يُلحى الزَمانُ وَما عَلَيهِ مَلامُ
يَجني القَضا وَتُعَنَّفُ الأَيامُ
Time passes by with no blame upon it
Fate reaps while days become violent
أَعيا البَسالَةَ وَالحِذارَ حَبائِلٌ
سِيّانِ فيها الأُسدُ وَالآرامُ
Valour and caution are entangled in trials
Wherein lions and docile beasts are equal
يودي الرَدى بِمُسالِمٍ وَمُحارِبٍ
يُقوي الكِناسُ وَتُقفِرُ الآجامُ
Fate destroys both peaceful and combative men
While fates grow stronger and moons fade away
قُل لِلمَنونِ لَئِن عَظُمتِ خَطيئَةً
فَلَقَد أَصابَ سُدادُكِ المُعتامُ
Say to death that if my sin has grown
Then your righteousness has found the blind
أَنّى اِهتَدَيتِ حَظِيَّةِ سُؤدَدِ
قَد ضَلَّ عَنها الصُبحُ وَالإِظلامُ
How did you find your worthy portion
When dawn and darkness both went astray?
مَحجوبَةُ الشَخصِ الكَريمِ وَفَضلُها
كَالفَجرِ لا يُلقى عَلَيهِ لِثامُ
The virtuous soul was veiled from sight
Like dawn with no garment to block its way
لَو رامَها غَيرُ القَضاءِ لَكانَ في
أُسدِ الهَياجِ تَخَمُّطٌ وَعُرامُ
Had another, not fate, desired that soul
Then raging lions would thrash about in alarm
وَلَكانَ في حَدَقِ الرِماحِ تَشاوُسٌ
وَلِأَلسُنِ البيضِ الرِقاقِ خِصامُ
Spear heads would whisper in consultation
And the blades of swords engage in debate
ها إِنَّهُ الرُزءُ الَّذي ثَقُلَت بِهِ
نُوَبٌ وَخَفَّت عِندَهُ الأَحلامُ
It is the sustenance that weighed down sins
And belittled ambitions at its feet
هَيهاتِ ما بَرقُ الجَوانِحِ خُلَّبٌ
فيهِ وَلا مُزنُ الجُفونِ كَهامُ
Alas, the determination of souls did not waver toward it
Nor did the slumber of eyelids grow intense
أَمّا العَزاءُ فَقَد غَدا مُتَنَكِّراً
فَكَأَنَّما حَسَناتُهُ آثامُ
Condolences have become a disguise
As if its virtues were but sins
يا بَرَّةً لَمّا اِنطَوى إِحسانُها
تاقَت إِلَيهِ الصُحفُ وَالأَقلامُ
O Barra, when her kindness came to an end
Pages and pens yearned for her
تَرضى نُفوسٌ أَن تَكونَ لَكِ الفِدا
فَتَذود عَنكِ وَإِنَّها لَكِرامُ
Willing souls offer themselves for sacrifice
To defend you, and they are so generous
لَو أَنَّ شَمسَ الأُفقِ دونَكِ أُدرِجَت
ما كانَ حَقُّ المَجدِ فيكِ يُقامُ
If the sun were placed lower than you
Glory’s right would not be fulfilled in you
أَوحَشتِ شَهرَ الصَومِ حَتّى قَد بَدَت
لِلبَثِّ فيهِ وَلِلأَسى أَعلامُ
You saddened the month of fasting until
Signs of melancholy and grief appeared
فَعَلى النَسيمِ مِنَ الكَلالِ كَآبَةٌ
وَعَلى الأَصيلِ مِنَ الشُحوبِ سَقامُ
Upon the breeze, gloom weighs down
And pallor from frailty spreads upon the gentle wind
سَيَسيرُ هَذا الشَهرُ قَبلَ أَوانِهِ
إِذ لَم يَسعهُ لِما صَنَعتِ مَقامُ
This month will pass before its time
For your abode could not contain it
كَم جُدتِ بِالمَعروفِ وَهوَ مُتَمَّمٌ
هِبَةً وَقُمتِ اللَيلَ وَهوَ تَمامُ
How much good you brought while it was complete
A gift, standing through the night until dawn
مَن يُنجِدُ الأُمّالَ بَعدَكِ أَنجَدَت
زَفَراتُهُم وَلِدَمعِهِم اِتِهامُ
After you aided the hopeful, who will help
Their sighs and tears accusingly condemn
وَأَراكِ نِمتِ عَنِ العُفاةِ وَطالَما
عَدَتِ الخُطوبِ فَسَهَّدَتكِ وَناموا
I saw you turn away from the heedless, though often
Hardships besieged you as they fell asleep
عاشَت بِكِ العَلياءُ دَهراً في غِنىً
فَاليَومَ صَبَّحَ رَبعَها الإِعدامُ
The lofty lived in wealth through you for an age
Today, oblivion dawned upon their quarters
