يا برق برقاً بين مروة والصفا — Ibn Shakeel

يا بَرقُ بَرقاً بَينَ مَروَةَ وَالصَفا

باكِر بِسُقيا الحَجِّ ديناً قَد عَفا

O lightning, flash between Marwa and Safa!

At dawn, water with pilgrimage a faith that has faded.

وَاِهدِ الحَجيجَ إِلى مَعالِمِ مَكَّةٍ

فَلَقَد تَرَكتَهُمُ حَيارى وُقَّفا

And guide the pilgrims to Mecca's landmarks,

For you have left them bewildered, standing still.

حَمِّل عِمامَكَ ديمَةً مِن زَمزَمٍ

وَاِنضَح بِرَيّاها القُلوبَ الرُجفا

Load your clouds with steady rain from Zamzam,

And sprinkle trembling hearts with its fragrance.

وَاِكحَل جُفوني مِن سَوافي ريحِها

إِنّي أَشِحُّ بِتُربِها أَن يَنسِفا

And line my eyelids with the dust swept by its wind;

I guard its soil too jealously to let it be blown away.

بَينَ الحُجونِ إِلىالحَطيمِ لِأَحمَدٍ

أَثَرٌ زَكا مِنهُ الثَرى وَتَشَرَّفا

From al-Hajun to al-Hatim, Ahmad left

A trace through which the soil grew pure and honored.

بِمِنىً بِجَمرَتِهِ إِلى عَرَفاتِهِ

ناهيكَ مَسعىً لِلنَبِيِّ وَمَوقِفا

At Mina, at its Jamra, and on to its Arafat—

What a course and station for the Prophet!

وَالحِجرِ وَالحَجَرِ الأَحَمُّ تَأَلَقَّت

أَنوارُهُ فَأَبى الهُدى أَن تُكسَفا

And at the Hijr and the jet-black Stone shone

His lights; guidance would not let them be eclipsed.

وَمَقامُ إِبراهيمَ يَدعو رَبَّهُ

قَد أَثَّرَت قَدَماهُ في صُمِّ الصِفا

And Abraham's Station, as he calls upon his Lord—

His feet have left their marks in solid rock.

وَالبَيتُ ذو الأَستارِ تَمسَحُ رُكنَهُ

وُرقُ الحَمامِ عِياذَةٌ وَتَعَطُّفا

And the House with its coverings, whose corner is stroked

By gray doves, seeking refuge and showing affection.

يا لَيتَ أَنّي في ذَراهُ حَمامَةٌ

أَدَعُ الهَديلَ سُدى وَأَبكي المُصطَفى

Oh, would that I were a dove within its shelter!

I would forsake idle cooing and weep for the Chosen One.

يا عَينُ بَكّي لِلدَفينِ بِطيبَةٍ

وَلِمَفرِقٍ بِدَمِ الوَصِيِّ تَغَلَّفا

O eye, weep for the one buried in Tayba,

And for a head's parting enwrapped in the Successor's blood.

أَخَوَينِ خَيرُهُما بِحَرَّةِ يَثرِب

ثاوٍ وَآخَرُ بِالعِراقِ تَخَلَّفا

Two brothers: the better of them, in Yathrib's lava-field,

Lies at rest, while the other remained behind in Iraq.

شُلَّت يَمينُ المُلجَمِيِّ فِإِنَّهُ

تَرَكَ الإِمامَ عَلى شَفا

May al-Muljami's right hand be paralyzed, for he

Left the Imam upon the brink.

أَرَتِ الشَماتَةُ بِالوَصِيَّ أُمَيَّةً

لا سَرَّها قَتلُ الوَصِيِّ وَلا شَقى

Umayya showed malicious joy over the Successor.

May the Successor's killing bring her no joy, nor him misery.

وَدَّت أُمَيَّةُ لَو يُصابُ بِسَيفِها

يَكفيكَ جَمرَةً يا أَمَيَّةُ لَو كَفى

Umayya wished that he had been struck by her sword.

A burning coal is enough for you, Umayya—if it could suffice.

أَشَفاكُمُ مِن يَومِ بَدرٍ قَتلُهُ

تِلكَ الشَهادَةُ ما بِذَلِكَ مَن خَفى

Has killing him healed you of the day of Badr?

That is martyrdom; there is no obscurity in that.

