قولوا لنجم الدين بل بدرِه

بل صبحِه الزاهرِ بل شمسِهِ

Tell Najm al-Din, his full moon,

Rather his radiant dawn, rather his sun,

من مالِه يضعفُ عن جُودِه

وجودِه يضعفُ عن نفسِهِ

He whose generosity surpasses his wealth,

While his existence surpasses his soul.

ماذا ترى في مدنفٍ يومُه

يَزيدُ أضعافاً على أمسِه

What do you see of one whose day

Increases manifolds over his yesterday?

أسقَمَهُ الله فما فيهِما

صحّ من السُقْمِ سوى ضِرْسِهِ

May God make him ill, so that neither

Will heal from the illness except his molar.

لم يُبْقِ فرّوجاً حكى جسمُه

تصحيفَهُ للعينِ معْ عكسِه

His body did not spare a chicken,

Misspelling to the eye alongside its opposite.

ولا نُقوعاً بعضُه ناقعٌ

لغلّةِ الظمآنِ من خمسِه

Nor cutlets, some of which are sagging

From the throat’s thirst from his fifth.

ولا شراباً كادَ من طيبِه

أن يُخْرجَ الميّتَ من رَمْسِه

Nor a drink, which almost took out

The dead from his burial from its scent.

ولا دهاناً لو يعاني به الص

خْرُ للانَ الصخرُ في مسِّهِ

Nor an ointment, which if the youngster uses

The rock in his path would be soft to touch.

وبعد هذا هو في حِسّه

يختلفُ الحالُ وفي جَسّهِ

And after this he is in his consciousness

Differing situations and also in his body.

فتارة يُطْلَقُ تسريحُه

وتارة يُوثَقُ في حَبسِه

Sometimes his relief comes swiftly

And sometimes he is imprisoned in captivity

مسٌّ من الدهرِ فهل ذو ندًى

يَشفيهِ بالإحسانِ من مسّهِ

A harm from fate, is there someone with bounty

Who can cure it with kindness from its touch?