1. She returned to her abode in the Highest,
The Pleiades refused any other abode.
١. عَادَتْ إِلى مَنْزِلِهَا فِي الْعُلَى
تَأْبَى الثُّرَيَّا منْزِلاَ
2. A humanitarian queen of the mistresses of dew,
She was the exemplar of the most perfect mercy.
٢. إِنْسِيَّةٌ مِنْ مَلِكَاتِ النَّدَى
كَانَتْ مِثَالَ الرَّحْمَةِ الأمْثَلاَ
3. Her morals, whoever would enumerate them
Would count the chivalries through her first.
٣. أَخْلاَقُها مَن شَاءَ تَعْدَادَهَا
عَدَّ المُرُوءَاتِ بِهَا أَوَّلاَ
4. Her manners are like the breezes
That give life and gently bear fragrance.
٤. آدَابُها كَالنَّسَمَاتِ الَّتِي
تُحْيِي وَتُهْدِي عَبَقاً مُثَمِلا
5. Her words are like pearls or less than them,
The places of pearls when they are strung.
٥. أَلْفَاظُهَا كَالدرِّ أَوْ دُونَها
مَوَاقِعُ الدُّرِّ إِذَا سُلْسِلاَ
6. She says what is best, nothing else,
She does what is beautiful to be done.
٦. تَقُولُ مَا يَحْسُنُ لاَ غَيْرُهُ
تَعْمَلُ ما يَجْمُلُ أَنْ يُعْمَلاَ
7. If she spoke, she quenched the thirsty of piety
From a spring - how good is its spring!
٧. إِنْ حَدَّثَتْ أَرْوَتْ ظِمَاءَ النُّهَى
مِنْ مَنْهَلٍ يَا طِيبَهُ مَنْهَلا
8. If she extended a palm for generosity, then you saw
The most wondrous and stunning sight.
٨. إِنْ بَسَطَتْ لِلْبَذْلِ كَفّاً فَقَدْ
رَأَيْتَ ثَمَّ المُعْجِبَ المُذْهِلاَ
9. Its brightness from poured out silver
From the flashing of a torrent that burst forth rivulets.
٩. أُنمُلَهُ مِنْ فِضَّةٍ فُجِّرَتْ
عَنْ بَرْقِ نَوْءٍ فَجَرَتْ جَدْوَلاَ
10. Whatever her heart inclined her toward
The welfare of the people and whatever it leaned toward,
١٠. مَا كَانَ أَهْدَاهَا فؤَاداً إِلى
مَصْلَحَةِ النَّاسِ وَمَا أَمْيَلاَ
11. She never sought for herself one day fame,
No! And she never thought to do so.
١١. لَمْ تَلْتَمِسْ يَوْماً لَهَا شِهْرَةً
كَلاَّ وَلَمْ تَهْمُمْ بِأَنْ تَفْعَلاَ
12. Despite her objections they lauded her name
And made its echoes reverberate in the assemblies.
١٢. بِرَغْمِهَا أَنْ نَوَّهُوا بِاسْمِهَا
وَرَجَّعُوا أَصْدَاءَهُ فِي المَلاَ
13. But she prefers in her righteousness
Its continuity of benefit or greater inclusiveness.
١٣. لَكِنَّهَا تؤْثِرُ فِي بِرِّهَا
أَدْوَمَهُ نَفْعاً أَوِ الأَشمَلاَ
14. Look to the edifice she erected
For knowledge, it is about to be completed.
١٤. أُنْظُرْ إِلى الصَّرْحِ الَّذِي شَيَّدَتْ
لِلْعِلْمِ قَدْ أَوْشَكَ أَنْ يَكْمُلاَ
15. What we needed most was a helping hand,
A house that protects the nation from ignorance.
١٥. أَحْوَجَ مَا كُنَّا يَدَاً مُسْعِد
بَيتٌ يَقِي الأُمَّةَ أَنْ تَجْهَلا
16. And the best that a helping hand builds
Is a house that protects the nation from ignorance.
١٦. وَخَيْرُ مَا تَبْنِي يَدَا مُسْعِد
بَيتٌ يَقِي الأُمَّةَ أَنْ تَجْهَلاَ
17. For righteousness she had no hope
Except she came to what exceeded hope.
