حَبلُ المُنى بِحِبالِ اليَأسِ مَعقودُ
وَالأَمنُ مِن حادِثِ الأَيّامِ مَفقودُ
The cord of hope is knotted with the ropes of despair,
And safety from the accidents of days is lost.
وَالمَرءُ ما بَينَ أَشراكِ الرَدى غَرَضٌ
صَميمُهُ بِسِهامِ الحَتفِ مَقصودُ
Man is a prey between the claws of calamity,
His essence targeted by the arrows of death.
لا تَعجَبَنَّ فَما في المَوتِ مِن عَجَبٍ
إِذ ذاكَ حَدٌّ بِهِ الإِنسانُ مَحدودُ
Be not astonished, for there is no wonder in death,
Since by it man is limited.
فَالمُستَفادُ مِنَ الأَيّامِ مُرتَجَعٌ
وَالمُستَعارُ مِنَ الأَعمارِ مَردودُ
What is gained from the days is taken back,
What is borrowed from lifetimes is returned.
وَلِلمَنِيَّةِ أَظفارٌ إِذا ظَفِرَت
رَأَيتَ كُلَّ عَميدٍ وَهوَ مَعمودُ
Death has claws, when it is triumphant
You see every pillar though propped up overturned.
لَم يَنجُ بِالبَأسِ مِنها مَع شَراسَتِهِ
لَيثُ العَرينِ وَلا بِالحيلَةِ السيدُ
Neither the fierce lion with his strength,
Nor the master with his cunning escaped its evil.
قَد ضَلَّ مَن ظَنَّ بَعضَ الكَائِناتِ لَها
مَكثٌ وَلِلعالَمِ العُلوِيَّ تَخليدُ
He who thought some creatures everlasting was wrong,
Eternity is for the heavenly world on high.
أَلَم يَقولوا بِأَنَّ الشُهبَ خالِدَةٌ
طَبعاً فَأَينَ شِهابُ الدينِ مَحمودُ
Did they not say the meteors immortal are,
Where then is the blessed meteor of the faith?
مَن كانَ في عِلمِهِ بَينَ الوَرى عَلَماً
يُهدى بِهِ إِن زَوَت أَعلامَها البيدُ
He who was a signpost of knowledge among mankind,
Is guided by it if the landmarks are effaced.
وَمَن رَوَت فَضلَهُ حُسّادُ رُتبَتِهِ
وَعَنعَنَت عَن أَياديهِ الأَسانيدُ
He whose excellence jealous rivals denigrated,
And from whose hands credentials were detached;
فَضلٌ بِهِ أَوجُهُ الأَيّامِ مُشرِقَةٌ
كَأَنَّهُ لِخُدودِ الدَهرِ تَوريدُ
By his merit the horizons of the days shine bright,
As if for the cheeks of time he attends its rouge.
مُهَذَّبُ اللَفظِ لا في القَولِ لَجلَجَةٌ
مِنهُ وَلا عِندَهُ في الرَأيِ تَرديدُ
Eloquent of speech without babbled utterance,
No hesitation or doubt within his view.
لا يَهدِمُ المَنُّ مِنهُ عُمرَ مَكرُمَةٍ
وَلا يُعَمَّدُ بِالمَطلِ المَواعيدُ
Grant violates not his promised deadline,
Nor purposefully delays the appointed time.
إِن كانَ يُقصَدُ مَقصودٌ لِبَذلِ نَدىً
فَإِنَّهُ لِلنَدى وَالفَضلِ مَقصودُ
If a gift is sought to give freely forth,
Verily for free giving and merit he is sought.
لَهُ اليَراعُ الَّذي راعَ الخُطوبَ بِهِ
في حَلبَةِ الطَرسِ تَصويبٌ وَتَصعيدُ
His is the talent that managed the skills of war,
In the field of danger, shooting and elevation.
أَصَمُّ أَخرَسُ مَشقوقُ اللِسانِ إِذا
طارَحتَهُ سُمِعَت مِنهُ الأَغاريدُ
Deaf, mute, split of tongue, if
You engage him in talk, songs are heard.
إِن شاءَ تَسويدَ مُبيَضِّ الطَروسِ فَمِن
إِنشائِهِ لِبَياضِ الناسِ تَسويدُ
If he wished to blacken the whitening of the full moons,
By his creation the blackening of people is for the white.
لَو خَطَّ سَطراً تَرى عَكسَ القِياسِ بِهِ
الشَمسُ طالِعَةٌ وَاللَيلُ مَوجودُ
If he writ a line, contrary to analogy,
The sun rising is seen while night remains.
وَالسائِراتُ الَّتي راقَت لِسامِعِها
أَلفاظُها وَحَلَت مِنهُ الأَناشيدُ
The lyrics whose words were enjoyed by the hearer,
Sweet poems from him and songs.
رَشيقَةُ السَبكِ لا المَعنى بِمُبتَذَلٍ
مِنها وَلا لَفظُها بِالعَسفِ مَكدودُ
Smooth of phrase not trite in meaning,
Nor rough of wording arbitrarily curtailed.
يا صاحِبَ الرُتبَةِ المَعذورِ حاسِدُها
إِنَّ السَعيدَ عَلى النَعماءِ مَحسودُ
O occupier of rank, pardoned by envier,
For the blessed are envied for their bounty.
