سَقَى أُمَّ الْعَلاَءِ وَبِنْتَ مَجْدٍ

سَحَائِبُ رَحْمَةٍ نََشَأَتْ بِحَمْدِ

May Umm al-'Alaa' and the daughter of glory be watered

By clouds of mercy that arose with praise,

بِحَمْدِ النَّاسِكِينَ لَهَا علَى مَا

حَوَتْ مِنْ خَصْلَتَيْ نُسْكٍ وَزُهْدِ

With the praise of ascetics for her, for what

She possessed of the dual traits of piety and detachment,

وَمِنْ عَطْفٍ وَمَرْثِيَةٍ لِخَلْقِ

إذَا مَا أزْمَةٌ طَرَقَتْ بِجَهْدِ

And for her compassion and pity toward creation

Whenever a crisis struck with severe hardship.

وَذاكَ الزُّهْدُ ليْسَ لهُ نَظيرٌ

لأَِنَّ الْجَدَّ جَدَّ لَهَا بِجِدِّ

And that detachment has no equal,

Because fortune earnestly strove for her,

فَأَمْكَنَهَا وَوَاصَلَ كلَّ وصْلٍ

فَأَعْيَتْهُ وَصَدَّتْ كلَّ صَدِّ

Empowering her and joining every connection,

Yet she wearied it and turned away with total rejection.

وَقَدْ بَرَزَتْ لَهَا الدُّنْيَا قَدِيماً

بِزَيِّ مُحَرِّقٍ عَمْرِو بْنِ هِنْدِ

The worldly life had long appeared before her

In the tyrannical guise of Amr ibn Hind, the Burner,

فَمَا مَدَّتْ إلَيْهَا عَيْنَ وُدٍّ

نَعَمْ مَدَّتْ إِلَيْهَا عَيْنَ نَقْدِ

But she did not extend to it an eye of affection;

Rather, she extended to it a critical eye.

فَأَبْصَرَتِ الْمَنَايَا فِي مُنَاهَا

وَكُلَّ هِباتِهَا بِظُرُوفِ رَدِّ

She saw death lurking within its desires,

And all its gifts enclosed in envelopes of return.

فَمَا قَبِلَتْ لَهَا هِبَةً هَوَاناً

لَهَا وَتَقَذُّراً لِعَطَاءِ مُكْدِ

Thus, she accepted no gift from it, out of disdain

For it, and an aversion to the offerings of a stingy giver.

حُلَى مَنْ أُلْبِسَ التَّقْوَى رِدَاءً

لَهُ مِنْ مُلْحَمِ التَّوْفِيقِ مُسْدِ

The adornments of one clothed in piety as a cloak,

Having a warp woven from divine success,

وَلَمْ يَرْكَنْ إِلَى أَصْلٍ وَفَرْعٍ

وَعِزَّةِ وَالِدَيْنِ وَجَاهِ وُلْدِ

And who did not rely upon roots or branches,

Or the glory of parents, or the prestige of offspring.

عَلى أَنْ لَمْ تُعَاشِرْ غَيْرَ أُسْدٍ

وَغَيْرَ أََسَاوِدٍ فَتَكَتْ بِأُسْدِ

Even though she accompanied none but lions,

And fierce serpents that preyed upon lions,

وَغَيْرَ مِحَشِّ نِيَرانٍ لِحَرْبٍ

وَرَاكِبِ جَامِحِ الأُرَبَى بِلِبْدِ

And none but kindlers of the fires of war,

And riders of unyielding steeds of calamity upon a felt pad.

وَرَبَّتْهَا لُيُوثُ وَغىً وَرَبَّتْ

شُمُوسَ مَمَالِكٍ وُنُجُومَ سَعْدِ

She was raised by the lions of battle, and she raised

The suns of kingdoms and the stars of good fortune.

وَقَدْ زَادَتْ بِمَنْ وَلَدَتْ عَلاَءً

فَمَا وَقَفَتْ بِمَنْ وَلَدَتْ بِحَدِّ

She increased in eminence through those she bore,

Never stopping at any limit with those she bore,

بِحَدِّ سِيَادَةٍ مَعَهُ انْتِهَاءٌ

لِجُمْلَتِهَا بِِحَزْرٍ أَوْ بِعَدِّ

At a limit of sovereignty that brought an end

To all her glory, whether by estimation or by count.

وَمَا اتَّكَلَتْ عَلَى مَا أَسَّسُوهُ

مِنَ الْمَأْثُورِ مِنْ حَسَبٍ وَمَجْدِ

She did not rely upon what they had established

Of inherited lineage and glory,

وَمَا اغْتَرَّتْ بِمَا اعْتَزَّتْ أُنَاسٌ

بِهِ مِنْ سُؤْدَدٍ لأَِبٍ وَجَدِّ

Nor was she deceived by what others take pride in,

Of the dominion of a father and a grandfather.

وَلَكِنْ شَمَّرَتْ لأَِجْلِ ذُخْرٍ

تَحُوزُ بِهِ الْمَدَى عَنْ سَاقِ جِدِّ

But instead, she rolled up her sleeves for a treasure

Through which she achieved the ultimate goal with earnest effort.

فَمَا يُدْرَى لَهَا ثَلَمٌ بِغَرْبٍ

يُوَهِّنُهَا وَلاَ صَدَأٌ بِحَدِّ

Thus, no notch is known on the edge of her blade

That weakens her, nor any rust upon its sharp edge.

وَقَدْ سَعِدَتْ فَكَانَ لَهَا اتِّعَاظٌ

بِمَنْ شَقِيَتْ عَلَى صَعَرٍ بِخَدِّ

She was blessed, for she drew a lesson

From those who became wretched due to arrogance in their cheek.

أَسَنَّتْ فِي سِيَادَتِهَا فَشَنَّتْ

عَلَيْهَا الْحَمْدَ وَهْوَ أَجَلُُّ زَرْدِ

She grew old in her sovereignty, so she draped

Praise upon herself, and it is the most majestic armor.

كَذَاكَ وََمَا اسْتَكَانَتْ حَيْثُ كَانَتْ

عَلَى حَالٍ لِذِي حَلٍّ وَعَقْدِ

Likewise, she never submitted, wherever she was,

In any circumstance, to anyone who looses or binds.

لِمَا قُلْنَا عَدَدْنَا النَّوْحَ بَوْحاً

بِنَيْلِ الرَّوْحِ لاَ وَجْداً بِفَقْدِ

For what we have said, we counted wailing as a revelation

Of attaining relief, not of sorrow for loss.

فَطَعْمُ الفَقْدِ خَوْفَ النَّقْدِ أَحْلَى

لَدَى ذِي الْعَقْدِ مِنْ شَُهْدٍ بِزُبْدِ

For the taste of loss, out of fear of divine reckoning, is sweeter

To the one of firm resolve than honey with butter.

فَلاَ بَرِحَتْ هِبَاتُ اللهِ جَلَّتْ

مَوَاهِبُهُ تَهُبُّ لَهَا بِلَحْدِ

May the gifts of God—exalted are His gifts—

Never cease to blow toward her in her grave.

وَلاَ عَدِمَتْ بِمَا وَجَدَتْ سَبِيلاً

إِلَى الْخَيْرَاتِ رَوْحَ جِنَانِ خُلْدِ

And may she never lack, by the path she found

To good deeds, the breeze of the eternal gardens of Paradise.