نادى الرِجالُ بِهِ وَنادى سَيفَهُ

نادى الرِجالُ بِهِ وَنادى سَيفَهُ

في كَربِهِ يا ذا الفَقارِ وَيا عَلي

في كَربِهِ يا ذا الفَقارِ وَيا عَلي

Men called upon him, and he called to his sword,

The men called upon him and his sword called upon him

in his distress: “O Dhu al-Fiqar! O Ali!”

In their plight, O Dhul-Faqar and O Ali

وَكَأَنَّما كَرّاتُهُ كَرّاتُهُ

وَكَأَنَّما كَرّاتُهُ كَرّاتُهُ

رِدءاً لِتَأييدِ النَبِيِّ المُرسَلِ

رِدءاً لِتَأييدِ النَبِيِّ المُرسَلِ

And his charges seemed to be Ali's own charges,

As if its strikes were his garb

as a bulwark in support of the Prophet sent forth.

As support for the sent Prophet

وَكُئوسُهُ تَحتَ النُجومِ مُدارَةٌ

وَكُئوسُهُ تَحتَ النُجومِ مُدارَةٌ

سارَ الخُيولُ بِهِنَّ تَحتَ القَسطَلِ

سارَ الخُيولُ بِهِنَّ تَحتَ القَسطَلِ

And his cups are passed around beneath the stars;

And their skulls revolved beneath the stars

the horses bore them along beneath the battle-dust.

The horses strode among them beneath the bows

وَدِنانُها هامُ الكُماةِ وَإِنَّما

وَدِنانُها هامُ الكُماةِ وَإِنَّما

يَنزِلنَ مِن طُرُقِ الشَبابِ بِمَنزِلِ

يَنزِلنَ مِن طُرُقِ الشَبابِ بِمَنزِلِ

And their wine-jars are warriors' heads, and they only

And their forelocks tossed like the swaying heads of camels

descend from the paths of youth to a resting-place.

They descended from the paths of youth at an abode

لَيسَت مَعاقِلُهُ الحُصونَ كَغَيرِهِ

لَيسَت مَعاقِلُهُ الحُصونَ كَغَيرِهِ

بَل حَلَّ مِن ظَهرِ الحِصانِ بِمَعقِلِ

بَل حَلَّ مِن ظَهرِ الحِصانِ بِمَعقِلِ

His strongholds are not fortresses, as other men's are;

His fortresses were not like others’ fortresses

rather, he has made the horse's back his stronghold.

Rather he dismounted the back of his steed at a fortress

اللَهُ جارُكَ ضارِباً بِالنَصلِ كَم

اللَهُ جارُكَ ضارِباً بِالنَصلِ كَم

فَلَّلتَهُ يا ضارِباً بِالمُنصُلِ

فَلَّلتَهُ يا ضارِباً بِالمُنصُلِ

God be your protector as you strike with the blade—how often

Allah is your helper striking with the blade

have you notched it, O striker with the sword!

So you made it strike, O striker with the sharp blade

وَكَريمُ أَنسابِ الطِعانِ فَلَم يَكُن

وَكَريمُ أَنسابِ الطِعانِ فَلَم يَكُن

ذا طَعنَةٍ في مُدبِرٍ مِن مُقبِلِ

ذا طَعنَةٍ في مُدبِرٍ مِن مُقبِلِ

And noble is the lineage of his spear-thrusts: he was never

And the noble of spear-thrusting ancestry

one to thrust at a retreating man rather than one advancing.

He was never one who would thrust from behind or unprepared

فَأَرى لِسانَ السَيفِ يُفصِحُهُ إِذا

فَأَرى لِسانَ السَيفِ يُفصِحُهُ إِذا

ما جِئتَ مِن نَسجِ الحَديدِ بِمُشكِلِ

ما جِئتَ مِن نَسجِ الحَديدِ بِمُشكِلِ

So I see the sword's tongue explain it, whenever

So I see the tongue of the sword elucidating him

you bring a puzzle woven of iron.

Whenever you came with intricate ironsmithing

أَرَبيعَنا قَبلَ الرَبيعِ إِلَيهِ لا

أَرَبيعَنا قَبلَ الرَبيعِ إِلَيهِ لا

لِلشَهرِ يُسنَدُ عَن رَبيعِ الأَوَّلِ

لِلشَهرِ يُسنَدُ عَن رَبيعِ الأَوَّلِ

O our spring before spring—to him, not

We took the four before Spring, not

to the month, is mention of Rabi al-Awwal ascribed.

Attributing it to the month of early Spring

وَهِلالَنا وَهوَ الهِلالُ بِعَينِهِ

وَهِلالَنا وَهوَ الهِلالُ بِعَينِهِ

لا يَستَقِرُّ كَما نَراهُ بِمَنزِلِ

لا يَستَقِرُّ كَما نَراهُ بِمَنزِلِ

And O our crescent—he is the very crescent itself—

And our crescent, which is the crescent itself

he never stays in one station, as we see him.

Does not settle in place as we see it settled

تَأتي عَطاياهُ الجَميلَةُ جُملَةً

تَأتي عَطاياهُ الجَميلَةُ جُملَةً

وَتَجيءُ مِن غُرِّ الثَناءِ بِمُجمَلِ

وَتَجيءُ مِن غُرِّ الثَناءِ بِمُجمَلِ

His beautiful gifts come all at once,

His beautiful gifts come all at once

and you bring a summary of the brightest praise.

