أَلا قُل لِمَن في الدُجى لَم يَنَم

طِلابَ المَعالي سَميرَ الأَلَم

Oh say to those awake in the dark night

Seekers of high aspirations, enduring pain

وَمَن أَرَقتَهُ دَواعي الهَوى

فَدونَ الَّذي أَرَقتَهُ الحَكَم

And those kept awake by passions of love

Below those kept awake by wisdom

فَكَم في الزَوايا تَخبا فَتى

طَريدَ الكِتابِ شِريدِ القَلَم

So many youths hide in corners

Wandering, estranged from books and pens

يَرى الأَرضَ ضيقاً كَشَقِّ اليَراعِ

وَيَهوي عَلى ذا الوُجودِ العَدَم

Seeing the world as narrow as a tear in a cloak

And desiring nonexistence over existence

وَكَم ذا بِجَسرَينِ مِن لَيلَةٍ

عَلى مِثلِ جَمرِ الغَضا في الضَرَم

And so many on two bridges in one night

Like embers on glowing coal in the hearth

تَمَنّى الأَديبُ بِها نَدحَةً

وَلوباتٍ يَرعى هُناكَ الغَنَم

The writer wishes for a hut there

And sheep he would herd and milk

وَكَم سَرَوةَ تَحتَ جُنحِ الظَلامِ

كَسَرَ بِصَدرِ الأَديبِ اِنكَتَم

So many cypresses under the wings of darkness

Broke the writers heart as they swayed

يَخافُ بِها حَرَكاتُ الغُصونِ

وَيَخشى النَسيمُ إِذا ما نَسَم

He fears the movements of their branches

And is wary of the breeze if it blows

وَإِن تَشدُ وَرقاءَ في أَيكَةٍ

تُؤَرِّقهُ في صَوتِها وَالنَغَم

And if their leaves rustle in a thicket

Disturbing him with their sound and melody

وَكَم باتَ لِلنَجمِ يَرعى إِذا

أُديمَ السَما بِالنُجومِ اِتَّسَم

And so many spent the night herding stars

When the horizon filled with stars

وَطالَ بِهِ اللَيلُ حَتّى غَدا

يَظُنُّ عَمودَ الصَباحِ اِنحَطَم

And the night stretched on until dawn broke

And he thought the pillar of daylight had crumbled

وَمِن ذُعرِهِ خالَ إِنَّ النُجومَ

لَتَهدي إِلى مِسكِهِ عَن أُمَم

In his anxiety he imagined the stars

Were guiding down toward his musk scent

إِذا ما السِماكُ بَدا رامِحاً

تَوَهَّمَهُ نَحوَهُ قَد هَجَم

Whenever Gemini rose threatening

He imagined it was attacking him

وَلَولا الدُجى لَم يَتِمَّ النَجا

وَقَد أَمكَنَ الظُلمُ لَولا الظُلَم

And without the dark, no salvation comes

When darkness made it possible, not light

وَلِلَهِ دَرُّ القَرى إِذ خَفَتهُ

فَما بِالسُهولَةِ يَخفى العَلَم

By God’s grace the villages hid him

For nothing easily hides from knowledge

فَجِسرَينِ زَبدينَ وَالأَشعَري

دِيارٌ بِها قَد أَوى وَاِعتَصَم

So two crude bridges and Ashar

Are places where he sheltered and took refuge

وَنَحوَ المَليحَةِ رامَ الخَفا

وَكَم بِالمَليحَةِ مِن مُتَّهَم

And he headed towards Malihah

So many accused in Malihah

دِيارَ أَبي أَهلَها غَدرَهُ

وَآواهُ مِنها الوَفا وَالكَرَم

The home of his father whose people betrayed him

And who were given refuge and generosity

وَلا شَكَّ رَقوا لِأَحوالِهِ

طَريداً يُعاني الجَوى وَالسَقَم

No doubt they pitied his state

An outcast suffering illness and pain

لَيالي كانونَ في الأَربَعينَ

وَبَردُ العَشِيّاتِ أَغلى الفَحَم

The December nights in their forties

And the cold nights more precious than coal

بِأَرضِ ثَراها سَماءَ وَماءِ

فَفَوقي السَواقي وَتَحتَ الدِيَم

On land whose soil was sky and water

With canals above me and the river below

يَجولُ وَقَد صارَ مِثلَ الخَيالِ

وَدَقَّ فَلَو لاحَ لَم يَقتَحِم

He wanders having become like a specter

Thin, that if he appeared, none would collide

وَفَوقَ الخُدودِ كَلَونِ البِهارِ

وَتَحتَ المَآقي كَلَونِ العَنَم

With ruddy cheeks like citrus color

And dark skin like grapes

وَفي كُلِّ يَومٍ في كَبسِهِم وَبَحثِ

وَإِنّى تَوَلّى وَأَينَ اِنهَزَم

And everyday in their search and quest

He turns away and where does he flee

