اِجعَل رِثاءَكَ لِلرِجالِ جَزاءَ
وَاِبعَثهُ لِلوَطَنِ الحَزينِ عَزاءَ
Make your elegy for men a reward,
And send it to the sorrowful homeland as solace.
إِنَّ الدِيارَ تُريقُ ماءَ شُؤونِها
كَالأُمَّهاتِ وَتَندُبُ الأَبناءَ
The homelands shed tears for their affairs,
Like mothers weeping for their children.
ثُكلُ الرِجالِ مِنَ البَنينِ وَإِنَّما
ثُكلُ المَمالِكِ فَقدُها العُلَماءَ
Men are bereaved of their sons, but
Kingdoms are bereaved when they lose their scholars.
يَجزَعنَ لِلعَلَمِ الكَبيرِ إِذا هَوى
جَزَعَ الكَتائِبِ قَد فَقَدنَ لِواءَ
They grieve for the great scholar when he falls,
As regiments grieve when they lose their banner.
عَلَمُ الشَريعَةِ أَدرَكَتهُ شَريعَةٌ
لِلمَوتِ يَنظِمُ حُكمُها الأَحياءَ
The scholar of Sharia met the fate
That makes laws binding on the living.
عانى قَضاءَ الأَرضِ عِلمَ مُحَصِّلٍ
وَاَليَومَ عالَجَ لِلسَماءِ قَضاءَ
He suffered the decree of the earth with acquired knowledge,
And today he answered the decree of heaven.
وَمَضى وَفيهِ مِنَ الشَبابِ بَقِيَّةٌ
لِلنَفعِ أَرجى ما تَكونُ بَقاءَ
And he passed away while still full of youth’s remainder,
The most hopeful remainder for benefit.
إِنَّ الشَبابَ يُحَبُّ جَمّاً حافِلاً
وَتُحَبُّ أَيّامُ الشَبابِ مِلاءَ
Youth itself loves a plentiful, teeming crowd,
And the days of youth love to be filled.
بِالأَمسِ كانَت لِاِبنِ هَيفٍ غَضبَةٌ
لِلحَقِّ نَذكُرُها يَداً بيضاءَ
Yesterday, Ibn Haif’s rage
Was, we acknowledge, a white-handed blow for truth.
مَشَتِ البِلادُ إِلى رِسالَةِ مِلنَرٍ
وَتَحَفَّزَت أَرضاً لَها وَسَماءَ
The countries marched to Millner’s message,
And earth and heaven were aroused for it.
فَلَمَحتُ أَعرَجَ في زَوايا الحَقِّ لَم
أَعلَم عَلَيهِ ذِمَّةً عَرجاءَ
I saw the limping and the corrupt in the corners of truth -
I never knew them to have an impaired loyalty.
اِرتَدَّتِ العاهاتُ عَن أَخلاقِهِ
لِسُمُوِّهِنَّ وَحَلَّتِ الأَعضاءَ
The blind turned away from his morals
To their height, and the limbs were refreshed.
عَطَفَتهُ عَطفَ القَوسِ يَومَ رِمايَةٍ
وَثَنَتهُ كَالماضي فَزادَ مَضاءَ
On the day of shooting, he bent his bow like a bow,
And bent it like the past, so it shone more brightly.
لَمّا رَأى التَقريرَ يَنفُثُ سُمَّهُ
سَبَقَ الحُواةَ فَأَخرَجَ الرَقطاءَ
When he saw the report spewing its poison,
He outran the living and brought out the worthless.
هَتَكَ الحِمايَةَ وَالرِجالَ وَراءَها
يَتَلَمَّسونَ لَها السُتورَ رِياءَ
He tore away the protection, with the men behind it
Feeling for its veils in hypocrisy.
ما قَبَّحوا بِالصُبحِ مِن أَشباحِها
راحوا إِلَيكَ فَحَسَّنوهُ مَساءَ
They did not uglify it in the morning with its specters;
They went to you and beautified it in the evening.
يا قَيِّمَ الدارِ الَّتي قَد أَخرَجَت
لِلمُدلِجينَ مَنارَةً زَهراءَ
O guardian of the house that brought forth
For those arriving a glowing beacon.
وَتَرى لَدَيها الوارِدينَ فَلا تَرى
إِلّا ظِماءً يَنزِلونَ رَواءَ
You see the visitors, and you see
Only the thirsty coming to drink their fill.
وَتُجالِسُ العُلَماءَ في حُجُراتِها
وَتُسامِرُ الحُكَماءَ وَالشُعَراءَ
And you sit with the scholars in its rooms
And converse with the wise and the poets.
تَكفيكَ شَيطانَ الفَراغِ وَتَعتَني
بِالجاهِلينَ تَرُدُّهُم عُقَلاءَ
You spare yourself the devil of emptiness and care
For the ignorant, making them reasonable.
