سَلْ مَطلِعَ القَمَرينِ من كَبِدِ السَّما

عن مَطلِعِ القمرينِ من كَبدِ الحِمَى

Ask the risings of the two moons from the liver of the sky,

About the risings of the two moons from the liver of fever,

وانْظُرْ تَرَى شمساً تُسَمَّى حيدَراً

تُدلي إلى بدرٍ يُسَمَّى مُلحِما

And look, you will see a sun called Haydar,

Lowering down to a full moon called Mulhim.

رَبعٌ كَستْه كلُّ غاديةٍ كما

تُكْسَى الوُفودُ بهِ طِرازاً مُعلَما

A well-built quarter, every beauty is covered with it,

As delegations are clad with a known finery.

فيَكادُ يخطِرُ لو أصابَ لهُ يداً

ويكادُ ينطِقُ لو أصابَ لهُ فما

That if a hand touches it, it almost speaks,

And if a mouth touches it, it almost talks.

قل للأميرَينِ اللذينِ تَرَى بهِ

مِن قابِ قَوسَينِ السَّلامُ عليكما

Say to the two princes whom you see,

Through the bows of the two, “peace be upon you”.

هَيَّجْتُما شَجَنَ القريضِ فطابَ لي

وأطَلْتُما أمَدَ الثَّناءِ فأفحَما

You have aroused the fervor of poetry, so it is good for me,

And you have prolonged the period of praise, so you silenced it.

في الناسِ من يَقِفُ القريضُ ببابِهِ

خَجِلاً ومن يَلقَى القريضَ مُسلِّما

Among people is he whose poetry stops at his door

Ashamed while another meets poetry with submission.

والشِّعرُ كم بيتٍ يُساوي بَدْرةً

منهُ وبيتٍ لا يُساوي دِرهَما

How many verses of poetry equal a full moon,

And how many verses do not equal a dirham!

قد كُنتُ أرجُو ما أرى من طَلْعةٍ

غَرَّاءَ كانَ رَجاؤها يُرْوي الظَما

I used to hope for what I now see of a charming

Rising that would water the thirsty.

حتى ظَفِرتُ بحَضرةٍ هيَ كَعْبةٌ

للوَفدِ في شَهرٍ أراهُ مُحَرَّما

Until I won an attendance that is like the Ka’ba

To pilgrims in a month that I see as Muharram.

نادٍ تَرَى الشَيخَ الرئيسَ بصَدرِهِ

وتَرى بجانبِهِ الإمامَ الأعظَما

Calling, you see the Grand Shaykh with his chest forward,

And you see by his side the Greatest Imam.

هُوَ مجمعُ البحرينِ في عِلمٍ وفي

كَرَمٍ ولا حَرَجٌ فحَدّثْ عنهما

He is where the two seas meet in knowledge and

Generosity—no hesitation to talk about them.

تَركَتْ لهُ هِمَمُ العُلَى مُتأخِّراً

في المجدِ ما فَرَضَتْ لهُ مُتقدِّما

The aspirations of the highborn left him behind,

What they prescribed for him advanced.

شَرَفٌ تُلاقيهِ النُّجومُ ضئيلةً

تَرنُو إليهِ كما نُلاقي الأنجُما

A nobility, the stars meet it humbled,

Yearning to it as we meet the stars.

ما زال يغنَمُ بالأسِنَّةِ رَهطُهُ

حتَّى غدت لهُمُ الأسِنّةُ مغنَما

His folk continue to win with tongues

Until tongues have become spoils for them.

إنّ المعاليَ في الزَّمانِ عرائسٌ

لا تَنجلي حتى تُخَضَّبَ بالدِّما

Indeed supremacies in time are brides

That do not shine until dyed with blood.