ألِمَّا على مَعْنٍ وَقُولاَ لِقَبْرِهِ

سَقتْكَ الغَوادي مَرْبَعاً ثُمَّ مَرْبَعا

When blamed for his meaning and words at his grave

The valleys gave you drink time and again

فيا قَبْرَ مَعَنٍ كنتَ أَوَّلَ حُفْرَةٍ

من الأرضِ خُطّتْ لِلسَّماحَةِ مَضْجَعا

O Ma'n's grave, you were the first hole

Dug in the ground as a resting place for generosity

ويا قَبْرَ مَعَنٍ كيفَ وَارَيْتَ جُودَهُ

وقد كان منه البَرُّ والبَحْرُ مُتْرَعا

O Ma'n's grave, how you covered his generosity

Though from it came righteousness on land and sea

بَلَى قَدْ وَسِعْتَ الجودَ والجُودُ مَيِّتٌ

ولو كان حَيَّا ضِقْتَ حَتَّى تَصَدَّعا

Yes, you contained generosity though generosity is dead

If alive, you would have been too narrow so you would crack

ولما مضَى مَعْنٌ مضى الجودُ وانْقَضَى

وأصبحَ عِرْنِينُ المَكارِمِ أَجْدَعَا

When Ma'n passed away, generosity passed away

The tree of virtues became fruitless and hewn down

وما كان إلاَّ الجُودُ صُورَةَ خَلْقِهِ

فَعاشَ زَماناً ثُمَّ وَلَّى فَوَدَّعَا

It was but generosity the image of his creation

He lived a time then turned away and bade farewell

وكنتَ لِدَارِ الجُودِ يا مَعْنُ عامِراً

فقد أصبحتْ قَفْراً مِنَ الجُودِ بَلْقَعا

And you, O Ma'n, made the house of generosity inhabited

So it has become a wasteland void of generosity

فَتىً عِيشَ في مَعْرُوفِهِ بَعْدِ مَوْتِهِ

كما كانَ بَعْدَ السَّيْلِ مَجْراهُ مَرْتَعا

A youth who lived in his good deeds after his death

As if his course remained pasture after the flood

تَمَنَّى أُناسٌ شَأوَهُ من ضَلالِهِمْ

فأضْحَوْا على الأذْقَانِ صَرْعَى وظُلَّعا

Some people wished for his loftiness from their misguidance

And they became prey and booty on the chins

تَعَزَّ أبا العباسِ عَنْهُ ولا يَكُنْ

جَزَاؤُكَ مِنْ مَعْنٍ بأَنْ تَتَضَعْضَعا

May Abu Al-'Abbas be spared from him and not

Let your reward from Ma'n be that you crumble

أَبَى ذِكْرُ مَعْنٍ أَنْ تَمُوتَ فِعَالُهُ

وإنْ كَان قَدْ لاقَى حِماماً ومَصْرَعَا

The mention of Ma'n refused that his actions die

Though he met his fate and demise

فما ماتَ مَنْ كُنْتَ ابنَهُ لا ولا الذي

له مثْلُ ما أَسْدَى أبوكَ ومَا سَعى

Neither he whom you were his son died, no, nor he

Who did like your father did and strove

لِنَدْبِكَ أحْزَانٌ وسابقُ عَبْرَةِ

أَثَرْنَ دَماً مِنْ دَاخِلِ الجَوْفِ مُنْقَعا

For your elegy there are griefs and outpacing tears

That shed blood from inside the gut that pooled

تَجَرَّعْتُها مِنْ بَعْدِ مَعْنٍ بموته

لأَعْظَم منها ما احْتَسَى وتَجَرَّعَا

I endured them after Ma'n's death more intensely

Than what he endured and drank down

ومِنْ عَجَبٍ أَنْ بِتَّ بالرُّزْءِ ثَاوياً

وبِتُّ بما خَوَّلْتَني مُتَمَتِّعا

And strangely I spent the night in discontent

And I spent happily what you allowed me

ولو أنَّني أَنْصَفْتُكَ الوُدَّ لم أَبِتْ

خِلاَفَكَ حَتَّى نَنْطَوِي في الرَّدَى معا

Had I been just to you in affection, I would not spend

A night unlike you until we are shrouded together in ruin