سأَبكي وأَستبكي عليك المعاليا

وأَسْكُبُ من عيني الدموعَ الجواريا

I will weep and lament for your greatness,

And shed tears from my eyes like maidens,

وأصْلى لظى نار الأَسى كلَّما أرى

مكانك ما قد كانَ بالأَمس خاليا

And pray while the fire of sorrow burns me whenever I see

Your place that was vacant yesterday.

وإنْ لم يكنْ يُجدي البكاءُ ولم يَعُدْ

عليَّ الأَسى من ذلك العهد ماضيا

Even if weeping does not avail and sorrow does not return to me from that past time,

One like me deserves to melt away in grief or cry over the desolate abodes.

ومن حقّ مثلي أن يَذوبَ حشاشة

من الحزن أو يبكي الدِّيار الخواليا

The house which I entrusted to Abu Mahmoud became devoid of him,

It illuminated its corners and outskirts with him.

خَلَتْ من أبي محمود دار عهدتها

تُضيء بها أرجاءها والنَّواحيا

A harbor for every sea of hopes,

And a visitor of the night seeking glory hopefully.

تَنَوَّرها من كلّ فجٍّ مؤمّلٌ

وطارق ليلٍ يبتغي العزَّ راجيا

With confidence in attaining what he aspires

He suffers adversities at night and crosses the deserts.

على ثقةٍ بالنَّيْل ممَّا يرومُه

يُعاني السّرى ليلاً ويطوي الفيافيا

When he reached the best people,

He succeeded and attained his wishes.

إذا بلغتْ آلَ الجميل ركابه

فقد فازَ بالجدوى ونالَ الأَمانيا

And when Abd al-Ghani passed away,

Acts of righteousness emanating from his hands passed away with him.

ولمَّا مضى عبد الغنيّ مضتْ به

صنايع برٍّ تستفاض أياديا

You passed away with all generosity and dew,

And after you the garden of virtue became withered.

مضى أيُّها الماضي بك الجود والنَّدى

وأصبَحَ روض الفضل بعدك ذاوِيا

If I used to laugh due to your beauty,

I have now become accustomed to the anguished heart crying.

لئنْ كنتُ أغدو من جميلك ضاحكاً

لقد رُحْتُ أُلفى موجع القلب باكيا

I used to find all good with you,

Until the Merciful ordained that we shall never meet.

وقد كنتُ ألقى الخير عندًك كلّه

إلى أن قضى الرَّحمن أنْ لا تلاقيا

When your feet departed, the clouds pouring rain departed,

And adorned the dress of springtime with Yemeni coldness.

فقدماك فقدان الغَمامة أقلَعْتْ

وقد ألْبَستْ برد الرَّبيع اليمانيا

And my desire was to ransom you with myself,

But God willed other than my desire.

وكانَ مرادي أن أكون لك الفدى

ولكنْ أراد الله غير مراديا

After the heroic Basal, this world is now accustomed

To the drink of death that makes even lions collapse.

على هذه الدُّنيا العفا بعد باسلٍ

عقير المنايا يعقر اللَّيث جاثيا

If an old man could be ransomed from death,

And would pass by what redeems him from death surviving,

ولو أنَّ قَرماً يُفتدى من مَنِيَّةٍ

ويمضي بما يفدي من الموت ناجيا

The elite men would have ransomed you,

And sacrificed souls that death had degraded.

فَدَتْكَ صناديدُ الرِّجال وأرْخصَتْ

نفوساً أهانَتْها المنايا غواليا

I used to spend my days joyfully with you, but after losing you

They became nights, O sun of existence!

لقيْتُ بك الأَيَّام غرًّا فأصْبَحَتْ

بفقدك يا شمس الوجود لياليا

And I did not fear that I would be stricken by a terrible accident

That would bring devastating calamities to me.

وما كنتُ أخشى أن أُراعَ بحادثٍ

يجُرُّ إليَّ القارعات الدواهيا

With a glance from the eye of your kindness including me,

I was under your care and you were my shepherd.

