مُسدي الجَميلِ بِلا مَنٍّ يُكَدِّرُهُ

وَمُكرِمُ الضَيفِ أَمسى ضَيفَ رِضوانِ

The bestower of beauty, freely, without ulterior motive,

The host who honors his guest has become the guest of divine pleasure.

تَجتازُنا عَبقَةٌ مِن رَوضَةٍ أُنُفٍ

إِذا أَلَمَّت بِنا ذِكرى سُلَيمانِ

A gentle fragrance wafts over us from a garden of delight,

Whenever the memory of Sulayman comes upon us.

فَقُل لِآلِ سُلَيمانٍ إِذا جَزِعوا

رُدوا النُفوسَ إِلى صَبرٍ وَسُلوانِ

So say to the family of Sulayman, whenever they grieve,

“Calm your souls with patience and solace.”

ما إِن رَأَيتُ دَفيناً قَبلَ شَيخِكُمُ

تَحتَ التُرابِ وَفَوقَ النَجمِ في آنِ

Never before have I seen a shrouded form beneath the soil

And above the stars at the same moment.

قَضَيتَها مِئَةً في كُلِّ واحِدَةٍ

تُعِدُّ زادَكَ مِن بِرٍّ وَإِحسانِ

You completed a hundred years, and in each one

You prepared provisions of righteousness and benevolence.

فَكَم صَفَحتَ عَنِ الجاني وَلَم تَرَهُ

وَكَم غَرَستَ وَكانَ المُعوِزُ الجاني

So many times you pardoned the offender without seeing him,

And so many times you planted though the needy was the offender,

وَكَم أَقَلتَ كَريماً عِندَ عَثرَتَهُ

وَكَم مَشَيتَ بِصُلحٍ بَينَ إِخوانِ

And so many times you honored the noble in his disgrace,

And so many times you made peace between brothers.

إِنّي رَأَيتُكَ قَبلَ المَوتِ في فَلَكٍ

مِنَ الجَلالِ عَلى جَنبَيهِ نورانِ

I saw you before death in an orbit,

With two lights flanking you.

نورُ اليَقينِ وَنورُ الشَيبِ بَينَهُما

سَكينَةٌ حَرَّكَت نَفسي وَوِجداني

The light of certainty, and the light of old age;

Between them a tranquility that stirred my soul and essence.

عَلى جَبينِكَ آياتُ الرِضا اِرتَسَمَت

وَبَينَ جَنَبَيكَ قَلبٌ غَيرُ وَسنانِ

On your brow the signs of pleasure were etched,

And between your sides, a heart free of rancor.

قَسَمتَ ما جَمَعَت كَفّاكَ مِن نَشَبٍ

عَلى بَنيكَ فَكُنتَ الوالِدَ الحاني

You divided what your hands had gathered of wealth

Among your children, so you were the affectionate father.

مالٌ حَلالٌ مُزَكّى ما خَلَطتَ بِهِ

مِلّيمَ سُحتٍ وَلا حَقّاً لِإِنسانِ

Lawful, pure wealth, that you did not mix

With a grain of suspicion, nor anyone’s right.

زَهِدتَ فيها وَهامَ العابِدونَ لَها

بِجَمعٍ فانٍ يُعاني جَمعَهُ فاني

You were ascetic towards it, though the worshippers crave it,

With ephemeral collections that trouble their ephemeral collector.

بِكِسرَةٍ وَكِساءٍ عِشتَ مُغتَبِطاً

تُسَبِّحُ اللَهَ في سِرٍّ وَإِعلانِ

With a bowl and garment you lived content,

Glorifying God secretly and openly.

أَقَرَّ عَينَيكَ في دُنياكَ أَن رَأَتا

مُحَمَّداً يَتَراءى فَوقَ كيوانِ

It gladdened your eyes in your world to see

Muhammad appearing above the celestial sphere.

قَضَيتَ في الأَوجِ مِن عِزَّيكُما وَكَذا

يَقضي سُلَيمانُ في عِزٍّ وَسُلطانِ

You passed on at the peak of your glory, and so passed

Sulayman in glory and authority.

أَنجَبتَ أَربَعَةً سادوا بِأَربَعَةٍ

فَضلٍ وَنُبلٍ وَإِحسانٍ وَعِرفانِ

You begot four who excelled with four:

Bounty, nobility, benevolence and gratitude.

أَورَثتَهُم شَمَماً هَشَّ الإِباءُ لَهُ

وَأَورَقَت في ذُراهُ عِزَّةُ الشانِ

You bequeathed to them keen discernment which the fathers esteemed,

And glory flourished among their offspring.

يَذكُرنَ بَرّاً رَحيماً قَد أَقامَ لَهُم

صَرحاً مِنَ المَجدِ أَعلى رُكنَهُ الباني

They remember a merciful and righteous man who erected for them

An edifice of glory, the highest cornerstone of the builder.

كَم نِعمَةٍ لَكَ يا مَحمودُ عِندَ أَبي

بِشُكرِها لَكَ عِندَ المَوتِ أَوصاني

How many favors for you, O Mahmoud, from my father -

In gratitude for them, upon death he charged me.