لا يُعجِبَنَّ الفَتى بِفَضلٍ

فَإِنَّهُ مُقتَضى بِوَعدِ

The youth is not impressed by merit,

For it is a promise of reward.

يَقولُ جاوَزتُ في المَعالي

آلَ سَعيدٍ وَآلَ سَعدِ

I say I have surpassed in glory,

The houses of Sa'id and Sa'ad.

فَلَيسَ فَوقي وَلَيسَ مِثلي

وَلَيسَ قَبلي وَلَيسَ بَعدي

So there is none above me, nor like me,

Neither before me, nor after me.

والِدُهُ خَصَّهُ بِعَدوى

مِن مَوتِهِ وَالحَمامُ يُعدي

His father endowed him with my enmity,

With his death, as smallpox is contagious.

أَودى بِفُرسانِ كُلِّ جيلٍ

مِن سَبِطٍ فيهِمُ وَجَعدِ

It destroyed the horsemen of every generation,

Among the eminent and the curly-haired.

وَما ثَنى الحادِثاتُ مَعداً

مَن مِثلَ بِسطامَ وَاِبنَ مَعدي

And events have not bent a refuge,

Like Bistaam and the son of Ma'adi.

يا زَينَباً حُلِّيَت وَدَعداً

كَم مَرَّ مِن زَينَبٍ وَدَعدِ

O Zainab adorned and O Da'ad,

How many a Zainab and Da'ad have passed.

فَالحَمدُ لِلَّهِ قَلَّ خَيري

وَصارَ قُربي نَظيرَ بُعدي

So praise be to God, my goodness has diminished,

And my kin have become like strangers to me.

وَقَد بَدا لي مِنَ المَنايا

بارِقَةٌ آذَنَت بِرَعدِ

And death has appeared to me,

Lightening that heralds thunder.