مَا لِهَذَا الخَافِقُ الوَاهِي يَجِبْ
جَزَعاً لِلمَوْتِ وَالمَوْتُ يَجِبْ
What ails this troubled heart that it should grieve
At death, when death is sure to all that live?
جَلَلٌ أَنْ يَتَوَلَّى شَاعِرٌ
كَيْفَ وَالشَّاعِرُ عُبْدُ المُطَّلبْ
Great cause indeed that one of gifts so rare
As poet should be called “The Freedman’s Heir”
أَنُعَزِّي فِيهِ أَهْلاً أَوْ حِمًى
وَالْمُعَزَّى فِيهِ جُمَّاعُ العَرَبْ
Shall I console a tribe, or household mourn
When all Arabia for him makes mourn?
هَلْ قَرَأْتُمْ شِعْرَهُ إِلاَّ وَقَدْ
خِلْتُمُ السِّحرَ مِنَ الشِّعرِ وَثَبْ
Read ye his verse and magic arts discern:
The sunrise born of poetry can burn
فَاعِلاً مَا عَزَّ أَنْ تَفْعَلَهُ
فِي رَصِينَاتِ النُّهَى بِنْتُ العِنَبْ
He dared to do what law of self denied
And stake fair clusters of the vine of pride.
دَرُّهُ كَالدُّرِّ فِي كَاسَاتِهَا
وَنِظَامُ الدُّرِّ فِيهِ كَالجَبَبْ
His pearl of Pearl is set in golden band
And braided like to Ja’far’s signet-wand.
كَمْ رَوَاهُ مُنْشِدُوهُ فَارْتَوَى
سَامِعُوهُ مِنْ يَنَابِيعِ الطَّرَبْ
How oft his lyrics hold th’ enraptured ear
Till voice and instrument responsive bear!
قَيَّض الإِبْدَاعُ فِيهِ مُلْتَقَى
أَدَبَيْنِ اتَّصلاَ بَعْدَ حِقَبْ
Genius conjoined in him twin powers of grace
To bring two literatures face to face
فَكَلاَمٌ بَدَوِيٌّ لَوْ بَدَا
فِيهِ لَوْنٌ لَمْ يَكُنْ إِلاَّ الذَّهَبْ
His speech is “Bedouin”–marvel ye at this?
When all its worth is purest Arabist!
خَالِصُ النِّسبَةِ فِي العِتْقِ إِذَا
مَا دَعَا لِلفَخْرِ دَاعٍ فَانْتَسَبْ
Strange is the charge of “strangeness” here, I wis
Alike remote from truth and righteousness!
وَمَعَانٍ حَضَرِيَّاتٌ جَلاَ
حَسْنَهَا مِنْهُ طِرَازٌ لَمْ يُعَبْ
No stranger he amongst his kith and kin
But strange, that one so Arab-souled has been
تَتَرَاءَى فِي حِلىً لَمَّاحَةٍ
يَسْتَطِيرُ المَاءُ فِيهَا كَاللَّهَبْ
To seize spoil from its mine–shall he be blamed
Because among his people he is famed?
رُبَّ مَمْرُورٍ مِنَ الجَهْلِ نَعَى
صِحَّة القَوْلِ عَلَيْهِ فَنَعَبْ
For puissant Arabic prepared the way
To give his genius freest, fullest sway
خَالَ إِغْرَاباً وَمَا الإِغْرَابُ فِي
ذَلِكَ اللِّفْظِ الأَصِيلِ المُنْتَخَبْ
What mean they by their cavil, when his art
Speaks not the language graven on their heart?
إِنَّما الإَغْرابُ فِيهِ أَنَّةُ
عَرَبِيٌّ بَيْنَ أَهْلِيهِ اغْتَرَبْ
’Tis Resurrection! barred from no man’s tomb
’Tis the illumined goal of every thoughtful gloom
آخِذُ المَعْدِنَ مِنْ مَنْجَمِهِ
هَلْ عَلَيْهِ حَرَجٌ يَا لَلَعَجَبُ
’Tis the vast parliament whose members are
Those that have dipped pen or in speaking share!
إنَّ لِلفُصْحَى نُشُوراً هَيَّأتْ
أُمَمُ العُرْبِ لَهُ كُلَّ سَبَبْ
If to her due this age has failed–then weep
O’er mother-ohild unduly doomed to sleep!
مَا يُرِيدُونَ مِنَ الشِّعرِ إِذَا
لَمْ يَكُنْ صُورَ النُّشُورِ المُرْتَقَبْ
God rest his soul, that worthy sage and chief
Whose loss she mourned with many a bitter grief
ذَلِكَ البَعْثُ هُوَ الفَتْحُ الَّذِي
لَيْسَ يَعْدُوهُ لِذِي لُبٍْ أَرَبْ
What shaft could strike so sure, what archer’s hand
Could speed an arrow so direct, so well-plann’d?
