بِرَغمِ المَعالي فارَق الدَستَ صاحِبُه
وَثُلَّت عُروشُ المَجدِ وِانهدَّ جانِبُه
Much to the grief of Glory, its master has parted from the throne,
And the pillars of honor are toppled, their foundations collapsed.
وَأَضحَت بَنو الآمالِ سُهماً وُجوهُها
تُقَلِّبُ طَرفاً خاشِعاً ذلَّ حاجِبُه
The faces of those who held hope have turned gaunt and pale,
Casting about a submissive gaze, with humbled brows lowered,
تَقولُ إِلى مَن نَطلُبُ العُرفَ بَعدَما
عَلى قاسِمِ المَعروفِ بُنيَت نَصائِبُه
Asking: "From whom shall we seek benevolence, now that
Headstones have been raised over Qasim, the distributor of kindness?"
مَضى كافِلُ الأَيتامِ في كُلِّ شَتوَةٍ
وَمَوئِلُ مَن ضاقَت عَليهِ مَذاهِبُه
The guardian of orphans in every harsh winter has passed away,
The sanctuary for him whose paths had narrowed and closed.
أَقولُ لِناعيهِ إِلَيَّ مُجاوِباً
بِفيكَ الثَرى لَم تَدرِ مَن أَنتَ نادِبُه
I say to the one bearing news of his death, replying:
"May your mouth be filled with dust! You know not whom you lament."
نَعَيتَ امرَأً لِلبِرِّ وَالدينِ سَعيُهُ
وَلِلجودِ وَالمَعروفِ ما هوَ كاسِبُه
"You have announced the death of a man whose labors were for righteousness and faith,
"And whose earnings were solely for the sake of generosity and benevolence."
فَيا قاسِمُ المَعروفُ لِلبَاسِ وَالنَدى
وَلِلخَصمِ مُستَطّاً عَلى مَن يُطالِبُه
O Qasim, famed for both martial might and dew-like generosity,
And for overwhelming the adversary who dares to challenge him.
وَيا قاسِمُ المَعروفُ لِلطّارِقِ الذي
مِنَ الزادِ قد أَصبَحنَ صُفراً حقائِبُه
O Qasim, known to the night-traveler whose saddlebags
Have become completely empty of all provisions.
وَيا قاسِمُ المَعروفُ لِلمُلتَجي الذي
تَحاماهُ مِن عِظمِ الجِنايَةِ صاحِبُه
O Qasim, known to the refugee whom even his own companion
Shunned due to the magnitude of his alleged crime.
وَلِلمُرهَقِ المَكروبِ يُفرِخُ رَوعُهُ
إِذا أَسلَمَتهُ لِلخُطوبِ أَقارِبُه
And for the distressed soul, whose panic he soothes
When his own kin have surrendered him to misfortunes.
وَلِلجَحفَلِ الجَرّارِ يَهدي رَعيلُهُ
إِلى كُلِّ جَبّارٍ أَبِيٍّ يُشاغِبُه
And for the sweeping army, whose vanguard he guides
Against every obstinate tyrant who stirs up strife.
هوَ المانِعُ الخصمَ الأَلَدَّ مَرامَهُ
وَإن رامَ مِنهُ مُعضِلاً فَهوَ سالِبُه
He denies the fiercest adversary his aim,
And should the foe seek a difficult prize, he strips it away.
فَقُل لِلجِيادِ المُشمَعِلّاتِ لاحَها
تَجاوُزُ غيطانِ الفَلا وَسَباسِبُه
Tell the swift, lean horses, worn thin by
Crossing the desert valleys and its barren plains:
عَلى قاسِمٍ فَاِبكي طَويلاً فَإنَّهُ
فَتاك إِذا ما اِستَخشَنَ اسَرجَ راكِبُه
"Weep long for Qasim, for he was indeed
Your true master, when the rider found the saddle rough."
إِذا ما رَمى المَرمى البَعيدَ ذَرَعنَهُ
بهِ ناجِياتٌ زامَلَتها شَوازِبُه
When he aimed for a distant goal, they measured the miles,
Carried by swift she-camels accompanied by lean steeds.
جَحافِلُ سَهَّلنَ الرَوابي فَأَصبَحَت
سَباسِبَ مِمّا بَعثَرَتها كَتائِبُه
Battalions that trampled the hills until they became
Like flat plains, scattered by his squadrons.
إِذ نُشِرَت أَعلامُهُنَّ تحدَّبَت
بِأَرجائِها صيدُ المُلوكِ تُراقِبُه
When their banners were unfurled, the proud kings
Hunched in their corners, watching him with dread.
