أَلا ياسَمِيَّ الإِمامِ الوَصِيِّ

أَلا ياسَمِيَّ الإِمامِ الوَصِيِّ

وَمَن بِمُوالاتِهِ يُنجَحُ

وَمَن بِمُوالاتِهِ يُنجَحُ

Lo, O namesake of the Imam, the designated successor,

O namesake of the Imam and successor

and you, through allegiance to whom success is attained,

And the one through whose allegiance one succeeds

وَيا اِبنَ الخَلائِفِ مِن هاشِمٍ

وَيا اِبنَ الخَلائِفِ مِن هاشِمٍ

وَمَن لَهُمُ النَسَبُ الأَوضَحُ

وَمَن لَهُمُ النَسَبُ الأَوضَحُ

and O son of the caliphs descended from Hashim,

O son of the Caliphs from Hashim

and of those whose lineage is clearest.

Whose lineage is the clearest

بِهِم شَرُفَ البَيتُ وَالرُكنُ وَال

بِهِم شَرُفَ البَيتُ وَالرُكنُ وَال

حَطيمُ وَزَمزَمُ وَالأَبطَحُ

حَطيمُ وَزَمزَمُ وَالأَبطَحُ

Through them were ennobled the House, the Corner, and the

Through them the honor of the House, the pillar, the

Hatim, Zamzam, and Abtah.

Hajar al-Aswad, Zamzam and the Stone [of Ismail]

إِذا وُزِنَ الناسُ طُرّاً بِهِم

إِذا وُزِنَ الناسُ طُرّاً بِهِم

فَكَفَّةُ ميزانِهِم تَرحَجُ

فَكَفَّةُ ميزانِهِم تَرحَجُ

When all people are weighed against them,

If people were weighed with them

their scale-pan weighs heavier.

Their side of the scale would tilt down

أَتَرضى وَحاشاكَ تَرضى بِأَن

أَتَرضى وَحاشاكَ تَرضى بِأَن

تَخيبَ قَصيدي وَلا تَنجَحُ

تَخيبَ قَصيدي وَلا تَنجَحُ

Would you consent—far be it from you to consent—that

Are you pleased - God forbid - are you pleased that

my poetry should fail and find no success,

My ode fails and does not succeed?

وَيُفتَحُ بابُ النَدى لِلعُفاةِ

وَيُفتَحُ بابُ النَدى لِلعُفاةِ

وَيُغلَقُ دوني فَلا تُفتَحُ

وَيُغلَقُ دوني فَلا تُفتَحُ

while generosity's door is opened to supplicants

And the door of generosity is opened for the worthless

but shut against me and never opened,

And closed to me, not opening

وَأُمنَعُ وَحدِيَ عَن مَورِدِ ال

وَأُمنَعُ وَحدِيَ عَن مَورِدِ ال

عَطاءِ وَبي ظَمَّأٌ يَذبَحُ

عَطاءِ وَبي ظَمَّأٌ يَذبَحُ

and I alone am barred from the watering place of

And I am denied alone my share of the

giving, while I bear a thirst that slays me,

Fountain of gifts while I thirst, slaughtered

وَيَفرَحُ كُلٌّ بِما نالَهُ

وَيَفرَحُ كُلٌّ بِما نالَهُ

وَما لِيَ قِسمٌ بِهِ أَفرَحُ

وَما لِيَ قِسمٌ بِهِ أَفرَحُ

while everyone rejoices in what he has received,

And each one rejoices in what he obtained

and I have no share in which to rejoice?

While I have no share in which to rejoice

وَإِن سُرِحوا في رِياضِ السَماحِ

وَإِن سُرِحوا في رِياضِ السَماحِ

فَما لي في جودِهِ مَسرَحُ

فَما لي في جودِهِ مَسرَحُ

And though they are loosed in the gardens of liberality,

And if they are set loose in the gardens of generosity

I have no pasture in his bounty.

I have no playground in his generosity

إِلى كَم أُعاتِبُ حَظّي المَشومِ

إِلى كَم أُعاتِبُ حَظّي المَشومِ

وَأَقتادُهُ وَهوَ لا يُسمِحُ

وَأَقتادُهُ وَهوَ لا يُسمِحُ

How long shall I reproach my ill-starred luck,

How long will I reproach my ill-omened fortune

and drag it along, while it refuses to yield?

And guide it while it does not allow?

فَأُقسِمُ لَو كانَ مِن صَخرَةٍ

فَأُقسِمُ لَو كانَ مِن صَخرَةٍ

لَآنَ لَها أَنَّها تَرشَحُ

لَآنَ لَها أَنَّها تَرشَحُ

So I swear: were it made of rock,

So I swear if it were of rock

the time would have come for it to trickle.

