جَاءَتْ لِدَعْوَتِهِ الْأَشْجَارُ سَاجِدَةً

تَمْشِي إِلَيْهِ عَلَى سَاقٍ بِلَا قَدَمِ

Trees came prostrating to him when he called,

Walking towards him on trunks without feet

كَأَنَّمَا سَطَرَتْ سَطْرًا لِمَا كَتَبَتْ

فُرُوعُهَا مِنْ بَدِيعِ الْخَطِّ بِاللَّقَمِ

As though they had inscribed lines of splendid calligraphy

With their branches along the path.

مِثْلَ الْغَمَامَةِ أَنَّى سَارَ سَائِرَةً

تَقِيهِ حَرَّ وَطِيسٍ لِلْهَجِيرِ حَمِي

Like the cloud that hovered over him wherever he went,

Shielding him from the intense oven of the midday heat.

أَقْسَمْتُ بِالْقَمَرِ الْمُنْشَقِّ إِنَّ لَهُ

مِنْ قَلْبِهِ نِسْبَةً مَبْرُورَةَ الْقَسَمِ

I swear by the [Lord of the] moon that was split in two

a true oath: it has truly a connection with his heart.

وَمَا حَوَى الْغَارُ مِنْ خَيْرٍ وَمِنْ كَرَمٍ

وَكُلُّ طَرْفٍ مِنَ الْكُفَّارِ عَنْهُ عَمِي

And by the goodness and nobility contained in the cave

While the disbelievers’ every glance was blind to him.

فَالصِّدْقُ فِي الْغَارِ وَالصِّدِّيقُ لَمْ يَرِمَا

وَهُمْ يَقُولُونَ مَا بِالْغَارِ مِنْ أَرِمِ

Truthfulness and the True One in the cave wavered not

While they said ‘No one who breathes is in the cave!’

ظَنُّوا الْحَمَامَ وَظَنُّوا الْعَنْكَبُوتَ عَلَى

خَيْرِ الْبَرِيَّةِ لَمْ تَنْسُجْ وَلَمْ تَحُمِ

They supposed that a dove would never perch,

Or a spider would spin its web, for the Best of Creation

وِقَايَةُ اللهِ أَغْنَتْ عَنْ مُضَاعَفَةٍ

مِنَ الدُّرُوعِ وَعَنْ عَالٍ مِنَ الْأُطُمِ

Their protection by Allah absolved them of need

for additional armour or for lofty fortresses.

مَا سَامَنِي الدَّهْرُ ضَيْمًا وَاسْتَجَرْتُ بِهِ

إِلَّا وَنِلْتُ جِوَارًا مِنْهُ لَمْ يُضَمِ

Never, when fate oppressed me, have I sought refuge in him

but that I found sanctuary with him and was oppressed no more.

وَلَا الْتَمَسْتُ غِنَى الدَّارَيْنِ مِنْ يَدِهِ

إِلَّا اسْتَلَمْتُ النَّدَى مِنْ خَيْرِ مُسْتَلَمِ

And never have I sought wealth in both worlds from his hand

Without receiving largesse from the best of givers.

لَا تُنْكِرِ الْوَحْيَ مِنْ رُؤْيَاهُ إِنَّ لَهُ

قَلْبًا إِذَا نَامَتِ العَيْنَانِ لَمْ يَنَمِ

Do not deny the revelations he received in his dreams;

For though his eyes slept, he had a heart that slept not.

وَذَاكَ حِينَ بُلُوغٍ مِنْ نُبُوَّتِهِ

فَلَيْسَ يُنْكَرُ فِيهِ حَالُ مُحْتَلِمِ

That was when he attained his Prophetic status;

the night dreams of mature men cannot be denied!

تَبَارَكَ اللهُ مَا وَحْيٌ بِمُكْتَسَبٍ

وَلَا نَبيٌّ عَلَى غَيْبٍ بِمُتَّهَمِ

Blessed is Allah! Revelation is not something acquired!

Nor can a Prophet’s knowledge of the Unseen be deemed suspect.

كَمْ أَبْرَأَتْ وَصِبًا بِاللَّمْسِ رَاحَتُهُ

وَأَطْلَقَتْ أَرِبًا مِنْ رِبْقَةِ اللَّمَمِ

How many sick people were healed by the touch of his hand;

how many released from the tight knots of madness!

وَأَحْيَتِ السَّنَةَ الشَّهْبَاءَ دَعْوَتُهُ

حَتَّى حَكَتْ غُرَّةً فِي الْأَعْصُرِ الدُّهُمِ

His supplication brought life to a grey year [of drought] –

Marked it out from dark years like [a horse’s] white blaze.

بِعَارِضٍ جَادَ أَوْ خِلْتَ الْبِطَاحَ بِهَا

سَيْبًا مِنَ اليَمِّ أَوْ سَيْلاً مِنَ العَرِمِ

With generous rainclouds, so much that you would have thought

That the valleys flowed with sea water or the flood of ʿArim.