أَلاَ عدِّ عَنِ ذِكْرِ الرَّحِيقِ الْمُفَدَّمِ

وَخُذْهَا شَمُولاً مِنْ بِشَارَةِ مَقْدَمِ

No more reminiscing about spilt wine,

Take it all in with the glad tidings of the new arrival,

وَكَاسَيْنِ لَكِنْ مِنْ كِتَابَيْنِ مُعْلِنِ

بِمَا كَانَ مِنْ قُرْبِ الْحُسَيْنِ وَمُعْلِمِ

And two goblets, but from two different books that reveal

What was once so near, al-Husayn and his guiding light,

وَيَارَاكِضَ الْوَجْنَاءِ مَا بَيْنَ مُنْجِدٍ

يَخُدُّ بِهَا خَدَّ الْفَلاَةِ وَمُتْهِمِ

And you who gallop the sandy wastes between Munjid

And Khud, who braves through the wilderness unafraid,

تَجلُّ يَدٌ أَسْدَيْتَ عَنْ كُلِّ مِنْحَةٍ

فَفِي النَّفْسِ أَوْ مَا فَوْقَهَا فَتَحَكَّمِ

A hand that gives freely, neither compelled by greed

Nor pride, but one that rules o’er the soul and more,

أَلاَ سَقِّنِي مِنْهَا دِرَاكاً وَغَنَّنِي

عَلَى نَغَمَاتِ الْمِزْهَرِ الْمُتَرَنِّمِ

Pour me a draft and let me sing the melody

Of the musky blossoms in soft gentle tones,

بِقُرْبِ أَخِي الْمَحْضِ الْوِدَادِ وَوَاحِدِي

ونورِيَ في داج من الخطب مظلم

Next to my true brother, my one kin and light

That shines on my dark day even when life glooms,

ولولا اتقائي عتبه قلت جاهداً

بِمِلْءِ لِسَانِي سَيَدِي وَمُعَظِّمِي

And if not for fear of upsetting him, I’d say

Loudly, with all my tongue will yield, my master great,

قُدُومُكَ أَسْنَى فِي فُؤَادِيَ مَوْقِعاً

مِنَ الْوَصْلِ فِي قَلْبِ الْعَمِيدِ الْمُتَّيمِ

For your arrival has brought me untold pleasure,

Like rain on desert sand that soaks to the deepest depths,

وَأَشْهَى مِنَ الأَمْنِ الْمُتَاحِ لِخَائِفٍ

وَأَحْسَنُ مِنْ نَيْلِ الْغِنَى عِنْدَ مُعْدِمِ

Sweeter than safety for one filled with fright,

Better than attaining wealth when deprived and destitute,

وَمَاالشُّهْدُ مَمْزُوجاً بِمَاءِ غَمَامَةٍ

بِأَعْذَبَ مِنْ تَرْدَادِ ذِكْرِكَ فِي فَمِي

Not honey mixed with water from a rain cloud

Tastes better than the sweet mention of you by my lips,

وَإِنْ عَرضَتْ دُونَ التَّزَاوُرِ بَيْنَنَا

مَهَامِهُ تُعْيِي كُلَّ خُفٍّ وَمَنْسَمِ

And if we’re kept apart and cannot visit each other,

The pangs exhaust every shoe sole and strap,

فَقَلبِي لَكَ الْبَيْتُ الْعَتِيقُ مَقَامُهُ

وَشَوْقِيَ إِحْرَامِي وَدَمْعِيَ زَمْزَمِي

So my heart is your eternal sanctuary,

My desire like one on pilgrimage, my tears as Zamzam,

ليَ اللهُ كَمْ شَوْقٍ لِبُعْدِكَ غَالَنِي

وَوَجْدٍ لِذِكْرِ عَهْدِكَ الْمُتَقَدِّمِ

May God reward our lasting bond with the best

Of rewards, for He truly rewards the generous,

وَكَمْ عَبْرَةٍ مَسْفُوحَةٍ كُلَّمَا جَرَتْ

يُحَدِّثُ مِنْهَا عَنْ دَمِي كُلُّ عَنْدَمِ

And if an opponent crosses the west, hurling sorrows,

My eyelids have been taught by you to weep,

جَزَى اللهُ عَهْدَ الْقُرْبِ خَيْرَ جَزَائِهِ

بِأَعْظَمَ مَا يُجْزِي بِهِ حَقُّ مُنْعِمِ

They have seen in you such beauty that captivates

And binds the eyes of the admiring onlooker,

وَسَقَى بِثَغْرِ الْغَرْبِ إِنْ عَارِضٌ هَمىً

مَعَالِمَ قَدْ عَلَّمن جَفْنِيَ يَنْهَمِي

In any garden the caravan once lodged,

Then journeyed on after gathering strength,

رَأَتْ مِنْكَ عَنِّي مِلأَهَا حُسْنَ مَنْظَرٍ

يُقَيِّدُ طَرفَ النَّاظِرِ الْمُتَوَسِّمِ

A sea of manners whose waves hurl forth

Precious pearls between the singular and the pair,

وَما شِئْتَ مِنْ رَوْضٍ أَنَاخَ بِهِ الْحَيَا

وَأَزْمَعَ عَنْهُ السَّيْرَ بَعْدَ تَلَوّمِ

And yet I saw what I lost of you and felt as if

My happiness could hardly make up for my regret,

وَبَحْرٍ مِنَ الآدَابِ يَقْذِفُ مَوْجُهُ

ثَمِينَ الَّلآلِي بَيْنَ فَذٍّ وَتَوْأَمِ

You have mastered and perfected all virtues, O Aba

Ali, so excel and bring to perfection!