وَأَبكي عَلى السِبطينِ بَعدَ أَبيهِما

حُبّاً لِجَدِّهِما الرَحيمَ الأَرأَفا

And I weep for the two grandsons after their father,

Out of love for their grandfather, the merciful, most compassionate.

عَمري لَقَد جارَ الضَلالُ عَلى الهُدى

بِالطِفِّ في قَتلِ الحُسَينِ وَطَفَّفا

By my life, error indeed oppressed guidance

At al-Taff, in killing Husayn, and gave short measure.

واهاً لَها مِن عَثرَةٍ لَو تُتَّقى

واهاً لَها مِن ضَلَّةٍ لَو تُقتَفى

Alas for such a stumble—if only it could be avoided!

Alas for such an error, if it were to be followed!

ما كانَ أَجدَرَها بِأَن تَدَعَ الظُبا

مُتَشَظَّياتٍ وَالقَنا مُتَقَصِّفا

How much fitter for her to have left the sword-blades

Shattered, and the spears splintered!

رَضِيَت قُرَيشٌ أَن تُقَتَّلَ هاشِمٌ

فَعَلى قُرَيشٍ بَعدَ هاشِمِ العَفا

Quraysh consented to Hashim's slaughter;

Then ruin upon Quraysh after Hashim!

لا دَرَّ دَرُّ العَبشَمِيَّةِ كَم لَها

مِن فَتكَةٍ فيهِم عَلَت أَن توصَفا

May no milk flow from the Abshamiyya! How many

Of her murderous assaults on them were beyond description!

لَو أَن صَقراً في مَكانِ أُمَيَّةٍ

لَحماً لَحامَ عَلىالحُسَينِ وَرَفرَفا

Had a falcon been in Umayya's place,

Flesh-hungry though it was, it would have circled over Husayn and fluttered.

أَو لثاً يَومَ خَرَّ مَكانَها

غَرَثاً لَمَهَّدَ لِلحُسَينِ وَأَلطَفا

Or a [lion?] in her place the day he fell,

Hungry, it would have made Husayn a bed and shown him kindness.

أَن أَنَّ سِربَ قطاً غَداةَ شَكا الصَدى

وافاهُ مَجَّ لِوِردِهِ ما اِستَخلَفا

[Had] a flock of sandgrouse, the morning he complained of thirst,

Come to him, it would have disgorged for his drinking what it had fetched.

إِنّي لَأَشرَقُ بِالزُلالِ تَذَكُّراً

لَهُمُ وَأَقلَقُ بِالنَعيمِ تَأَسُّفا

I choke on clear water when remembering

Them, and grow restless amid bliss, in grief.

يا لَيتَ شِعري كَيفَ كانَ عَلى العَصا

رَأسُ الحُسَينِ وَنورُهُ كَيفَ اِنطَفا

Oh, would that I knew how, upon the staff,

Husayn's head came to be, and how his light went out!

أَم كَيفَ تُفرَعُ بِالقَضيبِ ثَنِيَّةً

كانَت مَلَذاً لِلنَبِيِّ وَمَرشِفا

Or how could a rod strike a front tooth

That had been the Prophet's delight and a place for his kisses?

إِن يَرفَعوا رَأسَ الحُسنِ فَقَبلَهُ

رَفَعوا لَواذاً مِن أَبيعِ المُصحَفا

If they raise Hasan's head, before it

They raised the Qur'an, seeking refuge from [his father?].

إيهاً حَديثاً عَن فُؤادي إِنَّهُ

ذَكَرَ الرَسولَ وَآلَهُ فَتَشَوَّفا

Enough of talk about my heart, for it

Remembered the Messenger and his family, and yearned.

مالي طَرِبتُ بِكرِهِم فَكَأَنَّني

عاقَرتُ مِن ذِكرِ الأَحِبَّةِ قَرقَفا

Why was I enraptured [at their mention?], as though I

Had quaffed wine from the remembrance of the beloved?

أَقِمِ الصَلاةَ عَلى النَبِيِّ فَإِنَّها

تَذَرُ الذُنوبَ الشُمَّ قاعاً صَفصَفا

Invoke blessings upon the Prophet, for this

Leaves towering sins a smooth, level plain.

يا رَبِّ إِنّي قَد أَنِستُ بِحُبِّهِمِ

فَاِجعَلُهُم لِيَ عَن سِواهُ مَصرِفا

O Lord, I have indeed found solace in loving them;

So make them my means of turning away from all besides him.