أَطلالُهُم سَلَبَت دُماها الهيفا

وَاِستَبدَلَت وَحشاً بِهِنَّ عُكوفا

Their ruins robbed the valley of its blood

And replaced them with a beast that crouched and prowled

يا مَنزِلاً أَعطى الحَوادِثَ حُكمَها

لا مَطلَ في عِدَةٍ وَلا تَسويفا

O abode that misfortunes made their ruler

With no respite or delaying

أَرسى بِناديكَ النَدى وَتَنَفَّسَت

نَفَساً بِعَقوَتِكَ الرِياحُ ضَعيفا

Your stream gave drink to the meadow and breathed

A breath through your hills, soft winds unbound

شُعِفَ الغَمامُ بِعَرصَتَيكَ وَرُبَّما

رَوَّت رُباكَ الهائِمَ المَشغوفا

The clouds were awed by your courtyard, and sometimes

Your loved one quenched the thirst of yearning hearts

وَلَئِن ثَوى بِكَ مُلقِياً أَجرامَهُ

ضَيفُ الخُطوبِ لَقَد أَصابَ مُضيفا

And if the guest of sorrows made his home with you

Surely, he found a hospitable host

وَهِيَ الحَوادِثُ لَم تَزَل نَكَباتُها

يَألَفنَ رَبعَ المَنزِلِ المَألوفا

For those misfortunes never ceased to become tribulations

That made accustomed the familiar place

خَلَفَت بِعَقوَتِكَ السُنونَ وَطالَما

كانَت بَناتُ الدَهرِ عَنكَ خَلوفا

Your hills have outlived years, for long indeed

The days of time towards you were shy

أَيّامَ لا تَسطو بِأَهلِكَ نَكبَةٌ

إِلّا تَراجَعَ صَرفُها مَصروفا

Days where no calamity befell your people

Except fate turned it away, averted

وَإِذا رَمَتكَ الحادِثاتُ بِلَحظَةٍ

رَدَّت ظِباؤُكَ طَرفَها مَطروفا

And when events glanced at you fleetingly

Your lofty spirit glanced back, repelled

مِن كُلِّ مُطمَعَةِ الهَوى جُعِلَت لَها

مِنّا مَوَدّاتُ القُلوبِ وُقوفا

We who longed for love, our hearts' affection

Became devoted to you, fixed in place

وَرَفيقَةِ اللَحَظاتِ يُعقِبُ رِفقُها

بَطشاً بِمُغتَرِّ القُلوبِ عَنيفا

And the companion of moments - her company

Follows kindness with might against deluded hearts

جُزنَ الصِفاتِ رَوادِفاً وَسَوالِفاً

وَمَحاجِراً وَنَواظِراً وَأُنوفا

The finest of manners - companions and friends

And faces, brows, and slender noses

كُنَّ البُدورَ الطالِعاتِ فَأوسِعَت

عَنّا أُفولاً لِلنَوى وَكُسوفا

They were the rising stars and so brought out for us

The setting and eclipse of wishes

آرامُ حَيٍّ أَنزَفَتهُم نِيَّةٌ

تَرَكَتكَ مِن خَمرِ الفِراقِ نَزيفا

It was the rest of the living whose souls blood seeped

Leaving you the wine of parting bleeding grief

كانوا بُرودَ زَمانِهِم فَتَصَدَّعوا

فَكَأَنَّما لَبِسَ الزَمانُ الصوفا

They were the cool of their time, so they cracked

As if time itself was clothed in wool

ذَلَّت بِهِم عُنُقُ الخَليطِ وَرُبَّما

كانَ المُمَنَّعَ أَخدَعاً وَصَليفا

The smooth necks bent for them, and sometimes

The forbidden was tempting and pliant

عاقَدتُ جودَ أَبي سَعيدٍ إِنَّهُ

بَدُنَ الرَجاءُ بِهِ وَكانَ نَحيفا

I tied the generosity of my father Sa`eed, truly

Hope was thin in him, and he was slender

وَعَزَزتُ بِالسَبُعِ الَّذي بِزَئيرِهِ

أَمسَت وَأَصبَحَتِ الثُغورُ غَريفا

And I was strengthened by the lion whose roar

