1. يظنُّ الهوى العُذري وجدي بمجده

    وما هو اِلا الدَّارميُّ المُبَرِّحُ

    My passion for his glory is thought to be ʿUdhrī love,

    Yet it is nothing but agonizing Dārimī love.

  2. ويُحْسب أني مادحٌ وكأنني

    لصدْق مديحِ الزَّينبيِّ مُسبِّحُ

    And I am thought a panegyrist, yet it is as though I

    Were glorifying God through my truthful praise of al-Zaynabī.

  3. مكارمُه أدنى من الغيثِ للغِنى

    وغرَّتُه من رونقِ الصُّبح أوضحُ

    His generosity brings wealth nearer than rain does,

    And his radiant brow is brighter than the splendor of dawn.

  4. يَعافُ اِباءً فيه أدْنى خَسيفَةٍ

    ويغتفرُ الجرمَ الجليلَ ويصفحُ

    Out of self-respect, he abhors the slightest baseness in himself,

    Yet he forgives grave wrongdoing and pardons.

  5. وتهتزُّ عِطفاه لاِحدوثةِ العُلى

    كما مال للكأس النَّزيفُ المُرنَّحُ

    And his sides sway at a tale of glory,

    As a reeling drunkard leans toward the cup.

  6. اذا طاشت الأحلامُ يوماً فحلْمُه

    من الأوراق العادي ذي النِّيق أرجحُ

    If ever minds lose their balance, his forbearance

    Is weightier than the ancient gray mountain with its lofty peak.

  7. واِن ضاق قلبٌ بالصغيرة لامرىءٍ

    فقلبُ عليًّ بالكبيرةِ أفْسَحُ

    And if a man's heart cannot bear a petty offense,

    Then ʿAlī's heart has greater room for a grave one.