1. لَها مَنزِلٌ بَينَ الدَخولِ فَتوضِحُ

    مَتى تَرَهُ عَينُ المُتَيَّمِ تَسفَحِ

    She has a dwelling between al-Dakhul and Tudih;

    whenever the love-enthralled one's eye sees it, it sheds tears.

  2. عَفا غَيرَ نُؤيٍ دارِسٍ في فِنائِهِ

    ثَلاثُ أَثافٍ كَالحَمائِمُ جُنَّحِ

    It has faded away, save a weathered trench; in its courtyard

    are three hearthstones, like doves with lowered wings.

  3. وَعَهدي بِها وَالعَيشُ جَمٌّ سُرورُهُ

    مَتى شِئتُ لاقاني هُناكَ بِمُفرِحِ

    And I remember her when life abounded in joy;

    whenever I wished, it greeted me there with delight.

  4. لَيالي لُبَينى بَدرُ لَيلى إِذا دَجا

    وَشَمسُ نَهاري المُسفِرُ المُتَوَضِّحِ

    Those nights when Lubayna was my night's full moon as darkness fell,

    and the sun of my bright, radiant day.

  5. وَما الوَردُ يَجلوهُ الضُحى في غُصونِهِ

    بِأَحسَنَ مِن خَدَّي لُبَينى وَأَملَحِ

    No rose, unveiled by morning on its branches,

    is lovelier or more charming than Lubayna's cheeks.

  6. وَإِنّي لَتَثنيني الصَبابَةُ وَالأَسى

    إِلى كَمَدٍ مُضنٍ وَشَوقٍ مُبَرِّحِ

    And indeed, longing and sorrow turn me back

    to wasting grief and agonizing yearning.

  7. هَنَتكَ أَميرَ المُؤمِنينَ بِشارَةٌ

    مِنَ الشَرقِ جاءَت بِالبَيانِ المُصَرِّحِ

    May glad tidings gladden you, Commander of the Faithful,

    which came from the East with an explicit account,

  8. تُخَبِّرُ عَن نَصرِ المَوالي وَعِزِّهِم

    وَخِذلانِ عَبدوسِ وَإِفلاحِ مُفلِحِ

    telling of the retainers' victory and might,

    and of 'Abdus's defeat and Muflih's success.

  9. لَقَد زُلزِلَت أَرضُ الجِبالِ بِوَقعَةٍ

    أَسالَت دَماً في كُلِّ نَشزٍ وَأَبطَحِ

    Indeed, the land of al-Jibal was shaken by a battle

    that made blood flow over every height and gravelly flat.

  10. كَأَنَّ النُسورَ الواقِعاتِ عَشِيَّةً

    عَلى نَقَدٍ حَولَ الجِمارِ مُذَبَّحِ

    The vultures alighting at evening seemed

    to be upon small sheep slaughtered around the Jimar.

  11. وَلَو وَقَفَ المَغرورُ لَالتَبَسَت بِهِ

    زَنابيرُ سَرعانِ الخَميسِ المُجَنَّحِ

    Had the deluded man stood firm, he would have been beset

    by the wasps of the winged army's swift vanguard.

  12. إِذاً لَاحتَسى كَأساً دِهاقاً مِنَ الرَدى

    مَتى يَشرَبِ الباقي بِها يَتَرَنَّحِ

    Then he would have drunk a cup brimming with death;

    whenever a survivor drinks from it, he staggers.

  13. لَقَد شَرَّدَتهُ الخَيلُ كُلَّ مُشَرَّدٍ

    وَطَرَّحنَهُ يَومَ الوَغى كُلَّ مَطرَحِ

    Indeed, the cavalry drove him fleeing far and wide,

    and flung him every which way on the day of battle.

  14. تَنَدَّمَ لَمّا أَخلَفَتهُ ظُنونُهُ

    وَباتَت خَزايا مُفسِدٍ غَيرُ مُصلِحِ

    He rued it when his expectations failed him,

    and they lay disgraced—a corrupter's hopes, not a reformer's.

  15. وَأَدبَرَ مَنكوباً بِرَأيٍ مُضَعَّفٍ

    إِلى الكَرَجِ القُصيا وَوَجهٍ مُقَبَّحِ

    And he retreated, stricken, with feeble judgment,

    to far-off al-Karaj, his face disgraced,

  16. فِراراً وَعُظمُ الجَيشِ لَم يُمسِ مِنهُمُ

    قَريباً وَتِلكَ الحَربُ لَم تَتَلَقَّحِ

    fleeing, though by evening the bulk of the army had not drawn

    near them, nor had that war yet conceived;

  17. وَلَم يَأتِ موسى في المَوالي عَلَيهِمِ

    سَرابيلُ مِن نَسجِ الحَديدِ المُوَشَّحِ

    nor had Musa come among the retainers, clad

    in tunics woven of ornamented iron.

  18. كَأَنّي بِطُلّابِ الأَمانِ قَدِ التَقَوا

    بِسُدَّةِ مَوصوفِ الخِلالِ مُمَدَّحِ

    I seem to see the seekers of safe-conduct gathered

    at the threshold of one renowned for his virtues, much praised:

  19. إِمامُ هُداً تَأوي بِهِ مَكرُماتُهُ

    إِلى مَربَعٍ مِن بَطنِ مَكَّةَ أَفيَحِ

    an imam of guidance, whose noble qualities bring him home

    to a spacious dwelling in the heart of Mecca.

  20. لَهُ شَرَفُ البَيتِ الحَرامِ وَفَخرُهُ

    وَزَمزَمَ وَالرُكنِ العَتيقِ المُمَسَّحِ

    His are the honor and glory of the Sacred House,

    and of Zamzam and the ancient, oft-stroked Corner.

  21. مَتى توعِدوهُ الحَربَ يَشغَب فَيَنتَقِم

    وَإِن تَسأَلوهُ العَفوَ يَعفُ وَيَصفَحِ

    Whenever you threaten him with war, he raises tumult and takes revenge;

    but if you ask him for pardon, he pardons and forgives.

  22. فَعِش يا أَميرَ المُؤمِنينَ مُمَتَّعاً

    بِنَصرٍ جَديدٍ كُلِّ مُمساً وَمُصبَحِ

    So live, Commander of the Faithful, blessed

    with fresh victory every evening and morning.

  23. أَعَنتَ عَلى عَبدِ العَزيزِ وَرَهطِهِ

    وَشيعَتِهِ مِن أَعجَمِيٍّ وَمُفصِحِ

    You lent aid against 'Abd al-'Aziz and his clan,

    and his followers, foreign-tongued and Arabic-speaking.

  24. رَدَدتَ عَلَيهِ البَغيَ حَتّى صَرَعتَهُ

    بِتَدبيرِ مَنصورِ العَزيمَةِ مُنجِحِ

    You turned his aggression back upon him until you felled him,

    through the planning of one triumphant in resolve and successful.

  25. وَلَمّا بَغى المَخظولُ أَيقَنتَ أَنَّهُ

    فَريسَةُ مَشبوحِ الذِراعَينِ أَصبَحِ

    And when the forsaken man rebelled, you knew for certain he was

    prey for a tawny lion with forelegs outstretched.