كُفِّي الدموع وإن كان الفِراقُ غَدَا

فرِحْلتي لتعيشي عيشةً رَغَدَا

Stay your tears though parting be tomorrow

For my journey is that you may live in ease

قالت أَتَرحلُ والمَشْتاةُ قد حَضَرتْ

فقلتُ مِثْليَ في أمثالها انْجَرَدَا

She said, “Will you journey while yearning has come?”

I said, “The like of me is stripped bare in such times”

بُنيَّ قد قعد الدهر الخؤون بنا

وليس مثليَ في أمثاله قَعَدا

O my lady, time has sat in grief with us

And none like me in such times remains seated

قالت أَتَنْتَجِع العباس قلتُ لها

بل الطليقَ مُحيَّاً والجَوادَ يدا

She said, “Will you seek refuge in Al-‘Abbas?” I said to her

“Nay, the gallant alive and the steed still being ridden”

ذاك اسمُه وله معنىً يخالِفُه

إلا إذا هو سيمَ الضَّيم والضَّمَدا

That is his name and it has meaning contrary to it

Save when he is the mark of injustice and bandage

هناك سَمِّيهِ عباساً إذا حَميتْ

منه الحُميَّا وكنِّيهِ إذا رفدا

There call him Al-‘Abbas when the protected

Are protected through him and name him when the afflicted are tended

ما زال لِلْفضلِ بَذَّالا كَكُنيتِهِ

لا يَرحمُ المال حتى يَبلغَ النَّقَدَا

He has not ceased being openhanded as is his appellation

Sparing no wealth till it reaches its utmost

وبالمُعادين صَوَّالا يغادرهمْ

صَرْعى وإن هو لاقَى جَمْعَهم وَحَدا

And unsparing to enemies felling them

As corpses though he face their throng alone

مما تراه لعافيهِ وشانئهِ

يروحُ غَيْثاً ويغدو تارة أسدا

Of that you see of his wellbeing and those hostile to him

He goes a raincloud and at times a lion

كم من أناسٍ رَجَوا مَسْعَاته ركضوا

ثم انثنوا قد وَنَوا واستَبْعدوا الأمدا

How many people hoped for his favors, hastened

Then slackened, lagging having lost hope of term

قالت أليس الفتى القاشيّ قلتُ لها

بل الفتى الواضحُ المحمودُ منتقَدا

She said, “Is not the youth generous?” I said to her

“Nay, the upright youth, praiseworthy and refined”

قالت صَدَقتَ ولكن هذه سمةٌ

مثل المَعاذةِ تَثْنِي عينَ من حسدا

She said, “You speak true, but this is a trait

Like the evil eye, hurting the eye of one who envies”

