أَسائَلُ دَمعي هَل غَدَوتَ مُجيبي
إِذا شِئتَ أَطفى حُرقَتي وَلَهيبي
I ask my tears, have you become my answerers,
If you wish, quench my burning and flames,
وَهَيهاتَ أَن يَقوى عَلى النارِ صيبِ
وَريحُ الرَزايا آذَنَت بِهُبوبِ
Alas, a shower cannot overcome the fire,
And the winds of misery have signaled blowing,
لَئِن بَكَتِ الخَنساءُ صَخراً فَإِنَّهُ
لَقَد باتَ يَبكي الصَخرُ طولَ نَحيبي
If Al-Khansa’ cried for a rock, then it
Has cried all night long to my lament,
يَقولونَ لي صَبراً فَقَد ذُبتُ لَوعَةً
وَما ذوبَ مِثلي في الأَسى بِعَجيبِ
They say to me, patience, for I have melted from agony,
And none like me has melted in sorrow strangely,
أَأَحسَبُ قَلبي مِن حَديدٍ وَإِن يَكُن
فَكَم مِن شَرارٍ لِلحَديدِ مُذيبِ
Do I think my heart is of iron? Even if so,
How many embers melt the iron!
وَقالوا أَلا مَهلاً تَأسَ بِمَن مَضوا
فَلَيسَ مُصابٌ جازِعٌ بِمُصيبِ
And they said, wait, grieve not for those who passed,
For no shaken bereaved is with bereavement,
فَقُلتُ ذَروني وَالأَسى لَيسَ مُغنِياً
كَلامَ خَطيبٍ مَعَ كَلامِ خُطوبِ
So I said, leave me, and sorrow avails not,
The words of a suitor unlike the contract’s words,
أَجَلَّ مَقامي في المَحَبَّةِ وَالوَفا
عَنِ اللَهوِ وَالسَلوانِ بَعدَ حَبيبِ
My stay in love and loyalty abstains
From nonsense and joy after the beloved,
وَرُبَّ مُحِبٍّ باتَ يَسلو حَبيبَهُ
أَلا تِلكَ أَجسامٌ بِغَيرِ قُلوبِ
And how many lovers spend nights entertaining his beloved,
Oh no! Those are bodies without hearts,
أَفي كُلِّ يَومٍ لِلمَنِيَّةِ حادِثٌ
يُسيلُ مِنَ الأَجفانِ كُلَّ صَبيبِ
Is there for death every day an incident,
That makes every shower pour from the eyelids?
تَعَمَّدنا رَيبَ المَنونِ بِضَربَةٍ
أَبى الدَهرُ أَن يَأتي لَها بِضَريبِ
We have intended doubt of death with a strike,
Fate has refused to impose a tax for it,
أُصِبنا بِعَبدِ القادِرِ اليَومَ إِذ غَدَت
تَناطَ بِهِ آمالَ كُلِّ لَبيبِ
We were afflicted today by Abd al-Qadir, when
Hopes of every sensible pinned on him,
هَوى كَوكَباً باتَت لِوَقعِ غُروبِهِ
جَميعَ المَآقي مَترَعاتُ غُروبِ
A star has fallen, and for its setting
All planets became homes of settings,
هَوى كَوكَباً كَالبَدرِ تَمّاً وَإِن غَدا
قَريبُ المَدى مِن مَشرِقٍ لِمَغيبِ
A star has fallen, perfect as the full moon, and if
Its destiny was near to a rising place of setting,
فَقُل أَيُّ وَجدٍ في الجَوانِحِ مَحرِقٌ
عَلى أَيِّ غُصنٍ في التُرابِ رَطيبِ
Say, which burning in the souls is burning,
On which branch in the soil is aroma left?
لَئِن لَم يُجاوِزُ سِتَّ عَشرَةَ حِجَّةً
لَقَد جازَ في الإِدراكِ أَهلُ مَشيبِ
If he did not exceed sixteen years,
He has surpassed the elderly in perception,
قَرَأتُ لَهُ كُتُباً قُبَيلَ نَعِيِّهِ
بِأَمثالِها يَختالُ كُلَّ أَديبِ
I have read books to him before his death notice
Which every literary boasts with its likes,
اَبى نَكَدُ الأَيّامِ إِلّا أَقولُهُ
وَهَل تُؤثِرُ الدُنيا حَياةَ نَجيبِ
The bitterness of days insists I say it -
Does the world prefer the life of a nobleman?
وَكانَ الَّذي لَو عاشَ أَحيا جُدودَهُ
وَأَمسى بِوادي النيلِ كُلَّ خَصيبِ
He who, if lived, would have revived his ancestors
And by the Nile valley every fertile land,
عَزيزٌ نَماهُ عَرشُ مِصرَ وَقَد قَضى
مَنِيَّةً ناءَ في البِلادِ غَريبِ
A dear whom the throne of Egypt nurtured, and he met
An unexpected death in the countries,
مِنَ العَلَويينَ الأَعاظِمَ فَضَلَّهُم
عَلى كُلِّ قاصٍ عَنهُم وَقَريبِ
Of the greatest Alawites, their superiority
To every relative or stranger to them,
يُرجيهِمُ الإِسلامُ في كُلِّ مَأزِقٍ
وَفي كُلِّ يَومٍ لِلزَمانِ عَصيبِ
Islam hopes in them in every dilemma
And in every day for time there is hardship,
قَضى العَدلُ أَنّا في الكَوارِثِ كُلِّها
نُشاطِرُ مِن أَحزانِهِم بِنَصيبِ
Justice rules: we in all catastrophes
Share a portion of their sorrows,
سَأَلتُ لَهُم طولض البَقاءِ وَسيلَةً
لِنُصرَةِ أَقوامٍ لَهُم وَشُعوبِ
I have asked for their longevity an avenue
To save a people for them and nations,
وَرِفعَةَ أَوطانٍ وَعِزَّةِ مِلَّةٍ
وَكَبَت عدو كاشِحٍ وَرَقيبِ
And the elevation of homelands and glory of a faith,
And suppressing a defiant spying enemy.
