أَيا مَن لَهُ جَدٌّ حَوى جُملَةَ العُلا
فَما دَخَلَت لَولا عَلَيهِ وَلا إِلّا
O you whose glory encompasses all glory
None can enter except through you, and none but you
لَقَد قُمتَ بِالعَلياءِ حامِلَ كَلِّها
وَكُلٌّ يَراها فَوقَ عاتِقِهِ كَلّا
You have borne the highest virtues, carrying them all
Yet each sees them above your shoulder, never behind
سَحابٌ هَمى لَلمُعتَفينَ وَلِلعِدى
فَيَقسِمُ بالعَدلِ الوَبالَ أَو الوَبلا
A cloud that rains for the glorious and the wicked alike
Meteing out justice or affliction as it must
إِذا ما اِنتَدى في مَجلِسٍ وَعُداتُهُ
ذَكَرتَ سُلَيمانَ بنَ داوودَ وَالنَملا
When seated in counsel, your companions
Recall Solomon son of David and the ant
وَإِن قَلَّدوهُ رُتبَةً بَعدَ رُتبَةٍ
فَما هِيَ إِلّا أَيِّمٌ طَلَبَت بَعلا
And if they appoint you rank after rank
They are but a woman seeking her husband
وَإِن عَزَلوهُ عَن وِلايَةِ أَمرِهِم
فَإِنَّ وُلاةَ المَجدِ ما عَرَفوا عَزلا
And if they dismiss you from leadership
Leaders of glory never knew dismissal
إِذا ما بَنى عَلَّى وَإِن أَنهَلَ المُنى
رَأى مِن حُقوقِ المَجدِ أَن يُتبِعَ العَلّا
When you built high, though joy streamed forth
You saw in the rights of glory, exaltation must follow
إِلَيكَ شَكَونا عَبدَكَ الدَهرَ إِنَّهُ
لَتَقتُلُهُ عِلماً وَيَقتُلُنا جَهلا
To you we complained of your servant, Time
Killing us with ignorance, killing you with knowledge
وَقَد وَتَرَتني حادِثاتٌ أَمَرَّها
فَلَو كانَ ذا عَقلٍ لَأَلزَمتُهُ عَقلا
And events have lamed me, so bitter their tide
Had they sense, I would oblige them to act sensibly
وَلا يَحسَبَنَّ الدَهرُ يَوماً أَصابَني
وَلَكِن لِنَحرِ النَبلِ قَد قَرطَسَ النَبلا
Let not Time think it ever harmed me
My arrows exhausted themselves shooting arrows
سَأُبقي عَلى الأَيّامِ فيكَ مَحاسِناً
تُخَلِّدُ مِن آياتِ مَجدِكَ ما يُتلى
I will keep your virtues alive through the days
Reciting verses that immortalize your glorious signs
وَأُملي غَرامي لِلنَسيمِ رِسالَةً
فَهَل قالَ ما أَملَيتُهُ لَكُمُ أَم لا
I confide my passion to the breeze in a message
Did it say what I confided, or nothing at all?
