مصاب طبق السبق الشدادا

مصاب طبق السبق الشدادا

أسىً وأمال من مضر عمادا

أسىً وأمال من مضر عمادا

A calamity shrouded the seven mighty heavens

Struck with grief, sorrow and hope from Mudar lineage,

in grief, and bent a pillar of Mudar.

And settled near Zawra’a with affliction and mourning,

وحل بجانب الزوراء رزء

وحل بجانب الزوراء رزء

رمى كبد الهدى ورمى الرشادا

رمى كبد الهدى ورمى الرشادا

And beside al-Zawra a grievous loss descended,

He discarded the liver of guidance and discarded righteousness,

striking guidance at its heart, and striking rectitude.

And brought upon Karkh a misfortune that extended,

أصاب الكرخ حادثه فألقى

أصاب الكرخ حادثه فألقى

على وادي الغري أسى فمادا

على وادي الغري أسى فمادا

Its calamity struck al-Karkh, casting

Upon the valley of Gharra, sorrow that sprawled,

grief upon the valley of al-Ghari, which trembled.

He raised over Iraq dust of grief,

أثار على العراق غبار حزن

أثار على العراق غبار حزن

يرى وجه النهار به سوادا

يرى وجه النهار به سوادا

It stirred a dust of sorrow over Iraq,

That made the face of day see it as gloom,

through which the face of daylight appears black.

Time played tricks taking all as captives,

أباد اللضه ريب الدهر جمعاً

أباد اللضه ريب الدهر جمعاً

أيدري من بحادثه أبادا

أيدري من بحادثه أبادا

May God destroy time's vicissitudes altogether!

Who knows who it took with its mischief?

Does time know whom its calamity destroyed?

It struck Al-Hasan Al-Muftada in Sarraf,

أصاب بصرفه الحسن المفدى

أصاب بصرفه الحسن المفدى

فذر على بني العليا رمادا

فذر على بني العليا رمادا

Its reversal struck Hasan, the dearly cherished,

And scattered upon the Alid family ashes,

and scattered ashes upon the sons of eminence:

A leader mighty in religion, missed,

إماماً عز في الدين افتقاداً

إماماً عز في الدين افتقاداً

وجل مصاب من عز إفتقادا

وجل مصاب من عز إفتقادا

an imam whose loss was grievous to the faith;

And momentous an affliction of one mighty missed,

great is the calamity of one whose loss is grievous.

He twisted a strong palm frond bent,

لوى زنداً عصاماً من لوي

لوى زنداً عصاماً من لوي

فشلت معصماً وخبت زنادا

فشلت معصماً وخبت زنادا

It twisted a forearm, a mainstay of Lu'ayy,

So the wrist failed and the kindling went out,

so a wrist was palsied, and fire-flints went dark.

And it shattered the glory of its Hashimite people,

وهشم مجد هاشمها وأزرى

وهشم مجد هاشمها وأزرى

نزار وجد للعليا حدادا

نزار وجد للعليا حدادا

It shattered the glory of their Hashim, and humbled

Helpless, the Alids wore black in mourning,

Nizar, and renewed mourning for lofty honor.

His elegizer announced him, stealing endurance,

نعى ناعيه فاستلب اصطباراً

نعى ناعيه فاستلب اصطباراً

وأثبت لوعةً ونفى رقادا

وأثبت لوعةً ونفى رقادا

His death's herald proclaimed his passing and stole away endurance,

And instilled agony, banishing any rest,

and established anguish and banished sleep.

Yes, had the elegizer known whom he elegized,

نعم لو كان يعلم من نعاه

نعم لو كان يعلم من نعاه

نعي فضلاً وعلماً مستفادا

نعي فضلاً وعلماً مستفادا

Yes, had he known whose death he announced,

Elegizing favor and gained knowledge,

he would have mourned excellence and knowledge others drew upon,

A fortified and fertile stronghold,

نعي حصناً منيعاً بل وخصباً

نعي حصناً منيعاً بل وخصباً

ربيعاً بل نعى الشرف التلادا

ربيعاً بل نعى الشرف التلادا

mourned an impregnable fortress—indeed, also a fertile

A verdant spring, he elegized honor itself,

spring; nay, he mourned ancestral nobility.

The uncle of its obtainer was lost, so it spread,

فقيد عم عم نائله فعمت

فقيد عم عم نائله فعمت

رزينت البوادي والبلادا

رزينت البوادي والبلادا

A departed uncle, whose bounty reached all; thus spread

The abodes and countries were in grief laden,

his calamity through deserts and settled lands.

Oh you of refined manners, days and fate,

فيا لمهذب ما أخطأته

فيا لمهذب ما أخطأته

يد الأيام والقدر انتقادا

يد الأيام والقدر انتقادا

Alas for a refined soul, not overlooked

Have not erred in choosing him as their critique,

by the hand of days and fate in its choosing.

Why did the nights not grant him their turn,

فلم لا ناله صرف الليالي

فلم لا ناله صرف الليالي

وكان لصرفهن هو العمادا

وكان لصرفهن هو العمادا

Why, then, should the nights' reversals not touch him,

When he was for their turns the pillar?

when he himself had been the pillar against their reversals?

They took his lead, and for so long,

ملكن قياده ولطالما قد

ملكن قياده ولطالما قد

تملك من أزمتها قيادا

تملك من أزمتها قيادا

They mastered his reins, though so often he had

From their crises, he took the lead,

taken control of their bridles.

