أَيَعلَمُ قَبرٌ بِالجُنَينَةِ أَنَّنا

أَقَمنا بِهِ نَنعى النَدى وَالمَعالِيا

Does the grave in al-Junaynah know that we

Stopped by it to lament the dew and loftiness?

حَطَطنا فَحَيَّينا مَساعيهِ أَنَّها

عِظامُ المَساعي لا العِظامَ البَوالِيا

We alighted and greeted its efforts - that they

Are the bones of efforts, not the bones of calamities.

مَرَرنا بِهِ فَاِستَشرَفَتنا رُسومُهُ

كَما اِستَشرَفَ الرَوضُ الظِباءَ الجَوازِيا

As we passed by it, its features greeted us

As the meadow greeted the passing does.

وَما لاحَ ذاكَ التُربُ حَتّى تَحَلَّبَت

مِنَ الدَمعِ أَوشالٌ مَلَأنَ المَآقِيا

And that soil did not glisten until

Rivulets of tears filled the watering places.

نَزَلنا إِلَيهِ عَن ظُهورِ جِيادِنا

نُكَفكِفُ بِالأَيدي الدُموعَ الجَوارِيا

We descended by the backs of our steeds

To wipe away with our hands the flowing tears.

وَلَمّا تَجاهَشنا البُكاءَ وَلَم نُطِق

عَنِ الوَجدِ إِقلاعاً عَذَرنا البَواكِيا

And when we struggled with weeping and could not

Refrain from passion, the criers excused us.

أَقولُ لِرَكبٍ رائِحينَ تَعَرَّجوا

أُريكُم بِهِ فَرعاً مِنَ المَجدِ ذاوِيا

I say to a caravan passing by, turn aside -

I will show you through it a withering branch of glory.

أَلِمّوا عَليهِ عاقِرينَ فَإِنَّنا

إِذا لَم نَجِد عَقراً عَقَرنا القَوافِيا

Tether your she-camels around it, for if

We do not find a tethering place, we will tether the rhymes.

وَحُطّوا بِهِ رَحلَ المَكارِمِ وَالعُلى

وَكُبّوا الجِفانَ عِندَهُ وَالمقارِيا

And pitch your belongings of virtues and heights by it

And shed your tears and eulogies around it.

وَلَو أَنصَفوا شَقّوا عَلَيهِ ضَمائِراً

وَجَزّوا رِقاباً بِالظُبى لا نَواصِيا

If they were just, they would split their consciences for it

And separate heads with hyenas, not their necks.

وَقَفنا فَأَرخَصنا الدُموعَ وَرُبَّما

تَكونُ عَلى سَومِ الغَرامِ غَوالِيا

We stood, so we let flow our tears, and perhaps

They will be substitutions for the pangs of love.

أَلا أَيُّها القَبرُ الَّذي ضَمَّ لَحدُهُ

قَضيباً عَلى هامِ النَوائِبِ ماضِيا

O grave, whose enclosure contains

A staff striking the brow of catastrophes!

هَلِ اِبنُ هِلالٍ مِنذُ أَودى كَعَهدِنا

هِلالاً عَلى ضَوءِ المَطالِعِ باقِيا

Since Hilal's son passed away, is there

A crescent by the rising of stars still remaining?

وَتِلكَ البَنانُ المورِقاتُ مِنَ النَدى

نَواضِبُ ماءٍ أَو بَواقٍ كَما هِيا

And those bright peaks of dew - are they

Fountains or cisterns as they are?

فَإِن يَبلَ مِن ذاكَ اللِسانِ مَضاؤُهُ

فَإِنَّ بِهِ عُضواً مِنَ المَجدِ باقِيا

For if the glow of that tongue still remains,

Then through it a part of glory remains.

يُجيبُ الدَواعي جائِداً وَمُدافِعاً

هُناكَ مُرِمٌّ لا يُجيبُ الدَواعِيا

It responds to calls, driving off and defending,

While there a dumb one who does not respond to calls.

وَما كُنتُ آبى طولَ لَبثٍ بِقَبرِهِ

لَوَ اَنّي إِذا اِستَعدَيتُهُ كانَ عادِيا

I would not complain of the length of his stay in his grave

If when I call upon him he would answer.