وفي نظرٍ من عين لطفك شاملي

لقد كنتُ مرعِيًّا وقد كنتَ راعيا

Whenever I sought your generosity angrily

At fate, I would pass by still pleased with your beauty.

وكنتُ إذا يَمَّمْتُ جودك ساخطاً

على الدَّهر أمضي من جميلك راضيا

I pass by your association after you saying:

You were quenched with fresh water O fountain!

أمُرُّ على ناديك بعدك قائلاً

سُقِيتَ الحيا المنهلَّ بالوبل ناديا

And I recall the acts of kindness you granted me,

The favors I knew and did not forget.

وأَذكرُ ما أوْلَيْتَني من صنايعٍ

من البرّ معروفاً وما كنتُ ناسيا

Whenever I sought you for a need,

I would praise your most high character in you after attaining it.

وكنتُ متى أسعى إليك بحاجةٍ

حَمِدْتُ لدى علياك فيك المساعيا

O mountain they travelled with to his tomb,

Towering in glory over the towering mountains.

فيا جَبَلاً ساروا به لضريحه

يُطاول بالمجد الجبال الرَّواسيا

To the garden of Firdaws and forgiveness and contentment,

You have settled in the mercy of the Merciful.

إلى جنَّة الفردوسِ والعفو والرّضى

وفي رحمة الرَّحمن أَصْبَحتَ ثاويا

You have attained an honored station near your Lord,

And a most high position before Him.

تَبَوَّأْتَ منها مقعدَ الصّدق مُكْرَماً

ونلْتَ مقاماً عند ربّك عاليا

You are immortalized in the house of bliss

When you left you left behind that which is fleeting.

وغُودِرْتَ في دار النَّعيم مخلَّداً

وفارقْتَ إذ فارقت ما كانَ فانيا

When Sulayman lamented your death aloud,

Did you hear or turn deaf O Sulayman!

أناعٍ نعاه معْلِناً بوفاته

أَسْمَعْتَ أم أَصْمَمْتَ ويحكَ ناعيا

You have torn hearts, not dresses, and poured forth

Endless tears upon the cheeks.

شققت قلوباً لا جيوباً وأَذْرَفَتْ

على الوَجَنات المرسلاتِ دواميا

You hastily set the hearts ablaze hunting them,

And hastily shed tears from the waterfalls.

وأسْرَعْتَ إحراقَ القلوب صوادياً

وعاجَلْتَ إهراقَ الدموع سواقيا

Slow down from what generosity you have left,

And do not leave the people in need hopeful.

رُوَيْدَك ما أَبقيتَ بالجود مطمعاً

ولا لذوي الحاجات في النَّاس راجيا

You have announced the death knell to the noble ladies,

And made a grieving passionate one out of an indifferent one.

نَعَيْتَ إلى العلياء أفلاذ قلبها

وأدْمَيْتَ منها مهجةً ومآقيا

Of that which saddens the soul is your saying after him:

"Near to benevolence has morning become distant."

وممَّا يُريعُ الرُّوح قولك بعده

قريب من الإِحسانِ أصبح نائيا

I wish I had tasted death before him,

And not seen in him that which whitens the temples.

فيا ليتني ذُقْتُ المنيَّة قبله

ولم أرَ فيه ما يشيب النَّواصيا

The accustomed blows of death are as if

They specifically target the most noble of people.

صُروف المنايا العاديات كأَنَّها

تخالُ الكرام الأَنجبين أعاديا

God has ordained what He has ordained,

And the decree of God upon creation continues.

قضى الله بالأَمر الَّذي قد قضى به

وكانَ قضاء الله في الخلق جاريا

I turn my eyes to the men and grieve

For myself, talking to myself and confiding in myself.

أُقَلِّبُ طرفي بالرِّجال وأَغتدي

لنفسي بنفسي خاطباً ومناجيا

The guiding stars have changed and converted

To ignorant fools who blind the sights.

تبدَّلتِ الشُّمُّ العرانين والتَوَتْ

بهمْ بدهًى دهياء تُصْمي المراقيا

And there did not remain in Baghdad one whose loss,

If I lost him, I would be disconsolate or would console me for grief.

