أَجِز مِن غُلَّةِ الصَدرِ العَميدِ
وَسَكِّن نافِرَ الجَأشِ الشَرودِ
I excuse the surplus of the generous chest
And calm the fleeting, wandering panic
فَما جَزَعُ الجَزوعِ مِنَ اللَيالي
بِمُحرِزِهِ وَلا جَلَدُ الجَليدِ
So the anxious are not anxious for the nights
With their provisions, nor are the brave afraid
جَحَدنا سُهمَةَ الحَدَثانِ فينا
لَوَ أَنَّ الحَقَّ يَبطُلُ بِالجُحودِ
We denied the arrows of events in us
As if truth is nullified by denial
وَنُنكِرُ أَن تُطَرِّقَنا المَنايا
كَأَنّا قَد خُلِقنا لِلخُلودِ
And we deny that death should knock on our door
As if we were created for immortality
فَيا وَيحَ الحَوادِثِ كَيفَ تُعطي
شَقِيَّ القَومِ مِن حَظِّ السَعيدِ
So alas for events, how they give
The wretched of people the luck of the fortunate
وَكَيفَ تَجوزُ إِن هَمَّت بِحُكمٍ
فَتَحمِلَ لِلغَوِيَّ عَلى الرَشيدِ
And how can they rule if they intend a ruling
To carry for the stray what was for the righteous
وَما بَرِحَت صُروفُ الدَهرِ حَتّى
أَرَتنا الأُسدَ قَتلى لِلقُرودِ
The turns of fate did not cease until
It showed us lions killed by monkeys
أُعَزّي الأَريَحِيَّ أَبا عَلِيٍّ
عَنِ الخِرقِ الأَغَرِّ أَبي سَعيدِ
I console Arraheem Abul Ali
For the widest tear, Abi Saeed
وَما عَزَّيتُ إِلّا بَحرَ عِلمٍ
نُطيفُ بِفَيضِهِ عَن بَحرِ جودِ
And I did not console except with a sea of knowledge
Whose abundance overflows from a sea of generosity
قَتيلٌ لَم يُمَهِّل قاتِلوهُ
مَدى الأَجَلِ المُؤَقَّتِ في ثَمودِ
A slain man whose killers did not give him
The respite of the allotted term in Thamood
تُدورِكَ ثَأرُهُ غَضّاً وَلَمّا
يُؤَخَّرُ لِلتَهَدُّدِ وَالوَعيدِ
His revenge turns intense, not to be
Postponed for threats and warnings
وَكانَ السَيفُ أَدنى مِن وَريدِ ال
مُعينِ عَلَيهِ مِن حَبلِ الوَريدِ
And the sword was closer to the jugular
Than a rope is to helping against it
وَلَيسَ دَمُ اللَعينِ وَإِن شَفانا
كَفِيّاً عِندَنا لِدَمِ الشَهيدِ
The blood of the accursed is not enough, even if healing
Compared to the blood of the martyr among us
وَما أَرضَتكَ مِن مُهَجِ المَوالي
غَداةَ رُزِئتَها مُهَجُ العَبيدِ
And the Loyal's wounds did not please you
The morning after the wounds of slaves did
فَلَو عَلِمَ القَتيلُ وَأَيُّ عِلمٍ
لِمَيتٍ مِن وَراءِ التُربِ مودِ
If the slain had known - but what knowledge
Can a dead man have from beyond the soil?
رَأى لِأَخيهِ عَزماً أَنقَذَتنا
صَريمَتُهُ مِنَ التَلَفِ المُبيدِ
He would have seen his brother's resolve saving us
From his death cry - from total destruction
سَما بِالخَيلِ أَرسالاً لِسيما
فَمِن شوسٍ إِلى الداعي وَقودِ
Vowing by the horses, loosing them, by their marks,
So from Shaws to the supporter set ablaze
فَما اِنفَكَّت تَجولُ عَلَيهِ حَتّى
تَدَهدَأَ رَأسُ جَبّارٍ عَنيدِ
They did not cease roving over him until
The head of an obstinate tyrant was subdued
إِذا ما الحَيُّ أَعطى في أَخيهِ ال
دَنيئَةَ فَهوَ كَالمَيتِ الفَقيدِ
When the living degrades his brother
He is like the dead, departed
ذَكَرتُ أَخي أَبا بَكرٍ فَفاضَت
دُموعٌ غَيرُ مُعوِزَةِ الجُمودِ
I remembered my brother Abu Bakr, so tears flowed
Not to be contained behind barriers
وَلِلفَجعِ العَتيقِ مُحَرِّكاتٌ
مُهَيَّجَةٌ مِنَ الفَجعِ الجَديدِ
And for old anguish there are stirrings
Agitated by the new anguish
سَلامُ اللَهِ وَالسُقيا سِجالاً
عَلى تِلكَ الضَرائِحِ وَاللُحودِ
God's peace and watering the graves - arguments
Over those tombs and encampments
رَزايا مِن شُيوخِ الأَزدِ أَلقَت
عَلَينا كُلَّ موهِنَةٍ هَدودِ
Calamities from Azd's elders threw
Every weakening catastrophe on us
نَصُكُّ لَها الجِباهَ إِذا اِحتَشَمنا
حَياءَ الناسِ مِن لَطمِ الخُدودِ
We lower our brows when we feel shy
Of people seeing slapped cheeks
مَباكٍ تَستَزيدَ الدَمعَ فيها
وَما لِلدَمعِ فيها مِن مَزيدِ
Weeping spreads tears among them
But tears among them have no increase
أَقولُ أَبا عَلِيٍّ طِبتَ حَيّاً
وَمَيتاً تَحتَ أَروِقَةِ الصَعيدِ
I say: Abu Ali, you were good in life
And dead under arches of soil
لَقَد طَلَبَتكَ مِن غُرِّ المَراثي
قَوافٍ مِثلَ أَفوافِ البُرودِ
Mournful ode searchers sought you
Like the searching of the cutting cold
فَلا تَبعَد فَما كانَ المُرَجّى
نَوالَكَ مِن نَوالِكَ بِالبَعيدِ
So do not be far - the hoped for was not
Your attainment far from your attainment
هَمَمتُ بِنَصرَةٍ فَعَجَزتُ عَنها
وَأَنتَ تُرادُ لِلخَطبِ المُفيدِ
I intended a victory but failed to achieve it
While you are wanted for beneficial discourse
وَلَمّا لَم أَجِد لِلسَيفِ حَدّاً
أَصولُ بِهِ نَصَرتُكَ بِالقَصيدِ
And when I did not find a limit for the sword
To help you with it, I set out with poetry
