كَمْ كانَ فِيها منْ كِرامٍ سادَة
بِيضِ الْوُجوهِ شَوامخِ الإِيمانِ
How many nobles it contained, white of face
Lofty of faith, pillars of belief
مُتَعاوِنينَ على الدِّيانَةِ والتّقى
للهِ في الإِسْرارِ والإِعْلان
Helping one another in religion and piety
Privately and openly, for God
وَمُهَذَّبٍ جَمِّ الفَضائِلِ باذِلٍ
لِنَوالِهِ وَلعِرْضِهِ صَوَّانِ
Well-mannered, embodying all virtues, sacrificing
His desires and honour to protect
وَأَئِمَّةٍ جَمَعُوا الْعُلُومَ وَهَذَّبُوا
سنَنَ الْحَديثِ وَمُشْكِلَ الْقُرْآنِ
And leaders who compiled all knowledge and refined
The canon of hadeeth and the unclear Quran
عُلَماءَ إِنْ سَاءَلْتَهُمْ كشَفُوا الْعَمَى
بِفَقاهةٍ وَفَصاحَةٍ وَبَيانِ
Scholars, if asked, dispelled blindness
With jurisprudence, eloquence and clarity
وَإِذا الأْمُورُ اسْتَبْهَمَتْ وَاسْتَغْلَقَتْ
أَبْوابُها وَتَنازَعَ الْخَصْمانِ
And if matters became confused and entangled
With closed doors and disputing litigants
حَلُّوا غَوامِضَ كُلِّ أَمْرٍ مُشْكِلٍ
بِدليلِ حَقٍّ واضِحِ البُرْهانِ
They solved every difficult, ambiguous issue
With clear proof and lucid demonstration
هَجَروا المَضاجِعَ قانِتينَ لِرَبِّهِمْ
طَلباً لِخَيْرِ مُعَرَّسٍ وَمغانِ
They forsook beds devoutly obedient to their Lord
Seeking the best secluded and open
وَإِذا دَجا اللَّيْلُ البَهيمُ رَأَيْتَهُمْ
مُتَبَتِّلينَ تَبَتَّلَ الرُّهْبانِ
You would see them humble themselves praying
Like monks pray humbly
في جَنَّةِ الْفِرْدَوْسِ أَكْرَمِ مَنْزِلٍ
بَيْنَ الْحِسانِ الْحُورِ وَالغِلْمانِ
In the Garden of Paradise, most honoured dwelling
Between beautiful youths and houris
تَجِرُوا بِها الفِرْدَوْسَ مِنْ أَربْاحِهِمْ
نِعْمَ التِّجارَةُ طاعَةُ الرَّحْمانِ
Trading it through their profits
What fine trade - obeying the Merciful
المُتَّقينَ اللهَ حَقَّ تُقاتِهِ
وَالعارِفينَ مَكايِدَ الشَّيْطانِ
Godfearing, fearing God truly
Knowing the devils' tricks fully
وَتَرى جَبابِرَةَ المُلوكِ لَدَيْهِمُ
خُضُعَ الرِّقابِ نَواكِسَ الأَذْقانِ
You see the tyrants of kings before them
Bowing heads, necks bent
لا يَسْتَطيعُونَ الكلامَ مَهابَةً
إلاَّ إِشارَةَ أَعْيُن وَبَنانِ
Unable to speak in awe
Except signalling with eyes and eyebrows
خافُوا الإِلهَ فَخافَهُمْ كُلُّ الْوَرَى
حَتَّى ضِراءُ الأُسْدِ في الْغِيلانِ
They feared God so He made all creation fear them
Even the young lions in the thickets
تُنْسيكَ هَيْبتُهُمْ شَماخَةَ كُلِّ ذي
مُلْكِ وَهَيْبَةَ كُلِّ ذي سُلْطانِ
Their awe makes you forget the pride
Of every sovereign and feared sultan
أَحْلامُهُمْ تَزِنُ الْجِبِالَ وَفَضْلُهُمْ
كالشَّمْسِ لا تَخْفى بِكُلِّ مَكانِ
Their dreams weigh mountains and their superiority
Is like the unconcealed sun
كانَتْ تُعَدُّ القَيْرَوَانُ بِهِمُ إِذا
عُدَّ المَنابِرُ زَهْرَةَ البُلْدانِ
The Kairouan was counted with them whenever
Pulpits were the jewel of cities
وَزَهَتْ على مِصْرٍ وَحُقَّ لَها كَما
تَزْهُو بِهِمْ وَغَدتْ على بَغْدانِ
It excelled over Egypt and rightly so, as it boasts
And prevails over Baghdad
حَسُنَتْ فَلما أَنْ تَكامَلَ حُسْنُها
وَسَما إِلَيْها كُلُّ طَرْفٍ رانِ
It became beautiful and when its beauty was complete
And every glance was raised to it
وَتَجَمَّعَتْ فيها الفَضائلُ كُلَّها
وَغَدَتْ مَحَلَّ الأَمْنِ الإِيمانِ
And all its combined virtues
As the abode of security and faith