It would now melt and seep

أَما كَونُ مِثلى يَذُمُّ الزَما

أَما كَونُ مِثلى يَذُمُّ الزَما

نِ في عَصرِ مِثلِكَ مُستَقبَحُ

نِ في عَصرِ مِثلِكَ مُستَقبَحُ

Is not the fact that one like me reviles the times

That one like me blames time

in the age of one like you a disgrace?

In an age like yours is reprehensible

فَها أَنا أَشرَحُ حالي إِلَيكَ

فَها أَنا أَشرَحُ حالي إِلَيكَ

لِتَشرَحَها مِثلَ ما أَشرَحُ

لِتَشرَحَها مِثلَ ما أَشرَحُ

So here I explain my plight to you,

So here I am explaining my state to you

that you may explain it just as I do.

That you may explain it as I explain

وَأَشكوكَ مِن حِرفَةٍ لا تَريمُ

وَأَشكوكَ مِن حِرفَةٍ لا تَريمُ

مُلازِمَةً لي وَلا تَبرَحُ

مُلازِمَةً لي وَلا تَبرَحُ

And I complain of you for ill fortune that never departs,

And complain to you of a craft that does not

clinging to me and never going away.

Cease accompanying me and does not depart

أُفَكِّرُ لَيليَ حَتّى الصَبا

أُفَكِّرُ لَيليَ حَتّى الصَبا

حِ فيها وَأُمسي كَما أُصبِحُ

حِ فيها وَأُمسي كَما أُصبِحُ

I ponder all night until morning

I think all night until dawn about it

about it; at evening I am as I was in the morning.

And go to bed as I wake up

فَقَد بَرَّحَت بي وَكَوني خُصِصتُ

فَقَد بَرَّحَت بي وَكَوني خُصِصتُ

مِنَ الناسِ وَحدي بِها أَبرَحُ

مِنَ الناسِ وَحدي بِها أَبرَحُ

For it has tormented me, and my being singled out

For it has cast me down and I am singled out

alone among all people for it is more agonizing still.

Among people, alone with it do I sport

إِذا كُنتُ في عَصرِ هَذا الإِما

إِذا كُنتُ في عَصرِ هَذا الإِما

مِ وَهوَ بِأَموالِهِ يَسمَحُ

مِ وَهوَ بِأَموالِهِ يَسمَحُ

If I live in the age of this Imam,

If I were in the time of this Imam

while he gives freely of his wealth,

And he with his wealth is generous

وَسُحبُ مَواهِبِهِ يَستَهِلُّ

وَسُحبُ مَواهِبِهِ يَستَهِلُّ

وَبَحرُ مَكارِمِهِ يَطفَحُ

وَبَحرُ مَكارِمِهِ يَطفَحُ

and the clouds of his gifts pour down rain,

And the clouds of his gifts pour down

and the sea of his noble deeds overflows,

And the sea of his generosity overflows

وَلي مِدَحٌ فيهِ سارَ الرُواةُ

وَلي مِدَحٌ فيهِ سارَ الرُواةُ

بِها وَهوَ أَكرَمُ مَن يُمدَحُ

بِها وَهوَ أَكرَمُ مَن يُمدَحُ

and I have praise-poems for him, and reciters have traveled

And I have praise in him the transmitters circulated

with them, while he is the most generous of those praised,

And he is the most generous of those praised

وَكُنتَ وَأَنتَ أَجَلُّ الأَنامِ

وَكُنتَ وَأَنتَ أَجَلُّ الأَنامِ

شَفيعي وَأَمري كَذا يَنجَحُ

شَفيعي وَأَمري كَذا يَنجَحُ

and you, the most exalted of humankind, are

And you were, while you are the greatest of people

my intercessor, and my cause should thus prosper,

My intercessor and thus my matter succeeds

فَمائِلُ أَمري مَتى يَستَقيمُ

فَمائِلُ أَمري مَتى يَستَقيمُ

وَفاسِدُ حالي مَتى يَصلُحُ

وَفاسِدُ حالي مَتى يَصلُحُ

then when will my crooked affairs be straightened,

So when will my matter be set right

and when will my ruined condition be restored?

And my corrupt state mended?

وَهاكَ يَدي وَعَلَيَّ الوَفا

وَهاكَ يَدي وَعَلَيَّ الوَفا

ءُ أَنّي مُذُ الدَهرِ لا أُفلِحُ

ءُ أَنّي مُذُ الدَهرِ لا أُفلِحُ

And take my hand: I pledge in good faith

And here is my hand to you and I am

that all my life I have never prospered.

Faithful that since eternity I do not succeed