سَلِ الوْقَائِعَ عَنْ سَعْدٍ تُجِبْ طُرَفٌ

مِنْهَا عَلَى الدَّهْرِ لَمْ تُبْخِسْ لَهَا قِيَمُ

Ask the events about Sa'd, an aspect of them

Will answer you - throughout time their value was not diminished for them.

آيَاتُهَا رَاعَتِ الشَّيْخَ الإِمَامَ وَلَمْ

تَفْتَأْ تُرَدِّدُهَا حُفَّاظُهَا الْقُدُمُ

Its signs amazed the Elder Shaykh al-Imam but

Its everlasting transmitters did not cease reiterating them.

فَتًى رَأَى فِيهِ أَصْحَابُ الْفِرَاسَةِ مَا

تَكُونُ فِي النَّابِغِينَ الأَنْفُسُ الْعُزُمُ

A young man in whom the discerning observed what

Exists in the most resolute and high-minded genius poets.

أَبْدَتْ مَبَادِئُهُ الْحُسْنَى تَوَالِيَهُ

لَهُمْ فَظَنُّوا فَكَانَ الْحَقَّ ظَنُّهُمُ

His excellent beginnings revealed his sequence to them

So they assumed - and their assumption was the truth.

وَظَلَّ فِي كُلِّ مَا نَاطَ الرَّجَاءُ بِهِ

عِنْدَ الَّذِي زَعَمُوا أَوْ فَوْقَ مَا زَعَمُوا

And he remained, in all the hope was pinned on him,

As they claimed - or above what they claimed!

بَلْ كَانَ فِي كلِّ رَهْطٍ مِنْ صَحَابَتِهِ

فَرِيدَةً الْعِقْدِ حَيْثُ الْعِقْدُ يَنْتَظِمُ

Rather in every group of his companions

He was unrivalled, a unique pearl in a beautiful necklace.

مُذْ شَبَّتِ الثَّوْرَةُ الأُولَى تَوَرَّدَهَا

ظَمْآنَ حُرُّ لَظَاهَا عِنْدَهُ شَبَمُ

Since the first spark burst into revolution, its thorns protected by

The heat of a passionate free man, tender to him while rigid to others.

أَبَى الْقَرَارِ عَلَى ضَيْمِ البِلادِ وَقَدْ

سَاقَ الرَّعِيَّةَ فِيهَا سَائِقٌ حُطَمُ

He refused to settle for the injustice in the country though

A leader was driving its subjects to destruction.

فَأَعْمَلَ الرَّأْيَ وَالفَوْزُ المُبِينُ بِهِ

لَوِ اسْتَعَانَ بِهِ الصَّمْصَامَةُ الْخِذِمُ

So he made use of opinion and the obvious victory through it -

Even if the night-blind were to seek help through it!