أَلا تَسْتنطقُ الدِمَنَ الخَوَالي

فَنَسْألُها عن الحيِّ الحِلالِ

Will you not ask the abodes about our beloved companions

So we may ask them about the righteous and pure souls

أَبَتْ إلاَّ أَثَافي جَاثِمَاتٍ

على الكَانُونِ كالخَدَمِ الصَّوَالي

They refused except to be silent ruins

Sitting by the fire like weary guards

وأشعثَ غيرَ مَمْسُوسٍ بدُهْنٍ

ولا عَبَثَتْ بِهِ أيدي الغوالي

Unkempt and untouched by grease

And untouched by roaming hands

عَوَاطِلُ بَعدَمَا كانتْ زَمَاناً

بأُنْسِ القَاطِنينَ بها حَوَالي

Emptied after once being inhabited

By dwellers living happily around them

دعاهُم رَيْبُ دهْرِهِمُ فَبَانُوا

سِرَاعاً والمقيمُ إلى ارتِحَالِ

The change of time made them flee

Hastily while the resident turned nomadic

ولا تبقَى على الحَدَثَانِ شُمُّ الْ

هِضَابِ ولا مُنيفاتُ القِلالِ

No scent remains on the hills

Nor the meadows of the mountains

فَعَدِّ على الدِّيَارِ فإنَّ خَطْباً

تَوَخَّانا بهِ صَرْفُ الليالي

So count the abodes for misfortune

Has deceived us by the passage of nights

أَطَارَ كَرَى العُيُونِ فَخِيطَ جَفْنٌ

على سَهَرٍ وَقَلْبٍ باشْتِغَالِ

Restlessness has flown from the eyes so a lid

Is stitched onto wakefulness and a preoccupied heart

وبَيَّضَ لِمَّةً وأَحَالَ وَجْهاً

كَأَنَّ الوجْهَ يُصبَغُ بالقَذَالِ

It has whitened a radiant face that was

As if dyed with tar

غَدَاةَ نُعِي لَنَا حَسَنٌ وقَالُوا

هَوَى من أفْقِهِ نَجْمُ المَعَالي

One morning we were told of Hasan’s death

The star of glory has fallen from his horizon

فَظَلْنَا حِينَ جَدَّ بنا نَعَاهُ

وقد ضَاقَتْ بِنا سَعَةُ المَجَالِ

So we remained when his death distressed us

And the vastness narrowed around us

كَشَرْبٍ طَوَّحتْ بِهِمُ شَمُولٌ

فَطَاحُوا لليَمينِ وللشِمَالِ

Like a draft that made them stagger

And fall to the right and left

نَلُوذُ إذَا غَليلُ الحُزْنِ أَغْرَى

لَظَاهُ بنا إلى الدمْعِ المُذَالِ

We take refuge when the heat of sadness

Boils to the humiliation of tears

سَلِ الأَجْدَاثَ مَاذَا أَوْدَعُوهُ

بِها من شُهْرَةٍ وظُهُورِ حَالِ

Ask the graves what they entombed

Of glory and condition

وما واروهُ فيها من جَميلٍ

بهِ يُبْكَى عَلَيهِ ومن جَمَالِ

And what they shrouded of beauty

Which is wept over, and of grace

أَوالدَهُ ولَسْتَ تُلامُ عندي

سِوَى شَيءٍ على وَجْهِ السُّؤَالِ

His children, I do not blame you

Except for one thing I question

عَلامَ غَسلتَهُ من كلِّ عَيْبٍ

فجاءَ كقطرةِ الماءِ الزُلالِ

Why did you wash him of every flaw

Until he came like a drop of pure water

فَهَلاَّ كُنتَ تتركُ فيهِ عيباً

فَكَانَ يقيهِ من عَينِ الكَمَالِ

Why did you not leave in him a flaw

To protect him from the evil eye of perfection?