ولم يبقَ في بغدادَ مَن لو فقدتُه

أُسَيْتُ له أَو كانَ للحزن آسيا

The towering stars have disappeared so we did not mind

When the towering mountains shook.

لقد زالت الشّمُّ الرَّواسي فلم نبلّ

إذا زلزلتْ بعد الجبال الرَّواسيا

You quenched the thirsty for as long as you quenched me

From the comfort I found in you O quencher.

سُقِيتَ الغوادي طالما قد سَقَيْتَني

على ظمأ من راحتيك الغواديا

And a fountain from Muzain bids you farewell coming to you,

And a fountain from Muzain bids you farewell going from you.

وحيَّاك منهلٌّ من المُزن رائحاً

وحيَّاك منهلٌّ من المُزن غاديا

You have left us neither due to boredom or weariness,

And does theBucket know a successor after you?

ترَحَّلتَ عنَّا لا ملالاً ولا قِلًى

وهل يعرف السلوانُ بعدك ساليا

The days have come between me and you with loss,

So hopes cannot be attained except through wishes.

وحال الثَّرى بيني وبينك بالرَّدى

فما تُدْرَكُ الآمالُ إلاَّ أمانيا

It is as if you did not depart, grant favors,

Free many from captivity, and help the distressed.

كأَنَّك لم تولِ ولم تُنِلْ

جزيلاً ولم تُطلق من الأَسر عانيا

Condolences O family of Abd al-Ghani, for you

Have lost in him a shade encompassing people.

عزاءً بني عبد الغني فإنَّكم

فقَدْتُمْ به ظلاًّ على الخلق ضافيا

And an impenetrable shield, God knows that he

Never throughout time ceased to protect from time.

ودِرعاً حَصيناً يعلمُ الله أنَّه

مدى الدَّهر لم يبرح من الدَّهر واقيا

He built for you the everlasting glory that he built,

And time does not destroy what was built by him.

بنى لكم المجدَ الأَثيلَ الَّذي بنى

ولا تهدمُ الأَيَّام ما كانَ بانيا

When his stars of virtues shine,

I take pride in their loftiness over the lofty stars.

إذا بَزَغَتْ منه نجومُ مناقبٍ

أُباهي بساريها النُّجوم السَّواريا

For whom shall I compose poetry whose words were refined,

With gentle expression and meaningful verses?

لِمَنْ أَنظمُ الشّعر الَّذي دقَّ لفظُه

ورَقَّ أساليباً وراقَ معانِيا

And poetry did not please me nor its composition

Unless it contained a mention of him.

وما كانَ يحلو لي القريض ونظمه

إذا لم يكنْ في ذكره الشّعر حاليا

I swear by your tomb which if I touched, wealth

And your right hoped for in attaining it would come to me.

وأُقسِمُ لو لامستُ قبرَك فالغنى

وحقّك مرجوُّ الحصول به ليا

You took all the virtues and honorable traits,

And did not leave anything for people remaining.

أَخَذْتَ المزايا والمكارم كلّها

جميعاً فما أبْقَيْتَ للنَّاس باقيا

O last of the honorable people of our time,

You have passed away and time did not reproduce the like of you.

ويا آخر القوم الكرام لعصرنا

مَضَيْتَ ولمْ يُعْقِب لك الدَّهر ثانيا

With you, terrible misfortunes are feared,

And the blows of fate are sought to be avoided, O Yemeni.

يُراعُ بك الخطبُ المهولُ وتُنْتَضى

على حادث الأَيَّام عضْباً يمانيا

And how many favors you bestowed upon me and in sorrow

I have become in the agony of separation complaining.

وكم نعمةٍ أوْلَيْتَنيها وحَسرةً

غَدَوْتُ بها من لوعة البين شاكيا

If my eyes shed their tears upon you,

I compose verses for my sorrows for you.

إذا نثرت عيني عليك دموعَها

نظَمتُ لأحزاني عليك القوافيا

I used to long for praise poetry before,

But now I do not long for anything but eulogies.

وقد كنتُ أشتاق المدائح قبلها

وبعد لا أشتاق إلاَّ المراثيا