معاذةُ اللّه ألقاها على رجلٍ

حفظاً له ودفاعاً عنه مُعْتَمدا

May God protect him from it and make it

A shield for him and defense on which he relies

واللَّه حلّاه إياها ليحْمِيَهُ

عيناً تصيب وكفّاً تعقد العُقدا

And that God adorned him with it to protect him

From an eye that hurts and a hand that knots ties

يا من غدا مالُه في الناس مُشتَركاً

ومن توحَّد بالمعروفِ وانفردا

O you whose wealth the people now share

And you who were unique in benevolence and withdrew

ومن تحلّى من الآداب أحسنها

فما يرى أحدٌ في ظَرفِهِ أحدا

And adorned yourself with the best of mannerisms

So none sees the like of you in refinement

أشكو إليك خطوباً قد بَعِلْتُ بها

لم تَتَّركْ سَبَداً عندي ولا لَبَدا

I complain to you of adversities which have hardened me

Leaving me no Lamb nor even skin

بيني وبينَك أسبابٌ أَمُتُّ بها

لو رُمت إحصاءها لم أحْصها عددا

Between you and I are causes to which I cling

Were I to count them I could not number them all

وأنت أذْكَرْتنيها حين أذهلني

دهرٌ أكابدُ منه صاحباً نَكِدا

And you reminded me of them when time confused me

A time whose companion I struggle with bitterly

وقد وَعْدت بفكي من شدائده

وعداً فأنْجَزَ حرُّ القوم ما وعدا

And you promised to relieve me of its woes

A promise the noblest of people fulfilled

إن لا يكن بيننا قُرْبى فآصِرةٌ

للدين يقطع فيها الوالدُ الولدا

If we are not bound by blood then binding faith

For which a father would sever ties with his son

مقالةُ العدل والتوحيد تجمعنا

دون المُضاهين من ثَنَّى ومن جحدا

The words of justice and divine oneness gather us

Beyond the likes of the hypocrite and unbeliever

وبين مُستطرِفَيْ غيٍّ مرافقةٌ

ترعى فكيف اللذان استطرفا رشدا

And between two straying in blindness a fellowship

That guides, so how can two who stray find guidance?

كن عند أخلاقك الزهر التي جُعلت

عليك موقوفةً مقصورةً أبدا

Remain by your virtues that were made

Incumbent on you, restricted for all time

ما عذرُ مُعتزليٍّ مُوسِرٍ مَنَعتْ

كفَّاهُ مُعتزليَّاً مُقتراً صَفدا

What excuse has a capable recluse who forbids

His palm, secluding himself, shackled in fetters?

أيزعمُ القَدرَ المحتومَ ثبّطه

إن قال ذاك فقد حَلّ الذي عقدا

Does he claim ordained fate discouraged him?

If he says that then he has undone what was knotted

أم ليس مستأهِلاً جدواه صاحِبُهُ

أنَّى وما حاد عن قصدٍ ولا عَنَدا

Or is the giver unworthy of his merit?

How, when he swerved not from purpose or aid?

أم ليس يُمْكِنُه ما يرتضيه له

يكفي أخاً من أخٍ ميسورُ ما وَجدا

Or can he not do what he deems right for him,

Sparing a brother what an able brother can spare?

لا عُذرَ فيما يُريني الرأيَ أعلمُهُ

للمرء مثلك أن لا يأتِيَ السدَدَا

I see no excuse for one like you

To not hit the mark of rectitude

قد كنتُ مضطلعاً بالصيْف محتمِلاً

تلك السَّمومَ وطوْراً ذلك الومدا

I used to bear the summer's heat

And those poisons and sometimes the furnace's flames

ولا وربِّك مالي بالشتاء يدٌ

وقد أتاني يسوق الصِّرَّ والجَمدا

By your life I've no hand with winter's cold

And it brought me pulling the chain and fetter

وخلْفَ ظهريَ من لا يرتجي أحداً

سواك للدهر إلا الواحدَ الصمدا

With none behind my back hoping for anyone

But you from fate but the One Eternal

جاء الشتاء ولم يُعْدِدْ أخوك له

يا ابن الأكارم إلا الشمس والرِعَدا

Winter came and your brother counted against it

O son of nobles, only the sun and lightning

أستغفر اللّه من حُوبٍ نطقتُ به

بل أنت لي عُدّةٌ تكفيني العُددا

I seek God's forgiveness for inapt words I uttered

Nay, you are equipment enough to suffice me

فاعطف علينا وألبسْنا معاً كنَفاً

من ريشك الوَحْف تنفي البؤس والصَّردا

So show kindness to us and clothe us both in an encompassing

Feathered mantle that banishes misery and chain

إني أنا المرءُ إن نفَّلتَه نَفَلاً

فلست تعدم منه الشكرَ ما خلدا

Truly I am the man who if you grant him a favor

You will not lack thanks from him everlasting

وإن أثرتَ إلى تقليده عملاً

يُعْيي الرجال بلوْتَ الحزْمَ والجلدا

And if you follow it with emulating a deed

That wearies men, reaching excellence and endurance

لا تحرمن امرءاً ساق الرجاءُ به

وقد تَسلّف من جيرانه الحسدا

Do not deprive a man led to you by hope

When he borrowed envy from his neighbors

وكنتَ قدْماً يرى الراؤون كلُّهُم

رجاء راجيك مالاً حِيزَ مُنتقدا

And you were once seen by all the beholders

Hopeful of your wealth, a boundless domain