أكْثَرتَ في لَوْمِ المحب وعذلِه

أكْثَرتَ في لَوْمِ المحب وعذلِه

ووجدتَ قلبك خالياً من شُغلِه

ووجدتَ قلبك خالياً من شُغلِه

You have been excessive in blaming the lover and reproaching him,

You have blamed the lover much and chided him,

and found your heart free of his cares.

Yet you have found your heart devoid of his preoccupation.

وأردتَ عن أهلِ العقيق تجلّداً

وأردتَ عن أهلِ العقيق تجلّداً

فمَنِ المعيض عن العقيق وأهله

فمَنِ المعيض عن العقيق وأهله

You sought to endure parting from the people of al-Aqiq;

You have pretended indifference to the people of al-‘Uqayq,

but who can make up for al-Aqiq and its people?

But who can truly turn away from al-‘Uqayq and its people?

لاَمَا يروقُكَ ماؤه عِنْدي ولاَ

لاَمَا يروقُكَ ماؤه عِنْدي ولاَ

رَمْلٌ يشوقك في البلاد كرمله

رَمْلٌ يشوقك في البلاد كرمله

No water, to my mind, charms you like its water, nor

Its water does not please you when with me,

does any sand in the lands draw you like its sand.

Nor does its sand allure you in the land as his sand does.

أغلا عليَّ النازِحونَ خيالَهم

أغلا عليَّ النازِحونَ خيالَهم

ولو ابتغوا عمري به لم أغْله

ولو ابتغوا عمري به لم أغْله

Those far away have made their apparition costly to me;

The images of the departing ones are more precious to me

even if they sought my life for it, I would not deem it too dear.

Than if they sought my life with it, I would not hold it back.

أمُطَارحين لي الحديثَ عن اللوى

أمُطَارحين لي الحديثَ عن اللوى

فتحوا فؤاداً كان قبلُ بقُفلِه

فتحوا فؤاداً كان قبلُ بقُفلِه

Did they, exchanging with me tales of al-Liwa,

They open up to me the talk of passion,

open a heart that had previously been locked?

Thus they unlock a heart that had been locked.

قالوا الهوى سهلٌ ومَا عرفوا الهوى

قالوا الهوى سهلٌ ومَا عرفوا الهوى

هيهاتَ غُيّب صعبه عن سهله

هيهاتَ غُيّب صعبه عن سهله

They said love was easy, but they had not known love.

They said passion is easy, but they did not know passion -

Far from it! Its hardship lay hidden behind its ease.

Alas! Its rugged parts are far from its smoothness.

وببانةِ العَلَمين ظُبي لم يزل

وببانةِ العَلَمين ظُبي لم يزل

ذو التاج يسطعُ عندَ موضع حجلِه

ذو التاج يسطعُ عندَ موضع حجلِه

And by the bān-tree of al-Alamayn is a gazelle; still

In the plain of Banu ‘Alam, the oryx

the crowned one shines where his anklet rests.

Still has its crown glistening in its rubbing place.

أأخونُ عهدَ حسينِ في أبنائه

أأخونُ عهدَ حسينِ في أبنائه

وأضيعُ حقّ مُحمّدٍ في نسلِه

وأضيعُ حقّ مُحمّدٍ في نسلِه

Shall I betray Husayn's covenant in his sons,

Shall I betray the covenant of al-Husayn regarding his sons?

and neglect Muhammad's due in his descendants?

Shall I forfeit the right of Muhammad regarding his progeny?

والعَيْرُ تألمُ حينَ تطرَقُ أختَها

والعَيْرُ تألمُ حينَ تطرَقُ أختَها

والكلبُ ينْبحُ عن دويرةِ أهلِه

والكلبُ ينْبحُ عن دويرةِ أهلِه

And the ass feels pain when its sister is attacked,

The camel-litter cries when its sister is prodded,

and the dog barks to defend its household's little home.

And the dog barks about the dwellings of its people.

أمّا عليٌّ فهو صُنوُ مُحمّدٍ

أمّا عليٌّ فهو صُنوُ مُحمّدٍ

فيما علمتُ وأصلُه مِنْ أصلِه

فيما علمتُ وأصلُه مِنْ أصلِه

As for Ali, he is Muhammad's kindred equal,

But ‘Ali - he is the pillar of Muhammad

as far as I know; his stock comes from Muhammad's own.

In what I know, and his origin is from his origin.

أَوَلَو أبو بكر أرادَ إِمَامةً

أَوَلَو أبو بكر أرادَ إِمَامةً

فأبُوه كان إمامَكم من قبْلِه

فأبُوه كان إمامَكم من قبْلِه

And even if Abu Bakr sought the imamate?

If Abu Bakr had wanted the imamate,

His father was your imam before him.

His father would have been your imam before him.

فالقومُ مِنْ أصل النبوّة سِرُّهم

فالقومُ مِنْ أصل النبوّة سِرُّهم

من قبلِ ذاك وفضلُهُم من فضلِه

من قبلِ ذاك وفضلُهُم من فضلِه

For these people's inner essence comes from the root of prophethood,

This group - the secret of them is from the origin of prophethood,

from before that; their excellence comes from his.

From before that, and their merit is from His merit.

هم معشرٌ تأوي الأنامُ بظلّهم

هم معشرٌ تأوي الأنامُ بظلّهم

بل وابلٌ تُسْقى الأنامُ بوبْلِه

بل وابلٌ تُسْقى الأنامُ بوبْلِه

They are a people in whose shade all creatures take refuge,

They are a group the people take shade under their shade,

rather, a downpour by whose rain all creatures are watered.

