لا تَعذِلي جارَتي أَنّى لَكِ العَذَلُ
فَلا شَوىً ما رُزِئناهُ وَلا جَلَلُ
Do not blame me, my neighbor, for blaming you,
Neither heated argument nor majesty avails.
إِحدى المَصائِبِ حَلَّت في دِيارِ بَني
عِمرانَ لَيسَت لَها أُختٌ وَلا مَثَلُ
One of the calamities befell the abode of Banu
Imran. It has no sister nor peer.
أَلوى بِتيجانِهِم يَومٌ أُتيحَ لَهُ
نَحسٌ وَأَثقَبَ فيهِ نارَهُ زُحَلُ
A day on which their diadems were bent,
Misfortune weighed heavy and Saturn was baleful.
أَلوى بِهِ وَهوَ مُلوٍ بِالقَنا لِتَوا
ليها اِستِواءٌ وَفي أَعناقِها مَيَلُ
It bent them while they were filled with spears
In equal ranks with inclined necks.
كانَ الَّذي لَيسَ في مَعجومِهِ خَوَرٌ
لِلعاجِمينَ وَلا في هَديِهِ خَلَلُ
He who had no defect in his inspired speech
For the non-Arabs and no flaw in his guidance.
كانَ الَّذي يُتَّقى رَيبُ الزَمانِ بِهِ
إِذا الزَمانُ بَدَت أَنيابُهُ العُصُلُ
He by whom the vicissitudes of Time were feared,
When the fangs of Time were bared.
أَحَلَّنا الدَهرُ في بَطحاءَ مُسهِلَةٍ
لَمّا تَقَوَّضتَ عَنها أَيُّها الجَبَلُ
Time settled us in a plain that flows easily
When you, O mountain, were shaken from it.
ما كانَ أَحسَنَ حالاتِ الأَشاعِرِ يا
يَحيى بنَ عِمرانَ لَو أُنسي لَكَ الأَجَلُ
How good was the state of the Ash'aris, O
Yahya ibn Imran, had not the term been fixed for you.
أَيُّ اِمرِىءٍ مِنكَ أَثرى بَينَ أَعظُمِهِ
ثَرى المُقَطَّمِ أَو مَلحودُهُ الرَمِلُ
Which man among you was the most distinguished, on
The scattered dusty ground or its drifted sands?
لا يُتبِعُ المَنَّ ما جادَت يَداهُ بِهِ
وَلا تُحَكَّمُ في مَعروفِهِ العِلَلُ
He who does not turn from good he has initiated,
Nor slacken from accustomed virtuous deeds.
ما قالَ كانَ إِذا ما القَومُ أَكذَبَ ما
أَطالَ مِن قَولِهِم تَقصيرُ ما فَعَلوا
His word, when people reject the truth of his saying,
Is prolonged, while their acts fall short.
يا مَوتُ حَسبُكَ إِذ أَقصَدتَ مُهجَتَهُ
أَولا فَدونَكَ لا حَسَبٌ وَلابَجَلُ
O Death, it was enough when you aimed your blow at his forehead,
While for others, no reckoning or term.
ما حالُنا يا أَبا العَبّاسِ بَعدَكَ هَل
تَنمى الفُروعُ وَيودي أَصلُها الأَصِلُ
What is our state, O Abu al-'Abbas, after you?
Do branches grow when their origin perishes?
يا مَوتُ لَو في وَغىً عايَنتَهُ خَلَدَت
عَلَيهِ عَوضُ دُموعٌ مِنكَ تَنهَمِلُ
O Death, had you witnessed him in battle, you would have
Poured tears over him instead of taking his life.
المُشعِلُ الحَربَ ناراً وَهيَ خامِدَةٌ
وَالمُستَبيحُ حِماها وَهيَ تَشتَعِلُ
The kindler of extinguished war, the despoiler of protected
Sanctuaries, while war blazes.
بِكُلِّ يَومِ وَغىً تَصدى الكُماةُ بِهِ
عَلى يَدَيهِ وَتَروى البيضُ وَالأَسَلُ
With each battle the swords clash against his hands
And the white blades drink and the curved blades sip.
يَغشى الوَغى بِالقَنا وَالخَيلُ عابِسَةٌ
وَالخَيلُ لا عاجِزٌ فيها وَلا وَكِلُ
Covered in spears and scowling steeds,
Among the horses without weakling or dependant.
وَالكاشِفُ الكُرَبَ اللاتي يَحُفُّ بِها
إِظلامُ أَمرٍ عَلى البُلدانِ يَنسَدِلُ
The dispeller of the darkness of confusing matters
That overwhelms the lands spreading its shadows.
