يا دَهرُ وَيحَكَ ما عَدا مِمّا بَدا

أَرسَلتَ سَهمَ الحادِثاتِ فَأَقصَدا

O Time, woe to you for what has passed and what began

You unleashed the arrows of events and aimed straight

أَغمَدتَ سَيفاً مُرهَفاً شَفَراتُهُ

قَد كانَ في ذاتِ الإِلهِ مُجَرَّدا

You unsheathed a sharp sword, its blades

Were once detached for the sake of God

فَافعَل بِجَهدِكَ ما تَشاءُ فَإِنَّني

بَعدَ المُعَظَّمِ لا أُبالي بِالرَدى

So do what you will with all your might, for after

The Almighty, I do not care about devastation

ما خِلتُهُ يَفنى وَأَبقى بَعدَهُ

يا بُؤسَ عَيشي ما أَمَرَّ وَأَنكَدا

I will leave it to pass and remain after it

Oh misery of my life, how bitter and woeful

لَهفي عَلى بَدرٍ تَغَيَّبَ في ثَرى

رَمسٍ وَبَحرٍ في ضَريحٍ أُلحِدا

My longing for a full moon that set in the ground

Of Rum and a sea in a dug grave

أَبقَيتَ لي يا دَهرُ بَعدَ فِراقِهِ

كَبِداً مُقَرَّحَةً وَجَفناً أَرمَدا

You left me after his departure, O Time

With a wounded liver and blinded eyes

وَجَوىً يُؤَجَّجُ بَينَ أَثناءِ الحشا

ناراً تَزايَدُ بِالدُموعِ تَوَقُّدا

And embers stoked amid the darkness

A fire fueled by tears, burning

لَو كانَ خَلقٌ بِالمَكارِمِ وَالتُقى

يَبقى لَكانَ مَدى الزَمانِ مُخَلَّدا

If there was a people of generosity and piety

It would last for eternity, immortalized

أَو كانَ شَقُّ الجَيبِ يُنقذُ مِن رَدىً

شَقَّت عَلَيكَ بَنو أَبيكَ الأَكبُدا

Or ripping open pockets could save from the havoc

That grieved your father’s children, distressing their livers

أَو كانَ يُغني عَنكَ دَفعٌ بِالقَنا الـ

ـخَطيِّ غادَرَتِ الوَشيجَ مُقَصّدا

Or warding off the treacherous, attacking army

That betrayed the Washi clan, targeting them

وَلَقَد تَمَنَّت أَن تَكونَ فَوارِسٌ

مِن آلِ أَيّوبَ الكِرامِ لَكَ الفِدا

Many desired to be cavaliers

From the noble Ayyubid family, sacrificing themselves

أَبكيتَ حَتّى نَثرَةً وَطِمِرَّةً

وَحَزَنتَ حَتّى ذابِلاً وَمُهَنَّدا

You wept until spotty and dusty

And grieved until feeble and exhausted

كَم لَيلَةٍ قَد بِتَّ فيها لا تَرى

إِلّا ظُهورَ الأَعوجِيَّةِ مَرقَدا

How many nights have passed where you saw

Only the backs of the curved ones as your bed

تَحمي حِمى الإِسلامِ مُنتَصِراً لَهُ

بِعَزائِمٍ تَستَقرِبُ المُستَبعَدا

Guarding the bastion of Islam as its champion

With resolve that seeks the improbable

وَلَرُبَّ مَلهوفٍ دَعاهُ لِحادِثٍ

جَلَلٍ فَكانَ جَوابُهُ قَبلَ الصَدى

And for many an anxious one who called on him for a monumental event

His reply preceded the echo

وَلَطالَما شيمَت بَوارِقُ كَفِّهِ

فَهمَت سَحائِبُها عَلَينا عَسجَدا

And often the lightning of his palm flashed

Driving its clouds over us, unexpected

ما ضَلَّ غِمرٌ عَن مَحَجَّةِ قَصدِهِ

إِلّا وَكانَ لَهُ إِلَيها مُرشِدا

No lost one strayed from the path of his purpose

Except a guide to it was appointed for him

يا مالِكاً مِن بَعدِ فَقدي وَجهَهُ

جارَ الزَمانُ عَلَيَّ بَعدَكَ وَاِعتَدى

O ruler after I lost sight of your face

Time has oppressed me after you, trespassing

أَعزِز عَلَيَّ بِأَن يَزورَكَ راثِياً

مَن كانَ زارَكَ بِالمَدائِحِ مُنشِدا

It angers me that your heir should visit you

