نَبيتُ على عِلْمٍ يَقينٍ من الدّهْرِ

ونعْلَمُ أنّ الخَلْقَ في قبْضَةِ القَهْرِ

I grew up with certain knowledge of fate

And we know that destiny holds creation in its grip

ونرْكَنُ للدُّنْيا اغْتِراراً بلَهْوِها

وحسْبُكَ مَنْ يرْجو الوَفاءَ منَ الغَدْرِ

And we incline to the world, deceived by its vanity

Suffice it for one who hopes for loyalty from betrayal

ونَمْطُلُ بالعزْمِ الزّمانَ سَفاهةً

فيوْمٌ الى يوم وشهْرٌ الى شهْرِ

And we waste time foolishly

As day turns to day and month to month

ونُغْري بما يَفْنى المَطامِعَ والهَوى

ونرْفُضُ ما يَبْقى فيا ضيْعَةَ العُمْر

And we are tempted by what perishes, passions and desires

And we reject what remains, oh what a waste of life

وندْفَعُ أحْباباً كِرامًا الى الرّدى

ونسْلو ونلْهو بعْدَ ذاكَ عنِ الأمْرِ

And we drive away honorable, noble loved ones to demise

Then we joke and play, unconcerned after that

هوَ الدّهْرُ لا يَبْقى على حَدَثانِهِ

جَديدٌ ولا ينْفَكُّ عنْ حادِثٍ نُكْرِ

Such is time, it leaves nothing of its news

Ever renewing, never free of strange events

وبيْنَ الخُطوبِ الطّارِقاتِ تَفاضُلٌ

كفَضْلِ مَنِ اغْتالَتْهُ في رِفْعَةِ القَدْرِ

And between impending disasters, there are differences

Like the difference of one taken in the prime of glory

ألَمْ ترَ أنّ المجْدَ أقْوَت رُبوعُهُ

وصوّحَ منْ أدْواحِهِ كلَّ مخْضَرِّ

Have you not seen that glory loudest winds have stilled

And the beautiful has changed on the face of the eminent

ولاحَتْ على وجْهِ العَلاءِ كآبةٌ

فقطّبَ منْ بعْدِ الطّلاقَةِ والبِشْرِ

And gloom appeared on the face of the prominent

After cheerfulness and glad tidings

أمَوْلاتَنا الكُبْرى وفاؤكِ أنّنا

بَرينا الى الأشْجانِ منْ شيمَة الصّبْرِ

Our greatest consolation, your loyalty, we

Have endured to melancholy from moral strength

فقَدْناكِ لا فَقَدَ النّواظر نورَها

وكُنْتِ لنا نوراً يُضيءُ لمَنْ يَسْري

We lost you, not just the eyes lost their light

You were a light that illuminated the traveller's path

عجِبْتُ لمُغْتالِ الرّدى كيْفَ لمْ يُرَعْ

لمَنزِلِكِ المحْفوفِ بالنّهْيِ والأمْرِ

I wondered at fate's killer, how he was not deterred

From your abode, surrounded by prohibitions and commands

وكيْفَ انْبَرى صرْفُ الحِمامِ مصَمِّماً

خِلالَ الصِّفاحِ البيضِ والأسَلِ السُّمْرِ

And how the vicissitudes of time were determined

To breach the white castle and the brown spear

سُتورٌ منَ الدّينِ المَتينِ كثيفَةٌ

وكمْ دونَها للمُلْكِ والعِزِّ منْ سِتْرِ

Ramparts of firm religion, so many shields for the kingdom and glory

We prepare the lofty spears and arrows

نعِدُّ الرِّماحَ المشْرَفيّة والقَنى

ويَطْرُقُ أمْرُ اللهِ من حيث لا ندْري

And the command of God comes from where we know not

Such is time, its rule advances in the wilderness

هوَ الدّهْرُ يجْري في البريّةِ حُكْمُهُ

فعِزُّ الغِنى سِيّانِ أو ذِلّةُ الفَقْرِ

The glory of wealth is the same as the humiliation of poverty

Tubba was struck down by fate intentionally though

رَمَي تُبَّعاً بالحَتْفِ قصْداً فلمْ يكُنْ

لأتْباعِهِ في ذلكَ الخَطْبِ منْ نصْرِ

His followers had no aid in that ordeal

And Anushirwan finished off Chosroes with his fate

وأرْدَى أنُوشِرْوانُ كِسْرى بصَرْفِهِ

كَسيراً ولم يتْرُكْ لقَيْصَرَ من قصْرِ

Stripped bare, and left no palace for Caesar

Islam was anguished by you and its people

لقدْ فُجعَ الإسْلامُ منْكِ وأهْلُهُ

بذُخْرٍ بَعيدِ الصّيتِ مُشْتَهِرِ الذِّكْرِ

For losing a famous provision of well-known mention

And a singular one who surpassed the women of her time

وواحِدَةٍ فاقَتْ نِساءَ زَمانِها

كَما فضَلَتْ أمْثالَها ليلةُ القَدْرِ

As she excelled the like of her, the Night of Power

Did femininity lower the status of the sun?

