وَزائِرٍ حَبَّبَهُ إِغبابُهُ

طالَ عَلى رَغمِ السُرى اِجتِنابُهُ

A visitor whom seclusion endeared

Long in defiance of fate he persevered

وافاهُ دَهرٌ عُصُلٌ أَنيابُهُ

وَاِجتابَ بُطنانَ العَجاجِ جابُهُ

An era of barrenness baring its fangs assailed him

And the bowels of desolation enveloped him

يَدأَبُ مارَدَّ الزَمانُ دابُهُ

وَأَرفَدَت خَيراتُهُ وَرابُهُ

The march of time wore him down steadily

And his bounty and virtue started to drain

وافى أَمامَ هَطلِهِ رَبابُهُ

باكٍ حَزينٌ رَعدُهُ اِنتِحابُهُ

He met the onslaught head-on staunchly

A woeful thunderer in desolate refrain

جادَت بِهِ مُسبِلَةً أَهدابُهُ

رائِحَةٌ هُبوبُها هِبابُهُ

With him they flowed bounteously his rains

A scent whose wafting was but profuse pains

ذَيّالَةً ذَلَّت لَها صِعابُهُ

رَكبُ هَياهُ وَالصِبا رِكابُهُ

Submissively to it mountains bowed in chains

Astride its spate youth and morn rides

حَتّى إِذا ما اِتَّصَلَت أَسبابُهُ

وَضُرِبَت عَلى الثَرى عُقابُهُ

Until integrated fully its accessories

And on earth its dominance steadies

وَضُرِبَت عَلى الرُبى قِبابُهُ

وَاِمتَدَّ في أَرجائِهِ أَطنابُهُ

And upon the dunes its edifices studies

And through its expanse its annex spreads

وَتَبِعَ اِنسِجامُهُ اِنسِكابُهُ

وَرَدَفَ اِصطِقافُهُ اِضطِرابُهُ

And its flow and form in concord treads

And its disarray confounds whilst harmony it sheds

كَأَنَّما قَد حُمِّلَت سَحابُهُ

رُكنَ شَرورى وَاِصطَفَت هِضابُهُ

As though on clouds its pillars were bedded

Evil’s pillar, crags cleaved and shredded

جَلّى عَلى وَجهِ الثَرى كِتابُهُ

وَشَرِقَت بِمائِها شِعابُهُ

Elucidated its writ on earth ́s face unfaded

And with its waters its valleys glittered

وَحَلِيَت بِنورِها رِحابُهُ

كَأَنَّهُ لَمّا اِنجَلى مُنجابُهُ

And with its light its plains were fitted

As though when unveiled its amazing vista

وَلَم يُؤَمِّن فَقدَهُ إِيابُهُ

شَيخٌ كَبيرٌ عادَهُ شَبابُهُ

Absent it we no longer can persist

An old man whom youth revisited