بِمَشهَدٍ لَيسَ يَثنيهِ بِهِ زَلَلٌ
وَمَنطِقٍ لَيسَ يَعروهُ بِهِ خَطَلُ
With an aspect that no slipping diverts him,
And speech that no stumbling inhibits him;
مُستَجمِعٌ لا يَحِلُّ الرَيثُ عُقدَتَهُ
فيهِ وَلا يَمتَطي إِبلاغَهُ العَجَلُ
Bringing together without idle delay resolving its knot,
Without rushing to convey and bore.
بِحَيثُ لا يَضَعُ الآراءَ مَوضِعَها
إِلّا فُلانٌ إِذا يُدعى لَها وَفَلُ
Where none places opinions in their proper places
Except So-and-so when called upon.
إِذا الرِجالُ رَأَوهُ وَهوَ يَفعَلُ ما
أَعياهُمُ فِعلُهُ قالوا كَذا الرَجُلُ
When men saw him do what doing exhausted them,
They said: "Such is the man!"
إِمّا يُدَل مِنكَ بِالمَوتِ العِدى فَبِما
دارَت عَلَيهِم بِلا مَوتٍ لَكَ الدُوَلُ
Either death turns you from oppression, but with
What has passed over them without death is your eternity.
أَيَّامَ سَيفُكَ مَشهورٌ وَبَحرُكَ مَس
جورٌ وَقَرنُكَ مَقصورٌ لَهُ الطِوَلُ
The days of your sword notorious, your sea overflowing,
Your spearhead limited only by its length.
إِذ لابِسُ الذِلَّةِ المَقطوعُ ذو رَحِمٍ
قَطَعتَهُ وَإِذا المَوصولُ مَن تَصِلُ
As you cut relations with the disgraced weakling
And joined ties with those you brought together.
جَرَّعَكَ الدَهرُ كاسَ الصَبرِ في لُجَجٍ
لِلمَوتِ يَغرِقُ في آذِيِّها الجَبَلُ
Fate made you drink the cup of patience in deep
Seas where mountains drown in its injuries.
مَوتاً وَقَتلاً كَأَنَّ الدَهرَ يَظمَأُ ما
عاشوا وَيَنقَعُ ما ماتوا وَما قُتِلوا
Death and killing as if Time thirsted for those
Who lived and enjoyed those who died and were killed.
يا شاغِلَ الدَهرِ عَنّا ما لِصَولَتِهِ
مُذ صالَ فيكَ الرَدى إِلّا بِنا شُغُلُ
O you whose adventures preoccupied Time from us
Since misfortune lodged in you except through us no preoccupations.
يا حِليَةَ المَجدِ إِنَّ المَجدَ عَن عُفُرٍ
بَدا وَحِليَتُهُ مِن بَعدِكَ العَطَلُ
O adornment of glory! Glory is revealed as squalor
After you and its adornment henceforth is loss.
يا مَوئِلاٌ كانَ مَأوى الآزِماتِ بِهِ
إِذا اِدلَهَمَّت بِمَكروهاتِها العُضُلُ
O haven! The refuge of adversities when
Calamities crowd with their misfortunes.
فَأَيُّ مُعتَمَدٍ يَزكو بِهِ عَمَلٌ
وَأَيُ مُنتَظَرٍ يَحيا بِهِ أَمَلُ
What dependent now can prosper? What expectation live?
But Husayn and the like of Husayn, when
لَكِن حُسَينٌ وَأَمثالُ الحُسَينِ إِذا
ما الناسُ يَومَ حِفاظٍ حُصِّلوا قُلُلُ
People are lacking defenders, are few.
Situations proclaim about him that he is a support;
تُنبي المَواقِفُ عَنهُ أَنَّهُ سَنَدٌ
وَيُخبِرُ الرَوعُ عَنهُ أَنَّهُ بَطَلُ
And awe proclaims about him that he is a hero.
He gives so he is generous, or is called so he answers,
يُعطي فَيُجزِلُ أَو يُدعى فَيَنزِلُ أَو
يُؤتى لِمَحمَلِ أَعباءٍ فَيَحتَمِلُ
Or is resorted to with heavy burdens so he bears them.
You would think him bent with age were it not
تَظُنُّهُ شَيخَهُ لَولا شَبيبَتُهُ
وَالزَرعُ يَنبُتُ فَذّاً ثُمَّ يَكتَهِلُ
For his youth, and vegetation sprouts then thickens.
He has become for us a replacement, bending under it.
أَضحى لَنا بَدَلاً مِنهُ تَنوءُ بِهِ
وَالشِبلُ مِن لَيثِهِ إِمّا مَضى بَدَلُ
But the cub is never a substitute for the vanished lion.
