أَتظُنُّ أنَّ الدَّهرَ يُسعِفُ طالباً

أَتظُنُّ أنَّ الدَّهرَ يُسعِفُ طالباً

أو تُعتِبُ الأيّامُ منا عاتِبا

أو تُعتِبُ الأيّامُ منا عاتِبا

Do you think Time will aid a seeker,

Do you think fate assists the seeker

or the days appease a reproacher among us?

Or the days feel sorry for our reproach?

فُقِدَ النَّوالُ فعادَ بَرقاً خُلَّباً

فُقِدَ النَّوالُ فعادَ بَرقاً خُلَّباً

ومضى السَّماحُ فعاد وعداً كاذِبا

ومضى السَّماحُ فعاد وعداً كاذِبا

Bounty has been lost, becoming rainless lightning;

Grace is lost so it returns deceptive lightning

and generosity has departed, becoming a false promise.

Kindness is gone so it returns a lying promise

وطوى الرَّدى شِيَمَ ابنِ فَهدٍ بعدما

وطوى الرَّدى شِيَمَ ابنِ فَهدٍ بعدما

نشرَتْ بدائعَ سُؤدُدٍ وغرائبا

نشرَتْ بدائعَ سُؤدُدٍ وغرائبا

And Death folded away the virtues of Ibn Fahd, after

Time has folded the morals of Ibn Fahd after

they had unfolded wonders and marvels of nobility.

It spread the wonders and marvels of Sowdood

ليتَ الرَّدى لمّا سما لَكَ جَحفلٌ

ليتَ الرَّدى لمّا سما لَكَ جَحفلٌ

ملأَ البلادَ أسنَّةً وقواضبا

ملأَ البلادَ أسنَّةً وقواضبا

If only Death, when it rose against you, had been a vast army

If only when calamity transcended you

that filled the lands with spearheads and cutting swords,

It filled the countries with spears and bows

فيؤوبَ مغلوباً لديك مذمَّماً

فيؤوبَ مغلوباً لديك مذمَّماً

وتؤوبَ محمودَ السجيَّةِ غالبا

وتؤوبَ محمودَ السجيَّةِ غالبا

so it might return defeated before you, condemned,

So it returns to you vanquished, despised

and you return victorious, praised for your character.

And you return praised, victorious

يَبكيكَ عَزمٌ لم يزلْ إشراقُه

يَبكيكَ عَزمٌ لم يزلْ إشراقُه

في كلِّ مُظِلمَةٍ شِهاباً ثاقبا

في كلِّ مُظِلمَةٍ شِهاباً ثاقبا

Resolve weeps for you; its radiance has always been

A resolve weeps you whose illumination

a piercing meteor in every darkness.

In every darkness remains a piercing star

وسماءُ مجدٍ إن تَغَيَّمَ أُفقُها

وسماءُ مجدٍ إن تَغَيَّمَ أُفقُها

أطلعْتَ فيها بالسيوفِ كواكبا

أطلعْتَ فيها بالسيوفِ كواكبا

So does a sky of glory: whenever its horizon grew clouded,

And a sky of glory, if its horizon is clouded

you made stars rise within it with swords.

You shine in it with swords like stars

ورغائبٌ شيَّدْتَها بمواهبٍ

ورغائبٌ شيَّدْتَها بمواهبٍ

لو أنهنَّ نطَقْنَ قُمْنَ خواطبا

لو أنهنَّ نطَقْنَ قُمْنَ خواطبا

And so do precious favors you built up through gifts:

And desires you built with talents

if they could speak, they would rise as orators.

If they spoke, they would be passionate pleaders

في مَضجَعٍ وسِع الحسينَ وجُودُه

في مَضجَعٍ وسِع الحسينَ وجُودُه

يَسَعُ البلادَ مشارقاً ومغاربا

يَسَعُ البلادَ مشارقاً ومغاربا

In a resting place that holds al-Husayn, while his generosity

In a grave so generous is Hussein’s munificence

encompasses the lands, east and west.

It contains east and west seeking favor

لو أنَّ قبراً جادَ ساكنُ لَحْدِهِ

لو أنَّ قبراً جادَ ساكنُ لَحْدِهِ

لم يَرجِعِ المرتادُ منه خائبا

لم يَرجِعِ المرتادُ منه خائبا

If the dweller in a grave's niche could bestow bounty,

If the occupant of a grave is generous

no seeker would return from it disappointed.

