خُدَعُ المُنى وخواطِرُ الأوهامِ

أضْغاثُ كاذِبَةٍ منَ الأحْلامِ

The delusions of desire and fantasies’ fancies,

Lies’ ravings from dreams,

نَهْوى البقاءَ وليسَ فيهِ طائِلٌ

والمرْءُ نَهْبُ حَوادثِ الأيّامِ

We yearn for eternity, but in vain,

Man is fate's blows and days' prey.

يحوي رَغائِبَ مالِهِ وُرّاثُهُ

منْ بَعْدِهِ ويَبوءُ بالآثامِ

His heir inherits his wealth and estates

After him, while he is steeped in sins.

والعيشُ أوَّلُهُ عَقيدُ مشقّةٍ

وأذىً وآخِرُهُ مَقيلُ حِمامِ

Life begins fraught with woe

And harm, and ends as a tilting dove.

والعُمْرُ لوْ جازَ المَدى لتبرّمَ ال

أرواحُ منه بصُحْبَةِ الأجسامِ

If lifespan outlasted its term, souls would reject

Their union with bodies outright.

بَينا الفَتى قَلِقاً بهِ نِيّاتُهُ

ألْقى مَراسيَهُ بِدارِ مُقامِ

While the youth frets, his intentions restless,

He meets his end at the home of stay.

وهَوى كزَيْدِ بْنِ الحُسَينِ إِلى الثّرى

غِبَّ الثّراءِ مُحالِفَ الإعْدامِ

And dies like Zayd son of Husayn, seeking refuge

From wealth in allied annihilation’s bosom.

في مِعْوَزٍ سمَلٍ مَشى فيهِ البِلى

والقَبْرُ بئْسَ مُعرَّسُ الأقْوامِ

In patched robe he walked, rent by decrepitude,

The grave is the meanest of mens’ wives.

نُضِدَتْ عليهِ بَنيّةٌ منْ رَمْسِهِ

كالغِمْدِ مُشْتَمِلاً على الصّمصامِ

Its walls were erected with clay from his soil

Enfolding him like a sword's sheath.

وأصابَهُ رَيْبُ المنيّةِ إذ رَمى

طُوِيَتْ على شَلَلٍ يَمينُ الرّامي

And death's misfortune befell him when he was hit

By a twisting arrow's dexterous archer.

لو قارَعَ الناسُ المَنونَ لردَّها

عنهُ السّيوفُ فَوالِقاً لِلْهامِ

If people warded off death, swords would drive

It away, cleaving through skulls.

تَدْمى أغِرَّتُها بأيدي غِلْمَةٍ

قُرَشيّةٍ بيضِ الوُجوهِ كِرامِ

Its darkness spills on the hands of Qurashī lads

White of face, generous noblemen.

يطَؤونَ أذْيالَ الدروعِ بمأْقِطٍ

حرَجٍ يَفيءُ عليهِ ظلُّ قَتامِ

Who drag trains fit for a sinuous meadow,

In whose shade thrives a woodland's gloom.

وتُضيءُ في هَبَواتِهِ صَفحاتُهُمْ

كالفَجْرِ يخْطِرُ في رِداءِ ظَلامِ

And in its folds, their faces shine

Like dawn gleaming through night’s gown.

والمالُ جمٌّ والحِمى متَمَنِّعٌ

والمَجْدُ أتْلَعُ والعُروقُ نَوامِ

Wealth abounds, and sanctuary fortified,

Glory peers, and veins slumber.

رُمِيَتْ بثالِثَةِ الأثافي هاشِمٌ

فبَكَتْ بأربَعَةٍ عليهِ سِجامِ

With three spears the Hāshimites striker was struck

So Siham’s swords bewailed him with four.

ولعَبْدِ شَمْسٍ والتّجَلُّدُ خِيمُها

عَيْنٌ مُؤَرّقَةٌ وجَفْنٌ دامِ

And for Abducted Sun, though valiance covers it,

A sleepless eye and a tearful lid remain.

وهُمُ الأُسودُ الغُلْبُ حولَ ضَريحِهِ

يَبكونَهُ بنَواظِرِ الآرامِ

They are lions surrounding his tomb, grieving him

With gazes pure as mountain grouse.

فتضاءَلَتْ كُوَرُ الجِبالِ لِفَقْدِهِ

غُبْرَ الفِجاجِ خَواشِعَ الأعْلامِ

So at his loss mountains shrink,

Ash of spacious lowlands donning humility's gown.