فَما مَشرِقٌ إِلّا لهُ فيهِ وَقعَةٌ
وَلا مَغرِبٌ إِلّا أَرَنَّت نَوادِبُه
There is no East where he has not struck a blow,
Nor a West but that its mourners have wailed aloud.
أَقولُ لِقَلبي حينَ جَدَّ بهِ الأَسى
وَلِلجَفنِ لمّا قَرَّحتهُ سَواكِبُه
I say to my heart when sorrow presses hard upon it,
And to my eyelid, wounded by flowing tears:
تَعَزَّ بما عَزَّيتَ غَيركَ إِنَّهُ
طَويلُ أَسىً مَن أُودِعَ اللَحدَ غائِبُه
"Find solace in what you offered others; for indeed,
His grief is long whose beloved is laid in the niche of the grave."
هوَ الدَهرُ يَستَدعي الفَناءَ بَقاؤُهُ
وَتَستَصغِرُ الخَطبَ العَظيمَ مَصائِبُه
It is Fate: its very duration summons annihilation,
And its calamities make great disasters seem small.
لهُ عَثرَةٌ بِالمَرءِ لا يَستَقيلُها
إِذا ما أُنيخَت لِلرَحيلِ رَكائِبِهُ
It trips a man with a stumble from which he cannot rise,
Once the mounts are made to kneel for the final departure.
اَباحَ حِمى كِسرى بنِ ساسانَ صَرفُهُ
فَلم تَستَطِع عَنهُ الدِفاعَ مَرازِبُه
Its shifting tides violated the sanctuary of Kisra son of Sasan,
And his satraps were powerless to defend him.
وَكَرَّ عَلى أَبناءِ جَفنَةَ كَرَّةً
سَقاهُم بها كَأساً ذُعافاً مَشارِبُه
And it charged against the sons of Jafna with an assault,
Giving them a cup of instant poison to drink.
وَأَعظَمُ من هذا وَذاكَ مُصيبَةٌ
قَضى النَحبَ فيها المُصطَفى وَأَقارِبه
Yet greater than all these in calamity,
Was the passing of the Chosen One and his kin.
همُ الأُسوَةُ العُظمى لمَن ذاقَ غُصَّةً
من الدَهرِ أو من أَجرَضَتهُ نَوائِبُه
They are the supreme example for anyone choking on grief
From the turns of Time, or one stifled by misfortunes.
بَني قاسمِ إن كان أَودَعتُمُ الثَرى
أَباً طَرَّزَت بُردَ المَعالي مَناقِبُه
O sons of Qasim, though you have committed to the earth
A father whose virtues embroidered the cloak of glory,
فَخَلّوا الهُوَينَي وَاِجعَلوا الرَأيَ واحداً
فَيَخشاكُمُ نائي البِلادِ وَصاقِبُه
Cast aside lethargy and unite your counsel,
That both the distant lands and the near may fear you.
وَأَلقوا مَقاليدَ الأُمورِ لِماجدٍ
أَخي ثِقَةٍ قد أَحكَمَتهُ تَجارِبُه
And entrust the reins of affairs to a noble leader,
Trustworthy and refined by the wisdom of experience.
بَعيدِ المَدى لا يُدركُ النَبثُ غَورَهُ
أَبيٍّ على الأَعداءِ محضٍ ضَرائِبه
Of far-reaching vision—whose depths no excavation can fathom,
Unyielding to enemies, and pure in his nature.
أَبا حمدٍ لولاكَ كان مُصابهُ
على الناس لَيلاً لا تَجلّى غياهِبُه
O Abu Hamad, were it not for you, his loss would be
Upon the people a night whose darkness never lifts.
سَقى اللَهُ قَبراً ضمَّ أَعظمَ قاسمٍ
من العَفوِ شُؤبوبٌ رَواءٌ سَحائِبُه
May God water the grave that holds Qasim's bones
With a quenching downpour from the clouds of pardon.
وَثنِّ إلهي بِالصَلاةِ على الذي
سمَت في مَقاماتِ الكمالِ مَراتِبُه
And follow this, my God, with blessings upon him whose rank
Has ascended the highest stations of perfection,
كَذا الآلِ وَالأَصحابِ ما ناحَ طائِرٌ
بِأَفنانِ دوحٍ تَستَميلُ ذَوائِبُه
And likewise upon his Family and Companions, as long as a bird sings
On the branches of a tree whose boughs sway in the wind.