The visitor will not return disappointed

لأبي الفوارسِ في السَّماحِ مآربٌ

لأبي الفوارسِ في السَّماحِ مآربٌ

تُقضَى فتَقضي للعُفاةِ مآرِبا

تُقضَى فتَقضي للعُفاةِ مآرِبا

Abu al-Fawaris has aims in generosity,

For the knight of munificence there are purposes

which, once fulfilled, fulfill the needs of suppliants.

Fulfilled, fulfilling hopes for the destitute

مَلِكٌ أبرَّ على الملوكِ بهمَّةٍ

مَلِكٌ أبرَّ على الملوكِ بهمَّةٍ

زِيدَتْ بها الأزدُ الكِرامُ مَناقِبا

زِيدَتْ بها الأزدُ الكِرامُ مَناقِبا

A king who surpassed kings in lofty aspiration,

A king most pious over kings in resolve

through which the noble Azd gained still more virtues.

With it the glories of Azd increased

وأغرُّ يَحسُنُ منظراً وضَرائباً

وأغرُّ يَحسُنُ منظراً وضَرائباً

كالسَّيفِ يحسُنُ رَوْنقاً ومَضارِبا

كالسَّيفِ يحسُنُ رَوْنقاً ومَضارِبا

And a radiant man, fine in appearance and character,

And most generous, excellent to behold and in giving

like a sword, fine in luster and cutting edges.

Like the sword, excellent in elegance and striking

ومُناسِبُ السَّيفِ الحُسامِ فإنْ جرَى

ومُناسِبُ السَّيفِ الحُسامِ فإنْ جرَى

في الجودِ أصبحَ للسَّحابِ مُناسبا

في الجودِ أصبحَ للسَّحابِ مُناسبا

And kin to the keen-edged sword; if he races

And befitting the sword of the resolute, so if it flows

in generosity, he becomes kin to the clouds.

In generosity, it suits the clouds' downpour

شِيَمٌ كأنفاسِ الرِّياحِ جرَتْ على

شِيَمٌ كأنفاسِ الرِّياحِ جرَتْ على

زَهْرِ الرَّبيعِ شَمائلاً وجَنائبا

زَهْرِ الرَّبيعِ شَمائلاً وجَنائبا

Traits like the breaths of winds that swept over

Morals like the breaths of winds flowed upon

spring's blossoms, from north and south.

The spring's flower with features and sides

طلبَ العُفاةُ نوالَه فَبدا لهم

طلبَ العُفاةُ نوالَه فَبدا لهم

متهلِّلاً للحَمْدِ منهم طالبا

متهلِّلاً للحَمْدِ منهم طالبا

The suppliants sought his bounty, and he appeared to them

The destitute sought his favor, so he appeared

beaming, seeking praise from them.

Graceful in praise, seeking it from them

ورأى الزمانَ عليهم متعتِّباً

ورأى الزمانَ عليهم متعتِّباً

فغدا له بالمكرُماتِ مُعاتِبا

فغدا له بالمكرُماتِ مُعاتِبا

And he saw Time reproachful toward them,

And he saw time reproaching them

so he rebuked it with noble deeds.

So he became with gifts their reproacher

كم قد رأيتُ لبِشْرِهِ من شارِقٍ

كم قد رأيتُ لبِشْرِهِ من شارِقٍ

يَحتَثُّ من جَدوى يديه سَحائِبا

يَحتَثُّ من جَدوى يديه سَحائِبا

How many a rising sun of his smiling face I have seen,

How often have I seen lightning flash from his smile

urging clouds onward from the bounty of his hands!

Drawing clouds from the bounty of his hands

فأريتُه زُهرَ الربيعِ مَدائحا

فأريتُه زُهرَ الربيعِ مَدائحا

ورأيت منه حَيَا الرَّبيعِ مَواهبا

ورأيت منه حَيَا الرَّبيعِ مَواهبا

So I showed him spring's bright blossoms as praise-poems,

I saw him as eulogies of spring

and saw spring's rain from him as gifts.

And I saw spring's life as gifts from him