أتانِيَ والأخبارُ سُقْمٌ وصِحَّةٌ

نبا خَبَرٍ مُرٍّ أصمَّ وأسمعَا

News came to me, of health and illness intertwined,

Reporting bitter news - I was deafened and made to hear.

فإن كان حقّاً ما يُقالُ فقد هَوَتْ

نُجومُ المعالي وانقضَى العِزُّ أجمعَا

If what they say be true, the stars of glory fell down,

And all honor fell to ruin, none was spared.

تهاوتْ عُروشُ المجدِ فيه وثُلِّمَتْ

وأضحتْ رِكابُ الجُودِ حسرَى وظُلَّعا

The thrones of glory therein fell down and were torn,

The mounts of generosity became regret and were blemished.

فيا آلَ فضلِ اللّه هَلّا وقَتْكُمُ

أياديكُمُ صَرْفَ الزمانِ المُفَجِّعا

O House of God’s Bounty, why didn’t your hands,

Turn away the agonizing times?

أما لكُمُ في آلِ برمَكَ أُسوةٌ

أناخَ بهم رَيْبُ الزمان فجعجَعَا

Don’t you have, in the House of Barmak, an example -

Time anchored itself to them, shrieking loudly?

على أنّكم لم تُنكبوا في نفوسكُمْ

وجنبكُمُ ما مسَّ لامسَّ مصرعا

Yet you did not break down inside yourselves,

And your flanks were spared that which kills its toucher.

أرى بعدَكم طرفَ المكارم خاشعاً

وخَدَّ المعالي أربدَ اللونِ أضرعَا

I see, after you, the glance of bounties humbled,

And the cheek of glories, pallid and tearful.

وقد قصُرْت أيدي المكارمِ بعدَكُمْ

وكنتمْ لها بُوعاً طِوالاً وأذرُعَا

After you, the hands of bounty were shortened,

You were springs of generosity, long-armed.

تجمَّلتِ الدُنيا بكم وتعطَّلتْ

وصوَّح منكم روضُها حين أُمْرِعَا

The world adorned itself with you and fell idle -

Its meadows flourished when you watered it.

ولو أنصفتْ حامتْ عليكم ودافعتْ

قِراعَ الليالي عنكُمُ ما تدفَّعَا

If it were just, it would have protected you, and defended

You from the blows of nights - but it did not defend.

ولكنهُ دهرٌ يُضَيِّعُ ما وعَى

وينقضُ ما أوعَى ويهمِلُ ما رَعَى

Rather, it is a fate that loses what it comprehends,

Annuls what it comprehended, and neglects what it tended.

وما هو إِلّا مثلُ قاطعِ كِفِّهِ

بكفٍّ لهُ أخرَى فأصبحَ أقطعَا

It is but like one who cuts his palm

With another palm, thus becoming handless.

لأترعتُمُ الدنيا ندَىً فأفضتُمُ

صنائعَ غُرَّاً لم يصادِفْنَ مصنعَا

You watered the world with dew, and it overflowed

With works of virtues that met no artisan.

وخلَّفْتُمُ في الناسِ آثارَ عُرْفِكُمْ

فصارتْ كمجرَى السيلِ أصبحَ مَرْتَعَا

You left, among people, traces of your noble ways,

Which became like a torrent’s course - a pasture by morning.

وغادرتُمُ في جانبِ المجدِ ثلمةً

وخَرْقاً يدومُ لا يصادفُ مَرْقَعَا

On the side of glory, you left an unmended tear,

A breach that endures, meeting no mender.

وقد زادَ طِيباً ذِكركُم مُذْ مُحِنْتُمُ

كذا العودُ إِن مَسَّتْهُ نارٌ تضَوَّعَا

Since you were tested, the fragrance of your mention increased -

Just like aloes wood when fire makes it smoke.