يا ناطِقاً كانَ فَصلُ القولِ من خَطَله

وذائقاً كانَ صابُ الدهرِ من عسلِهْ

O you whose eloquence distinguished right speech from error,

And who tasted the sweet and bitter of fate,

ما كنتَ أولَ طلاّبٍ لمُطلبٍ

دهَتْهُ داهيةُ الأيامِ من قِبلِهْ

You were not the first seeker of goals

That the sly days had fooled before accomplishing them.

لا يركننّ إلى الدنيا بمنيته

فتىً يَحوطُ صوابَ الرأي من زلَلِهْ

The youth whose sound opinion hedges folly

Does not lean on the world and its vanities.

يَهوى الخِلافَ فلو قالَ الحِمامُ له

أهْوى النُفوسَ لما سالتْ على أسَلِهْ

He loves dissent - if doves told him

"I love souls," he would not let them rest on their perches.

هذا يؤملُ أمراً ليس يُدرِكُهُ

من دهرِهِ بتمنّيه ولا حِيَلِهْ

This one hopes for something he cannot attain

In his lifetime, despite his wishes and tricks.

وذاكَ يُدركُ أمراً ليس يأمُلُهُ

فما يبلغُ إنساناً إلى أمَلِهْ

While that one attains something he did not hope for,

So man never achieves his every hope.

رَمى بها الغرض الأقْصى فتى نكصت

بيضُ السيوفِ على الأعْقابِ من جَلَلِهْ

The best goal made the blades shine white

On the heels in retreat because of his awe.

تذكّرتْ عهدَه أيامَ ساعدُهُ

أمْضى بهنّ على الأعْناقِ من وَجَلِهْ

The days of his helping reminded me

Of their passing over necks in valor and dread.

فما يلوحُ حياءً حين تُبصِرُهُ

حتى تستّر بالأبطالِ من خَجَلِهْ

When they see him, shame does not appear quickly

Until it hides behind the brave in embarrassment.

لو كنتُ أملِكُ أمراً حُمَّ موقعُهُ

كَفَفْتُ بادرةَ الأقدارِ عن أجَلِهْ

If I had power over events placed by fate,

I would stop the hands of destiny from his death.

أوْ كان يقْنَعُ بي أعداؤهُ بدَلاً

لكنتُ أولَ مشهودٍ على جَمَلِهْ

Or if his enemies accepted me instead,

I would be the first witness to his assets.

قد كانَ لا تأمنُ الظّلْماءُ مبسمَهُ

ويأمنُ الطعنَ في الهيجاءِ من فشَلِهْ

Though his smile did not make the dark dawn safe

And protected the javelin from sharpness and failure,

يَرعى النجومَ بطرفٍ ليسَ يُغْمِضُهُ

حتى كأنّ نجومَ الليلِ من مُقَلِهْ

He watched the stars with an eye he did not close

As if the stars of night came from his eyelids.

يراقبُ الصبحَ منهُ وهو في فَمِهِ

وتخدُمُ المجد فيه وهو من خوَلِهْ

He awaited dawn while it was still in his mouth

And glory served him while he was heedless.

رحِمتُهُ إذْ رأيتُ الكتبَ خاليةً

من مدحهِ وكلامَ الناسِ من مَثَلِهْ

I pitied him when I saw books empty

Of his praise and people's words without his example.

مسافرٌ لا يُرجّى الأهلُ أوبَتَهُ

وذكرُهُ يسألُ الركبانَ عن سُبُلِهْ

A traveler whose family does not expect his return

And whose memory asks travelers about his paths.

حتى إذا خِفتُ أنْ تُنْسى مكارمُهُ

ويُخْمَدُ الثاقبُ الوقادُ من شُعَلِهْ

Until I feared his virtues would be forgotten

And the piercing, kindled wick dimmed.

وسَمْتُهُ بثناءِ ما أردتُ بهِ

إلاّ محافظةَ الراعي على إبِلِهْ

I named him with praise I only intended

To preserve the shepherd over his camels.

يا هلْ تقرُّ المَعالي بعد مصرعِهِ

عيناً وتعمَلُ شيئاً كان من عمَلِهْ

After his death, will his great deeds live

A life, and act as they did before?

أرْثي لها وهي لا تَرثي لعاشقِها

حُبُّ الموارثِ يلهى المرءَ عن خُلَلِهْ

I mourn for virtues that do not mourn their lover;

Love of inheritance distracts one from his slips.

لا هَزْهَزَ المجدُ رمحاً كان يخضِبُهُ

ولا تسربلَ دِرعاً كان من حُلَلِهْ

Glory did not shake a spear he used to redden,

Nor dress in a coat that was his raiment.