عَجَباً لِلَّذي نَعى الناعِيانِ

كَيفَ فاهَت بِمَوتِهِ الشَفَتانِ

Wondrous is he who lamented the lamenters,

Astonishing is the one whose death the two heralds announced,

How eloquent were his lips in death!

How could the lips bring themselves to utter his demise?

مَلِكٌ إِن غَدا عَلى الدَهرِ يَوماً

أَصبَحَ الدَهرُ ساقِطاً لِلجِرانِ

A king, if one day he rules the world,

A king who, if he were to march against Time itself one day,

The world becomes lowly to tyranny.

Time would end up prostrate, its neck bowed in submission.

لَيتَ كَفّاً حَثَت عَلَيهِ تُراباً

لَم تَعُد في يَمينُها بِبَنانِ

Would that a palmful had cast dust upon him

Would that the hand which heaped dust upon him,

Whose right hand holds no boughs.

Had returned without a single finger left on its right side.

حينَ دانَت لَهُ البِلادُ عَلى العَس

فِ وَأَغضى مِن خَوفِهِ الثَقَلانِ

When countries bowed to him, spear atop,

When the lands submitted to him under the yoke of force,

And the two burdens feared him.

And both Mankind and Jinn lowered their gaze in dread of him.

أَينَ رَبُّ الزَوراءِ قَد قَلَّدَتهُ ال

مَلِكَ عِشرونَ حِجَّةً وَاِثنَتانِ

Where is the Lord of Zuraa’, who wore

Where is the Lord of al-Zawra'? Fate had invested him with,

The mantle of a king for twenty-two years?

The mantle of kingship for twenty-two full years.

إِنَّما المَرءُ كَالزِنادِ إِذا ما

أَخَذَتهُ قَوادِحُ النيرانِ

Man is but like a match; when

Truly, a man is like the fire-striker when,

The fiery challenges seize him.

The kindling sparks of fire take hold of him.

لَيسَ يَثني هَواهُ زَجرٌ وَلا يَق

دَحُ في حَبلِهِ ذَوو الإِدهانِ

No restraint can bend his passion, nor can

No rebuke could turn back his will, nor could,

The expert douse his wick.

Those of flattery cut through the rope of his resolve.

قَلَّدَتهُ أَعِنَّةَ المُلكِ حَتّى

قادَ أَعداءَهُ بِغَيرِ عِنانِ

The reins of kingship saddled him until

He was entrusted with the reins of the dominion until,

He led his foes unfettered.

He drove his enemies forward without need of a bridle.

يُكسَرُ الطَرفُ دونَهُ وَتُرى الأَيّ

دي مِن خَوفِهِ عَلى الأَذقانِ

Eyes lower before him, and hands

The glance is broken in his presence, and hands are seen,

Tremble in fear of him.

Clutched to chins in sheer terror of him.

ضَمَّ أَطرافَ مُلكِهِ ثُمَّ أَضحى

خَلفَ أَقصاهُمُ وَدونَ الداني

He gathered the ends of his kingdom, then was laid

He consolidated the borders of his realm, then became,

Behind, lower than the lowly.

Beyond the reach of the farthest, and cut off from the nearest.

هاشِمِيُّ التَشميرِ لا يَحمِلُ الثِق

لَ عَلى غارِبِ الشَرودِ الهِدانِ

Hashimite unfurling, bearing not the burden

A Hashemite of rigorous zeal; he does not place the burden,

Of the wandering, wavering fool.

Upon the shoulders of the unruly or the sluggish beast.

ذو أَناةٍ يَنسى لَها الخائِفُ الخَو

فَ وَعَزمٍ يُلوي بِكُلِّ جَنانِ

Patient, making the fearful forget fear,

Possessed of a patience that makes the frightened forget fear,

And resolute, bending all wills.

And a determination that overwhelms every heart.

ذَهَبَت دونَهُ النُفوسُ حِذاراً

غَيرَ أَنَّ الأَرواحَ في الأَبدانِ

Souls fled him in dread,

Souls perished in dread before his presence,

Though spirits remain in bodies.

Even though the spirits yet remained within the bodies.