وَأَكثَرتُ غِشيانَ المَقابِرِ زائِراً

وَأَكثَرتُ غِشيانَ المَقابِرِ زائِراً

عَلِيَّ بنِ يَحيى جارَ أَهلِ المَقابِرِ

عَلِيَّ بنِ يَحيى جارَ أَهلِ المَقابِرِ

And I have often gone to the graveyards to visit

I have frequented cemeteries often,

ʿAlī ibn Yaḥyā, neighbor of the graveyards’ inhabitants.

Ali son of Yahya, neighbor of cemetery dwellers.

فَإِلّا يَكُن مَيتَ الحُشاشَةِ في الَّذي

فَإِلّا يَكُن مَيتَ الحُشاشَةِ في الَّذي

يُرى فَهوَ مَيتُ الجودِ مَيتُ المَآثِرِ

يُرى فَهوَ مَيتُ الجودِ مَيتُ المَآثِرِ

So if his spark of life is not dead, as far as

Except it be the dead of meanness that is seen,

one can see, he is dead in generosity, dead in noble deeds.

It is the dead of generosity, the dead of glorious deeds.

وَلا فَضلَ عِندَ الأَرمَنِيِّ يَعُدُّهُ

وَلا فَضلَ عِندَ الأَرمَنِيِّ يَعُدُّهُ

سِوى رَنَّهُ ثَورٌ سَمينٌ لِجازِرِ

سِوى رَنَّهُ ثَورٌ سَمينٌ لِجازِرِ

And the Armenian has no merit he can count,

The Armenian sees no virtue,

except [that he is] a fat bull for a butcher.

Except his cow, fat for the butcher.

سَرَقتَ سِهامَ المُسلِمينَ وَلَم تَكُن

سَرَقتَ سِهامَ المُسلِمينَ وَلَم تَكُن

لَهُم يَومَ زَحفِ المُشرِكينِ بِحاضِرِ

لَهُم يَومَ زَحفِ المُشرِكينِ بِحاضِرِ

You stole the Muslims’ shares, though you were not

You have stolen the arrows of the Muslims, yet you were not

present with them on the day the polytheists advanced.

Present for them the day the polytheists marched forth.