Sol 5.6

  1. They said, “You are enamored of Shaykhun, though it holds

    nothing but earth, with clouds of dust rising on the roads.”

  2. I answered, “The final end of all that comes forth is

    this earth—and a secret of mine remains there:

  3. his resting place has captured the hearts of noble souls—

    an imam who arose like the sun upon the horizon.

  4. We grew to youth sustained by his freely bestowed bounty,

    like a bough made lovely when adorned with leaves.

  5. Places have claims that no one will deny

    whose birth is pure, whose nursing was wholesome, and who is untainted.

  6. Shaykhun is the first land whose soil ever touched my skin;

    there I arose, my form brought to full completion.

  7. Nor does pride lie in cities, however lofty;

    rather, the wise take pride in lineage and character.

  8. No envier can harm one whose glory is deep-rooted

    when he feigns blindness and says the dawn is like dusk.

  9. And one possessed of merit, however much he may conceal it,

    is like a bearer of musk, never without its fragrance.”

Sol 5.6