1. رَمَوا الجِمارَ وَفي فُؤادي مِنهُمُ

    أَفديهُمُ جَمر الغَضا يَتَضَرَّمُ

    They cast the ritual pebbles, while in my heart, because of them—

    I would ransom them—ghada-wood embers blaze.

  2. لَمّا أَتَوا عَرَفات اِشتَمَلوا عَلى

    إِنكارِنا سَلِموا فَهَلّا سَلَّموا

    When they came to Arafat, they wrapped themselves in

    denial of us; they were safe—why did they not greet us?

  3. وَعَلى الصَفا لَم يَصفُ وُدُّهُم وَلي

    قَلبٌ هُناكَ مُتَيَّهٌ وَمُتَيَّمُ

    On Safa their affection was not pure, and I had

    a heart there, bewildered and enslaved by love.

  4. بَلَغوا المُنى بِالعَيشِ إِذ بَلَغَت مِنىً

    حَتّى إِذا زُمَّت بِزَمزَمَ زَمزَموا

    They attained life's wishes when Mina was reached,

    until, when the mounts were haltered at Zamzam, they murmured.

  5. جَهَروا بِتَلبِيَةٍ الإِلَهِ فَصادَفَ ال

    دُرَّ النَّثيرَ اللؤلُؤُ المُتَنَظِّمُ

    They proclaimed their pilgrimage call to God; there met

    the scattered pearls and the pearls strung in order.

  6. وَثَنَوا إِلى الحَجَرِ الأَحَمِّ مَباسِماً

    عَنها البروقُ لَوامِعاً تَتَبَسَّمُ

    And toward the jet-black Stone they bent smiling mouths,

    from which lightning flashes smile as they gleam.

  7. وَسَفَرنَ عِندَ طَوافِنا عَن أَوجُهٍ

    شَمسُ الضُحى حَسَداً لَها تَتَلَثَّمُ

    And during our circling they unveiled faces,

    in envy of which the forenoon sun veils itself.

  8. هُم يَمَّموا البَيتَ العَتيقَ لِقَتلِنا

    بِئسَ الفِعالُ وَنِعمَ بَيتاً يَمَّموا

    They headed for the Ancient House to slay us;

    evil the deed, but excellent the House they sought.

  9. لَمّا رَنَونَ بِأَعيُنٍ بِسِهامِها

    تَجري عَلى الوَجناتِ مِنهُنَّ الدَّمُ

    When they gazed with their eyes, through their arrows

    blood streamed down cheeks because of them.

  10. هَذا لَنا مِنهُم وَنَتبَعُ عيسَهُم

    إِن أَيمَنوا أَو أَنجَدوا أَو أَتهَموا

    This is what we receive from them, and we follow their pale camels,

    whether they go to Yemen, or Najd, or Tihama.

  11. أَيَجوزُ حَجُّهُمُ وَما مِن لَحظَةٍ

    إِلّا بِها مِنهُنَّ يُقتَلُ مُسلِمُ

    Is their pilgrimage valid, when not a single glance

    of theirs fails to kill a Muslim?

  12. بَيني وَبَينَ القَومِ نَجمُ الدينِ أَع

    مَلُ مَن تَصَدَّرَ بِالعُلومِ وَأَعلَمُ

    Between me and those people stands Najm al-Din, the most

    diligent of those eminent in the sciences, and the most learned.

  13. بَحرٌ وَلَكِن بِالمَكارِمِ مُفعَمٌ

    حَبرٌ لَدَيهِ كُلُّ حَبرٍ مُفحَمُ

    An ocean, but one overflowing with noble deeds;

    a scholar before whom every scholar is silenced.

  14. تَسقي الأَقاليمَ الحَيا أَقلامُهُ

    وَبِهِنَّ أَظفارُ الخُطوبِ تُقَلّمُ

    His pens water the regions with rain,

    and with them the claws of calamities are clipped.

  15. عَزَماتُهُ شُهبٌ ثَواقِبُ في العُلا

    مِنها شَياطينُ الأَعادي تُرجَمُ

    His resolves are piercing meteors in the heights,

    by which the devils of his foes are pelted.

  16. تَأبى المَدائِحُ أَن تُصاغَ لِغَيرِهِ

    كِبراً وَتَنجَحُ حينَ فيهِ تُنَظَّمُ

    Praises refuse to be fashioned for anyone else,

    out of pride, and succeed when set in verse about him.

  17. وَتُرى الخُصومُ لَدَيهِ شاءً راعَها

    بِزَئيرِهِ في الحَفلِ مِنهُ ضَيغَمُ

    His adversaries appear before him as sheep frightened

    at the gathering by the roar of the lion within him.

  18. جاشَ المَديحُ فَلَم أَجِد أَهلاً لَهُ

    أَحَداً سِواهُ فَلَم تَلُمني اللُّوَّمُ

    Praise surged, but I found no worthy recipient,

    no one but him; so the faultfinders did not blame me.

  19. عُدِمَ النَّظيرُ لَهُ وَلَو وُجِدَ الغِنى

    في دَهرِنا ما كانَ يوجَدُ مُعدِمُ

    No equal exists for him; were wealth to be found

    in our age, no destitute soul would be found.

  20. لَو مُلِّكَ الدُّنيا لَجادَ بِها عَلى

    مَن يَعتَفيهِ مُبادِراً لا يَندَمُ

    Were he given ownership of the world, he would lavish it on

    whoever sought his bounty, promptly and without regret.