And come broadly from the thick of praise

أَعطاكَ مِن قَبلِ السُؤالِ وَبَعدَهُ

أَعطاكَ مِن قَبلِ السُؤالِ وَبَعدَهُ

ما كُنتَ تَأَمُلُهُ وَما لَم تَأمُلِ

ما كُنتَ تَأَمُلُهُ وَما لَم تَأمُلِ

He gave you, before you asked and afterward,

He gave you before asking and after

what you hoped for and what you did not.

What you wished for and what you did not wish

فَعَطاؤُهُ يَأتي وَلَو لَم تَأتِهِ

فَعَطاؤُهُ يَأتي وَلَو لَم تَأتِهِ

لا بُدَّ مِنهُ سَأَلتَ أَو لَم تَسأَلِ

لا بُدَّ مِنهُ سَأَلتَ أَو لَم تَسأَلِ

For his bounty comes even if you do not come to him;

His gift comes even if you did not come to him

it is sure to come, whether you ask or not.

It must come whether you asked or did not ask

أَسرَعتَ في جودٍ وَلَستَ بِمُبطِئٍ

أَسرَعتَ في جودٍ وَلَستَ بِمُبطِئٍ

وَصَدَقتُ في شُكرٍ فَلَستُ بِمُبطِلِ

وَصَدَقتُ في شُكرٍ فَلَستُ بِمُبطِلِ

You hastened in generosity, and you are not slow;

You were quick in generosity and are no delayer

and I was truthful in thanks, so I speak no falsehood.

And I was true in gratitude thus no nullifier

الجودُ مِن فَوقِ المَقالِ مَزِيَّةٌ

الجودُ مِن فَوقِ المَقالِ مَزِيَّةٌ

فَالمَدحُ غَيرُ مُساجِلٍ بَل مُسجِلِ

فَالمَدحُ غَيرُ مُساجِلٍ بَل مُسجِلِ

Generosity has a distinction above words,

Generosity is above words an asset

so praise is no rival to it, but its recorder.

So praise is no debater but recorder

وَمَدَحتُ أَهلَ البَيتِ مِنكُم بِالَّذي

وَمَدَحتُ أَهلَ البَيتِ مِنكُم بِالَّذي

شَهِدَ الرِجالُ بِأَنَّ ذاكَ البَيتَ لي

شَهِدَ الرِجالُ بِأَنَّ ذاكَ البَيتَ لي

And I praised the members of your house with that verse

And I praised the People of the House from you with what

which men testified was mine.

The men testified that House was mine

مَن ذا يَوَفّيكُم أَقَلَّ حُقوقِكُم

مَن ذا يَوَفّيكُم أَقَلَّ حُقوقِكُم

إِنَّ المُكَثِّرَ فيهِ كَالمُتَقَلِّلِ

إِنَّ المُكَثِّرَ فيهِ كَالمُتَقَلِّلِ

Who can render you even the least of your due?

Who can fulfill even the least of your rights

Indeed, one who does much here is like one who does little.

For the one who increases in it is like the diminishor

وَهيَ السَعادَةُ في السِماكِ فَلَو تَشا

وَهيَ السَعادَةُ في السِماكِ فَلَو تَشا

لَطَعَنتَ مِنها رامِحاً بِالأَعزَلِ

لَطَعَنتَ مِنها رامِحاً بِالأَعزَلِ

And fortune stands in al-Simak; if you wished,

And it is happiness in the sky, so if you wished

with its aid you would spear the Spear-bearer with the Unarmed One.

You would have lanced it, lancing with the bare headed lance

وَجهٌ لَهُ شَمسُ السَماءِ تَرَجَّلَت

وَجهٌ لَهُ شَمسُ السَماءِ تَرَجَّلَت

وَالشَمسُ تُذكَرُ دائِماً بِتَرَجُّلِ

وَالشَمسُ تُذكَرُ دائِماً بِتَرَجُّلِ

A face before which the sun of heaven has dismounted,

A face whose sun descended from the sky

and the sun is always spoken of as rising high.

And the sun is forever mentioned as having descended

وَتَخَلَّلَت سُحُبَ الرِماحِ لَعَلَّها

وَتَخَلَّلَت سُحُبَ الرِماحِ لَعَلَّها

تَحظى بِلَحظِ جَبينِهِ المُتَزَمِّلِ

تَحظى بِلَحظِ جَبينِهِ المُتَزَمِّلِ

And she threaded the clouds of spears, that perhaps

And it wove between the clouds of spears hoping

she might gain a glimpse of his veiled brow.

To gain a glance of his veiled brow

وَلَعَلَّها في بَدرِ حَربِكَ تَلتَظي

وَلَعَلَّها في بَدرِ حَربِكَ تَلتَظي

فَاِفسَح لَها في وَقفَةِ المُتَظَلِّلِ

فَاِفسَح لَها في وَقفَةِ المُتَظَلِّلِ

And perhaps she burns in your battle's full moon;

And hoping in the full moon of your war to gain warmth

so make room for her where one stands taking shade.

So make room for it in the stance of the shaded one