وَاليَومَ عادَ الدَهرُ في إِحسانِهِ
وَاِستَرجَعَت مَعروفَها الأَيّامُ
Today, time returned in its favour
And days reclaimed their kindness
يا ديمَةً في التُربِ غارَت بَغتَةً
وَذَوُو الأَماني واقِفونَ حِيامُ
O Deema, you suddenly disappeared into dust
While the hopeful stand confounded
صِرنا نَشيمُ لَها البَوارِقَ في الثَرى
وَالبَرقُ مِن جِهَةِ السَماءِ يُشامُ
We stayed up late digging lightening into the earth for you
As lightening cracked the sky
كانَت رَءوما بِالصَنيعِ تَرُبُّهُ
فَالمَكرُماتُ لِفَقدِها أَيتامُ
You would nurture the meek with kindness
Now the generous are orphaned by your loss
لَولا ضَريحُكِ ما عَلِمنا حُفرَةً
أَضحَت يُنافِسُها العُلُوَّ شَمامُ
Were it not for your tomb, we would not have known
A grave competing skyward with nobility
ما ضَرَّها أَن لَم يَكُن مِسكاً وَلا
دُرّاً حَصىً حَلَّت بِهِ وَرُغامُ
It did not harm her that no musk or
Pearls set with beads settled upon her
وَقَفَ الأَكابِرُ مِن ثَنائِكِ مَوقِفاً
فَضَلَت وُجوهَهُمُ بِهِ الأَقدامُ
The great ones stood praising you
Their faces touched the ground before you
سَبقَت خَطاكِ إِلى الجِنانِ وَسائِلٌ
أَثنى عَلَيها اللَهُ وَالإِسلامُ
The paths to Heaven preceded your steps
As God and Islam spoke well of them
مَدَّت إِلَيكِ الحورُ مِن أَبصارِها
وَاِستَقبَلَتكِ تَحِيَّةٌ وَسَلامُ
The wide-eyed houris reached out to you
With greetings and peace to welcome you
لَم تُضجَعي في لَحدِكِ الزاكي الثَرى
إِلّا وَهُنَّ لِلاِنتِظارِ قِيامُ
The righteous earth did not lay you in your grave
Except that resurrection was waiting expectantly
خَلَّفتِ حينَ ذَهَبتِ خَيرَ اِبنٍ كَما
يَبقى الرَبيعُ إِذا اِستَهَلَّ غَمامُ
When you left, you left behind the best son
As spring remains when clouds depart
ذاكَ الهُمامُ الفَردُ لَكِن ثُنِّيَت
سِمَةُ الوَزارَةِ فيهِ فَهيَ تُؤامُ
That unique hero - though ministries doubled -
Were but a symbol of partnership to him
شَرُفَت بِآلِ خَلاصٍ الرُتَبُ العُلا
فَهُمُ نُفوسٌ وَالعُلا أَجسامُ
Through the family of Salvation, high offices
Became spirits and the high offices were bodies
قُل لِلدُجونِ أَوِ الحُروبِ تَصَدَّعي
فَأَبو عَليٍّ كَوكَبٌ وَحُسامُ
Say to darkness or war, shatter yourselves
For Abu Ali is a star and a sword
فَالخَطبُ لا يُعيِي مُروءَةَ ماجِدٍ
رُكناهُ نَبعٌ وَالخُطوبُ ثُمامُ
Difficulties do not tire the gallantry of Majid
His pillar is a spring from which valours drink
لَو تُطبَعُ الأَسيافُ مِن عَزَماتِهِ
لَم يُغنِ أَبناءَ الوَغى اِستِسلامُ
If swords were made from his resolves
Surrender would not avail the sons of turmoil
ذُلُلٌ مَواهِبُهُ وَلَكِن دَمعُهُ
في الحادِثاتِ أَعَزُّ ما يُستامُ
Submissive are his gifts, but his tears
In calamities are the most dear to covet
إِن قاسَمَتهُ الكَلمَ أَنفُسُنا فَكَم
شُفِيَت لَنا بِنَدى يَدَيهِ كِلامُ
When his words divided our souls
How many were healed by the dew of his speech
أَو شاطَرَتهُ السُهدَ أَعيُنُنا فَما
زالَت تُعَزُّ بِعَدلِهِ وَتَنامُ
Or when his justice parted our eyes
They continued to be honoured and slept
لا يُبكِهِ الدَهرُ الخَؤونُ بِحادِثٍ
فَالدَهرُ عَنهُ ضاحِكٌ بَسّامُ
Time’s misfortunes do not make him weep
For time smiles beautifully at him
أَتَروعُةُ الدُنيا بِنَثرِ مُنَظَّمٍ
وَوُجودُهُ أَمنٌ لَها وَنِظامُ
He is fearful resolve composed in verse
And his existence brings security and order