  21. لَمّا رَأى الدُنيا الدَنِيَّةَ أَهلُها

    مَعبودُهُم دينارُهُم وَالدِّرهَمُ

    When he saw the base world, whose people

    worship their dinar and dirham,

  22. هَجَرَ الغِنى وَبَنى لَهُ خَيرَ البُنا

    غَنِمَت مَساعيهِ فَنِعمَ المَغنَمُ

    he forsook wealth and built himself the best of buildings;

    his endeavors prospered—what a splendid gain!

  23. مَن كانَ هَذا فِعلُهُ في دَهرِهِ

    فَلَهُ الإِلَهُ بِكُلِّ خَيرٍ يَحتِمُ

    Whoever acts like this in his lifetime,

    God decrees every blessing for him.

  24. يَقِظٌ عَلى كَسبِ المَحامِدِ مُقدِمٌ

    وَعَنِ الدَنايا وَالمَطامِعِ مُحجِمُ

    Alert to earning praise, he presses forward,

    and holds back from base deeds and greedy desires.

  25. وَإِلى الطِرازِ الأَوَّلِ اِرتَفَعَت بِهِ

    شِيَمٌ لَها الدينُ الرِداءُ المُعلَمُ

    And to the foremost rank he has been raised by

    virtues whose embroidered mantle is faith.

  26. ثَبتٌ إِذا طاشَت حُلومُ أولي النُهى

    أَرسى بِحِضنَي يَذبُلٍ بَل أَعظَمُ

    Steadfast when the minds of the wise lose their balance,

    more firmly rooted than Yadhbul's twin flanks—indeed, greater.

  27. وَيَدوسُ فَرقَ الفَرقَدَينِ بِهِمَّةٍ

    مِن تَحتِ أَخمَصِها السُها وَالمِرزَمُ

    And he treads on the crown of the two Farqad stars with an aspiration

    beneath whose instep lie Suha and Mirzam.

  28. ما الرَّوضُ مَمطوراً يُضاحِكُ نَورُهُ

    شَمسَ الضُحى فَيَفوحُ وَهوَ مُنَمنَمُ

    No rain-drenched garden, whose blossoms smile at

    the forenoon sun and shed fragrance, all embroidered,

  29. يَوماً بِأَطيَبَ مِن ثِيابِكَ في الوَرى

    كَلّا وَلا مِسكٌ أَريجٌ يَفغَمُ

    is ever sweeter among humankind than your garments—

    no indeed, nor aromatic musk that fills the nostrils.

  30. أَهدَيتُ مَخشَلَباً إِلى مَن لَفظُهُ

    دُرٌّ وَسائِطُ حُسنِها تَتَوَسَّمُ

    I offered glass beads to one whose speech is

    pearls—center-gems whose beauty you discern.

  31. لَئِنِ اِهتَدى بِالنَجمِ أَقوامٌ فَقَد

    أَمسَت بِنَجمِ الدينِ تُهدى الأَنجُمُ

    If peoples have found their way by a star,

    the stars have come to be guided by Najm al-Din.

  32. بَغدادُ حاسِدَةٌ حماةَ بِهِ وَدِج

    لَتُها لِعاصيها تُطيعُ وَتَخدِمُ

    Baghdad envies Hama because of him; and her Tigris

    obeys and serves Hama's Orontes.

  33. وَهوَ اِبنُ حَبرٍ لَيسَ يُنكِرُ فَضلَهُ

    وَعُلاهُ في الإِسلامِ يَوماً مُسلِمُ

    He is the son of a scholar whose excellence no

    Muslim ever denies, nor his eminence in Islam.

  34. عَن شَأوِهِ كُلُّ اِمرِئٍ مُتَأَخِّرٌ

    وَبِهِ تَقَدَّمَ كُلُّ مَن يَتَقَدَّمُ

    Every man falls short of his reach,

    and through him all who advance have advanced.

  35. وَلأَنتَ نَجمُ الدينِ سَعدٌ ناشِرٌ

    فيهِ أَبا سَعدٍ وَفيهِ يُتَرجَمُ

    You, Najm al-Din, are indeed a lucky star, reviving

    Abu Sa'd within you, where he is also portrayed.

  36. لَكَ يا شَبيهَ أَبيهِ هِمَّتُهُ وَمَن

    يُشبِه أَباهُ فَإِنَّهُ لا يَظلِمُ

    Yours, O image of your father, is his resolve; and whoever

    resembles his father does no wrong.

  37. لَكَ هِمَّةٌ عَلياءُ عُصرونِيَّةٌ

    فَالشُهبُ شُهبٌ تَحتَها تَتَحَمحَمُ

    Yours is a lofty, 'Usruni aspiration;

    so the meteors beneath it are gray steeds, neighing.

  38. لِلشافِعِيِّ بِكُم فَخارٌ بَعدَهُ

    أَنوارُهُ مَشهورَةٌ لا تُكتَمُ

    Through you, al-Shafi'i's glory endures after him;

    his lights are renowned, not hidden.

  39. وَإِلى أَبي البَرَكاتِ نُسرِجُ خَيلَنا

    بِرَجاءِ نائِلِهِ الجَزيلِ وَنُلجِمُ

    Toward Abu al-Barakat we saddle our horses,

    in hope of his abundant bounty, and bridle them.

  40. لا زالَ طولَ الدَّهرِ يُنعِشُ خامِلاً

    وَيُفيدُ عِلمَ الخَيرِ مَن لا يَعلَمُ

    May he never cease, throughout time, to lift the obscure,

    and impart knowledge of good to those who do not know.