مَرْحَباً وأَهْلاً وسَهْلاً

بأَميرٍ على القُلُوبِ مُوَلَّى

Welcome, welcome, with ease

To a prince loved by all hearts

يُقبلُ اللهوُ والسرورُ اذا أقْ

بلَ نَحوي وانْ تَولَّى تَولَّى

Joy and bliss come whenever

He turns to me even if he turns away

زادَ عِزاً فازددتُ في الحُبِّ ذُلاً

وَرَأَى الدَّلَ نافعاً فأَدَلاَّ

His glory grew so my humility in love grew

The one in love saw subservience beneficial so he submitted

قِيلَ انَّ الهَوى فَراغُ جَهولٍ

وكَفَى بالهَوى لذي اللُّب شُغْلا

It is said that love is the folly of the ignorant

And love itself fully occupies the mind of the wise

كم رأينا مِن عاقلٍ يحمِلُ الثِّقْ

ل ولا يستطيعُ للحبِّ حِمْلا

How often we have seen a rational man endure hardship

Yet unable to endure the hardship of love

واذا كَلَّ حدُّهُ عن هَواهُ

كان عن صَفْحَةِ العَدوِّ أكَلاّ

When he lost control over his love

He was less able to control his temper against his foe

ما استحقَ الفِراقَ نَجْدٌ فيشتا

قُ ولا استأْهَلَ الحِمى أَنْ يُمَلاّ

Nejd is not deserving of abandonment where it complains

Nor the sanctuary deserving of being filled

يومَ فارقُتهُ فما اعتَضْتُ منه

سَكناً يجمع الهوى ومَحَلاّ

The day I left it, I found no rest from it

That would bring together love and settlement

مَنْ عَذِيري مِنْ عاتبٍ باتَ يَلحَا

ني على النُّصحِ وهو بالعتبِ أَولى

Who can blame me if a critic persists

In advising me while he is more blameworthy?

ساخطٌ انْ حفِظتُ مجدَ مَوالي

هِ وَحَرَّمتُ منهم ما أَحَلاّ

I am angry that I preserved the glory of my master

And prohibited what he prohibited

يا ابنَ مَنْ كنتُ لو دَعاني بِعِرضي

منه عند السؤالِ أعظمَ نَجْلا

Oh son of one whom if he called me to sacrifice myself

I would have sacrificed myself without hesitation

ما سألناكَ طائلاً فتطول

تَ ولا كنتَ للمكارمِ أَهلا

We did not ask you for anything so you would be prolix

Nor were you worthy of magnanimity

هاتِ قل لي ما العذرُ في وانياتٍ

نُفِّرتْ وهي ليس تَنْفُرُ هَزْلا

Come tell me, what is the excuse for estrangements

When she is not naturally disposed for estrangement?

وقعت وقعةَ الحَمائمِ حَسْرى

بعدَ مَا ملَّها الوَجيفُ وَمَلاّ

She fell where the doves fell, sadly

After the carrion filled her and she was filled

وَلَهَا حُرمةُ الانَاخَةِ انْ كا

نَ قِرى النازلينَ عندكَ فَلاّ

She has the sanctity of settlement if

The lands where you reside were places to settle

عَرَضَتْ حاجةٌ نبا الناسُ عنها

فدعونا لها الشريفَ الأَجلاّ

A need has presented itself which the people overlooked

So we called upon the noble and great one for it

مَنْ يَضرُّ العدوَّ جهراً اذا شا

ءَ وانْ شاءَ قادراً ضَرَّ خَتْلا

Who can openly harm an enemy if he wishes

Or harm craftily if he so chooses?

يا أَصحَ الأنامِ رأياً وتدبي

راً ويا أَكملَ الخلائقِ عَقْلا

Oh best of people in opinion and management

And most perfect in creation and mind

كيف تدنو وتظمئِنُّ الى قو

مٍ يَرَونَ الثراءَ عندكَ ذَحْلا

How can you let yourself incline toward a people

Who see abundance in you as inadequate?