ولِقُلَّتَيْ أرْوَنْدَ رَنّةُ ثاكِلِ

حرّانَ حينَ ثَوى أبو الأيْتامِ

And for the crying lady of Al-Arūnd a heir

Wept when the orphan's father passed away.

فُجِعوا بِتاجِ الدين حتى عَضّهُمْ

زَمَنٌ ألَحَّ بشِرَّةٍ وعُرامِ

They were saddened by Crown of Faith until, with time

That insisted shrilly, it made them gaunt.

لمّا نَعَتْهُ المَكْرُماتُ إِلى العُلا

لبِسَ الحِدادَ شَريعَةُ الإسْلامِ

When the virtues gave tidings of him to Highness

Islam's law wore mourning clothes.

فمضى وقَدْ أصْحَبْتُهُ سيّارةً

كالرّوضِ يضْحَكُ منْ بُكاءِ غَمامِ

So he passed away, and I bade him farewell with a caravan

Like a garden laughing through cloud's weeping.

غرّاءَ منْ كَلمي إذا هيَ سُطِّرَتْ

ظَهَرتْ بها النّخَواتُ في الأقْلامِ

Stray words of mine, when transcribed

Artlessness appears in the pens.

ليستْ لعارِفَةٍ أجازيهِ بها

لكنّها لوَشائِجِ الأرْحامِ

I do not give them as a reward for the gnostic’s prize

But for kinsmen's twisting bonds.

وأحَقُّ مُفْتَقَدٍ بها ذو سُؤْدَدٍ

آباؤُهُ منْ هاشِمٍ أعْمامي

And most deserving by them is one gentle of birth

My uncles his fathers, my paternal kin.

ولوِ اسْتَطَعْتُ كَفَفْتُ عنهُ يَدَ الرّدى

بِشَباةِ رُمْحٍ أو غِرارِ حُسامِ

If I were able, I would hold back the hand of destiny from him

With spears' determination or swords' slash.

وبفِتْيَةٍ ألِفوا المِصاعَ كأنّهُمْ

أُسْدٌ منَ الأسَلاتِ في آجامِ

And with some youths who befriended peril as if they were

Lions, growling when hid in their lairs.

وإذا دُعوا لكَريهَةٍ لم ينظُروا ال

إسْراجَ واقْتَصَروا على الإلْجامِ

If called to an ugly task, they did not hesitate

Or delay, restraining themselves to headbands.

فهُمُ اللّيوثُ غَداةَ يُحتَضَرُ الوَغى

وهمُ الغُيوثُ عشيّةَ الإطْعامِ

They are savage lions when battle encroaches

And are to the rescue when food runs scarce.

وقُدورُهُمْ يَعِدُ القِرى إرْزامُها

والرَّعْدُ ليسَ يهُمُّ بالإرزامِ

Their cauldrons promise the villages a serve

While thunder itself fears promising.

وإذا اعتَزَوا أوْرى زِنادَهُمُ أبٌ

مُرُّ الحَفيظَةِ للحَقيقةِ حامِ

And when they become enraged, their quivers—lined up—

Seem like a bitter in truth guardian firebrand.

فالعمُّ أبْلَجُ منْ كِنانَةَ في الذّرا

والخالُ أرْوَعُ منْ بَني همّامِ

So the paternal uncle is more clement than the Kinaanah's cradle

And the maternal uncle gentler than the tribe of Hammam.

ليسوا منَ النَّفَرِ الذينَ أصولُهُمْ

خَبُثَتْ وليسَ لهُنَّ فرْعٌ نامِ

They are not of the elite whose origins are depraved

And whose branches have no lifeblood.

رَفعَتْهُمُ جِدَةٌ وجَدُّهمُ لَقىً

منْ لُؤْمِهِ بمَدارِجِ الأقْدامِ

A grandmother raised them, and their grandfather met

From his intrepidity high glories.

لا زالَ تُرْضِعُهُ أفاوِيقَ الحَيا

وَطْفاءُ يُنْتِجُها الصَّبا لِتَمامِ

The East still suckles them with morn’s first glow

And youth the clouds fashion for their perfection.

فتلفّعَتْ بحَبيّها قُلَلُ الرُّبا

وتلثّمَتْ منْ بَرْقِها بضِرامِ

So hilltops donned his brilliance’ garb

And wrapped themselves in his lightning’s gown.