عَفّى عَلِيُّ بنُ إِسحاقٍ بِفَتكَتِهِ

عَلى غَرائِبِ تيهٍ كُنَّ في الحَسَنِ

Ali ibn Ishaq was ennobled by his conquests

Of strange charms that were the essence of beauty.

أَنسَتهُ تَفقيعَهُ في اللَفظِ نازِلَةٌ

لَم تُبقِ فيهِ سِوى التَسليمِ لِلزَمَنِ

His words bespoke elegance, but Time lessened them

Leaving only resignation to fate's course.

أَبا عَلِيٍّ عَلَيكَ الفَوتَ إِن ذُكِرَ ال

إِدراكُ مِن طالِبي الأَوتارِ وَالإِحَنِ

Abu Ali, too late for praise if singers of epics

And songs would seek to do justice to your feats!

لَمّا رَثَيتَ رَجاءً خِلتُ أَنَّكَ قَد

ثَأَرتَهُ بِبُكا القُمرِيُّ في الفَنَنِ

When you grieved for Raja', I thought you had avenged him

Adequately, in the poignancy of your verses.

فَنِمتَ عَنهُ وَلَم تَحفِل بِمَصرَعِهِ

لا مَتَّعَ اللَهُ تِلكَ العَينَ بِالوَسَنِ

Yet from his fate you turned aside, unheeding,

Into revels that God prolonged, to your delight.

بَل ما يَسُرُّكَ مِلءَ الدارِ مِن ذَهَبٍ

وَأَنَّ ما كانَ يَومَ الدارِ لَم يَكُنِ

Rather, your joy is in a houseful of gold, though

What was, the day the house was seized, is now no more.

حِرصاً عَلى إِرثِ شَيخٍ ظَلَّ مُضطَهَداً

بِالشامِ يَكبو عَلى العِرنينِ وَالذَقَنِ

Greed made you covet a persecuted elder's estate,

Bowing under sackcloth in Syria's wastes.

دَعاكَ وَالسَيفُ يَغشاهُ فَمِن بَدَنٍ

بِغَيرِ رَأسٍ وَمِن رَأسٍ بِلا بَدَنِ

He appealed to you while the swords rained upon him

As torsos without heads, and heads without torsos, fell.

فَلَم تَكُن كَبنِ حُجرٍ حينَ ثارَ وَلا

أَخي كُلَيبٍ وَلا سَيفِ بنِ ذي يَزَنِ

Not like Kulayb's brother when vengeance called him, were you;

Not Saif ibn Dhi Yazan's sword arm in that fray!

وَلَم يُقَل لَكَ في وِترٍ طَلَبتَ بِهِ

تِلكَ المَكارِمُ لا قَعبانِ مِن لَبَني

No ode of yours sought out, as heart's desire,

The noble deeds not asked of craven souls.