1. News came of a king's death; the sun and moon grew dark

    For him, and the necklace of stars slackened and scattered.

  2. And it brought a tremor to the earth's east and west,

    At which all that rose high and towered bowed down.

  3. And the gleaming broad blades lay idle, and neglected were

    The shafts of tall spears, unbent in combat.

  4. And the eye's tears nearly effaced the white stockings of

    His led horses—and their forehead blazes—in grief's anguish.

  5. And the cross of polytheism was freed from the fetter of its captivity,

    And the throne of kingship shook after it had stood firm.

  6. If his death-herald gladdened every believer with the news,

    He surely gladdened—no welcome to him—everyone who disbelieved.

  7. He announced a lion's death, within the folds of a fierce warrior's ample mail,

    Mighty in strength, his claws bloodied by victory.

  8. And how can Muslims be blamed for sorrow,

    When Islam has lost its champion, Umar?

  9. He laid open unbelief's frontiers with the sword, by force,

    And sealed peace's frontiers with spear-thrusts into mouths.

  10. King al-Muzaffar hoped to be slain in battle,

    A martyr, while the fire of war sent sparks flying.

  11. And nothing befalls a man except what

    God's decree has ordained for creation and humankind.

  12. Indeed, he would meet sharpened blades with his face,

    And brown lances with his breast, in advance and withdrawal.

  13. And the awe he inspired made their hands tremble, so no

    Trace of their blows and thrusts marked his body.

  14. And alone he would drive back the massive host,

    They felt their backs with their hands out of faintheartedness.

  15. If the king, Ibn Ayyub, remains safe, we care not

    For any mortal whom calamities have touched.

  16. And indeed Salah al-Din is a refuge for the faith,

    And a strong pillar, a protector when there is no shelter.

  17. Yes, all game is found in the wild ass;

    Where, then, can the faction of polytheism flee from his war?

  18. The survival of Salah al-Din, for every loss,

    Is compensation for us; be patient—blessed is whoever endures.

  19. For people have parted from loved ones before us,

    And a cure for death has proved elusive among nomads and townsfolk.

  20. Seek consolation, though consolation is hard to find, for grief is not

    Of any avail; neither weeping nor caution helps.

Sol 6.1