وَقَد كانَ في كَبسِهِم بَيتِهِ

بِجَلقٍ قالٌ وَقيلٌ عَمَم

And their search brought them to his home

In Jilq gossip spread far and wide

فَكانَت عَلى كُتبِهِ غارَةً

كَغاراتِ عُربِ الصَفا بِالنِعَم

And so they raided his books

Like raids of Arabs at dawn on livestock

وَقالوا سَيَنفي إِلى رَودَسِ

وَقالوا سَيَجزي بِما قَد جَرَم

And they said he will flee to Rhodes

And said he will pay for his crimes

وَقالوا سَيَحمِلُهُ أَدَهَمَ

بِمَرقاهُ لا تَستَريحُ القَدَم

And said Adham will take him

On his ship where feet find no rest

وَبَعضٌ بِسِجنٍ عَلَيهِ قَضى

وَبَعضٌ بِضَربٍ عَلَيهِ حَكَم

And some ruled prison for him

While others verdicted flogging for him

وَكُردُ عَلِيٍّد غَداً عَبرَةً

فَغايَ وَمِنهُ الرَجاءُ اِنصَرَم

And the Kurd Ali Daw became a lesson

So assist him from whom hope has fled

فيا كُردُ لا تُحزِنَنكَ الخُطوبُ

فَإِنَّ الهُمومَ بِقَدرِ الهِمَم

Oh Kurds, do not let misfortunes grieve you

For worries match the pride of men

وَمَن رامَ إِن يَتَعاطى البَيا

نَ تَوَقَّعَ إِن يُبتَلى بِالنَقَم

And he who dares gain glory

Should expect to be tested with vengeance

فَذي حَرفَةِ القَولِ حَريفَةً

وَكَم أَدرَكتُ مِن لَبيبٍ وَكَم

The craft of words is a perilous one

And how many wise ones have I known

وَكَم كَتبَةً أَعقَبَت نَكبَةً

وَكَم مِن كَلامٍ لِقَلبٍ كَلَم

And how many writers met calamity

And how many words split open hearts

وَمَن بِالكِتابَةِ أَبدى هَوىً

فَإِنَّ الكَآبَةَ مِنهُ القَسَم

And he who expressed passion through writing

Then misery for him is inevitable

فَيا كُردُ صَبراً عَلى مِحنَةٍ

فَكَم مِحنَةٍ شيبَت مِن لِمَم

So, Kurd, patience in suffering

For so many misfortunes turn hair gray

وَصَبراً عَلى وَرَقاتٍ لَها

عُيونَ المَعاني يُبكينَ دَم

And patience over papers

Whose eyes of meaning weep blood

وَواهاً لِباقاتٍ زَهَرَ غَدَوتَ

لَها جامِعاً يا أَخي مِن قَدَم

Alas for flowers that bloomed at dawn

And are collected by a Gatherer ancient of days

أَزاهِرَ تُسهِرُ في جَمعِها

فَلا غَروَ أَن فاحَ عُرفٌ فَنَم

Flowers that stay up through the night gathering

No wonder their fragrance wafts and sleeps

وَما نَمَّ الأَبَنشَرُ ذَكي

وَطيبَ يَفوقُ عَرارَ الأَكَم

Nothing smells finer than fresh balsam

Finer than sweet smelling pale myrtle

فَقولوا لِواشٍ بِكُردِ عَلِيٍّ

نَشَرتُ الثَنا حينَ حاوَلتُ ذَم

Say to the fault finders against Kurd Ali

I praised him when I tried to blame him

فَما كانَ كُردُ سِوى صادِقٍ

لِدَولَتِهِ طالَما قَد خَدَم

For Kurd was nothing but truthful

To his nation whom he long served

وضما وَجَدوا عِندَهُ ريبَةً

تَعدُ وَلَو في صِغارِ اللِمَم

And if they found any doubt in him

It would not reach even petty faults

فَهَل يُطفِئونَ بِأَفواهِهِم

مِنَ النورِ ما قَد رَآهُ الأُمَم

Can they extinguish with their mouths

Light that nations have seen

وَما دامَ ناظِمٌ في شامِنا

فَما نُستَضامُ وَلا نَهتَضِم

As long as there is a poet in our Syria

We will not be wronged or destroyed

وَلَولا العِنايَةَ مِن ناظِمٍ

لَما كانَ شَملٌ لَنا مُنتَظَم

And if not for the care of a poet

We would have no established order

وَقانا دَسائِسَ أَهلَ النِفا

قِ وَردُ الوُشاةِ وَجَلى الغِمَم

He defended us from the guile of slanderers

Repelled the attacks of fault finders and cleared the clouds

وَقَد أَضحَتِ الشامُ في عَهدِهِ

يُصَوِّبُ عَلَيها عِهادُ النِعَم

And Syria in his time

Became straightened by blessings

وَباتَت مِنَ الزورِ في مَأمَنٍ

وَحَقَّ الأَمانِ بِبابِ الحَرَم

And was safe from falsehood

As sanctity spread through the Sacred House