And were it not for my solace in my eminent brother,

ولولا سلوتي بأخي المعالي

ولولا سلوتي بأخي المعالي

لأركان الندى والفخر شادا

لأركان الندى والفخر شادا

And were it not for my solace in the companion of lofty deeds,

The pillars of dew and pride would have collapsed,

who raised the pillars of generosity and glory,

Through Ibrahim, lofty in his transcendence,

بإبراهيم من شمخت علاه

بإبراهيم من شمخت علاه

فجاوز سمكها السبع الشدادا

فجاوز سمكها السبع الشدادا

in Ibrahim, whose eminence towered

Beyond its height, the ferocious lions,

until its height surpassed the seven mighty heavens,

I would not have ventured a path for solace,

لما يممت للسلوى سبيلاً

لما يممت للسلوى سبيلاً

ولا أملت للجلي نفادا

ولا أملت للجلي نفادا

I would never have sought a path to solace,

Nor imagined for glory any limits,

nor hoped for an end to the great affliction.

A youth in his traits you find intellect,

فتىً بصفاته تلقى ذكاءً

فتىً بصفاته تلقى ذكاءً

ضياءً أو جلاء أو بعادا

ضياءً أو جلاء أو بعادا

A youth in whose qualities you behold Dhuka', the sun,

Brilliance or clarity or wisdom,

in radiance, or brilliance, or remoteness.

If it grew, nothing would be above his distinction,

إذا ما طال لا يعلوه شأوٍ

إذا ما طال لا يعلوه شأوٍ

ومهما قال لا يعدو سدادا

ومهما قال لا يعدو سدادا

When he rises high, no height overtops him;

And whatever he said, nothing beyond propriety,

and whatever he says never departs from sound judgment.

He led the world in merits and forbearance,

وساد على الورى فضلاً وحلماً

وساد على الورى فضلاً وحلماً

كذلك من أطاع اللضه سادا

كذلك من أطاع اللضه سادا

He rose above humankind in excellence and forbearance;

Thus, those who obey Allah are led,

thus whoever obeys God attains eminence.

Oh son of the two most benevolent, sublime and proud,

فيابن الأكرمين علا وفخراً

فيابن الأكرمين علا وفخراً

واندى من أفاد ندى وجادا

واندى من أفاد ندى وجادا

So, son of the noblest in eminence and glory,

More radiant than one who benefits, radiates and is generous,

and most generous of those who bestowed bounty and gave freely,

If the world calls for knowledge to rise,

إذا نادى الورى علماً برفع

إذا نادى الورى علماً برفع

فأنت ونور عزتك المنادى

فأنت ونور عزتك المنادى

when mankind calls aloud upon a luminary,

You and the light of your dignity are called,

you—by the light of your glory—are the one called.

I convey condolences to you, and for me is an affliction,

سلمت لك العزاء ولي بغر

سلمت لك العزاء ولي بغر

هدوا بسنا منارهم العبادا

هدوا بسنا منارهم العبادا

May you be spared; you and I have solace in radiant men,

They gifted us with loss of their guiding minarets,

who guided God's servants by their beacon's radiance:

Through children who rose in merits and kinship,

بأبناء سموا فضلاً وقربى

بأبناء سموا فضلاً وقربى

بهم نسطوا إذا ما الدهر عادى

بهم نسطوا إذا ما الدهر عادى

in sons exalted in excellence and kinship,

With them we attacked when time opposed,

through whom we wield strength when time turns hostile;

With Abbas the lofty in the open desert,

بعباس المنيف على البرايا

بعباس المنيف على البرايا

وأفضلها وأطولها نجادا

وأفضلها وأطولها نجادا

in Abbas, towering above all creatures,

The best and tallest of them in glory,

and the finest among them, with the longest sword-baldric.

He sought the heights as a child and galloped,

سعى نحو العلى طفلاً وأجرى

سعى نحو العلى طفلاً وأجرى

بميدان الفخار له جيادا

بميدان الفخار له جيادا

He strove toward eminence as a child, and raced

In the field of pride, his steeds dashed,

steeds of his own across the field of glory;

And Ja’far who has an evident nobility,

وجعفر من له شرف جلي

وجعفر من له شرف جلي

فجلى في السباق وقد أجادا

فجلى في السباق وقد أجادا

and in Ja'far, whose nobility is manifest:

So he shone in rivalry when adept,

he came first in the race and excelled;

And Musa who the glories,

وموسى من توسمت المعالي

وموسى من توسمت المعالي

بغرته المكارم والرشادا

بغرته المكارم والرشادا

and in Musa, in whom lofty virtues discerned

In his youth, foretold of virtues and righteousness,

noble qualities and rectitude in his radiant brow.

Your like cannot be encompassed by any herder,

ثناكم لا يحيط به يراع

ثناكم لا يحيط به يراع

ولو كن البحار له مدادا

ولو كن البحار له مدادا

No pen can encompass your praises,

Even if the seas were his inkwell,

even if the seas were its ink.

By my life, I am the one consoled,

لعمري إنني لأنا المعزى

لعمري إنني لأنا المعزى

برزء خصني وجداً سهادا

برزء خصني وجداً سهادا

By my life, I myself am the one to be consoled,

With an affliction that singled me out and burned,

for a loss that singled me out for anguish and sleeplessness.

It took my mind and was a habit for it,

كبا فكري وكان العهد فيه

كبا فكري وكان العهد فيه

قديماً حائز السبق الجوادا

قديماً حائز السبق الجوادا

My thought stumbled, though I had known it

Of old, the precedence and generous horse,

of old as the noble steed that won the race.

So the fragrance of heavens scent his grave,

فراوح رائح الرضوان قبراً

فراوح رائح الرضوان قبراً

سمى بابن النبي علا وغادى

سمى بابن النبي علا وغادى

So may divine favor's visitor come at dusk to a grave

Named as the son of the Prophet, sublime and departed,

exalted by the Prophet's son—and come again at dawn.