نَظَرَتْ لها الأَيَّامُ نَظْرَةَ كاشِحٍ
تَرْنُو بِنَظْرَةِ كاشِحٍ مِعْيانِ
Days viewed it intensely
Peering intensely, spying
حَتَّى إِذا الأَقْدارُ حُمَّ وَقوعُها
وَدَنا القَضاءُ لِمُدَّةٍ وَأَوَانِ
Till when destinies stoked its fall
And decree drew near after some time
أَهْدَتْ لَها فِتَاً كلَيْلٍ مُظْلِمِ
وَأَرادَها كالنَّاطِحِ العيدانِ
They gifted it a pitch-black evil youth
Who wanted it like a persistent suitor
بِمَصائِبٍ مِنْ فادِعٍ وأَشائِبٍ
مَمَّنْ تَجَمَّعَ مِنْ بَني دَهْمانِ
With terrible calamities at the hands of abusive Fadis
Who gathered from the Banu Dahman tribe
فَتَكوا بأمَّةِ أَحْمَدِ أتُراهُمُ
أَمِنُوا عِقابَ اللهِ في رَمَضانِ
How could they feel safe from God's punishment attacking
Mohammed's community in Ramadan?
نَقَضُوا العُهُودَ المُبْرَماتِ وَأَخْفَرُوا
ذِمَمَ الإلهِ وَلَمْ يَفُوا بِضَمانِ
They violated protected covenants and disgraced
God's charter without fulfilling guarantees
فاسْتَحْسنوا غَدْرَ الْجِوارِ وَآثَرُوا
سَبْيَ الْحَريمِ وَكَشْفَةَ النِّسْوانِ
They relished betraying neighbours and preferred
Enslaving inviolable womanhood and unveiling ladies
سامُوهُمُ سُوءَ العَذابِ وَأَظْهَروا
مُتَعَسِّفينَ كَوَامِنَ الأَضْغانِ
They humiliated them with evil torment openly
Oppressing spitefully like poisonous snakes
وَالمُسْلِمونَ مُقَسَّمونَ تَنالُهُمْ
أَيْدِي العُصاةِ بِذِلَّةٍ وَهَوانِ
And Muslims were divided, captured by the rebels'
Hands, degraded and disgraced
ما بَيْنَ مُضْطَرٍّ وَبَيْنَ مُعَذَّبٍ
وَمُقَتَّلٍ ظُلْماً وَآخَرَ عانِ
Whether compelled, tormented or unjustly killed, or
Naked and destitute
يَسْتَصْرِخُونَ فلا يُغاثُ صَريخُهُمْ
حَتَّى إِذا سَئِمُوا مِنَ الارْنانِ
Screaming for help but voices remain unanswered
Until they despaired, tired out
بادوا نُفُوسَهُمُ فَلَّما أَنْفَذُوا
ما جَمَّعوا مِنْ صامتٍ وَصوانِ
They fled in misery, having exhausted and emptied
All they collected of silent or vocal goods
وَاسْتَخْلَصوا مِنْ جَوْهَرٍ وَمَلابِسٍ
وَطرائِفٍ وَذَخائِرٍ وَأَوانِ
Having taken all essence and trappings
Rarities, treasures and utensils
خَرَجُوا حُفاةً عائِذينَ بِرَبِّهِمْ
مِنْ خَوْفِهِمْ وَمَصائِبِ الأَلْوانِ
They left barefoot seeking refuge in God
From fear and calamities of every kind
هَرَبُوا بِكُلِّ وَليدَةٍ وَفَطيمَةٍ
وَبِكُلِّ أَرْمَلَةٍ وَكُلِّ حَصانِ
Fleeing with each infant, child and widow
And mare and stallion
وَبِكُلِّ بكْرِ كالمَهاةِ عَزيزَةٍ
تَسْبي الْعُقولَ بِطَرْفِها الفَتَّانِ
And with each virgin like frightened gazelle
Captivating intellects with a glance
خُودٍ مُبَتَّلةِ الوِشاحِ كأَنَّها
قَمَرٌ يَلوحُ على قَضيبِ الْبانِ
Cheeks showing through sheer veils as if
A shining moon appears over Ban rods
وَالمَسْجِدُ المَعْمُورُ جامِعُ عُقْبَةٍ
خَرِبُ المعاطِنِ مُظْلِمُ الأَرْكانِ
And the populous mosque, Uqbah's revered old
A place now deserted, dark and ruined
قَفْرٌ فَما تَغْشاهُ بَعْدُ جَماعَةٌ
لِصلاةِ خَمْسٍ لا ولا لأَذانِ
Desolate - no more congregations there
For five daily prayers or the call to prayer
بَيْتٌ بِهِ عُبِدَ الإِلَهُ وَبُطِّلتْ
بَعْدَ الْغُلُوِّ عِبادَةُ الأَوْثانِ
A house God was worshipped now empty
After idol worship of idols returned
بَيْتٌ بِوَحْي اللهِ كانَ بِناؤُهُ
نِعْمَ البِنا وَالمُبْتَنى وَالْباني
A house built by God's revelation
What fine builder and structure!
