إن المنِيَّةَ لا تُبْقي على أحَدِ
ولا تهابُ أخا عزٍّ ولا حَشَدِ
Death spares no one,
It fears not a dear brother nor crowds.
هذا الأميرُ أَتَتْهُ وهْو في كَنَفٍ
كاللَّيْل من عُدَدٍ ما شئْتَ أو عَدَدِ
This prince, it came to him while he was protected
Like the night - choose whatever number you wish.
من كلِّ مُسْتَعْذِبٍ لِلْموتِ دَيْدَنُهُ
بَزُّ الكُماة ولُبْسُ البيض والزَّرَدِ
For all who seek refuge from death, it is their abode
The mail coat, the white garments and the necklaces are futile.
مُعْتَادَةٌ قَنَصَ الأبْطال شِكَّتُهُ
يرى الطِّرادَ غداة الرَّوعِ كالطَّرَدِ
It is accustomed to hunting heroes in their forts
It sees the fleeing in the morn as prey.
كأّنه اللَّيْث لا تَثْنِي عَزيمَتَهُ
إلّا عَزِيمتُهُ أو جُرْعةُ النَّفَدِ
It is as if it is the lion whose determination
None can bend except its own determination or a dose of poison.
ولم تزلْ طوْعَ كَفَّيْهِ يُصَرِّفُها
بين الأنام ولا تعْصِيه في أَحَدِ
And it did not cease being obedient to his hands
As he directed it among people and none disobeyed him.
حتى أتاه رسولُ الموت يُؤْذِنُهُ
أن البقاء لوَجْه الواحِد الصَّمَد
Until the messenger of death came to notify him
That remaining is for the One, the Eternal.
للَّه من هالِكٍ وافَى الحِمامُ بِهِ
أُخرَى الحياةِ وأخْرَى المجدِ في أمدِ
To God belongs all that perishes, and the bath fulfilled its duty,
The last of life and the last of glory in its appointed time.
كم مُقْلَةٍ بعدَه عَبْرَى مُؤَرَّقَةٍ
كأَنما كُحِلَتْ سَمَّاً على رمدِ
How many tearful eyes have since cried for him -
As if kohl was applied upon inflamed eyes.
جادتْ عليه فأغْنَتْ أن يُقال لها
يا عيْنُ جُودِي بدَمْعٍ منك مُطَّردِ
They overflowed with tears for him so I need not tell them:
"My eyes, be generous with flowing tears!"
إنْ لا يكن ظُفُرُ الهَيْجَا مَنِيَّتَهُ
فأَكْرَمُ النَّبْتِ يَذْوِي غير مُحْتَصَدِ
If triumph does not immortalize the excitement of valor,
Then the best of plants will wither though unharvested.
أما ترى الغَرْسَ لا تَذْوي كَرائمُهُ
إلا على سُوقِها في سائر الأبدِ
Do you not see choice saplings only wither
On their trunks throughout all time?
لِمِيتةِ السِّيْفِ قَوْمٌ يشْرُفُونَ بها
لَيْسوا من المجْدِ في غاياتِه البُعَدِ
There are those who take pride in the death of swords -
They are not of glory in its furthest goals.
عزُّ الحياة وعزُّ الموْت ما اجْتَمعا
أسْنَى وأَبْنَى لِبَيْت العِزِّ ذي العُمُدِ
The honor of life and honor of death never combined
More harmoniously, more constructively than in this house with pillars.
مَوْتُ السَّلامة للإنسان نَعْلَمُهُ
وإنَّما القِتْلةُ الشَّنْعاءُ للأَسَدِ
We know the death of peace for man
While murderous, atrocious killing is for the lion.
لم يُعْمِل السَّيْفَ ظُلماً في ضَرائبه
فلم يُسَلَّطْ عليه سيفُ ذي قَوَدِ
The sword did not tyrannize in its taxes
So the sword of requital was not drawn against it.