ما شامَ بَعدَكَ أَهلُ الشامِ بارِقَةً
لِلفَضلِ حينَ ذَوى مِن رَبِّهِ العودُ
None like you shone for excellence in Syria
When its splendor from its Lord withdrew.
إِلَيكَ قَد كانَ يُعزى العِلمُ مُنتَسِباً
وَاليَومَ فيكَ يُعَزّى العِلمُ وَالجودُ
To you knowledge was attributed pedigree,
And today in you knowledge and nobility abide.
كَم خُطبَةٍ لَكَ راعَ الخَطبَ مَوقِعُها
وَكَم تُقُلِّدَ مِنهُ الدَهرَ تَقليدُ
How many a sermon’s place has been its guide,
And time mimics it often in its decrees;
وَلَفظَةٍ لا يَسُدُّ الغَيرُ مَوضِعَها
غَرّاءَ تُحسَبُ ماءً وَهيَ جُلمودُ
And a word none can replace preserving its niche,
Purer than water, yet it is solid ice.
وَجَحفَلٍ لِجَدالِ البَحثِ مُجتَمِعٌ
كَأَنَّهُ لِجِلادِ الحَربِ مَحشودُ
And a cudgel, for the inquiry’s contention convened,
As if for battle’s fleshing it was amassed.
قَد جَرَّدَ الشوسُ فيهِ قُضبَ أَلسِنَةٍ
في مَعرَكٍ يَومُهُ المَشهورُ مَشهودُ
It bared the swords’ blade on an day whose renown sees witness,
Gashing in its lair each false reasoner;
عَقَرتَ كُلَّ كَمِيٍّ في عَقيرَتِهِ
بِهِ وَأَزرُكَ بِالتَحقيقِ مَشدودُ
With a blade whose stroke no armor returns,
Even if David fortified the knitted coat of mail.
بِصارِمٍ لا يَرُدُّ الدِرعُ ضَربَتَهُ
وَلَو سَنى نَسجَهُ المَردودَ داوودُ
Till when the false reasoners retreated before it,
And failed before its claim credentials’ aid,
حَتّى إِذا نَكَصَ القَومُ الكَمِيُّ بِهِ
وَأَعوَزَت عِندَ دَعواهُ الأَسانيدُ
They cast their schemes to a hero,
Valiant and peerless, to him schemes are cast.
أَلقوا مَقاليدَهُم فيهِ إِلى بَطَلٍ
شَهمٍ إِلى مِثلِهِ تُلقى المَقاليدُ
O misser of my found while found you miss,
My care while had and care itself is missed!
يا مُفقِدي مَع وُجودي فَيضَ أَنعُمِهِ
هَمّي وَمَوجودُ وَجدي وَهوَ مَفقودُ
And reckoner of merit between us, lineage,
While in fathers’ lineage estrangement resides.
وَجاعِلَ الفَضلِ فيما بَينَنا نَسَباً
إِذ كانَ في نَسَبِ الآباءِ تَبعيدُ
It would assuage grief to forget one like you
If your peer in both lands could be found.
قَد كانَ يُجدي التَناسي عَنكَ دَفعُ أَسىً
لَو أَنَّ مِثلَكَ في المِصرَينِ مَوجودُ
In you an event has unstitched my garment of patience
To replace robes of sorrow with renewal.
قَد أَخلَقَت ثوبَ صَبري فيكَ حادِثَةٌ
أَضحى بِها لِثِيابِ الحُزنِ تَجديدُ
Despite myself, one of hope calls upon you
So continuous favour is undiminished;
بِرُغمِ أَنفِيَ أَن يَدعوكَ ذو أَمَلٍ
فَلا يَسُحُّ عِهادٌ مِنكَ مَعهودُ
And your fresh quarter is seen though in it no meadow
Fertile, nor shade from you outstretched.
وَأَن يُرى رَبعُكَ العافي وَليسَ بِهِ
مَرعىً خَصيبٌ وَظِلٌّ مِنكَ مَمدودُ
I weep when glories of your honours leave me,
My thoughts seek patience while it is outcast.
أَبكي إِذا ما خَلا أَوصافُ مَجدِكَ لي
فِكري وَأَطلُبُ صَبري وَهوَ مَطرودُ
And I console myself your sons will succeed them,
Be they young lions or children of the chase.
وَأَلتَجي بِالتَسَلّي أَن سَتُخلِفُها
أَبناؤُكَ الغُرُّ أَو أَبناؤُكَ الصيدُ
So every rhyme will elegy you from me,
By it your memory amongst people perpetuated.
فَسَوفَ تَرثيكَ مِنّي كُلُّ قافِيَةٍ
بِها لِذِكرِكَ بَينَ الناسِ تَخليدُ
I make people hear descriptions you were known by,
As if amongst the living you are counted.
وَأُسمِعُ الناسَ أَوصافاً عُرِفتَ بِها
حَتّى كَأَنَّكَ في الأَحياءِ مَعدودُ
For not but the rain makes the dust its dweller,
While we know the rain within it is blamed.
فَلا عَدا الغَيثُ تُرباً أَنتَ ساكِنُهُ
مَع عِلمِنا أَنَّ فيهِ الغَيثَ مَلحودُ
To endure, its shade stretched in its courtyard,
Its lotuses and buds boxed and stacked.
وَدامَ وَالظِلُّ مَمدودٌ بِساحَتِهِ
وَالسِدرُ وَالطَلعُ مَحصورٌ وَمَنضودُ
