عَلى مثلِ هَذا اليومِ تُحنى الرّواجب

وَتُطوى بفضلٍ حِيز فيه الحقائبُ

On a day like this, eyebrows are bent

And bags are folded with favor in which they are contained

حُبينا وأُمّرْنا بهِ فَبُيوتُنا

لدُنْ قيلَ ما قد قيلَ فيهِ الأهاضبُ

We loved it and desired it, so our homes

Have always been said to have the protectors

وَطارَت بِما نِلناهُ أَجنِحَةُ الوَرى

وَسارَت بهِ في الخافِقين الرّكائبُ

The wings of creation flew with what we attained

And the traveling camels went with it between the two deserts

وَقالَ أُناسٌ هالَهم ما رَأوا لنا

أَلا هَكَذا تَأتي الرّجالَ المواهبُ

And people who were astonished by what they saw for us said

Indeed, thus do men get unexpected talents

ظَفرتُمْ بِما لَم نَحظَ مِنهُ بنَهْلةٍ

وَلَذَّت لَكُم دونَ الأَنامِ المَشاربُ

You got what we did not get lightly

And drinks were sweet for you apart from people

وَبوّاكُمُ الشِّعبَ الّذي هو ساكنٌ

رسولٌ لهُ أمرٌ عَلى الخلق واجبُ

And your messenger called upon the people who live

With a command incumbent upon people

فَلمّا مَضى مَن كان أمَّرنا لَكمْ

أَتَتْنا كَما شاء العقوقُ العجائبُ

So when the one who had commanded us to you passed

The strange injustices came to us as fate willed

فَقُل لأُناسٍ فاخَرونا ضلالةً

وَهُم غُرباءٌ مِن فخارٍ أجانبُ

So say to the people who accused us of misguidance

While they are strangers of pottery, foreigners

مَتى كُنتُمُ أَمثالَنا وَمَتى اِستَوتْ

بِنا وَبِكم في يَومِ فَخرٍ مَراتبُ

When were you like us and when were

Ranks equal between us and you on a day of pride

فَلا تَذكُروا قربى الرّسول لِتدفعوا

مُنازعكم يوماً فنحن الأقاربُ

So do not mention the Prophet's kin to refute

Your opponents one day, for we are the closest

وَمِن بعدِ يومِ الطفّ لا رحمٌ لَنا

تَئِطّ ولا شَعبٌ يرجّيه شاعبُ

And after the day of Al-Taff, we have no womb

That will guarantee safety or a clan that a fugitive hopes for

وَكُنّا جَميعاً فَاِفتَرَقنا بِما جَرى

وَكَم مِن لَصيقٍ باعَدته المَذاهبُ

And we were all together, so we separated because of what happened

And how many adherents were separated by denominations

وَنَحنُ الرؤوسُ وَالشوى أَنتُمُ لَنا

وَمِن دونِنا أَتباعُنا وَالأصاحِبُ

And we are the chiefs, and you are supporters for us

And below us are our followers and companions

لَنا دونَكم عَبّاسُنا وَعَليّنا

وَمَن هوَ نجمٌ في الدُجُنَّةِ ثاقبُ

For us over you are our Abbas and our Ali

And whoever is a star piercing the darkness

وَلَو أَنّنا لَم نُنه عَنكم أتَتكُمُ

سِراعاً بنا مقانبٌ وكتائبُ

And had we not been prohibited from you,

Hordes with us hastily would have come, squadrons

وَقَومٌ يَخوضونَ الرّدى وأكفّهم

تُناط بِبِيضٍ لم تخنها المضاربُ

And people who plunge into havoc, and the palms of their hands

Are marked with white which battle did not betray

إِذا طُلِبوا لَم يرهبوا مِن بسالةٍ

وَمن طَلبوا ضاقَت عليهِ المَذاهبُ

When sought, they do not cower out of valor

And those who sought them, ways became constrained for them

فَما بَيننا سِلمٌ ومَن كانَ دَهره

يُكتّم ضِغناً في حَشاهُ محاربُ

So there is no peace between us, and whoever his time

Conceals a grudge in his gut is a warrior

وَقيلَ لَنا لِلحقّ وَقتٌ معيّنٌ

يَفوز بهِ باغٍ وينجحُ طالبُ

And it was said to us that for truth there is an appointed time

In which a striver wins and a seeker succeeds

فَلا تَطلُبوا ما لَم يَحِنْ بَعدُ حينُهُ

فَطالبُ ما لم يَقضِهِ اللّهُ خائبُ

So do not seek what its time has not yet come

For the seeker of what Allah did not decree fails

فَإِنْ دُوَلٌ مِنكم مَشينَ تَبختُراً

زَماناً فقد تمشى الطِّلاحُ اللواغِبُ

For if a state among you walked boastfully

For a time, the young camels yearning may walk

وَإِن تَركَبوا أَثباجَ كلِّ منيفةٍ

فَكَم حُطّ مِن فَوقِ العَليّةِ راكبُ

And if they rode the litters of every gentlewoman

How many riders have been brought down from on high

فَلا تَأمَنوا مَن نامَ عنكم ضرورةً

فمُقْعٍ إلى أن يُمكن الوثبَ واثبُ

So do not feel safe from one who slept out of necessity

For a lurker lies in ambush until the leaping leaper leaps

كَأنّي بِهنّ كالدَّبا هبَّتْ الصَّبا

به في الفلا طوراً وأُخرى الجنائبُ

It is as if I see them like prey stirred up by the morning breeze

Now here, now there are the ribs

يَحكّونَ أَطرافَ القَنا بِنُحورِهم

كما حكّت الجِذلَ القِلاصُ الأجاربُ

Scraping the edges of the spearheads with their jugulars

As the black hyena scraped the fetal sacs

أَبِيّون ما حلّوا الوهادَ عن الرُّبا

وَما لهمُ إلّا الذُّرا والغواربُ

Rebels who did not remove themselves far from highway robbery

And they have nothing but rags and brooms

وَكَم مِنهمُ في غَمرةِ الحرب سالبٌ

وكم فيهمُ في حومة الجدب واهبُ

And how many of them in the darkness of war are despoilers

And how many of them in famine's aridity are donors

وَإِنّي لأرجو أَن أعيش إلى الّتي

تحدّثنا عنها الظّنونُ الصّوائبُ

And I hope that I live to see that

Of which guesses speak truly

فَتُقضى دُيونٌ قَد مُطِلْنَ وتنجلِي

دياجِرُ عن أبصارنا وغياهبُ

So debts that dragged on are repaid and confusion

Is uncovered from our sights and darkness

وتجري مياهٌ كنّ بالأمس نُضَّباً

وَتَهمي كَما شِئنا علينا السحائبُ

And waters flow that were yesterday blocked up

And rain upon us as we wished, the clouds

وتُدرك ثارات وتُقضى لُبانةٌ

وَتُنجح آمالٌ وتُؤتى مآربُ

And dues are taken and amends made

And hopes succeed and goals reached