نَزيلَ النيلِ أَينَ تَرَكتَ مُلكاً
أَلَمَّ بِبابِكَ العالي نَزيلا
O visitor of the Nile, where did you leave a kingdom
That knocked on your high door as a visitor?
وَأَينَ التاجُ يُرفَعُ في دِمَشقٍ
فَيَصدَعُ هامَةَ الجَوزاءِ طولا
And where is the crown raised in Damascus
That would crack the obstinacy of Capricorn?
وَأَينَ الجُندُ حَولَكَ تَزدَهيهِ
مَواكِبُ تَحمِلُ الخَطَرَ الجَليلا
And where are the troops around you flourishing
With processions carrying the momentous peril?
وَأَينَ الفَتحُ تُنميهِ المَواضي
وَجُردُ الخَيلِ تَبعَثُها فُحولا
And where is the conquest you nurture in the meadows
And the cavalries you dispatch with warriors?
أَثارَت وَجدَ أَحمَدَ حينَ مَرَّت
بِمَضجَعِهِ وَرَوَّعَتِ الخَليلا
Your path aroused Ahmad's passion when it passed
By his dwelling and startled the friend.
وَهاجَت مِن أُمَيَّةَ في دِمَشقٍ
لَواعِجَ تَبعَثُ الداءَ الدَخيلا
And it enraged Umayyah in Damascus
Whose tumults unleash the creeping disease.
نَزَلتَ عَلى صَلاحِ الدينِ ضَيفاً
فَلَم تَرضَ المُقامَ وَلا الرَحيلا
You descended upon Saladin as a guest
But did not accept the stay nor the departure.
أَحَقّاً كُنتَ رَبَّ التاجِ فيها
وَكُنتَ الشَعبَ وَالملكَ النَبيلا
Indeed you were the lord of the crown therein
You were the people and the noble king.
دَعِ النُعمانَ أَنتَ أَجَلُّ مُلكاً
وَأَمنَعُ جانِباً وَأَعَزُّ غيلا
Leave Nu'man! You are more majestic a king
And sturdier of side and mightier of lineage.
وَمالَكَ في بَني غَسّانَ كُفءٌ
إِذا ذَكَروا العِمارَةَ وَالقَبيلا
And Maalik among the Banu Ghassan matches you
When they mention architecture and lineage.
أَلَستَ لِهاشِمٍ وَبَني أَبيهِ
إِذا اِنتَسَبَ الفَتى لِأَبٍ سَليلا
Are you not of Hashim and the sons of his father
When the youth claims descent from a noble ancestor?
بِرَبِّكَ هَل يَدومُ أَسىً وَوَجدٌ
لِمُلكٍ لَم يَدُم إِلّا قَليلا
By your Lord! Does sorrow and passion persist
For a kingdom that lasted only briefly?
لَئِن تَكُ هاشِمٌ أَسِفَت عَلَيهِ
لَقَد كَرِهَت أُمَيَّةُ أَن يَزولا
If Hashim grieves for it, Umayyah would hate
For it to disappear.
عَزاءً إِنَّ لِلأَقدارِ حُكماً
وَإِنَّ قَضاءَ رَبِّكَ لَن يَحولا
Comfort! The destinies surely have a decree
And your Lord's ordainment will not change.
وَقُل لِأَبيكَ وَالحَسَراتُ تَهفو
بِمَعقِدِ تاجِهِ صَبراً جَميلا
And say to your father though regrets rage
With the band of his crown: patience is beautiful!
وَما تَعصى خُطوبُ الدَهرِ حُرّاً
أَطاعَ اللَهَ مِثلَكَ وَالرَسولا
None defy the strikes of fate courageously
Like you who obeyed God and the Messenger.
سَأَرحَمُ بَعدَ قَصرِكَ كُلَّ قَصرٍ
وَأَحسُدُ بَعدَكَ الطَلَلَ المَحيلا
After your palace, I will pity every palace
And envy after you the barren ruins!
وَأَبكي الشَرقَ حيناً بَعدَ حينٍ
وَأَندُبُ في مَمالِكِهِ العُقولا
And I will weep for the East time after time
And lament its realms of intellect.
وَلَيسَ بِعاقِلٍ مَن رامَ شَيئاً
يَراهُ إِذا تَأَمَّلَ مُستَحيلا
Whoever desires a thing he sees is impossible
When contemplated, is no sage.
لَعَمرُكَ ما الحَياةُ سِوى صِيالٍ
وَلَيسَ الرَأيُ إِلّا أَن تَصولا
By your life! Existence is but an illusion
And opinion is but to rave deliriously!
مَتى رَفَعَ الرَجاءُ بِناءَ مُلكٍ
وَكانَ عِمادُهُ قالاً وَقيلا
When did raising the edifice of a kingdom
With chatter and say as its pillar, endure?
نُريدُ الراحِمينَ وَأَيُّ شَعبٍ
عَزيزٍ يَرحَمُ الشَعبَ الذَليلا
We want the merciful, and which mighty
And dear people have mercy for the disgraced?
أَتَعجَبُ أَن تَرى قَنَصَ الضَواري
وَتَغضَبُ أَن يَكونَ لَها أَكيلا
Do you wonder to see the beasts of prey
And get angry for it to have a morsel?
فَثِق بِاللَهِ وَاِنظُر كَيفَ يَهدي
شُعوبَ الشَرقِ إِذ ضَلّوا السَبيلا
So trust in God and see how He guides
The peoples of the East when they lost the path.
أَظَلَّ جُموعَهُم حَدَثٌ مَهولٌ
لِيَكشِفَ عَنهُمُ الحَدَثَ المَهولا
A momentous event shadowed their throngs
To uncover from them the momentous event.
وَما شَقَّ الدَواءُ عَلى مَريضٍ
إِذا ما اِستَأصَلَ الداءَ الوَبيلا
No cure was harsh to an ailing one
When it thoroughly eliminated the creeping disease.
قُلِ اللَهُمَّ غَفّارَ الخَطايا
إِلَيكَ نَتوبُ فَاِرزُقنا القُبولا
Say: O God, Forgiver of sins
To You we repent, so grant us acceptance!
عَرَفنا الحَقَّ بَعدَ الجَهلِ إِنّا
وَجَدنا الجَهلَ لِلأَقوامِ غولا
We knew the truth after ignorance, we
Found ignorance makes people tyrannical.