وَلَكَّنِنِي أَبْصَرْتُ مَا ضَاعَ مِنْكَ لِي

فَكَادَ سُرُورِي لاَ يَفِي بِتَنَدُّمِ

How many fallen pillars have you raised anew,

And reunited disputing tribes of Yarbu’ and Lahtham,

مَلكتَ وَتَمَّمتَ الْفَضَائِلَ يَا أَبا

علِيٍّ فَدُمْ مِنْ مَالِكٍ ومُتَمِّمِ

Should I congratulate you or myself on this,

When there can be no greater tidings for you?

فَكَمْ مِنَ عُلَى أَحْيَيْتَ بَعْدَ دُرُوسِهَا

وَمَكْرُمَةٍ شَيَّدْتَ بَعْدَ تَهَدُّمِ

For by what you initiated and then repeated,

There is no gift like one given open-handedly,

وَكَمْ جَمَعَتْ يُمْنَاكَ بَعْدَ افْتِرَاقِهَا

خَصيمَيْ نِجَارٍ مِنْ يَرَاعِ وَلَهْذَمِ

You have unleashed a sea that rides the waves

Of glory and might, surging and heaving,

أُهَنِّيكَ أَمْ نَفْسِي بِهَذَا أَخُصُّهَا

بَدْياً فَمَا الْبُشْرَى لَدَيْكَ بِأَعْظَمِ

Guided by the stars when darkness falls,

And by lightning when it roams the day,

وَإِنِّي بِمَا أَوْلَيْتَ بَدْءاً وَعَوْدَةً

وَلاَ مِثْلَ إِهْدَاء الْجَوَادِ الْمُطَهَّمِ

It bellows when the soothsayer lends an ear,

And neighs when the astrologer steals a glance,

بَعَثْتَ بِهِ بَحْرَاً لَهُ مِنْ مَرَاحِهِ

عُبَابٌ بِمَوْجِ الزَّهْوِ وَالْبَأْوِ يَرْتَمِي

So I made it dwell in the depths of my being,

A dear secret in my concealed heart,

إِذَا مَا سَرَى لَيْلاً فَبِالنَّجْمِ يَهْتَدِي

وَمَهْمَا انْتَمَى يَوْمَاً فَلِلْبَرْقِ يَنْتَمِي

How wondrous that I am so excessively devoted,

Smitten with passion though he’s Ibn Muljam’s son,

يُصِيخُ إِذَا أَصْغَى بِمِسْمَعِ كَاهِنٍ

وَيَرْنُو إِذَا أَوْمَأ بِطَرْفِ مُنْجِّمِ

Yet my gift to you has an obvious reason,

The fruit of a love that dwells inside, ever-present,

فَبَوْأَتُهُ مِنْ مُهْجَتِي مُتَبَوَّأ

عَزِيزاً عَلَى سِرِّ الْفُؤَادِ الْمُكَتَّمِ

A will that whenever the striking of tents is recalled,

Extends the hand of one wronged seeking aid,

وَيَا عَجَباً مِنِّي وَفَرْطِ تَشَيُّعِي

أهِيمُ بِوَجْدِي فِيهِ وَهْوَ ابْنُ مُلْجَمِ

Can one linger where enemies lie in wait,

With room for the steeds of poetry to race,

وَدُونَكَهَا مِنِّي إِلَيْكَ بَدِيهَةً

نَتِيجَةَ حُبٍّ فِي الْفُؤَادِ مُخَيِّمِ

And patience for composing poetry and verse?

You remain grand in renown however quickly the steeds gallop,

بُنَيَّةَ فِكْرٍ كُلَّمَا ذُكِرَ النَّوَى

يَمُدُّ يَدَ الْمُسْتَنْصِرِ الْمُتَظَلِّمِ

Nor when the dawn horses charge the darkness

Can you be seen behind the last and the first,

وَهَلْ بَعْدَ شَطْرِ الْحَوْلِ فِي دَارِ غُرْبَةِ

مُقَامٌ بِمَرْأَى لِلْعَدُوِّ الْمُصَمِّمِ

You remain supreme in might and name so long

As the horses keep time over the glorious sands,

مَجَالٌ لأَِفْرَاسِ الْقَرِيحَةِ إِنْ جَرَتْ

وَصَبْرٌ عَلَى صَوْغِ الْكَلاَمِ الْمُنَظَّمِ

بَقِيتَ عَظِيمَ الْقَدْرِ وَالصِّيتِ مَا سَرَتْ

سِرَاعُ الْمَطَايَا بِالْمُقَامِ الْمُعَظَّمِ

وَمَا أَرْسِلَتْ خَيْلُ الصَّبَاحِ عَلَى الدُّجَى

فَتُبْصِرُهَا مِنْ أَشْهَبٍ خلْفَ أَدْهَمِ