رُدّي عَلى المُشتاقِ بَعضَ رُقادِهِ

رُدّي عَلى المُشتاقِ بَعضَ رُقادِهِ

أَو فَاِشرِكيهِ في اِتِّصالِ سُهادِهِ

أَو فَاِشرِكيهِ في اِتِّصالِ سُهادِهِ

Restore to the longing lover some of his sleep,

Grant respite to the yearning lover some of his rest

Or else share his unbroken sleeplessness.

Or make him share the intimacy of his dreams

أَسهَرتِهِ حَتّى إِذا هَجَرَ الكَرى

أَسهَرتِهِ حَتّى إِذا هَجَرَ الكَرى

خَلَّيتِ عَنهُ وَنِمتِ عَن إِسعادِهِ

خَلَّيتِ عَنهُ وَنِمتِ عَن إِسعادِهِ

You kept him awake until, when he forsook slumber,

You kept him up until when he evaded people

You abandoned him and slept, heedless of comforting him.

You abandoned him and slept instead of making him happy

وَقَسا فُؤادُكِ أَن يَلينَ لِلَوعَةٍ

وَقَسا فُؤادُكِ أَن يَلينَ لِلَوعَةٍ

باتَت تَقَلقَلُ في صَميمِ فُؤادِهِ

باتَت تَقَلقَلُ في صَميمِ فُؤادِهِ

And your heart was too hard to soften before the anguish

And your heart hardened to soften to the agony

That stirred restlessly all night in the very core of his heart.

That raged in the core of his heart

وَلَقَد عَزَزتِ فَهانَ طَوعاً لِلهَوى

وَلَقَد عَزَزتِ فَهانَ طَوعاً لِلهَوى

وَجَنَبتِهِ فَرَأَيتِ ذُلَّ قِيادِهِ

وَجَنَبتِهِ فَرَأَيتِ ذُلَّ قِيادِهِ

And indeed you grew proud, so he humbled himself, willingly yielding to love,

You made him mighty so he yielded willingly to passion

And you led him beside you, and saw how meekly he followed.

And avoided him so you saw the disgrace of his leadership

مَن مُنصِفي مِن ظالِمٍ مَلَّكتُهُ

مَن مُنصِفي مِن ظالِمٍ مَلَّكتُهُ

وُدّي وَلَم أَملِك عَشيرَ وِدادِهِ

وُدّي وَلَم أَملِك عَشيرَ وِدادِهِ

Who will give me justice against a tyrant whom I made master of

Who does justice to me from an unjust possessor

My love, though I never possessed a tenth of his affection?

Whose love I own yet I do not own the loyalty of his companionship

إِن كُنتُ أَعرِفُ غَيرَ سالِفِ حُبِّهِ

إِن كُنتُ أَعرِفُ غَيرَ سالِفِ حُبِّهِ

فَبَليتُ بَعدَ صُدودِهِ بِبِعادِهِ

فَبَليتُ بَعدَ صُدودِهِ بِبِعادِهِ

If I know any love but my long-standing love for him,

If I know nothing but his former love

Then may I suffer his absence after his rejection.

Then I was afflicted, after his aloofness, with his remoteness

قَد قُلتُ لِلغَيمِ الرُكامِ وَلَجَّ في

قَد قُلتُ لِلغَيمِ الرُكامِ وَلَجَّ في

إِبراقِهِ وَأَلَحَّ في إِرعادِهِ

إِبراقِهِ وَأَلَحَّ في إِرعادِهِ

I said to the massed cloud, as it persisted in

I told the rumbling clouds to pour down

Its lightning-flashes and insisted on its peals of thunder:

In their flashing and insist on their thunder

لا تَعرِضَنَّ لِجَعفَرٍ مُتَشَبِّهاً

لا تَعرِضَنَّ لِجَعفَرٍ مُتَشَبِّهاً

بِنَدى يَدَيهِ فَلَستَ مِن أَندادِهِ

بِنَدى يَدَيهِ فَلَستَ مِن أَندادِهِ

Do not challenge Ja'far, seeking to imitate

Do not behave, resembling the dew of his hands

The bounty of his hands, for you are not his equal.

You are not of his peers

اللَهُ شَرَّفَهُ وَأَعلى ذِكرَهُ

اللَهُ شَرَّفَهُ وَأَعلى ذِكرَهُ

وَرَآهُ غَيثَ عِبادِهِ وَبِلادِهِ

وَرَآهُ غَيثَ عِبادِهِ وَبِلادِهِ

God has honored him and exalted his renown,

God honored him and elevated his mention

And deemed him life-giving rain for His servants and His lands.