Rather, clouds the people are watered from their rain.

بل دَوْحةٌ بجلِيّةٌ قُدسِيّة

بل دَوْحةٌ بجلِيّةٌ قُدسِيّة

طالت على نجدٍ البلادِ وسَهْلِه

طالت على نجدٍ البلادِ وسَهْلِه

Rather, a majestic, sacred tree,

But an oasis - lofty, holy -

towering above the land's upland and plain.

Lengthened over Najd, the lands and their plains,

تحمي أكابرهم على أطفالهم

تحمي أكابرهم على أطفالهم

والغابُ يَحْمي ليثه عن شِبْلِه

والغابُ يَحْمي ليثه عن شِبْلِه

Their elders stand guard over their children,

Protecting their elders over their children,

and the thicket's lion defends its cub.

As the forest protects its lion over its cub.

مِنْ كلّ مُنتَخبِ يرى مِنْ خَلْفِه

مِنْ كلّ مُنتَخبِ يرى مِنْ خَلْفِه

للكائناتِ كما يَرى مِن قبْلِه

للكائناتِ كما يَرى مِن قبْلِه

Among them, each chosen one sees behind him

Chosen from all those who come after him

all beings, just as he sees those before him.

To see for the universe as he sees before him.

وأعزُّ مُنية كلّ ذي سِرٍّ وذي

وأعزُّ مُنية كلّ ذي سِرٍّ وذي

شرفٍ ومجدٍ لَثِمٌ أخْمصُ رجلهِ

شرفٍ ومجدٍ لَثِمٌ أخْمصُ رجلهِ

And the dearest wish of every keeper of a secret, and every

And the most honorable death of every one noble,

man of honor and glory, is to kiss the arch of his foot.

Every one of merit and glory, is to kiss the sole of his foot.

خلَفُ النبي قبورُهم من نوره

خلَفُ النبي قبورُهم من نوره

بادي السَّنا وفَضلُهم من فضلهِ

بادي السَّنا وفَضلُهم من فضلهِ

The Prophet's successors—their graves, through his light,

Behind the Prophet, their graves are of his light,

are radiant for all to see; their excellence comes from his.

Evident marks, and their merits are of his merits.

حَلَفَ الزمَانُ لكلِّ طهرٍ منهُم

حَلَفَ الزمَانُ لكلِّ طهرٍ منهُم

أن لا أتى طولَ الزمانِ بمثلِه

أن لا أتى طولَ الزمانِ بمثلِه

Time has sworn to each pure one among them

Time has sworn for every pure one among them

that through all time it has never brought forth his equal.

That it will never bring one equal to him.

لاَ فرق عندَ الله بينهم مَعاً

لاَ فرق عندَ الله بينهم مَعاً

أبداً وبين الأنبياء من رسلِه

أبداً وبين الأنبياء من رسلِه

There is no distinction in God's sight between them all,

In the sight of God, there is no difference between them together

ever, and the prophets among His messengers.

And between the prophets from among His messengers.

مَلأٌ صغيرُهم يحوطُ لجاره

مَلأٌ صغيرُهم يحوطُ لجاره

ولسرْبِه ولأهلِه ولنسلِه

ولسرْبِه ولأهلِه ولنسلِه

A company whose youngest watches over his neighbor,

Their youngest surrounds and protects his neighbor,

and over his flock, his family, and his offspring.

His herd, his people, and his progeny.

طابتْ فروعهُم لطيب أصولهم

طابتْ فروعهُم لطيب أصولهم

والفرُع طِيْبَتُه لطيبةِ أصلِه

والفرُع طِيْبَتُه لطيبةِ أصلِه

Their branches are good because their roots are good;

Their branches are wholesome from the wholesomeness of their roots,

and a branch's goodness comes from the goodness of its root.

And the branch, its wholesomeness is from the wholesomeness of its origin.

إن قال قائلهم وَفى في قوله

إن قال قائلهم وَفى في قوله

وكفتْ مقالةُ سيّدٍ عن فعلِه

وكفتْ مقالةُ سيّدٍ عن فعلِه

If one of them speaks, he is true to his word,

If one of them speaks a word, he fulfills it in his speech,

and a lord's word suffices in place of his deed.

And the words of a master suffice over his action.

تهمي على المسترفدينَ أكفُّهم

تهمي على المسترفدينَ أكفُّهم

بندىً يُهجّنُ بالحيا في وبله

بندىً يُهجّنُ بالحيا في وبله

Their palms pour down upon those seeking aid

I attack with my palms the most churlish of them,

with bounty that puts the rain's downpour to shame.

With dew that moistens through the sleeve.

أبلى الزمَانُ جديدَ كلّ مُعَمّرٍ

أبلى الزمَانُ جديدَ كلّ مُعَمّرٍ

وجديدُ ودّي عندهم لم يُبلِه

وجديدُ ودّي عندهم لم يُبلِه

Time has worn out the freshness of every long-lived person,

Time has worn out the newness of everything lasting,

yet it has not worn out the freshness of my affection for them.

Yet their newness with them, it has not worn it out.

لا تبتغوا عينَ الكمَالِ فإنّها

لا تبتغوا عينَ الكمَالِ فإنّها

لتحولُ مَا بين اللبيب وعقله

لتحولُ مَا بين اللبيب وعقله

Do not seek perfection itself, for it

Do not seek the eye of perfection, for it

surely comes between the discerning man and his reason.

Will preoccupy what comes between the intelligent and his mind.