Made the borders growl morning and night

قَطَبَ الخُشونَةَ وَاللِيانَ بِنَفسِهِ

فَغَدا جَليلاً في القُلوبِ لَطيفا

He exemplified severity and gentleness in himself

So he became great yet kind in hearts

فَإِذا مَشى يَمشي الدِفَقّى أَو سَرى

وَصَلَ السُرى أَو سارَ سارَ وَجيفا

So if he walked - the horses walked, or if he sped -

The speeding continued, or if he went on - he went on, swaying

هَزَّتهُ مُعضِلَةُ الأُمورِ وَهَزَّها

وَأُخيفَ في ذاتِ الإِلَهِ وَخيفا

Worrisome events shook him and he shook them

And he was revered, revered in the essence of God

يَقظانُ أَحصَدَتِ التَجارِبُ حَزمَهُ

شَزراً وَثُقِّفَ عَزمُهُ تَثقيفا

The harvest of experiences awakened his resolve

Like tinder, and his determination was cultivated

وَاِستَلَّ مِن آرائِهِ الشُعَلَ الَّتي

لَو أَنَّهُنَّ طُبِعنَ كُنَّ سُيوفا

And I gained from his opinions flames

That if they were forged would have been swords

كَهلُ الأَناةِ فَتى الشَذاةِ إِذا غَدا

لِلحَربِ كانَ القَشعَمَ الغِطريفا

The old man of purpose, the youth of joy, when

He marched to war he was the heavy-stepping gallant one

وَأَخو الفَعالِ إِذا الفَتى كُلُّ الفَتى

في الباسِ وَالمَعروفِ كانَ خَليفا

And the brother of action - when the valiant one, every valiant one

Was armed and renowned, he was the successor

كَم مِن وَساعِ الجودِ عِندي في النَدى

لَمّا جَرى وَجَرَيتَ كانَ قُطوفا

How many times when you were generous with the dew

Where you went and I went, it was plucked

أَحسَنتُما صَفَدي وَلَكِن كُنتَ لي

مِثلَ الرَبيعِ حَياً وَكانَ خَريفا

You were both good to me, but you were to me

Like Spring, alive, while he was Autumn

وَكِلاكُما اِقتَعَدَ العُلى فَرَكِبتَها

في الذَروَةِ العُليا وَجاءَ رَديفا

And you both mounted the heights, so you rode them

At the very top, and he came as your companion

إِن غاضَ ماءُ المُزنِ فِضتَ وَإِن قَسَت

كَبِدُ الزَمانِ عَلَيَّ كُنتَ رَؤوفا

If the water of affliction overflowed, you poured out

And if the liver of time was harsh to me, you were compassionate

وَإِذا خَلائِقُهُم نَبَت أَو أَجدَبَت

أَنشَأتَ تَمهَدُ لي خَلائِقَ ريفا

And if their natures grew or were barren

You began to pave for me plentiful natures

وَمَواهِباً مَطلوبَةً مَلحوقَةً

تَذَرُ الشَريفَ بِفَضلِها مَشروفا

And sought-after, attained gifts

That left the noble through them, prosperous

يَلقى بِها حُرُّ التِلادِ وَعَبدُهُ

عِندَ السُؤالِ مَصارِعاً وَحُتوفا

He meets through them the free of birth and the slave

When asked, dead and fallen

إِسمَع أَقامَت في دِيارِكَ نِعمَةٌ

خَضراءُ ناضِرَةٌ تَرُفُّ رَفيفا

Listen - a green, vibrant blessing made its home in your abode

Flowing gently

رَيّا إِذا النِعَمُ اِنتَقَلنَ تَخَيَّمَت

وَإِذا نَفَرنَ غَدَت عَلَيكَ أَلوفا

Moving about when blessings move, gathering

Over you in throngs when they flee

أَنا ذو كَساكَ مَحَبَّةً لا خَلَّةً

حِبَرَ القَصائِدِ فُوِّفَت تَفويفا

I am one whose bond with you is love, no fault

