لِلَّهِ نافِلَةُ الأَجَلِّ الأَفضَلِ

وَلَهُ العُلى وَأَثيثُ كُلِّ مُؤَثَّلِ

For Allah is the best bonus of life

And to Him belong the Supreme and furnishings of every adorned palace

لا يَستَطيعُ الناسُ مَحوَ كِتابِهِ

أَنّى وَلَيسَ قَضائُهُ بِمُبَدَّلِ

People cannot erase His book

How so when His decree does not change

سَوّى فَأَغلَقَ دونَ غُرَّةِ عَرشِهِ

سَبعاً طِباقاً فَوقَ فَرعِ المَنقَلِ

He leveled and then closed without the dome of His throne

Seven heavens above the pillar of the litter

وَالأَرضَ تَحتَهُمُ مِهاداً راسِياً

ثَبَتَت خَوالِقُها بِصُمِّ الجَندَلِ

And the earth beneath them as a steady cradle

Its mountains established by the grip of peg

وَالماءُ وَالنيرانُ مِن آياتِهِ

فيهِنَّ مَوعِظَةٌ لِمَن لَم يَجهَلِ

And the water and fire are among His signs

In them is an admonition for those who do not ignore

بَل كُلُّ سَعيِكَ باطِلٌ إِلّا التُقى

فَإِذا اِنقَضى شَيءٌ كَأَن لَم يُفعَلِ

Rather, all your efforts are in vain except piety

So when a thing ends it is as if it never happened

لَوكانَ شَيءٌ خالِداً لَتَواءَلَت

عَصماءُ مُؤلِفَةٌ ضَواحِيَ مَأسَلِ

If something were everlasting, the protected

Ones would roam the pastures freely

بِظُلوفِها وَرَقُ البَشامِ وَدونَها

صَعبٌ تَزِلُّ سَراتُهُ بِالأَجدَلِ

With their shade and leaves of basil, and beneath

A rugged mountain their yards slipping with smooth stone

أَو ذو زَوائِدَ لا يُطافُ بِأَرضِهِ

يَغشى المُهَجهَجَ كَالذَنوبِ المُرسَلِ

Or one with extensions, no land surrounding

Covering the confused like unleashed sins

في نابِهِ عِوَجٌ يُجاوِزُ شِدقَهُ

وَيُخالِفُ الأَعلى وَراءَ الأَسفَلِ

In its fang a curve exceeding its cheek

And opposing the highest behind the lowest

فَأَصابَهُ رَيبُ الزَمانِ فَأَصبَحَت

أَنيابُهُ مِثلَ الزِجاجِ النُصَّلِ

So the corruption of time afflicted it

And its fangs became like fragmented glass

وَلَقَد رَأى صُبحٌ سَوادَ خَليلِهِ

مِن بَينِ قائِمِ سَيفِهِ وَالمِحمَلِ

Dawn had seen the darkness of his friend

Among the standing of his sword and scabbard

صَبَّحنَ صُبحاً حينَ حُقَّ حِذارُهُ

فَأَصابَ صُبحاً قائِفٌ لَم يَغفَلِ

They bid farewell a farewell when his separation was right

So the departing one met farewell who did not neglect

فَاِلتَفَّ صَفقُهُما وَصُبحٌ تَحتَهُ

بَينَ التُرابِ وَبَينَ حِنوِ الكَلكَلِ

Their embrace folded and dawn beneath

Between the dust and the tilting of the skull

وَلَقَد جَرى لُبَدٌ فَأَدرَكَ جَريَهُ

رَيبُ الزَمانِ وَكانَ غَيرَ مُثَقَّلِ

And Lu'bud had certainly flowed, so the corruption of time overtook his flow

And he had not been burdened

لَمّا رَأى لُبَدُ النُسورِ تَطايَرَت

رَفَعَ القَوادِمَ كَالفَقيرِ الأَعزَلِ

When Lu'bud saw the eagles take flight

He lifted the newcomers like a poor unarmed man

مِن تَحتِهِ لُقمانُ يَرجو نَهضَهُ

وَلَقَد رَأى لُقمانُ أَن لا يَأتَلي

Beneath him Luqman hoped for its ascension

And Luqman had seen he would not be idle

غَلَبَ اللَيالي خَلفَ آلِ مُحَرِّقٍ

وَكَما فَعَلنَ بِتُبَّعٍ وَبِهِرقَلِ

The nights overcame the progeny of Muharriq

And as they did to Tubba and to Hiraql

وَغَلَبنَ أَبرَهَةَ الَّذي أَلفَينَهُ

قَد كانَ خَلَّدَ فَوقَ غُرفَةِ مَوكِلِ

And they overcame Abraha whom they befriended

He had supposedly immortalized atop the pavilion of Ma'kil

وَالحارِثُ الحَرّابُ خَلّى عاقِلاً

داراً أَقامَ بِها وَلَم يَتَنَقَّلِ

And Al-Harith the warrior lived intelligently

In a house he resided and did not move

تَجري خَزائِنُهُ عَلى مَن نابَهُ

مَجرى الفُراتِ عَلى فِراضِ الجَدوَلِ

His treasures flowed upon who succeeded him

Like the Euphrates over the bed of a stream

حَتّى تَحَمَّلَ أَهلُهُ وَقَطينُهُ

وَأَقامَ سَيِّدُهُم وَلَم يَتَحَمَّلِ

Until his family and leader bore it

And their master stayed and did not burden

وَالشاعِرونَ الناطِقونَ أَراهُمُ

سَلَكوا سَبيلَ مُرَقِّشٍ وَمُهَلهِلِ

And the eloquent poets I see them

Take the path of Muraqqish and Muhallil