تَرى الكَلِمَ الغُرّاتِ مِن بَعدِ مَوتِهِ

نَوافِرَ عَمَّن رامَهُنَّ نَوائِيا

You see, after his death, his eloquent words

Pour forth from whoever seeks them like blessings.

هُوَ الخاضِبُ الأَقلامَ نالَ بِها عُلىً

تَقاصَرَ عَنها الخاضِبونَ العَوالِيا

He is the one who dyed pens through which he attained heights

Beyond which aspirants to heights fall short.

مُعيدُ ضِرابٍ بِالِسانِ لَوَ أَنَّهُ

بِيَومِ وَغىً فَلَّ الجُرازَ اليَمانِيا

A repeater of blows with a tongue which, had it

On a day of battle turned back the Yemeni phalanx.

مَريرُ القُوى نالَ المَعالِيَ واثِباً

إِذا غَيرُهُ نالَ المَعالِيَ حابِيا

Bitter in strength, he attained the heights leaping

When others attained the heights creeping.

مَضى لَم يُمانِع عَنهُ قَلبٌ مُشَيَّعٌ

إِذا هَمَّ لَم يَرجِع عَنِ الهَمِّ نابِيا

He went away - no grieving heart escorted him

When he decided, he did not turn back from resolve.

وَلا مُسنِدوهُ بِالأَكُفِّ عَنِ الحَشى

عَلى جَزَعٍ وَالمُفرِشوهُ التَراقِيا

Neither those who supported him with palms from his side

Over anguished hearts, nor those who laid him on the bier.

وَلا رَدَّ في صَدرِ المَنونِ بِراحَةٍ

يَرُدُّ بِها سُمرَ القَنا وَالمَواضِيا

Nor did he, in the bosom of death, ward off with a palm

With which to turn back the heat of midday and watering places.

خَلا بَعدَكَ الوادي الَّذي كُنتَ أُنسَهُ

وَأَصبَحَ تَعروهُ النَوائِبُ وادِيا

After you the valley which you had made intimate

Became desolate, with catastrophes laying it waste.

أَراحَت عَلَينا ثَلَّةُ الوَجدِ تَرتَعي

ضَمائِرَنا أَيّامَها وَاللَيالِيا

A group of passions settled upon us, grazing

Upon our hearts, its days and nights.

وَلولاكَ كانَ الصَبرُ مِنكَ سَجِيَّةً

تُراثاً وَرِثناهُ الجُدودَ الأَوالِيا

If not for you, patience would have been your nature

An inheritance we inherited from the ancient ancestors.

رَضيتُ بِحُكمِ الدَهرِ فيكَ ضَرورَةً

وَمَن ذا الَّذي يَغدو بِما ساءَ راضِيا

I accepted the decree of fate concerning you out of necessity,

For who is he that goes willingly to what displeases him?

وَطاوَعتُ مَن رامَ اِنتِزاعَكَ مِن يَدي

وَلَو أَجِدُ الأَعوانَ أَصبَحتُ عاصِيا

And I obeyed the one who wanted to snatch you from my hand,

Though had I found helpers, I would have become a rebel.

وَطَأمَنتُ كيما يَعبُرَ الخَطبُ جانِبي

فَأَلقى عَلى ظَهري وَجَرَّ زِمامِيا

I was resigned so that tribulation would pass by me,

That I might throw off my burden and loose my bridle.

مَلَأتَ بِمَحياكَ البِلادَ فَضائِلاً

وَيَملَأُ مَثواكَ البِلادَ مَناعِيا

You filled the lands with your virtues in your life,

And your resting place will fill the lands with blazing flames.

كَما صَمَّ عالي ذِكرِكَ الخَلقَ كُلَّهُ

كَذاكَ أَقَمتَ العالَمينَ نَواعِيا

Just as the lofty mention of you silenced all humanity,

So you established in both worlds a flamer.

رَثَيتُكَ كَي أَسلوكَ فَاِزدَدتُ لَوعَةً

لِأَنَّ المَراثي لا تَسُدُّ المَرازِيا

I have elegized you in order to console myself, yet I have increased in agony

Because elegies do not close gashes.

وَأَعلَمُ أَن لَيسَ البُكاءُ بِنافِعٍ

عَلَيكَ وَلَكِنّي أُمَنّي الأَمانِيا

And I know that weeping is of no benefit to you,

But still I entertain hopes and wishes.