هاجَ الهَوى لِفُؤادِكَ المُهتاجِ

فَاِنظُر بِتوضِحَ باكِرَ الأَحداجِ

Passion has stirred your already agitated heart.

Look, then, at Tawḍiḥ, at daybreak, upon the camel-litters.

هاذا هَوىً شَعَفَ الفُؤادَ مُبَرِّحٌ

وَنَوىً تَقاذَفُ غَيرُ ذاتِ خِلاجِ

This is a love that has pierced the heart—a tormenting love—

and a parting flung far away, granting no reprieve.

إِنَّ الغُرابَ بِما كَرِهتَ لَمولَعٌ

بِنَوى الأَحِبَّةِ دائِمُ التَشحاجِ

The raven is indeed devoted to everything you hate,

forever croaking of the loved ones’ departure.

لَيتَ الغُرابَ غَداةَ يَنعَبُ بِالنَوى

كانَ الغُرابُ مُقَطَّعَ الأَوداجِ

Would that the raven, when at dawn it croaks of parting,

were a raven with its jugular veins cut through.

وَلَقَد عَلِمتَ بِأَنَّ سِرَّكَ عِندَنا

بَينَ الجَوانِحِ موثَقُ الأَشراجِ

You know full well that your secret, kept with us,

lies between our ribs, secured by tightly knotted cords.

وَلَقَد رَمَينَكَ حينَ رُحنَ بِأَعيُنٍ

يَنظُرنَ مِن خَلَلِ السُتورِ سَواجي

As they departed, they shot you with eyes

gazing languidly through gaps in the curtains,

وَبِمَنطِقٍ شَعَفَ الفُؤادَ كَأَنَّهُ

عَسَلٌ يَجُدنَ بِهِ بِغَيرِ مِزاجِ

and with speech that pierced the heart, as though it were

honey they lavish freely, pure and unmixed.

قُل لِلجَبانِ إِذا تَأَخَّرَ سَرجُهُ

هَل أَنتَ مِن شَرَكِ المَنِيَّةِ ناجي

Tell the coward, when his saddle is slow in coming:

Can you escape the snare of death?

فَتَعَلَّقَن بِبَناتِ نَعشٍ هارِباً

أَو بِالبُحورِ وَشِدَّةِ الأَمواجِ

Then flee and cling to the Daughters of the Bier,

or to the seas and the violence of their waves.

مِن سَدِّ مُطَّلَعَ النِفاقِ عَلَيهِمِ

أَم مَن يَصولُ كَصَولَةِ الحَجّاجِ

Who is it that barred hypocrisy’s point of ascent against them?

Or who can strike with the decisive onset of al-Hajjaj?

أَم مَن يَغارُ عَلى النِساءِ حَفيظَةً

إِذ لا يَثِقنَ بِغَيرَةِ الأَزواجِ

Or who guards women with protective zeal

when they put no trust in their husbands’ jealous care?

إِنَّ اِبنَ يوسُفَ فَاِعلَموا وَتَيَقَّنوا

ماضي البَصيرَةِ واضِحُ المِنهاجِ

The son of Yusuf—know this well and be certain—

has keen judgment and a clearly marked course.

ماضٍ عَلى الغَمَراتِ يُمضي هَمَّهُ

وَاللَيلُ مُختَلِفُ الطَرائِقِ داجي

He plunges through perils, driving his purpose onward,

while night, tangled in its pathways, lies dark.

مَنَعَ الرُشا وَأَراكُمُ سُبُلَ الهُدى

وَاللِصَّ نَكَّلَهُ عَنِ الإِدلاجِ

He has forbidden bribes and shown you the paths of guidance,

and punished the thief, deterring him from traveling by night.

فَاِستَوسِقوا وَتَبَيَّنوا سُبُلَ الهُدى

وَدَعوا النَجِيِّ فَلَيسَ حينَ تُناجي

So fall into order and discern the paths of guidance;

give up secret counsels—this is no time for whispering.

يا رُبَّ ناكِثِ بَيعَتَينِ تَرَكتَهُ

وَخِضابُ لِحيَتِهِ دَمُ الأَوداجِ

Many a breaker of two sworn pledges have you left

with the blood of his jugular veins dyeing his beard.

إِنَّ العَدُوَّ إِذا رَمَوكَ رَمَيتَهُم

بِذُرى عَمايَةَ أَو بِهَضبِ سُواجِ

When enemies shot at you, you shot them back

on the summits of ʿAmāya or the slopes of Suwāj.

وَإِذا رَأَيتَ مُنافِقينَ تَخَيَّروا

سُبُلَ الضَجاجِ أَقَمتَ كُلَّ ضَجاجِ

Whenever you saw hypocrites choosing

the paths of uproar, you quelled every uproar.

داوَيتَهُم وَشَفَيتَهُم مِن فِتنَةٍ

غَبراءَ ذاتِ دَواخِنٍ وَأُجاجِ

You treated them and cured them of a sedition

dust-dark, billowing with smoke and bitter heat.

إِنّي لِمُرتَقِبٌ لِما خَوَّفتَني

وَلَفَضلِ سَيبِكَ يا اِبنَ يوسُفَ راجي

I am indeed waiting for what you made me fear,

yet hoping for the bounty of your largesse, son of Yusuf.

وَلَقَد كَسَرتَ سِنانَ كُلَّ مُنافِقٍ

وَلَقَد مَنَعتَ حَقائِبَ الحُجّاجِ

You have broken the spearhead of every hypocrite,

and you have secured the pilgrims’ baggage.