1. نَطوي اللَّيالَي عِلْمَاً أن سَتَطوِينا

    فشَعشِعِيها بماءِ المُزنِ واسقِينا

    We fold away the nights, knowing they will fold us away;

    so mix it with rain-cloud water and give us drink.

  2. وتَوِّجي بكؤوسِ الراحِ أيديَنا

    فإِنما خُلقَت للرَّاحِ أيدينا

    And crown our hands with goblets of wine,

    for our hands were created only for wine.

  3. قامت تَهُزُّ قَواماً ناعماً سَرَقت

    شَمائلَ البانِ من أعطافِه لِينا

    She rose, swaying a supple figure, having stolen

    the moringa's graces—softness from its boughs.

  4. تَحُثُّ حمراءَ يَلقاها المِزاجُ كما

    أَلقيتَ فَوقَ جَنِيِّ الوَردِ نِسرينا

    She pours red wine briskly; the mixing water meets it as though

    you had cast white wild roses over freshly gathered roses.

  5. فلستُ أدري أتَسقِيَنا وقد نَفحَت

    روائحُ المِسكِ منها أو تُحيِّينا

    So I cannot tell: does she give us drink, as there waft

    from her the scents of musk, or does she greet us?

  6. قد ملَّكَتنا زِمامَ العَيشِ صافيةً

    لو فاتَنا المُلكُ راحَت عنه تُسلِينا

    She has given us the reins of life with pure wine;

    were kingship to elude us, it would set about consoling us for its loss.

  7. ومُخطَفِ القَدِّ يُرضِينا ويُسخِطُنا

    حُسناً ويَقتُلُنا دَلاً ويُحْيِينَا

    And one of slender figure pleases us and angers us

    with his beauty, and kills us with coyness and brings us to life.

  8. تَفَتَّحَت وَردتَا خَدَّيهِ مِن خَجَلٍ

    وزِيدَتَا بعِذارَيهِ تَزايِينَا

    The two roses of his cheeks blossomed with bashfulness,

    and his two lines of cheek-down gave them added adornment.

  9. ما زالَ يَنقُرُ أحشاءَ الدنِّانِ لنا

    حتَّى نَفاهنَّ مَجروحاً ومطعونا

    He kept tapping the bellies of the wine jars for us,

    until he cast them aside, wounded and pierced.

  10. لمّا رأيتُ عُيونَ الدهرِ تَلحَظُنا

    شَزْراً تيقَّنتُ أنَّ الدَّهر يُردينا

    When I saw the eyes of Time looking upon us

    askance, I knew for certain that Time would destroy us.

  11. نمضي ونترُكُ من ألفاظِنا تُحَفاً

    تَسبي ريَاحِينُها الشَّرْبَ الرَّياحِينا

    We pass on, leaving treasures of our words;

    their fragrant blossoms captivate the drinkers, themselves blossoms.

  12. وما نُبالي بِذَمِّ الأغبياءِ إذا

    كانَ اللَّبيبُ من الأقوام يُطرِينا

    And we care nothing for the blame of fools, if

    the wise man among the people praises us.

  13. ورُبَّ غَرَّاءَ لم تُنظَم قَلائِدها

    إلاّ ليُحمَدَ فيها الفَاطميُّونا

    And many a radiant ode has had its necklaces strung

    only that the Fatimids might be praised in it.

  14. الوارثُون كِتابَ اللِه يَمَنحُهم

    إرثَ النَّبِيِّ على رُغمِ المُعادينا

    The inheritors of God's Book, who are granted

    the Prophet's inheritance, despite the adversaries.

  15. والسابِقُون إلى الخَيراتِ يَنجُدُهم

    عِتقُ النِّجار إذا كلَّ المُجارُونا

    And those foremost in good deeds, upheld by

    their noble lineage when their rivals falter.

  16. قومُ نُصلِّي عليهمِ حينَ نَذكُرُهم

    حُبّاً ونَلعَنُ أَقواماً مَلاعينا

    A people upon whom we invoke blessings whenever we remember them,

    out of love, while we curse accursed peoples.

  17. إذا عَددنا قُرَيشاً في أباطحِها

    كانُوا الذَّوائِبَ منها والعَرانِينا

    When we counted Quraysh in its gravelly valleys,

    they were its forelocks and its proud noses.

  18. أغنَتهُمُ عَن صِفاتِ المادحِين لهم

    مدائحُ اللهِ في طَه ويَاسِينا

    They were spared the descriptions their panegyrists offered them

    by God's praises in Ta-Ha and Ya-Sin.

  19. فلستُ أمدحهُم إلا لأرغِمَ في

    مَدْحِيهمُ أنفَ شانِيهم وشَانِينا

    So I praise them only to rub in the dust, through

    my praise of them, the nose of their hater and ours.

  20. أقامَ رَوحٌ ورَيحانٌ على جَدَثٍ

    ثَوَى الحُسينُ به ظمآنَ آمينا

    May repose and sweet basil abide upon a grave

    where al-Husayn lay thirsty. Amen.

  21. كأنَّ أحشاءَنا من ذِكرِه أبداً

    تُطوَى على الجَمْرِ أو تُحشَى السَّكاكِينا

    It is as though our entrails, at his mention, were forever

    folded around embers or stuffed with knives.

  22. مهلاً فما نَقضُوا أوتارَ والدِه

    وإنما نَقَضُوا في قَتلهِ الدِّينا

    Hold! They did not settle his father's blood-debts;

    rather, by killing him, they shattered the faith.

  23. آل النبِيِّ وجَدْنا حُبَّكم سَبَباً

    يَرضَى الإلهُ به عنَّا ويُرضِينا

    Family of the Prophet, we have found love for you a means

    through which God is pleased with us and makes us content.

  24. فمَا نُخاطِبُكم إلاّ بسادتِنا

    ولا نُنادِيكُمُ إلا مَوالينا

    So we address you only as 'our masters',

    and call you only 'our lords'.

  25. وكم لنَا من فَخارٍ في مَودَّتِكم

    يَزيدُها في سَوادِ القَلبِ تَمكِينا

    And how much pride we have in love for you,

    which roots it more firmly in the heart's dark core!

  26. ومن عدوٍ لكم مُخْفٍ عداوتَه

    واللهُ يرميه عنا وهو يرمينا

    And many an enemy of yours conceals his enmity,

    and God strikes at him on our behalf, while he strikes at us.

  27. إن أَجرِ في حُبِّكم جَرْيَ الجوادِ فقد

    أضحَت رِحابُ مَساعيكم مَيادينا

    If I run in love for you as a thoroughbred runs, it is because

    the spacious grounds of your endeavors have become racecourses.

  28. وكيفَ يَعدوكُمُ شِعري وذكرُكُمُ

    يَزيدُ مُستَحسَنَ الأشعارِ تَحسِينا

    And how could my poetry pass you by, when mention of you

    makes beautiful poetry more beautiful still?