جاد وما ضَنَّ عَلَيْهِ ضَنَاهْ

وَمَا شَفَاهُ غَيْرُ لثم الشِّفاهْ

He was generous, and grudging did not afflict him with its affliction,

Nor did anything other than the kissing of lips cure him.

أَصْبَحَ مَكْفُوفاً بِلاَ مِرْيَةٍ

لأَنَّه يَعْشَقُ مَنْ لاَ يَرَاهْ

He became blind, without doubt,

Because he was in love with one he did not see.

هذا وقد أَقْدم حتى شَرَى

رِيمَ الفَلاَ مَنْ بَينِ أُسْدِ الشَّراهْ

And he went forward until he bought

The doe of the deer from among the lions of dignity.

ظبيٌ ومِسْكُ الظُّبْي في سُرَّةٍ

يُوجَدُ لَكِنْ مِسْكُ ذَا في لَمَاهْ

A gazelle, and the musk of the gazelle is in a pouch,

It is found but the musk of that one is in veins.

غُصنٌ جَنَتْ أَزهارَه أَعينٌ

وأَعينُ العشَّاقِ أَيْدي الجُنَاهْ

A branch whose flowers are eyes,

And the eyes of lovers are the hands of executioners.

شمسٌ يرى الشمسَ ولكنَّه

يُبْصِر مِنْها وجْهَه في مِرَاه

A sun who sees the sun but

Only sees his face in the mirror from it.

حوريُّ إِنْسٍ سُنْدُسِيُّ القَبَا

لا مِثْل أَعْرابيةٍ في عَباهْ

A houri of human perfection, smooth of sides

Not like a Bedouin woman in her gown.

في طَرْفِهِ الرَّاحُ وأَجفانُه ال

كَاسَاتُ والأَهْدَابُ مِنْها السُّقاه

In his glance is rest, and his eyelids

Are cups, and the pupils of his eyes from which we drink.

تقلَّد السَّيف فَقُلْنا فتىً

وجَاءَ للبَيْتِ فقُلنا فَتَاه

He wore the sword, so we said a youth,

And he came to the house, so we said a visitor.

أَحْسُد لفظاً قَالَه عندما

قبَّل فاهُ لَفظُه حِين فَاه

I envy the word he said when

His mouth’s expression, when it yawned, kissed it.

يا ساكناً قلباً به سَاكِنٌ

فَهو بِهَذا قد حَوَى مَا حَواه

O you who dwell in a heart in which dwells

One who has contained in it what it contained.

أَمِنتُ مِنكَ الموتَ مِنْ يَوْم أَن

شَرِبتُ من رِيقِكَ مَاءَ الحَياه

I felt safe from death since the day

I drank from your spittle the water of life.

آهاً لعيشٍ قد تَقَضَّى به

ما كانَ أَبْهَاه وأَحْلىَ حُلاه

Oh, for a life that has passed in which

Were its most delightful and sweetest times.

أَيَّامَ غُصْني مُورِقٌ مُثْمرٌ

وقبلَ أَنْ فلَّ شَبَابي شباه

Days when my branch was green and fruitful

And before the prime of my youth flew away.

وكان عَيْشِي بِمَشيبي قذىً

نَعَم فَمَا الشَّيْبَةُ إِلاَّ قَذَاه

And my life was bliss at its sunset,

Yes, for grey hair is nothing but its plucked petals.

وفي حصاةِ القلْبِ طَوْدُ الهوى

فاعْجَبْ لطَوْدٍ كامنٍ في حَصَاه

And in the pebbles of the heart lies the kindling of passion -

So marvel at a kindling hidden in pebbles.

وبي جَوىً تضعُفُ منه القوى

وبي أَسىً تَعجِزُ مِنْه الأُساه

In me is a burning that weakens strength,

And in me is a sorrow that tires sorrow’s consolers.

جار عليَّ الدَّهرُ في حُكْمِه

وزاد في طُغْيانِه واعْتِدَاه

Time has been unjust to me in its ruling

And increased in its tyranny and aggression.

لا يعلقُ الدَّهرُ حبالَ امرئٍ

بابن عليٍّ عُلِّقَتْ رَاحَتَاه

Time hangs no ropes for anyone

Except the son of Ali, for whom its comforts were hung.

وليكفك الجورُ فَظَهْري حِمىً

منه لأَني سَاكِنٌ في حِمَاه

And let its injustice cease, for my back is protected

From it, because I dwell in its protection.

وأَنت يا خَطْبَ زمانٍ غَدَا

ذَرني فإِنِّي قاطن في ذُرَاه

And you, O troubles of time, tomorrow

Leave me be, for I reside in its groves.

إِنَّ صَفيَّ الدّين حِصْني فما

يَقْرعُ هذا الدَّهرُ لي من صَفاه

Indeed, the columns of religion are my fortress, so

This time cannot strike any sparks from its flints for me.