أَلاَ قُولوا لِحِمْيَرَ حَيثُ كَانتْ

أُولي العَزَمَاتِ والهِمَمِ العَوَالي

Say to the noble steeds wherever they were

The determined leaders and lofty heroes

وفُرْسَانِ الحروبِ إذَا تداعتْ

فَوَارِسُهَا بحيَّ عَلَى النِزَالِ

And the horsemen of war when their stallions

Clashed in battle with fervent zeal

أَصَابكُمُ الحِمَامُ فلم يَهَبْكُمْ

بِأَشْرَفِ أوّلٍ فيكُمْ وتَالي

You were struck by misfortune but it did not inspire you

To the most honorable revenge amongst you

فَتًى عُظَمَاءُ بلدتِهِ عِيَالٌ

عليهِ في المهَابَةِ والجَلالِ

A noble youth, the nobles of his city dependents

Relying on his awe and majesty

على حينِ استتبَّ لَهُ عُلاهُ

وقِيلَ قد استوَى ضَوْءُ الهِلالِ

Just as his prominence stabilized for him

And it was said his crescent's light straightened

أَمَا لو كان ثَأراً عندَ غيرِ الْ

مَنيَّةِ والنفوسُ إلى زَوَالِ

Had it been vengeance other than

Death’s, while souls tend toward decline

لأَوجفْنَا عليهِ الخَيلَ شُعْثاً

تُعادي في الأَعِنَّةِ كالسَّعَالي

We would have stirred up the horses disheveled

To compete in running like deers

إذَا أَرسَلْتَهنَّ وراءَ نَبْلٍ

تَجَاوزتِ المدَى قَبلَ النِّبَالِ

When we dispatched them after arrows

That exceeded range before the archers

عليها كلُّ ضِرْغَامٍ إذَا ما

استطالَ السِّلْمَ حَنَّ إلى القِتَالِ

Bearing every snarling warrior when

The fray lengthened, inclining to battle

وَأجْلَبنَا بِبِيضِ الهِنْدِ تُدْمَى

مَضَارِبُهُنَّ والسُّمْرِ الطِّوَالِ

And we dyed their tents with Indian white

Their dwellings and tall crimson

خليليَّ ازْجُرَا السُّحْبَ الغَوَادِي

على ما تشتكِيهِ من الكَلالِ

My two friends, restrain the passing clouds

Over what they complain of weariness

بطيئاتٍ تنوءُ إذا استُثيرتْ

من السُّقْيَا بأَعْبَاءٍ ثِقَالِ

Slow camels that moan when roused

By the water-drawers’ heavy burdens

إِذَا جَاوَزْنَ سِيْفَ أوالَ صُبْحاً

وشَارفنَ القطيفَ مع الزَّوَالِ

When they pass the sword of Al-Sahba in the morning

And near Al-Qatif at the decline of day

فَصَبّاً ما حَمَلْنَ من الرَّوَايَا

على قَبْرٍ بِجَرْعَاءَ الشِّمَالِ

Pouring what they carried of rumors

Upon a grave in Jar‘aa Al-Shimal

وتحبُسُ نَفْسَها أبداً عَلَيهِ

عُكُوفَ المُرْضِعَاتِ على الفِصَالِ

Imprisoning itself over it forever

Like wet-nurses rapt over babes

بحيثُ يُشَقُّ يَومَ البَعْثِ رَطْباً

بما قد أَسْأَرتْهُ من البِلالِ

So that on resurrection day it is hard

By what it soaked of moisture

أرَى الأَيَّامَ تُقْسِمُ ظالماتٍ

فتبدلُنا الأَسَافِلَ بالأَعَالي

I see time dealing out injustices

Exchanging us, the lowly for the lofty

فتتركُ من تَرَاهُ النَّاسُ كَلاَّ

على المولَى وتذْهبُ بالمَوَالِي

Leaving whom people see as nothing

Dependent on the Lord while taking the allies

فيا ابنَ أبي سِنَانَ وكلُّ ثَاوٍ

وإنْ طَالَ المدَى فإلى انتقالِ

So O Ibn Abi Sinan and all who boast

Though the course be long, yet to departure

عَزَاءً فالنفوسُ إلى فَنَاءٍ

وصَبْراً فالقَطينُ إلى زِيَالِ