دارُ الذَخائِرِ كُنتَ أَكمَلَ كُتبِها
مَجموعَةٌ وَأَتَمَّها أَجزاءَ
The house of treasures - you completed its books,
A collected set, perfect in its parts.
لَمّا خَلَت مِن كِنزِ عِلمِكَ أَصبَحَت
مِن كُلِّ أَعلاقِ الكُنوزِ خَلاءَ
When your treasure of knowledge was gone from it
It became empty of all sorts of treasures.
هَزَّ الشَبابُ إِلى رَثائِكَ خاطِري
فَوَجَدتَ فِيَّ وَفي الشَبابِ وَفاءَ
Youth shook my feelings to eulogize you,
And in me and in youth it found loyalty.
عَبدَ الحَميدِ أَلا أُسِرُّكَ حادِثاً
يَكسو عِظامَكَ في البِلى السَرّاءَ
Abdul Hamid - How I wish an event would clothe
Your bones in the earth with happiness!
قُم مِن صُفوفِ الحَقِّ تلقَ كَتيبَةً
مَلمومَةً وَتَرَ الصُفوفَ سَواءَ
Arise from the ranks of truth and receive a battalion,
Cursed and see the ranks leveled.
وَتَرَ الكِنانَةِ شيبَها وَشَبابَها
دونَ القَضِيَةِ عُرضَةً وَفِداءَ
And see its elders and youth before the cause,
Exposed as ransom and sacrifice.
جَمَعَ السَلامُ الصُحفَ مِن غاراتِها
وَتَأَلَّفَ الأَحزابَ وَالزُعَماءَ
Peace gathered the pages from its raids,
And the parties and leaders were united.
في كُلِّ وُجدانٍ وَكُلِّ سَريرَةٍ
خَلَفَ الوِدادُ الحِقدَ وَالبَغضاءَ
In every conscience and every intimacy,
Affection replaced hate and resentment.
وَغَدا إِلى دينِ العَشيرَةِ يَنتَهي
مَن خالَفَ الأَعمامَ وَالآباءَ
And it came to an end in the religion of clan
Who opposed uncles and fathers.
لا يَحجِبونَ عَلى تجَنّيهِم وَلا
يَجِدونَ إِلّا الصَفحَ وَالإِغضاءَ
They do not conceal their oppression, nor
Do they find anything but forgiveness and overlooking.
وَالأَهلُ لا أَهلاً بِحَبلِ وَلائِهِم
حَتّى تَراهُم بَينَهُم رُحَماءُ
The family is no family with their rope of loyalty
Until you see them as kin among themselves.
كَذَبَ المُريبُ يَقولُ بَعدَ غَدٍ لَنا
خُلفٌ يُعيدُ وَيُبدِئُ الشَحناءَ
The mischief-maker lies saying to us after tomorrow:
"There will be those who renew and restart hostility."
قَلبي يُحَدِّثُني وَلَيسَ بِخائِني
إِنَّ العُقولَ سَتَقهَرُ الأَهواءَ
My heart tells me - it does not betray me -
That minds will subdue passions.
يا سَعدُ قَد جَرَتِ الأُمورُ لِغايَةٍ
اللَهُ هَيَّأَها لَنا ما شاءَ
O Saad, things have come to the point
That God arranged for us whatever He willed.
سُبحانَهُ جَمَعَ القُلوبَ مِنَ الهَوى
شَتّى وَقَوّى حَولَهُ الضُعَفاءَ
Glory to Him Who gathered the hearts
From passion scattered and strengthened the weak around Him.
الفُلكُ بَعدَ العُسرِ يُسِّرَ أَمرُها
وَاِستَقبَلَت ريحَ الأُمورِ رُخاءَ
After hardship, the ship makes its matter easy,
And it met the wind of affairs with comfort.
وَتَأَهَّبَت بِكَ تَستَعِدُّ لِزاخِرٍ
تَطَأُ العَواصِفَ فيهِ وَالأَنواءَ
It was adorned with you, preparing
To tread the storms in it and the gusts.
رَجَعَت بِراكِبِها إِلى رُبّانِها
تُلقي الرَجاءَ عَلَيهِ وَالأَعباءَ
It returned its rider to its Captain
Casting hope and burdens upon Him.
فَاِشدُد بِأَربابِ النُهى سُكّانَها
وَاِجعَل مِلاكَ شِراعِها الأَكفاءَ
So brace its inhabitants with the people of prohibition
And make those qualified its sail's owners.
مَن ذا الَّذي يَختارُ أَهلَ الفَضلِ أَو
يَزِنُ الرِجالَ إِذا اِختِيارُكَ ناءَ
Who is the one who chooses the people of merit or
Weighs men when your choice sighs?
أَخرِج لِأَبناءِ الحَضارَةِ مَجلِساً
يُبقي عَلى اِسمِكَ في العُصورِ ثَناءَ
Bring out for the sons of civilization a council
That will keep your name spoken of in ages with praise.