١٧. مَا كَانَ لِلْبِرِّ بِهَا مَأْمل
إِلاَّ أَتَتْ مَا جَاوَزَ المَأْملاَ
18. So how did hardship not show her mercy
Until she wished that ruin would heal her?
١٨. فَكَيْفَ لَمْ يَرْفُقْ عَلَيْهَا الضَّنَى
حَتَّى تَمَنَّتْ لَوْ شَفَاهَا الْبِلَى
19. She suffered sicknesses like none before
Had suffered them, a tried mortal.
١٩. عَانَتْ مِنْ الأسْقَامِ مَا لَمْ يَكُنْ
مِنْ قَبْلُ عَانَاهُ امْرُوءٌ مُبْتَلَى
20. But a mother's love for her children
Bore her to the highest of her aspirations.
٢٠. لَكِنَّ حُبَّ الأُمِّ أَبْنَاءَهَا
بِهَا إِلى أَسْمَى ذُرَاهُ عَلاَ
21. It was an ardent love from which it was hard
To find distraction, she was preoccupied with herself.
٢١. هَوىً وَنَاهِيكَ بِهِ مِنْ هَوىً
وَكَانَ لَهَا عَنْ نَفْسِهَا مَشْغَلاَ
22. It burdened her with the heaviness of living
With composure that which was hard to bear.
٢٢. حَمَّلَهَا مِنْ ثِقَلِ الْعَيْشِ فِي
تَجَلُّدِ مَا عَزَّ أَنْ يُحْمَلاَ
23. With a glance or look from them
She accepts what passed as if sweet.
٢٣. بِلَفْظَةٍ أَوْ لَحْظَةٍ مِنْهُم
تَقْبَلُ مَا مَرَّ كَمَا لَوْ حَلاَ
24. If sacrificing herself ransomed them
She wouldn’t spare her own life anything precious.
٢٤. وَلَوْ فدَاهُمْ مَا بِهَا أَرْخَصَتْ
دُونَهُمُ مِن عَيشِهَا مَا غلا
25. Was not her only wish the hope
Of the desperate that he be delivered?
٢٥. أَلَمْ يَكُنْ أَوْحَدَهَا مُنْتَهَى
أُمْنِيةِ النَّاجِلِ أَنْ يَنْجُلاَ
26. A young man not inclined to the bent of youth
Scarcely set out except on the most just path.
٢٦. فَتّى عَلَى زَيْغِ الصِّبَا لَمْ يَكَدْ
يَنْهَجُ إِلاَّ المَنْهَجَ الأعْدَلاَ
27. In the arena of pride he ran as a fore runner
Unless he competed with his father the predecessor.
٢٧. فِي حَلْبَةِ الفَخْرِ جَرَى سَابِقاً
إِلاَّ إِذَا جَارَى أَبَاهُ تَلاَ
28. You were wronged in your world, so be delivered, and in
Eden receive the most just recompense.
٢٨. ظُلِمْتِ فِي دُنْيَاكِ فَانْجِي وَفِي
عَدْنٍ تَلَقَّى عِوَضاً أَعْدَلاَ
29. Set out toward Peace and indeed
The time for a pact to be fulfilled has come.
٢٩. تَيَمَّمِي شَطْرَ سَلِيمٍ فَقَدْ
آنَ لِعِقْدٍ بُتَّ أَنْ يُوصَلاَ
30. And the time has come for the two lovers to be healed
From a yearning that set both their hearts aflame.
٣٠. وَحَانَ أَنْ يُشْفَى المُحِبَّانِ مِن
شَوْقٍ بِهِ قَلْبَاهُمَا أَشْعِلا
31. Tell him, “We are true to his covenant
As if an untarnished covenant it were not.”
٣١. قُولِي لَهُ إِنَّا عَلَى عَهْدِهِ
كَأَنَّ عَهْداً خَالِياً مَا خَلاَ
32. And the mention of him has increased with what
You renewed, it will not be forgotten or fade.
٣٢. وَإِنَّ ذِكْرَاهُ وَزِيدَتْ بِمَا
جَدَّدْتِ لَنْ تُنْسَى وَلَن تَخْمُلاَ
33. May the pardon water you both with a dew like that
Which it lavished on you both once unstinting.
٣٣. سَقَاكُمَا العَفْوُ نَدًى كَالَّذِي
أَغْدَقْهُمَا دَهْراً وَلَمْ تَبْخَلا