Take solace, for souls tend toward extinction

And patience, for the coarse to wasting

فمثلُكَ تَسْتمِدُّ الصَّبْرَ منهُ

عَلى البَأْسَاءِ أَعْيَانُ الرجَالِ

One like you draws patience from it

At times of affliction, the very essence of men

فما دُفِعَ امرؤٌ يوماً إلى ما

دُفِعْتَ له ولستَ من الحُبالِ

So none has been pushed to what

You were pushed, yet you are not bound

صَبَرْتَ وليسَ ذلكَ عَنْ سُلُوٍّ

طُوِي عَنْهُ الأَسَى لَكنْ تَسَالي

You were patient, not from indifference

That grief is masked, but from loftiness

على ما نَابَ من نَفْسٍ وآلٍ

كما شَمِتَ العُدُوُّ بهِ ومَالِ

Over what befell your soul and progeny

As the enemy rejoiced in it and inclined

جراحٌ لا تطيبُ وفَوْتُ مَالٍ

يَضِيقُ بهِ الفضاءُ وفقدُ آلِ

Wounds that do not heal, loss of wealth

That straitens space, and loss of family

فلستُمْ بالقطيفِ أشَدَّ حزناً

عليهِ اليومَ مِنَّا في أُوَال

You are no sadder for him today in Qatif

Than we are in the first morn

لنا مُهَجٌ تَذُوبُ عليهِ حَرَّى

وإنْ فَاءَتْ إلى بَرْدِ الظِّلالِ

We have ardors that melt for him

Though they recover in the shade’s coolness

أَمَا والراقصاتِ كَأَنَّ وَحْشاً

تندُّ بما حَمَلنَ من الرِّجَالِ

By the dancing girls, it is as if beasts

Thrash with what they carried of men

إِذَا شَارَفْنَ مَكَّةَ كِدْنَ شَوْقاً

يَطِرْنَ وإنْ عُقِلْنَ مَعَ العِقَالِ

When they near Mecca, aflame with yearning

They flutter even in anklets

عَلَيها كلُّ عُرْيَانِ الضَّواحي

كَنَصْلِ السَّيْفِ حُودِثَ بالصِّقَالِ

Bearing all the weapons of the barrens

Like the sword’s blade forged with file

إذا اسْتَجلَى البنيّةَ من بَعِيدٍ

تَرَاءَى كالمطيَّةِ في الجَلالِ

When the landmark appears from afar

It seems like a watchtower in the expanse

تَرَدَّى عن رحالتها نُزُولاً

وأكثرَ من دُعَاءٍ وابْتِهالِ

Swaying down from its litters halting

And repeating prayers and supplications

وطَوَّفَ حَوْلَها سَبْعاً وأَدَّى

مَنَاسِكَهُ وفَاءَ إلى انفِتَالِ

Circling it seven times and performing

Its rituals, fulfilling to the farewell

لقد عَقَدَتْ لَكَ الأيامُ مِنِّي

وَفَاءً غَيْرَ مُنْصَرِمِ الحِبَالِ

Days have bound for you from me

Loyalty with unsevered rope

فَسَهْمي فَوقَ سَهْمِكَ في سُرُورٍ

يَسُرُّكَ حَيْثُ كُنتَ وشُغْلِ بالِ

So my arrow above your arrow in joy

Bringing you joy wherever you were, preoccupied

ودونَكَ من خبيرٍ بالتعازِي

رُقَىً تعدُو على الدَّاءِ العُضَالِ

And below you in condolences is an expert

Of lofty consolations surpassing chronic pain

تَعزٍّ لو رقَى يعقوبُ منهُ

ببيتٍ أو أقَلَّ لَظَلَّ سَالِي

Condolences, if Jacob had attained it

With a house, or less, he would have remained erect

وَعَدِّ عن استماعِكَ شِعْرَ غَيري

فأينَ حَصَى الطريقِ منَ اللآلي

And ignore hearing poetry but mine

So where is gravel’s position from rubies?

مَكَانُ قريضِ غيري من قريضي

مَكَانُ النَّغْلِ من وَلَدِ الحَلالِ

The position of other’s poetry to mine

Is of counterfeit to lawful begotten