1. هُوَ الفَتْحُ بَعْدَ الفَتْحِ يَأتِي مُسَوَّغَا

    وَما وَلَجَتْ في مَسْمَعٍ لُجَّةُ الوَغَى

    It is conquest after conquest, coming freely granted;

    and the roaring tide of battle has entered no ear.

  2. وَلا دَلَفَتْ أُسْدُ الهِيَاج لِمِثْلِها

    بِأَيْمَانِها مِثْلُ الأسَاوِدِ لُدَّغا

    Nor have the lions of combat advanced for such a victory,

    with the likes of biting black serpents in their right hands:

  3. رُديْنيَّةٌ قَامَتْ لها بِنيُوبِهَا

    لِتُوغِلَها ماءَ النحُورِ وتُولِغَا

    Rudayni spears, standing ready for them with their fangs,

    to plunge them deep into the water of throats and make them lap it.

  4. كَأنَّ الرَّدَى آسٍ وهُنَّ مَبَاضِعٌ

    تُريقُ دَمَ الباغِينَ مَهْمَا تَبَيَّغا

    As though Death were a physician and they his lancets,

    spilling the transgressors' blood whenever it surges.

  5. أَقَرَّ مهيناً مَنْ تَخَمَّطَ ضِلَّةً

    وَقَرَّ علَى الإِذْعانِ والهونِ مَنْ طَغَا

    It left abased whoever grew arrogant in error,

    and whoever transgressed settled into submission and humiliation.

  6. وَمازَالَتْ الأَيَّامُ حَرْبَاً لمَنْ بَغَى

    عَليكَ إلَى أَنْ عَادَ سِلْماً كَما انْبَغَى

    And the days remained at war with whoever rebelled

    against you, until he became peaceable, as was fitting.

  7. بِحَسْبِكَ جَدٌّ صاعِدٌ يقْهَر العِدَى

    مِنَ الجَيشِ جَمَّاعِ الصَّهيلِ إلَى الرُّغَا

    Rising fortune that subdues foes suffices you,

    instead of an army joining horse-neighs to camel-bellows.

  8. أَلا هَذِهِ الآفاقُ نَحْوَكَ تَرْتَمِي

    لِتُدرِك أَقصَى ما تَرُومُ وتَبْلُغَا

    Behold, these horizons fling themselves toward you,

    to attain the utmost of their desire and reach it.

  9. وَما تَبْتَغي إِلا رِضَاكَ ذَخِيرَةً

    وَهَلْ غَيْرُهُ ذُخْراً يُرَجَّى ويُبْتَغَى

    And they seek no treasure but your favor;

    and is anything else hoped for or sought as treasure?

  10. فَبِالأَمْسِ أَلْقَتْ بالمَقَادَةِ سَبْتَةٌ

    فأَوْرَثَها عِدّاً مِنَ الأَمْنِ سَيِّغا

    For yesterday Ceuta yielded her reins,

    and he bestowed on her an unfailing spring of sweet security;

  11. وَحَطَّتْ بكَ اليَوم المَريةُ رَحْلَها

    فَأَقْطَعَها رَغْداً مِنَ العَيْشِ أهْيَغَا

    and today Almería set down her saddle beside you,

    and he allotted her abundant ease of living.

  12. لَقَدْ قَرَعَتْ لِلفَوْزِ باباً مُفَتَّحا

    وأَمَّتْ إِماماً للنَّجَاةِ مُبلِّغا

    Indeed, she knocked, seeking success, on a wide-open door,

    and sought an imam who brings her to deliverance.

  13. يُخَافُ وَيُرْجَى بَيْنَ حِلْمٍ وبَطْشَةٍ

    أَقامَهُما فِيمَن أَطَاعَ وَمنْ بَغَى

    He inspires fear and hope, poised between clemency and a crushing blow,

    both of which he applies to those who obey and those who rebel.

  14. فَكَمْ عَادَ مُخضَرّاً مِنَ العَيْشِ أغْبَرا

    وكَمْ عَادَ مُغْبَرّاً مِنَ العَيْشِ أرْفَغا

    So how many a dust-gray life has turned green,

    and how many a life of plenty has turned dust-gray!

  15. أقَامَت صغَا الدّينِ الحَنيفِ صِعَادُهُ

    وَأسْعَدَهُ حتَّى اسْتَقَل بِلا صَغا

    His spears straightened the leaning of the upright faith,

    and he aided it until it stood firm, without a lean.