أَروعُ رِيعَ الدَّهْرُ من بأسِه

وخاف أَن تَنْفُذَ فِيه سُطَاه

The finest part of time is more fearful of its might

And feared that its authority might penetrate it.

طارَتْ أَحادِيثُ سياداتِه

حُسْناً وطالَتْ في المعالي خُطَاه

The conversations of its masters have flown high

In beauty, and its steps have lengthened in the heights.

أَثرى من السُّودَدِ جَدّاً فما

تُقَبِّل الساداتُ إِلاَّ ثَراه

More fragrant than amber, truly, so

The masters do not kiss any but its soil.

تتبَّعُ الساداتُ آثارَه

وَرَاءَه تَسْعَى وتَجْرِي حُفاه

The masters follow its tracks

Behind it, hastening and running are its entourage.

أَوسَعُهُم صدراً لَحَمْلِ الْعَنا

في هِبَة البِرِّ وفَكِّ العُنَاه

The greatest of them in breast for bearing troubles

In generosity and relieving afflictions.

فكلُّ خَلْقٍ جادَه جَودُه

وكلُّ أَرْضٍ أَمْطَرَتْها سَماَه

So every being has tasted its generosity

And every land has been watered by its rain.

شتَّتَ شَمْلَ المالِ جُوداً به

حتَّى ظَنَنَّا مَالَه مَنْ عِدَاه

It scattered the collection of wealth in munificence through it

Until we thought its wealth belonged to its foes.

مَا دَارُه الدارُ التي شَاءَها

تلك مَقيلُ الوفْدِ مأوَى العُفَاه

Its abode is not the abode it desired -

That is the destination of delegations, the lodging place of guests.

وابْنُ عليٍّ لم يَزَلْ واصِلاً

لِمُنْتَهَى العَلياءِ في مُبْتَدَاه

And the son of Ali has never ceased being

At the pinnacle of the exalted ones at the start.

النارُ في خاطِره والنَّدى

والبطشُ في عَزْمتِهِ والأَناه

In his mind is fire, and coolness,

And strength in his resolve, and tenderness.

أَرْضَى عن الدنيا وما تَبْتَغي

منه ملوكُ الأَرضِ إِلاَّ رِضَاه

Content with the world and what

The kings of earth seek from it except his approval.

لولاهُ للمُلْكِ وتَشْيِيدِه

عُرىً له لانْحَلَّ مِنْه عُراه

Were it not for him, for the kingdom and its establishment

It would be collapsing, its joints coming apart.

شُدت عُرى الملكِ بآرائِه

وزِيدَ منه قُوَّةً في قُواه

The ties of the kingdom were made firm by his views

And from it was added strength to its strengths.

وحِيلَ مِنْه بأَجَلِّ الورى

بأَشْوَسِ الخَلقِ وأَكْفى الكُفاه

And by him was acquired for all people

The keenest wit and amplest comprehension.

يا ابنَ عليٍّ أَنْتَ ذاكَ الذِي

أَوْدَع فيه اللهُ سرَّ السُّراه

O son of Ali, you are the one in whom

God placed the secret of secrets.

أَنْتَ الذي أَوْليْتَني أَنْعُماً

قَدْ نَقَلْتُها إِذ رَوَتْها الرُّواه

You are the one who granted me blessings

That I have conveyed when narrators related them.

أَنشَرْتَ آماليَ بَعْدَ البِلى

أَحيَيْتَ أَحْوَاليَ بَعْدَ الوَفاه

You have spread my hopes after decay

You have revived my fortunes after oblivion.

حاشاي أَن أُظْلَم في دَوْلَةٍ

شعارُها العدلُ وحَاشَا عُلاَه

Far be it from me that I would be wronged in a state

Whose motto is justice - far from it be its tyranny!

قد كَفَّ أَعدائي وقد ردَّهم

بغيظِهم لما أَتَوْنِي غُزاه

It has restrained my enemies and repelled them,

In their rage when invaders came against me.

قابَلَهم دوني على أَنَّهم

ما فيهمُ من أَنال منّي مُنَاه

He met them before me, for in them

Is none who can touch me with evil.

لو مدَّ صَرْف الدَّهر نَحْوي يداً

واحدةً منه لشُلَّت يداه

If the turning of fate stretched toward me

One hand, both its hands would be paralyzed.

وخاب من يَقْصِدُني رامياً

لا يَصِلُ النَّجْمَ سِهامُ الرُّمَاه

And the one who intends me harm has failed -

The stars of archers do not reach the star.

قالوا له مالٌ نعم إِنَّ لي

من جُودِه الفائِض مالٌ وجَاه

They said to him, “Do you have wealth?” “Yes,”

From his overflowing munificence I have wealth and position.

حاليَ كالْحَلْي بإِنعامِه

والحَلْيُ لا تُؤْخَذُ مِنْهُ زكاه

My state is like jewelry from his favors,

And mandated charity is not taken from jewelry.