The poet whose odes were composed with rhythm

مُتنَخِّلٌ حَلّاكَ نَظمَ بَدائِعٍ

صارَت لِآذانِ المُلوكِ شُنوفا

An intimate whose dissolution is halal - he composed wonders

That became wondrous to the ears of kings

وافٍ إِذا الإِحسانُ قُنِّعَ لَم يَزَل

وَجهُ الصَنيعَةِ عِندَهُ مَكشوفا

Loyal - when favor was limited he did not cease to see

The face of your favor upon him revealed

وَإِذا غَدا المَعروفُ مَجهولاً غَدا

مَعروفُ كَفِّكَ عِندَهُ مَعروفا

And when favor became unknown, the favor of your palm

Became known to him as favor

هَذا إِلى قِدَمِ الذِمامِ بِكَ الَّذي

لَو أَنَّهُ وَلَدٌ لَكانَ وَصيفا

This - to the foot of flaws through you, which

If it were a son would have been a companion

وَحَشاً تُحَرِّقُهُ النَصيحَةُ وَالهَوى

لَو أَنَّهُ وَقتٌ لَكانَ مَصيفا

And a beast whom advice and love set aflame

If it were a season would have been a summer

وَمَقيلُ صَدرٍ فيكَ باقٍ رَوعُهُ

لَو أَنَّهُ ثَغرٌ لَكانَ مَخوفا

And the shelter of a breast within you remains fervent

If it were a mouth it would have been fearful

وَلَئِن أَطَلتُ مَدائِحي لَبِنائِلٍ

لَكَ لَيسَ مَحدوداً وَلا مَوصوفا

And if I prolonged my praises of excellencies for you

There is no end or description for you

خَفَّضتَ عَنّي الدَهرَ بَعدَ مُلِمَّةٍ

تَرَكَت لِنابَيهِ عَلَيَّ صَريفا

You lowered the days upon me after adversity

That left its fangs upon me biting

جَدوى أَصيلِ العِلمِ أَن سَيُمِضُّهُ

قَضَفُ المَكارِمِ إِن رَجَعتُ قَضيفا

The lasting fruits of true knowledge - its decrees

Will be spent if I return biting

عَمرِيُّ عُظمِ الدينِ جَهمِيُّ النَدى

يَنفي القُوى وَيُثَبِّتُ التَكليفا

My life for the greatness of religion, my munificence of dew

Denying powers and affirming duties

سَأَقولُ قَولَةَ ناصِحٍ لَكَ يَنتَحي

قَلباً نَقِيّاً في رِضاكَ نَظيفا

I will speak the saying of an advisor for you that comes from

A heart pure in your contentment, cleansed

لَكَ هَضبَةُ الحِلمِ الَّتي لَو وازَنَت

أَجَأً إِذا ثَقُلَت وَكانَ خَفيفا

For you is the plateau of forbearance which if it weighed

Against firebrands, however heavy, would be light

وَحَلاوَةُ الشيمِ الَّتي لَو مازَجَت

خُلُقَ الزَمانِ الفَدمِ عادَ ظَريفا

And the sweetness of character that if mixed

With the morals of this bloody time would be refined

وَأَراكَ في أَرضِ الأَعادي غازِياً

ما تَستَفيقُ يُبوسَةً وَجُفوفا

And I see you in the land of enemies, a conqueror

You do not awaken to kisses or dry lips

إِن كانَ بِالوَرَعِ اِبتَنى القَومُ العُلى

أَو بِالتُقى صارَ الشَريفُ شَريفا

If through piety the people built highness

Or through conscience the noble became noble

فَعَلامَ قُدِّمَ وَهوَ زانٍ عامِرٌ

وَأُميطَ عَلقَمَةٌ وَكانَ عَفيفا

Why then was he brought forward immaculate and prosperous

And a sin concealed though he was chaste?

وَبَنى المَكارِمَ حاتِمٌ في شِركِهِ

وَسِواهُ يَهدِمُها وَكانَ حَنيفا

And Hatim built generosity in his partnership

While another destroyed it, though he was upright