  16. هُوَ القَمَرُ الوَضَّاحُ مَا لاحَ لَمْ نُبَلْ

    بأَنْ يأْفلَ البَدْرُ الفَياحُ وَيَبْزُغَا

    He is the radiant moon; while he shines, we care not

    whether the far-shining full moon sets or rises.

  17. إلَيْهِ أشارَ ابْنُ الحُسَيْنِ بِقَوْلِهِ

    عَليمٌ بأَسْرَارِ الدِّياناتِ واللُّغَا

    Ibn al-Husayn pointed to him in his saying,

    a man versed in the secrets of religions and tongues:

  18. أَلا إنَّ يَحْيَى المُرْتَضَى عِصْمَةُ الوَرَى

    بهِ أسْبَلَ اللَّهُ الأَمَان وأَسْبَغا

    Behold, Yahya al-Murtada is humankind's safeguard;

    through him God spread safety and lavished it.

  19. تَفَرَّغَ للإِحْسَانِ والعَدْلِ والتُّقَى

    وَيا لهَا أَشْغَالاً لِمَنْ قَدْ تَفَرَّغا

    He devoted himself to beneficence, justice, and piety;

    and what occupations these are for one who has freed himself!

  20. يُبيحُ انْهِلالاً جُودهُ وتَهَلُّلا

    وَيحْظُرُ أَنْ يَأْسَى المَسِيفُ ويَنْشَغا

    His bounty lets gifts pour down and faces beam,

    and forbids the destitute to grieve and sob.

  21. وَما يُحْسِنُ الفَرْغان صُنْعَ صَنَائِعٍ

    تُرَب وإنْ صبّاً مَلِيئاً وَأَفْرَغا

    Nor can the two Farghs fashion benefactions

    that are nurtured, though both pour abundantly and empty themselves.

  22. كَفيلٌ نَدَاهُ المُسْتَهِلُّ وبَأْسُهُ

    بأَنْ يَشْعُرَ السِّكِّيتُ فيهِ ويَنْبُغَا

    His pouring bounty and his valor guarantee

    that the silent man will compose verse about him and excel.

  23. تَخِيمُ الأُسودُ الغُلْبُ عنهُ مَهَابَةً

    فَمَا الثَّعلبُ الرَّوَّاغُ مِنْها بأَرْوَغَا

    The thick-necked lions recoil from him in awe,

    so the dodging fox is no more evasive than they.

  24. وتُبْدِي لَهُ العَلْياءُ هزَّةَ مِعْطَفٍ

    بِما هَزَّ في الذَّمْرِ القَنَاةَ وشَغْشَغَا

    And high glory shows him a sway of her flank,

    for he shook his spear within the brave warrior and worked it back and forth.

  25. يُلاقِيهِ لَبَّاساً مِنَ السَّرْدِ أَزْرَقاً

    فَيَثْنيهِ مِنْ قَانِي الدِّماء مُصبَّغا

    He meets him clad in blue chainmail,

    then turns him back dyed with blood's deep crimson.

  26. بِهِ دَفع الحَقُّ الضَّلالَ وهَاضَهُ

    فَلوْلاهُ ما كانَ الضَّلالُ لِيُدْمَغَا

    Through him Truth repelled error and crushed it;

    without him, error could never have been struck down.

  27. أطَلَّ علَى الدُّنيا هُداهُ وَقدْ غَدَتْ

    ورَاحَتْ شَيَاطِينُ الغَوايَة نُزَّغَا

    His guidance shone upon the world, while at dawn

    and dusk the devils of error went stirring discord.

  28. فَأَتْبَعَها شُهْباً ثَوَاقِبَ لِلقَنَى

    تُحَرِّقُها حتَّى فَشَا وتَفَشَّغَا

    So he sent after them the spears' piercing meteors,

    burning them until his guidance spread and flourished.

  29. وَلَمَّ الوَرَى شَمْلاً وَكانوا كَأَنَّما

    رَغَا وسطَهمْ سَقْبُ السَّماءِ وَما رَغَا

    And he gathered humankind into unity; they had been as though

    the sky's camel-calf had bellowed among them—yet it had not.

  30. فإِن غادَرَ التَّجْسيمَ شلْواً مُمَزَّعاً

    فَقَدْ صانَ للتَّوحيدِ وَجْهاً مُمَرَّغَا

    So if he left corporealism a shredded carcass,

    he has surely safeguarded the dust-smeared face of divine unity.