One who used to sing your praises, reciting poems

كَم مَورِدٍ ضَنكٍ وَرَدتَ وَطَعمُهُ

مُرٌّ وَقَد عافَ الكُماةُ المَورِدا

How many straits have you entered, their taste

Bitter, though the valiant avoided those straits

وَعَزيزِ قَومٍ مُترَفٍ سَربَلتَهُ

ذُلّا وَكانَ الطاغِيَ المُتَمَرِّدا

And the dear people of luxury whose attire

You wore in humility while the tyrant rebelled

أَركَبتَهُ حَلَقاتِ أَدهَمَ قَصَّرَت

مِنهُ الخُطى مِن بَعدِ أَشقَرَ أَجرَدا

You mounted the rings of brown horses that

Shortened their gait after the blond chestnut ones

لَولا دِفاعُكَ بِالصَوارِمِ وَالقَنا

عَن حَوزَةِ الإِسلامِ عادَ كَما بَدا

If not for your defense with swords and armaments

Of the Islamic state, it would revert as it began

وَدِيارُ مِصرٍ لَو وَنَت عَزماتُهُ

عَن نَصرِها لَتَمَكَّنَت فيها العِدى

And Egypt’s houses, if its resolutions faltered

In aiding it, tyranny would take hold there

وَلَأَمسَتِ البيضُ الحَرائِرُ أَسهُماً

فيها سَبايا وَالمَوالي أَعبُدا

The innocent white women would become

Captives there, and the slaves fully enslaved

وَلَأَصبَحَت خَيلُ الفرنجِ مُغيرَةً

تَجتابُ ما بَينَ البَقيعِ إِلى كُدى

The Franks’ horses would raid what lies

Between Al Baqi’ and Qudud in the morning

وَبِثَغرِ دِمياطٍ فَكَم مِن بيعَةٍ

عُبِدَ الصَليبُ بِها وَكانَت مَسجِدا

And at Damietta’s border, how many times

Was the cross worshipped there where a mosque stood

أَنقَذتَها مِن خُطَّةِ الخَسفِ الَّتي

كانَت أَحلَّتها الحَضيضَ الأَوهَدا

You saved it from the cunning plot

That would have made it plummet to the deepest pit

أَجلَيتَ لَيلَ الكُفرِ عَنها فَاِنطَوى

وَأَنَرتَ في عَرَصاتِها فَجرَ الهُدى

You dispelled from it the night of disbelief so it folded

And illuminated its plains with the dawn of guidance

وَلَقَد شَهِدتُكَ يَومَ قَيسارِيَّةٍ

وَالشَمسُ قَد نَسَجَ القَتامُ لَها رِدا

I witnessed you on the day of Qaysariyya

As the sun wove a cloak of darkness for it

وَالكُفرُ مُعتَصِمٌ بِسورٍ مُشرِفِ الـ

ـأَبراجِ أُحكِمَ بِالصَفيحِ وَشُيِّدا

With disbelief taking refuge behind a wall with elevated

Towers, fortified with metal and built high

فَجَعَلتَ عاليها مَكانَ أَساسِها

وَأَلَنتَ لِلأَخشابِ فيها الجامِدا

You made its heights the place of its foundations

And subdued for it the rigid timbers

قُل لِلأَعادي إِن فَقَدنا سَيِّداً

يَحمي الذِمارَ فَقَد رُزِقنا سَيِّدا

Say to the enemies: If we lost a master

Who protected the weak, we were given a master

الناصِرُ الملكُ الَّذي أَضحى بِرو

حِ القُدسِ في كُلِّ الأُمورِ مُؤَيَّدا

The victorious King who sacrificed the soul

Of Jerusalem in all matters, supported

أَعلى المُلوكِ مَحَلَّةً وَأسدُّهُم

رَأياً وَأَشجَعُهُم وَأَطوَلُهُم يَدا

The highest of kings in rank, the strongest in

Opinion, the bravest, with the longest arm

ماضي العَزيمَةِ لا يُرى في رَأيِهِ

يَومَ الكَريهَةِ حائِراً مُتَرَدِّدا

Firm in purpose, no hesitation seen in his view

On the day of tribulation, deliberating

يَقِظٌ يَكادُ يُريهِ ثاقِبُ فِكرِهِ

في يَومِهِ ما سَوفَ يَأتيهِ غَدا

Awake, the acuity of his insight nearly shows him

On his day what will come to him tomorrow