وهلْ خفَضَ التّأنيثُ للشّمْسِ رُتْبةً

وهلْ رفَعَ التّذْكيرُ منْ رُتْبَةِ البَدْرِ

Or did masculinity raise the status of the full moon?

Originality of views, excellence of policy

أصالةُ آراءِ وفَضلُ سياسةِ

وفخْرُ انْتِماءٍ دونَه مُنْتَهى الفخْرِ

And pride of affiliation, the utmost pride

And a record of glory, its pages contained

وديوانُ مجْدٍ ضُمِّنَتْ صَفحاتُهُ

خِلالَ المُلوكِ الغالِبينَ بَني نصْرِ

During the victorious kings, the sons of Nasr

By continuing good, pious conduct and a means

بإبْقاءِ معْروفٍ برَعْيِ وسيلَةٍ

بإيواءِ مَلْهوفٍ بنُصْرَةِ مُضْطَرِّ

To shelter the anguished, aid the oppressed

I see the journey of life, its return hoped for

أرى سَفَرَ الدُّنْيا يُرَجّى إيابُهُ

Return your gaze to the palace of the kingdom

Even if just an illusion that passes

أعيدي لقَصْرِ المُلْكِ منْك التِفاتَةً

ولوْ بمَزارٍ للخَيالِ الذي يَسْري

For in it is many a heart throbbing for your absence

And much burning anguish and flowing tears

فكَمْ فيهِ من قلْبٍ لبُعْدِك خافِقٍ

ومنْ لوْعةٍ تُذْكى ومنْ عبْرَةٍ تَجْري

And a group, whose unity was torn by the hand of longing

And a beautiful sight, changed by the hand of fate

وشمْلٍ جميعٍ فرّقَتْهُ يَدُ النّوى

ومرْأىً بديعٍ غيّرتْهُ يَدُ الدّهْرِ

And a position of power, its flanks made desolate

And the aura of a palace seen without a full moon

ومنْصِبُ مُلْكٍ أوْحَشَتْ جَنَباتُهُ

وهالة إيوان تراءت بلا بدر

You were but the sun, the world lived by you

At the height of glory or peak of destiny

وما كنت إلا الشمس يحيا بك الورى

على بُعدِ العَلْياءِ أو رِفْعَة القَدْرِ

Alas, for the sun, who resembles you?

Perfection without flaw, benefit without harm

وهيْهاتَ مَنْ للشّمْسِ منْكِ بمُشْبِهٍ

كمالٌ بِلا نقْصٍ ونفْعٌ بِلا ضُرِّ

We carried from you a blessed raincloud

Holy rain, generous pouring

حَمَلْنا على الأعْناقِ منْكِ سَحابةً

مُبارَكَةَ السُّقْيا مقدّسَةَ القَطْرِ

And when we came to the grave in the darkness of night

We saw the setting of the sun at dawn's break

ولمّا أتيْنا اللّحْدَ في غلَسِ الدُّجى

رأيْنا أفولَ الشّمْسِ في مطْلَعِ الفَجْرِ

If only a grave became for people a place of pilgrimage

We would make our prayers facing that grave

فلَوْ أنّ قبْراً صارَ للنّاسِ قِبْلَةً

جعَلْنا مُصَلاّنا الى ذلِكَ القَبْرِ

If people found a way to the soil

That contained your covered grave of merit and righteous deeds

ولوْ وجَدَ الخَلْقُ السّبيلَ لتُرْبَةٍ

حوَتْ لحْدَك المَكْفوفَ بالفَضْلِ والبِرِّ

They would circle it seven times, yearn and pilgrimage

And through it attain reward and recompense

لَطافوا بِها سبْعاً ولبّوا وأحْرَموا

فَفازوا لدَيْها بالمَثوبَةِ والأجْرِ

And the resolve of Joseph, descendant

Of your pure, just, generous lineage intervened

وذادَتْ عنِ العَلْياءِ عزْمَةُ يوسُفٍ

سَليلِ عُلاكَ الطّاهِرِ المَلِكِ البِرِّ

But it is a judgment from God, welling forth

To be met with acceptance, patience, and gratitude

ولكنّهُ حُكْمٌ منَ اللهِ نابعٌ

يُقابَلُ بالتّسْليمِ والصّبْرِ والشُّكْرِ

And below you is a servant, mourning your kingdom

Praise, as the breeze stirs the flowers

ودونَكِ منْ عبْدٍ لمُلْكِكِ نادِبٍ

ثَناءً كما هبّ النّسيمُ على الزّهْرِ

If it were in my capacity, I would have reached in praise

What your mighty status deserves, not what my capacity deserves

ولوْ كان في وُسْعي غَناءٌ بلَغْتُهُ

بِما يَقْتَضيهِ قدْرُكِ الضّخْمُ لا قَدْري

By God, I have not fulfilled your rightful due

But it is something by which I establish my excuse

وواللّهِ ما وفّيْتُ حقَّكِ واجِباً

ولكنّهُ شيءٌ أقَمْتُ بهِ عُذْري