مِن عدوٍّ يَبغي نوالكَ نَبْلاً

وحسودٍ يموتُ بالغيظِ قَتْلا

From an enemy who seeks to take away your nobility

And an envious one who dies of rage and hatred

كن لتلك العيون سَمْلاً وللأَسْ

ؤُقِ كَبْلاً وللسواعدِ غُلاّ

Be aloof from their eyes and deaf to their hearing

With your hands tied and your arms restrained

واتَّخذْ كثرةَ السيوفِ معيناً

فبها يمنع الأَعز الأَذلاّ

And take the multitude of swords as a support

With them the mighty prevents the weak

بينما هنَّ في ظلالٍ من الأغ

ماد حتى زَوينَ للظلِّ ظِلاّ

While they are in the shade of clouds

Until the shade doubled for the shade

واتَّهم كلَّ صاحبٍ ربَّما عا

دَ عدواً الاَّ سِناناً وَنَصْلا

And suspect that each companion will return

An enemy except for spear and sword

فأَخوكَ الوفيُّ من لم تُقَحِّمْ

هُ مَهُولاً ولم تُحَمِّلْهُ ثِقْلا

So your loyal brother is he whom you do not plunge

Ignorantly or overburden with a load

نصرَ اللهُ كلَّ مَنْ صَعُبَ الضَّيْ

مُ عليهِ فصادفَ الموتَ سَهْلا

May God grant victory to whoever the fate

Was difficult for yet met death easily

وورودُ الحِمَام حينَ يُعَافُ ال

ذُّلُ حلوٌ والعيشُ في العزِّ أَحْلى

The alighting of doves when degradation is repelled

Is sweet but living in glory is sweeter

عجبي من مُغَمِّسٍ لكَ بِئْراً

طَمَعاً أَنْ تَزِلَّ فيها فَزَلاّ

I wonder at one who dug you a well greedily

Hoping you would slip into it and fail

وَغَنِيٍّ بنفسهِ عن عَديدٍ

لم يُفَلَّوا يومَ الهِياجِ وَفُلاّ

Satisfied with himself against countless men

Who were not routed in days of madness and defeat

شَهِدَ اللهُ حينَ غِبْتَ فأَبْدَى

لك عَقْداً من كيدِهم مُضْمَحِلاّ

God bears witness that when you were absent

He showed you their plot diminished

وسِراراً أَحكى سِرارَ هِلالٍ

فارقَ الشمسَ غُلْوَةً فاستَهّلا

And secrets he related about the new crescent moon

That left the sun newly born

كنتَ عند الخصامِ أصدعَ بالحُجْ

جةٍ رأياً فيهم وقولاً وفِعْلا

You were foremost with proofs and opinions during disputes

And words, actions and deeds

لم تفرق بين الحياة وبين ال

موتِ حتى فتَّ السوابقَ مَهْلا

You did not distinguish between life and death

Until you opened the horizons

وتكرمتَ حين ضُمَّتْ قِداحٌ

أَنتَ فيها عن أَن تكونَ المعَلَّى

You were generous when goblets were filled

That you would not be the filled

ذاهباً في العُلا بنفسكَ لا تج

عل شمس الضُّحى لرجلِك نَعْلا

Going high with yourself, making not

The sun your sandal for your feet

وتنقلتَ في ظهورِ النبيي

نَ الى هاشمٍ مَحَلا محَلاّ

And you went about the platforms of the prophets

To the family of Hashim, place after place

فأبوكَ الوصيُّ أَولُ من شا

دَ منارَ الهُدى وصامَ وَصَلَّى

Your father the successor was the first

To raise the minaret of guidance, prayed and fasted

نَشرتْ حبلَه قريشٌ فزادتْ

ه الى صيحةِ القيامةِ فَتْلا

Quraish spread his rope but only increased

It unto the cry of the resurrection

والحسينُ الذي رأَى القتل في الع

زِّ حياةً والعيشَ في الذُّلِ قَتْلا

And Hussein, who saw death with honor as life

And living in humiliation as death

وعليٌّ أَبو الأئمةِ والأَس

باطِ زِيدَتْ بهِ الفضائلُ فضْلا

And Ali, father of the imams

And grandsons, virtues increased by him

ثم زيدٌ وأى زيد اذاً قي

لَ لضربِ الهاماتِ ويحكَ مَهْلا

Then Zaid, and what a Zaid! When it is said

To strike the foreheads, desist!

