أَتى الدَهر مِن حَيث لا أَتَّقي

وَخانَ من السَبب الأَوثَقِ

Time crept up on me from where I least expected

And failed the strongest cause

مَضى بِأَبي الفَضلِ شَطرَ الحَياة

وَما مَرَّ أَنفَسُ مِمّا بَقي

It took my father Al-Fadl in life's prime

Yet my soul did not pass with what remained

فَقُل لِلحَوادِثِ من بَعدِهِ

أَسِفّي بمن شئت أَو حَلِّقي

So say to events after him

Do what you wish or soar high

أَمِنتُكِ لَم يبق لي مَن أَخاف

عليه الحِمامُ ولا أَتَّقي

I trusted you, none remains for me to fear for

Neither plague nor unexpected toll

وَقَد كُنتَ أَشفق مِمّا دَهاه

وَقَد سكنت لوعة المُشفِقِ

You used to fear what wore him out

And stilled the anguished heart

وَلَمّا قضى دون أَترابِهِ

تَيَقَّنتُ أَنَّ الرَدى يَنتَقي

When he passed before his peers

I was sure fate handpicked its choice

مَضى حينَ وَدَّع دَرّ الرَضاعِ

لدَرِّ التَفصُّحِ في المَنطِقِ

He left the teat's affection

For the goblet's eloquence in speech

وَهَزَّ اليَراع أَنابيبه

وَهُنّىءَ بِالكاتِبِ المُفلِقِ

And shook the bough's pipelines

And was greeted by the articulate writer

وَقيلَ سَيشرف هَذا الغُلامُ

وَقالَت مخايله أَخلِقِ

It was said "this boy will rise high"

And his character said "be righteous"

كَأَنَّ اللِثامَ عَلى وَجهِهِ

هِلالٌ عَلى كَوكَبٍ مُشرِقِ

As if the headscarf on his face

A crescent on a shining star

وَما النَومُ إِلّا التِقاء الجُفونِ

فَكَيفَ أَنامُ وَما نَلتَقي

Sleep is but joined eyelids

How can I sleep when we don't meet

يَعُزُّ عَلى حاسِدي أَنَّني

إِذا طرق الخطب لَم أُطرِقِ

It's hard for my envier that when

Destinies knock, I don't bow

وَإِنّي طود إِذا صادمته

رياحُ الحَوادِث لَم يَقلقِ

I'm a towering mountain, if events

Collide, I will not waver