سَلْ مَالِكاً مُتَمَكِّناً
فِي الأَرْضِ فَتَّاحَ الثُّغُورْ
Ask Malik, empowered on earth, opening the passes,
Walking with ruin following,
يمْشِي ويَتْبعُهُ الرَّدَى
تبَعَ السَّلوٍقيِّ العَقورْ
Ruin followed the obstinate Saluqi.
His people are the brave people and his army the great army,
ما قَوْمُهُ القوْمُ الحُمَا
ةُ وَجِنْدُهُ الجُنْدُ الكثِيرْ
His weapons and armor,
And the lofty palaces.
وَسِلاحُهُ وَدُرُوعُهُ
وَالبَاذِخَاتُ مِنَ القُصُورْ
The greatest victory he attained,
He saw it as the miracle of ages,
وَأَجَلُّ نَصْرٍ نَالَهُ
فرَآهُ مُعْجِزَةْ الدُّهُورْ
When the warner came to him at the peak of his might,
From the unseen,
إِذْ جَاءَهُ فِي أَوْجِ عُزَّ
تِه مِنَ الغَيْبِ النَّذيرْ
And something subtler than particles crept into his bowels,
He who takes refuge threw him down, and he went to take refuge.
وَانْدَسَّ فِي أَحْشَائِهِ
شَيءٌ أَدَقُّ من الذَّرُورْ
A feeble specter he had been before the illness,
Like the engraved lion.
أَلْقى بِذَاك المُسْتَجَارِ
بِهِ فَأَمْسَى يسْتَجِيرْ
Helpless with the weapons of grief,
Laid down above the bed.
شبَحٌ ضَئِيلٌ كَانَ قَبْـ
ـلَ الدَّاءِ كَالأَسَد الهَصُورْ
Neither his fortress shelters him from the hunter,
Nor his safety from what hurts.
شِلْوٌ بِأَسْلِحَةِ الأَسَاةِ
مُبَضَّعٌ فَوْقَ السَّرِيرْ
Ask Malik, empowered on earth, opening the passes,
Walking with ruin following,
مَا حِصْنُهُ مِمَّنْ يَصِيدُ
وَأَمْنُهُ مِمَّا يَضِيرْ
Ruin followed the obstinate Saluqi.
His people are the brave people and his army the great army,
سَلْ مَالِكاً مُتَمَكِّناً
فِي الأَرْضِ فَتَّاحَ الثُّغُورْ
His weapons and armor,
And the lofty palaces.
يمْشِي ويَتْبعُهُ الرَّدَى
تبَعَ السَّلوٍقيِّ العَقورْ
The greatest victory he attained,
He saw it as the miracle of ages,
ما قَوْمُهُ القوْمُ الحُمَا
ةُ وَجِنْدُهُ الجُنْدُ الكثِيرْ
When the warner came to him at the peak of his might,
From the unseen,
وَسِلاحُهُ وَدُرُوعُهُ
وَالبَاذِخَاتُ مِنَ القُصُورْ
And something subtler than particles crept into his bowels,
He who takes refuge threw him down, and he went to take refuge.
وَأَجَلُّ نَصْرٍ نَالَهُ
فرَآهُ مُعْجِزَةْ الدُّهُورْ
A feeble specter he had been before the illness,
Like the engraved lion.
إِذْ جَاءَهُ فِي أَوْجِ عُزَّ
تِه مِنَ الغَيْبِ النَّذيرْ
Helpless with the weapons of grief,
Laid down above the bed.
وَانْدَسَّ فِي أَحْشَائِهِ
شَيءٌ أَدَقُّ من الذَّرُورْ
The crown does not deny headache
And ransom the head of the prince.
أَلْقى بِذَاك المُسْتَجَارِ
بِهِ فَأَمْسَى يسْتَجِيرْ
The fine gold ornaments
In mixing with silk.
شبَحٌ ضَئِيلٌ كَانَ قَبْـ
ـلَ الدَّاءِ كَالأَسَد الهَصُورْ
The swords, the swords of war, brownish
In color from plunging into the flaming fire.
شِلْوٌ بِأَسْلِحَةِ الأَسَاةِ
مُبَضَّعٌ فَوْقَ السَّرِيرْ
Red saddlebags lining them
And the spurt of the swift gallop.
وَالتَّاجُ لا يَنْفِي الصُّدَا
عَ وَيَفْتَدي رَأْسَ الأَمِيرْ
Winking at each other in their inability,
Fall short of the palaces.
وَنفَائِسُ الذَّهَبِ الضَّوا
حِكِ فِي مُمَازَجَة الحَرِيرْ
Ask about a father you left behind
Two bereavements with a broken heart.
وَالشُّوسُ شُوسُ الحَرْبِ سُمْرُ
اللَّوْنِ مِنْ خَوْضِ السَّعِيرْ
Neither glory comforts him, nor
Bounty, nor great position,
حُمْرُ اللِّحاظِ تَخَالُهَا
وَرْيَ المِيضِ المُسْتَطِيرْ
And his friends before him
Can do nothing but sigh.
متَغَامِزْونَ بِعَجْزِهِمْ
مُتَقَاصرِونَ مِنْ القُصُورِ
There is no solace in misery
And no joy in survival.
سَلْ والداً خَلَّفْتهُ
ثَكْلانَ ذَا قلبٍ كسِيرْ
You are fortunate, you were not tempted
By this deceitful world,
لا المَجْدُ يُسْلِيه ولا
النَّعْمَى وَلا الجَّاهُ الكَبِيرْ
And you turned away from it, O noble one,
Like turning away from bitter milk.
وَالأَصْدِقَاءُ حِيَالَهُ
لا يَمْلِكُونَ سِوَى الزَّفِيرْ
Better for one who is in the morning
Softly sleeping the sleep of dawn,
مَا فِي الشَّقَاءِ مِنَ العَزَا
ءِ وَفِي الْبَقَاءِ مِنَ السُّرُورْ
And perhaps the most comfortable corpse
Is one not troubled by conscience.
طُوبَاكَ إِنَّكَ لَمْ تَغُـ
ـرَّكَ هَذه الدُّنْيَا الغَرُورْ
وَرَغِبْتَ عَنْهَا يَا فَطِيمُ
كَرَاهَةَ الثَّدْيِ المَرِيرْ
خيْرٌ لِمَنْ هُو فِي العَشـ
ـيَّة ناعِمٌ نَوْمُ البُكُورْ
وَلَعَلَّ أَهْنَأَ رَاقِد
مَنْ لَمْ يُؤَرِّقْهُ الضمِيرْ