ثم ذو العَبرةِ الذي لَبِسَ الحُز

نَ شعاراً وصيَّرَ الدمعَ كُحْلا

Then the emotional one who wore grief

As his garb and visions as his kohl

لم يجد ناصراً على آل مروا

نَ فحضَّ العِدى عليهم وأَشلى

He did not find a supporter against the Marwan clan

So he instigated the enemies and empowered them

ثم يحيى وكان للناس نوراً

وضياءً به الحَنَادِسُ تُجْلَى

Then Yahya who was a light for the people

By whom the lamps are illuminated

ثم فوق الندى وفوق الأمانى

عُمَرُ المكرماتِ جُوداً وبذلا

Then above dew and hopes

A time of generosity and giving

وابنه أَحمدٌ فصَدَّ عن الدنْ

يا وأَغضى مُستصغراً مستقلا

And his son Ahmad who turned away

From the world and saw it as paltry

وأَخوه يحيى الذي ملأَ الار

ضَ على المستعينِ خيلا ورَجلا

And his brother Yahya whom the land filled

With cavalry and infantry for al-Musta`in

والحسينُ بنُ أَحمدٍ كان للخُط

بَةِ فصلاً وفي الحكومةِ عَدْلا

And Hussein ibn Ahmad who was for leadership

A chapter and for governance justice

وتلاهُ يحيى فما رأَتِ العَي

نُ له في أَماثلِ الناسِ مِثْلا

Then followed Yahya whom eyes never saw

For the like of people an equivalent

وأَبوكَ الادنى رأى الغيبَ وحياً

وعلى السِرِّ لَمْ يُدَلُّوا وَدُلاّ

And your father the lesser saw the unseen as revelation

Without them being misguided for a hint

ثم أَنت الذي اليه انتهى المج

دُ وحلت شُعوبُه حيثُ حَلاّ

Then you, the destination of glory

And its districts wherever it descended

وكذا لا يزالُ أَو يَظَهرُ القَا

ئم خيرُ الوَرى لِنَسلِكَ نَسْلا

And so it does not cease, or the Riser emerges

The best of people for your progeny a progeny

حُلفاءُ الالهِ في هذِه الار

ضِ وكانوا قبل الخِلافةِ رُسْلا

Allies of God in this earth

And they were before the caliphate messengers

وهم انْ تفرقوا أَو أَقاموا

أَجْمَعُ النَّاسِ للمحامدِ شَمْلا

And if they separate or gather

The consensus of people for praise are inclusive

نَسَقُ الدُّرِ ماؤُهُ منْه فيهِ

فهو لا يكتسي بصقلِكَ صَقْلا

The stream of pearls, its water derives from it

So it cannot gain by your polishing, polish

قد مَدَحنا محمداً فوجدنا

هُ غنياُ يَجِلُّ عن أَنْ يُجلّى

We have praised Muhammad, finding him

Needless, too majestic to be lauded

ليس من صُلبِ آدمٍ أَحدٌ أَنْ

جَبَ فرعاً منه وأَكرمَ أَصْلا

None from the loins of Adam is more wondrous

A branch from Him, and an origin more generous

واذا ماتَ ماتَ رزقُ المَساكي

ن ولم تُرضع الأَراملُ طِفْلا

If he dies the livelihood of the poor dies

And widows do not suckle a baby

وبدا العيُّ في الاشارة والقو

لِ وأَضحى لألسنِ الناسِ عَقْلا

The naked truth appears in gesture and speech

And for the tongues of people a mind

ما رأى الناسُ مثلَ دهركَ هذا

في دُهور الورى جُنُوناً وخَبلا

People have not seen the like of your time

In the eras of people, madness and confusion

أَلْفُ فَحلٍ مُعَقَّلاتٌ وشَوْلٌ

عَدَدُ القَطرِ ليس تُرْزَقُ فَحْلا

A thousand warriors, forts

As numberless as droplets, not afforded fodder

أَمِنَتْ مهجتى وقرَّ قَرارى

مُذْ تَعَلَّقْتُ من حِبالكَ حَبْلا

My brains are reassured and my insides comforted

Since I held fast to your ropes as a rope