IN PRAISE OF ALI is one of Charbel Baini's books translated by from Arabic by Naji Mourad, Joseph G. Yamouni, Elias Shaanin

Psalm 8

-1-

I speak to you..

With an open heart,

Where you are always present.

Meditating with the simplest words,

So entity may record

My utterance.

-2-

Many chanted you before me,

Their songs..

I gathered in my book,

As a bunch of poems,

So ALLAH may have mercy on me.

-3-

Jesus who taught me to love,

Oh Ali..

Is embodied in you.

You shared the pains

Of His crucifixion..

And diminished His pains,

Oh partner!

-4-

I will not elaborate

My discourse is self explanatory.

Our master Mohammed has said;

You resemble Jesus more,

Enjoying a harmonious state of being.

-5-

By contentedness,

You defeated poverty,

And were uninfluenced

By the greed of money.

You mended your own soles,

To teach future generations.

-6-

Blessed is he

Who saw you in person

And blessed is he

Who follows your path.

You said:-

“The east hears the west

And sees it.”

Your prophecies have come true.

-7-

You feared not to face death,

With sword shining

You charged.

The calling became

“ALLAH is great”

So repeated the minarets.

-8-

Oh, knight of eternal heavens

Your angels love you.

From their light

They wove you a skin

And hid you inside their eyes.

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