raised the height competing even with the Pleiades

فَاتَهُمْ عِلْماً إلى حِلْم وَمَنْ

جَمَعَ الأشْتَاتَ كانَ المُفْرَدا

They missed knowledge unto wisdom and who

United diversities was the solitary

تَقْتَفِي الأعْرابُ مَا يُسمعُه

مِن قَوافٍ سِرْن عَنهُ شُرّدا

The nomads take what they hear

Of tones the lonely turned away from

وَلَهُ الفَضْلُ عَلى أمْلاكِهَا

شَبَهاً صاغوا وصاغَ العَسْجَدا

And he has favour over its states

A semblance they portrayed, and he portrayed Al-‘Asjad

لا عَداهُ النَصر والتّأييدُ ما

غَارَ في الآفاقِ نجْمٌ وَبَدا

No one but him, victory and support, when

A star beamed in the horizons