خُطوبٌ تَجورُ ولا تَعدُلُ

وليسَ لنا دونَها مَوئِلُ

Troubles pass by and do not settle,

And we have no refuge but them.

فَلا نحنُ نَغفُلُ عن ذَمِّها

ولا هيَ عن ضَيمِنا تَغفُلُ

Neither do we neglect their blame,

Nor do they neglect our oppression.

أبَا الحَسَنِ اختَرَمَتك المنونُ

وكانت بمثلِك لا تَحفِلُ

O Abu Al-Hasan, death has disputed you,

And it did not care for your like.

وكيفَ تَخَطَّت إليك الورَى

وأنتَ حَضِيضُهمُ الأسفَلُ

How did it advance upon you,

While you are their lowest valley?

تذكَّرتُ إذ أنتَ سِترٌ لَنا

وإذ نحنُ حِصنُك والمعقَلُ

I remembered when you were a shelter for us,

And we were your fortress and stronghold.

وإذ لكَ من قَصَبٍ أسهُمٌ

طِوالٌ ومن خَشَبٍ مُنصُلُ

When you had arrows,

Long and wooden tipped.

وإذ أنتَ في القُرِّ لا تَصطلي

نَشاطاً وفي الحَرِّ لا تَفْشَلُ

And when in the heat you did not become enfeebled,

Nor in the cold become weakened.

تُباكِرُ مُطَّرَداً مَتُنه

نقيّاً كما اضطربَ الجَدولُ

You go straight on continuously,

Pure as the disturbed stream.

ومِن فوقِ رأسِك غِرِّيدةٌ

صَدُوحٌ كما صَدَحَ البُلبُلُ

And above your head a melodious call,

Loud as the warbling of the bulbul.

ويُمناك تَبْعَثُ في سُرْعةٍ

رَسولاً بيُسراك يُستَقبلُ

Your right hand you send swiftly

A messenger, and your left hand receives him.

ورِجلاك تَصعَدُ إحداهما

فَواقاً وإحداهما تَنزِلُ

Your legs, one climbs up

High, and one descends down.

كأنَّكَ لم تَطوِ مَنشورةً

على أرضِ بَيتك تُستَعملُ

As if you never folded the banner,

In your home's land to be used.

ولم ترثِ للشَّيخِ لمَّا مضَى

يَراعاً تُناطُ بهِ الأَحبُلُ

And did not inherit, when the elder passed away,

Sheep to be tied with ropes.

ومرهفةٍ حدُّها في الوغَى

كَهَامٌ وحاملُها أعزَلُ

And a polished sword, its edge in war

Like a crescent, and its bearer most valiant.

تُهانُ إذا صِينَ أَشباهُها

فلَيسَت تُصانُ ولا تُصقَلُ

It is disgraced if made like its likes,

For it is not to be preserved or polished.

فطالَ النَّديمُ ولو يَستطِيعُ

بكَى الوَردُ والدَّنُ والمِبذَلُ

The cupbearer had his fill, and if he could

The roses, the pots, and the poured out would weep.

وكُنتَ تُشاهِدُه فاعلاً

غَداةَ الصَّبوحِ كما يَفعَلُ

And you used to see him working

In the morning as he does.

أقولُ ونَعْشُكَ فَوقَ الرِّقابِ

بمثلِك يَحتَفِلُ المَحْفِلُ

I say, and your bier above the necks

As the likes of you the assembly honors.

تَمَلَّ الجديدَ الذي شِنتَه

فمازِلتَ في خَلَقٍ تَرفُلُ

You have filled the new clothes you wore,

So you still walk about proudly.

وجادَت ثَراكَ على بُخلِ من

يَحِلُّ به ديمةٌ تَهطِلُ

And your wealth poured forth to one who

Dawns upon him a rain that flows.

فإنَّك مِن معشرٍ فضلًهم

قديمٌ وإيمانًهم أوَّلُ

For you are from a people whose nobility

Is old, and their faith is first.

لَهم بالصناعةِ لا بِالصَّنِي

عِ سِترٌ على غيرهِم مُسْبَلُ

They have, by craft, not lineage,

A shelter over others spread out.