لا تَبْعَدَنَّ أبا العباس من مَلِكٍ
وإنْ نأيْتَ وإن أصْبحتَ في البَعَدِ
Do not distance Abu Al-'Abbas from a kingdom
Even if you become distant and remote.
غادَرْتَ حوْضَ المنايا إذْ شَربْتَ بِهِ
عذْبَ المذاق كذوب الشَّهْد بالبَردِ
You left the basin of demise after drinking from it
The sweetest taste - though poisoned by ice.
وإنَّ فَضْلَةَ كأْسٍ أنتَ مُفْضِلُها
لَذاتُ بَرْدٍ على الأحْشَاء والكَبدِ
The surplus of a cup which you graced
Is a sweet coldness in the intestines and liver.
ما متَّ بل مات أهلُ الأرْض كلُّهمُ
إذ بنتَ منْهم وكنت الروح في الجسدِ
None died, but the people of earth died entirely
When you were made from them and were spirit in flesh.
فأنت أولى وإن أصْبحت في جَدَثٍ
بأن تُعَزَّى بأهل الوَعْث والجَدَدِ
So you are most deserving even if interred
To be consoled with heirs of moths and worms.
كم من مصائبَ كان الدهرُ أخْلَقَها
أضحى بك النَّاسُ في أثوابها الجُدُدِ
How many calamities fate had woven
Whose new clothes the people donned!
من بين باكٍ له عينٌ تساعده
وبين آخر مَطْويٍّ على كمدِ
Some weep with eyes to assist them
While others are folded into graves.
فَعَبْرَةٌ في حُدُور لا رُقُوء لها
وزفْرةٌ تملأ الأحْشاء في صَعَدِ
Sorrow in hearts that have no comfort
And groans filling breasts and lungs.
سوَّيْتَ في الحُزْن بين العالَمينَ كما
سوَّيْتَ بينهُم في العيشَة الرَّغَدِ
You equated the two worlds in mourning
As you equated them in prosperous life.
بثَثْتَ شَجْوَكَ فيهم إذ فُقدْتَ كما
بثثت رفْدَكَ فيهم غَيْر مُفْتَقَدِ
You spread your agony among them when you were missed
As you spread your bounty without being sought.
عَدْلا حياةٍ وموْتٍ منْك لو وُزِنا
هَذَا بهذَاك لم يَنْقُصْ ولم يَزدِ
The justice of a lifetime and death from you - if weighed
This by that - would not decrease nor increase.
قدْ كنتَ أَنْسَيْتَهُمْ أن يذْكُروا حَزَناً
فَاليوم ينْسَوْن ذكْرَ الصبْر والجلدِ
You made them forget remembering sadness
Today they forget patience and composure.
نَكَأْتَ منهم كُلُوماً كان يَكلِمُها
رَيْبُ الزمان فتأسوها بخَيْرِ يَدِ
You licked their wounds which time had wounded
So they saddened them with the best care.
عجبتُ للأرض لم تَرْجُفْ جوانبُها
وللجبال الرَّواسِي كيْفَ لمْ تَمِدِ
I wonder that the earth did not quake
And the mountains, that their bedrocks did not extend.
عجِبتُ للشمس لم تُكْسَفْ لمهْلِكِهِ
وهْوَ الضِّياء الذي لولاه لم تَقِدِ
I wonder that the sun was not eclipsed for its destroyer -
He being the light but for whom it would not glow.
هَلّا وَفَتْ كوفاء البدر فادَّرَعَتْ
ثوبَ الكُسُوف فلم تُشْرقْ على بلدِ
Why did the full moons not don
The garb of eclipse, thereby not shining on a country?
لا ظُلْمَ لَوْ شَاهَدَتْ من حال مَصْرَعه
ما شاهَدَ البدرُ لم تشرق ولم تَكَدِ
No injustice if, witnessing his manner of death,
It had not witnessed what the moon witnessed, it would not have risen or declined.