And saw him as a rain for His servants and country

مَلِكٌ حَكى الخُلَفاءَ مِن آبائِهِ

مَلِكٌ حَكى الخُلَفاءَ مِن آبائِهِ

وَتَقَيَّلَ العُظَماءَ مِن أَجدادِهِ

وَتَقَيَّلَ العُظَماءَ مِن أَجدادِهِ

A king who mirrored the caliphs among his fathers,

A king who emulated the caliphs among his forefathers

And followed the example of the great among his ancestors.

And humbled the nobles among his ancestors

إِن قَلَّ شُكرُ الأَبعَدينَ فَإِنَّهُ

إِن قَلَّ شُكرُ الأَبعَدينَ فَإِنَّهُ

وَهّابُ عُظمِ طَريفِهِ وَتِلادِهِ

وَهّابُ عُظمِ طَريفِهِ وَتِلادِهِ

If those far removed show little gratitude, he is still

If the gratitude of the distant ones is little, then he

A lavish giver of most of his newly acquired and inherited wealth.

Is bestower of the greatness of its borders and lands

يَزدادُ إِبقاءً عَلى أَعدائِهِ

يَزدادُ إِبقاءً عَلى أَعدائِهِ

أَبَداً وَإِفضالاً عَلى حُسّادِهِ

أَبَداً وَإِفضالاً عَلى حُسّادِهِ

He grows more merciful toward his enemies,

He increasingly remains over his enemies

Always, and more generous toward those who envy him.

Forever, and is generous to his enviers

أَمَرَ العَطاءَ فَفاضَ مِن جَمّاتِهِ

أَمَرَ العَطاءَ فَفاضَ مِن جَمّاتِهِ

وَنَهى الصَفيحَ فَقَرَّ في أَغمادِهِ

وَنَهى الصَفيحَ فَقَرَّ في أَغمادِهِ

He commanded bounty, so it overflowed from its reservoirs,

He ordered generosity so it overflowed from his bounties

And forbade the steel, so it rested in its scabbards.

And forbade miserliness so it diminished in its burrows

يا كالِئَ الإِسلامَ في غَفَلاتِهِ

يا كالِئَ الإِسلامَ في غَفَلاتِهِ

وَمُقيمَ نَهجى حَجِّهِ وَجِهادِهِ

وَمُقيمَ نَهجى حَجِّهِ وَجِهادِهِ

O guardian of Islam in its heedless moments,

O you who maintain Islam in its negligence

And upholder of its twin paths of pilgrimage and jihad,

And establish the path of his pilgrimage and jihad

تَهنيكَ في المُعتَزِّ بُشرى بَيَّنَت

تَهنيكَ في المُعتَزِّ بُشرى بَيَّنَت

فينا فَضيلَةَ هَديِهِ وَرَشادِهِ

فينا فَضيلَةَ هَديِهِ وَرَشادِهِ

May glad tidings of al-Mu'tazz bring you joy; they have shown

Congratulations to the honored, good tidings that clarified

Among us the excellence of his conduct and sound judgment.

Through us the merit of his guidance and integrity

قَد أَدرَكَ الحُلمُ الَّذي أَبدى لَنا

قَد أَدرَكَ الحُلمُ الَّذي أَبدى لَنا

عَن حِلمِهِ وَوَقارِهِ وَسَدادِهِ

عَن حِلمِهِ وَوَقارِهِ وَسَدادِهِ

He has reached manhood, he who has revealed to us

Maturity has been attained that he demonstrated to us

His forbearance, dignity, and sound judgment.

Of his patience, dignity, and rectitude

وَمُبارَكٌ ميلادُ مُلكِكَ مُخبِرٌ

وَمُبارَكٌ ميلادُ مُلكِكَ مُخبِرٌ

بِقَريبِ عَهدٍ كانَ مِن ميلادِهِ

بِقَريبِ عَهدٍ كانَ مِن ميلادِهِ

And blessed is the birth of your reign, telling

And blessed is the birth of your kingdom foretelling

How close in time it was to his birth.

Of an era near to his birth

تَمَّت لَكَ النَعماءُ فيهِ مُمَتَّعاً

تَمَّت لَكَ النَعماءُ فيهِ مُمَتَّعاً

بِعُلُوِّ هِمَّتِهِ وَوَريِ زِنادِهِ

بِعُلُوِّ هِمَّتِهِ وَوَريِ زِنادِهِ

May your blessings be complete in him, as you take delight

Perfect bounties have been completed for you in it enjoying

In his lofty resolve and the sparks of his fire-sticks.

The loftiness of his determination and abundance of his armory

وَبَقيتَ حَتّى تَستَضيءَ بِرَأيِهِ

وَبَقيتَ حَتّى تَستَضيءَ بِرَأيِهِ

وَتَرى الكُهولَ الشيبَ مِن أَولادِهِ

وَتَرى الكُهولَ الشيبَ مِن أَولادِهِ

And may you live on to draw light from his counsel,

And you remained until you are illuminated by his opinion

And see grey-haired, middle-aged men among his children.

And see old age in his children