وَهُوَ الجَامِعَةُ الكُبْرَى لِمَنْ
فَاهَ فِي الشَّرْقِ بِضَادٍ أَوْ كَتَبْ
Question his betters grown to man’s estate
And boys who still are schooling–Ask of them
فَلَئِنْ لَمْ تُوفَ مَا حُقَّ لَهَا
قِبَلِ الجِيلِ لَقَدْ تَبَّت وَتَبْ
His meed of praise, his teacher’s pride and care
How he resigned the sportive hours of youth
رَحِمَ اللهُ ابْنَهَا البَرَّ الَّذِي
نَدَبَتْ مِنْهُ سَرِيّاً فَانْتَدَبْ
To toil unselfishly and lead aright–
Reckless what trouble to himself it brought
أَيُّ سَهْمٍ صَائِبٍ فَوَّقَهُ
مَنْ رَمَاهُ فَرَمَاهَا عَنْ كَثَبْ
Or whatprivations–all his care and thought
Were for their shaping. Nobly he sustained
سَلْ كِبَاراً بَلَغَوا تَأْدِيبَهُمْ
وَصَغَاراً لَمْ يَزَالُوا فِي الطَّلَبْ
A nature far too proud to stoop or feign
Simple his habits were; his way of life
يَذْكُرُوا لِلشَّيخِ فِي أَعْنَاقِهِمْ
مَا لَهُ مِنْ فَضْلِ أَسْتَاذٍ وَأَبْ
Was rid of all that gendereth distrust and strife
For, lacking conduct sound instruction will
وَقَفَ العُمْرَ عَلَى تَثْقِيفِهِمْ
يَتَوَلاَّهُ بِجِدٍّ وَدَأَبْ
Surely be found unprofitable still
He scorned in learning’s cause all worldly greed
لاَ بُبَالِي مَا يُقَاسِي دُونَهُ
مِنْ سُهَادٍ وَيُعَانِي مِنْ نَصَبْ
And ne’er forbore the advantage of their need
Free in opinion–nor could threat’ning fate
جَافِيَاً وَالرِّفْقُ فِي جَفُوتِهِ
حَدِباً فِي خَيْرِ مَعْنَىً لِلحَدَبْ
Or lure of gain his judgment ever bait
True, whate’er charge his honor might incur–
نَزُهَتُ أَخْلاَقُهُ وَانْتَبَذَتْ
كُلَّ مَا فِيهِ مَثَارٌ لِلرِّيَبْ
Sincere, though specious pleas his acts might blur
His household knew him for a righteous guide
وَإِذَا التَّعلِيمُ لَمْ تُقْرَنْ بِهِ
قُدْوَةٌ صَالِحَةٌ جَرَّ العَطَبْ
And choice companion–clean and dignified–
He set men in the station merit wins
إِنَّ خَطْبَ الفَضْلِ فِي الأُسْتَاذِ لَمْ
يُكْرِ فِي الشِّدَّةِ عَنْ خَطْبِ الأَدَبْ
Though highest claim might miss of place with him,
And showed contentment with God’s acts that fall
كَانَ حُرَّ الرَّأْيِ لاَ يَطْرِفُهُ
رَغَبٌ عَمَّا رَآهُ أَوْ رَهَبْ
In abasement or glory on mankind all.
This world is naught to freeman. His noblesse
وافِياً مَهْمَا يَسُمْهُ عَهْدُهُ
صَادِقاً مَهْمَا يَقُمْ عِذْر الكَذِبْ
Shows not in worldly gear but its address.
Most free of men he counts his lineage, who
حَسَنَ السِّيرَةِ فِي أُسْرَتِهِ
حَسَنَ الخِيرَةِ فِيمَنْ يَصْطَحِبْ
Draws his patent of pride his soul unto
Thou Trav’ller hark! what mean these words of dole?
بَالِغاً فِي كُلِّ نَفْسٍ رُتْبَةً
قَصَّرَتْ عَنْ شَأْوِهَا أَسْمَى الرُّتَبْ
What grief o’er-comes thee that thou weep’st so sore
In Cairo dust? On every Arab soul
رَاضِياً مِنْ قِسْمَةِ اللهِ بِمَا
جَلَّ عَنْ قَدْرٍ وَغنْ قَلَّ انَّشبْ
War’s plague has come–Oh would ’twere plague, no more
In Aden thou shalt win enduring meed
لَيْسَتِ الدُّنْيَا لِحُرٍّ حَسَباً
إنَّما فِي نَبْذِهِ الدُّنْيَا الحَسَبْ
Make God content–be tranquil and give heed!
وأَعَزُّ النَّاسِ فِيهَا نَسَباً
مَنْ لَه مِنْ نَفْسِهِ أَزْكَى نَسَبْ
أيها الرَّاحِلُ مَا بَالُ احِجَى
غَلَبَ الحُزْنُ عَليْهِ فَانْتَحَبْ
فَي ذُرَا مِصْرٍ وَفِي كُلِّ حِمَى
عَرَبِيٍّ حَرَبٌ أَيُّ حَرَبْ
لَكَ فِي عَدْنٍ ثَوَابٌ خَالِدٌ
فَتَمَتَّع بِرضَى اللهِ وَطِبْ