أَعْظِمْ بِتِلْكَ مُصيبَةً ما تَنْجَلي
حَسَراتُها أَوْ يَنْقضي المَلَوانِ
With that disaster too great to dispel
Never ending heartache and suffering
لَو أَنَّ ثَهْلاناً أُصيبَ بِعُشْرِها
لَتَدَكْدَكتْ مِنْها ذُرا ثَهلان
If Thahlan was hit with one-tenth
Thahlan would have been utterly devastated
حَزِنَت لها كُوَرُ الْعِراقِ بأَسْرِها
وَقُرى الشَّآمِ وَمِصرُ والْخُرسانِ
The Iraqi towns are sad as are
Levant, Egypt the Khurasan towns
وَنَزْعَزعَت لمصابها وَتَنَكَّدَتْ
أَسَفاً بلادُ الْهِنْدِ والسِّندانِ
Even faraway lands like India and Sind shook
And lamented in grief and mourning
وَعَفا مِنَ الأَقْطارِ بَعْدَ خَلائِها
ما بَيْنَ أَنْدَلُسٍ إِلى حُلْوانِ
Emptied from its end to end, what was between
Andalucia till Khorasan suffered
وَأَرى النُّجومَ طَلَعْنَ غَيْرَ زَواهِرٍ
في أُفْقِهِنَّ وَأَظْلَمَ الْقَمَرانِ
I see the stars appearing not as before
Dark in the horizon and moons eclipsed
وَأَرى الْجِبالَ الشُمَّ أَمْسَتْ حُشَّعا
لِمُصابِها وَتَزَعْزَعَ الثَّقلانِ
And mountains shaken, yellowed in grief
Quivering, unstable
وَالأَرْضُ مِنْ وَلَهٍ بِها قَدْ أَصْبَحَتْ
بَعْدَ الْقَرارِ شَديدَةَ المَيَلانِ
The earth after that calamity
Became imbalanced and tilted
أَتَرَى اللَّيالي بَعْدَ ما صَنَعَتْ بِنا
تَقْضي لَنا بِتَواصُلٍ وَتَدانِ
Will nights unite us after what they did?
Will days return the old condition?
وَتُعيدُ أَرْضَ الْقَيْرَوانِ كَعَهْدِها
فيما مَضى مِنْ سالِفِ الأَزْمانِ
Returning Kairouan to its former position
To eras of old long gone-by
مِنْ بَعْدِ ما سَلَبَتْ نَضائِرَ حُسْنِها الْ
أَيْامُ وَاخْتَلَفَتْ بها فئَتانِ
After days took away its beauty and magnificence
And conflicted groups differed over it
وَغَدَتْ كأَنْ لَمْ تَغْنَ قَطُّ وَلم تَكُنْ
حَرَماً عَزيزَ النَّصْرِ غَيْرَ مُهانِ
Becoming as if never independent and never
A revered land unconquered by anyone
أَمْسَتْ وَقَدْ لَعِبَ الزَّمانُ بأَهْلِها
وتَقَطَّعَتْ بِهِمُ عُرا الأَقْرانِ
Now that fate had played with its inhabitants
And generations alternated in torturing it
فَتَفَرَّقُوا أَيْدي سَبا وَتَشَتَّتُوا
بَعْدَ اجْتِماعِهِمُ على الأَوْطان
Scattering them far after being together
On lands, divided on homelands
