كذا فليصبر الرجل النجيب — Safi Al Din Al Hilli

كَذا فَليَصبِرِ الرَجُلُ النَجيبُ

إِذا نَزَلَت بِساحَتِهِ الخُطوبُ

Thus let the noble man endure,

when calamities descend upon his courtyard.

يَسُرُّ النَفسَ ثُمَّ يُسِرُّ حُزناً

يَضيقُ بِبَعضِهِ الصَدرُ الرَحيبُ

He gladdens the soul, then conceals a sorrow

even part of which constricts a spacious breast.

وَيُبدي البَأسَ لِلأَعداءِ كيلا

تُؤَنِّبَهُ الشَوامِتُ أَو تَعيبُ

And he shows valor to his enemies, lest

gloaters reproach him or find fault with him.

وَمِثلُ عُلاكَ نورَ الدينِ مَن لا

يُقَلقِلُ قَبلَهُ نُوَبٌ تَنوبُ

And one of your eminence, Nur al-Din, is one whom

no recurring calamities he faces can unsettle.

فَإِنَّكَ في جِلادِ المُلكِ خَطبٌ

وَفي يَومِ الجَدالِ لَهُ خَطيبُ

For in the realm's battles you are a calamity,

and on the day of debate, its orator.

تَخافُكَ حينَ تَزجُرُها الرَزايا

وَتُجلى حينَ تَلحَظُها الكُروبُ

Calamities fear you when you rebuke them,

and distresses are dispelled when you glance at them.

بِقَلبٍ كُلِّ فِكرَتِهِ عُيونٌ

وَطَرفٌ كُلِّ نَظرَتِهِ قُلوبُ

With a heart whose thought is all eyes,

and an eye whose glance is all hearts.

وَإِنَّ يَدَ الرَدى وَوُقيتَ مِنها

سِهامُ خُطوبِها أَبَداً تُصيبُ

Indeed, death's hand—may you be protected from it—

whose arrows of calamity always strike true,

أَرَتكَ بِفَقدِ فَخرِ الدينِ رُزءاً

تُشَقُّ لَهُ المَرائِرُ لا الجُيوبُ

has shown you, in the loss of Fakhr al-Din, a calamity

for which gallbladders, not garment collars, are torn.

كَريمٌ ما بِسَمعِ نَداهُ وَقرٌ

وَلا في وَجهِ نائِلِهِ قُطوبُ

A generous man, with no deafness in his bounty's hearing,

nor any frown upon the face of his giving.

وَلَو أَنَّ الوَغى سَلَبَتهُ مِنّا

وَبَزَّتهُ الوَقائِعُ وَالحُروبُ

And had the din of battle snatched him from us,

and battles and wars wrested him away,

لَقامَ بِنَصرِهِ مِنّا رِجالٌ

تُزَرُّ عَلى دُروعِهِمُ القُلوبُ

men among us would have risen to his aid,

their hearts buttoned over their coats of mail,

بِبيضٍ يَغتَدي نَملُ المَنايا

لَهُ مِن فَوقِ صَفحَتِها دَبيبُ

with white blades, where the ants of death set forth at dawn,

creeping across the blades' flat faces;

وَخَيلٍ كُلَّما رَفَعَت عَجاجاً

جَلاهُ الدِرعُ وَالسَيفُ العَضيبُ

and with steeds: whenever they raise a cloud of dust,

armor and the keen-edged sword dispel it.

كَأَنَّ مُثارَ عِثيَرِها سَحابٌ

حَدَتهُ مِن سَنابِكِها جَنوبُ

As though the dust they stir were a cloud,

driven onward by a south wind from their hooves.

أَفَخرَ الدينِ كَم أَعلَيتَ فَخراً

لِآلِكَ حينَ تَشهَدُ أَو تَغيبُ

O Fakhr al-Din, how much glory you raised up

for your family, whether present or absent!

بِرُغمي أَن تَبيتَ غَريبَ دارٍ

وَعِشتَ وَأَنتَ في الدُنيا غَريبُ

Against my wishes, you spend the night in a strange abode,

and you lived as a stranger in this world.

وَتَخلو مِنكَ أُمنِيَةُ المَعالي

وَيَمحَلُ ذَلِكَ المَرعى الخَصيبُ

And the hope of lofty honors is bereft of you,

and that fertile pasture grows barren.

وَتَدعوكَ الكُفاةُ وَلا تُناجي

وَتَسأَلُكَ العُفاةُ فَلا تُجيبُ

And men of ability call you, but you hold no converse,

and seekers of bounty ask you, but you give no reply.

وَيُقسَمُ في الأَنامِ زَكاةُ مَدحٍ

وَما لَكَ في نِصابِهُم نَصيبُ

And the alms of praise are apportioned among mankind,

yet you have no share in their assessable wealth.

خَفيتَ عَنِ العُيونِ وَأَيُّ شَمسٍ

تَلوحُ وَلا يَكونُ لَها مَغيبُ

You vanished from sight—and what sun

shines without a setting?

فَصَبراً يا بَني إِسحَقَ صَبراً

فَرَبُّ العَيشِ بِالحُسنى يُثيبُ

So be patient, sons of Ishaq, be patient!

For the Lord of life rewards with goodness.

وَخَفَّض عَنكَ نورَ الدينِ حُزناً

تَكادُ الراسِياتُ بِهِ تَذوبُ

And may He ease for you, Nur al-Din, a sorrow

that almost makes the steadfast mountains melt.

فَإِنَّ قَريبَ ما تَخشى بَعيدٌ

وَإِنَّ بَعيدَ ما تَرجو قَريبُ

For what you fear as near is far away,

and what you hope for as distant is near.

وَليسَ الحَتفُ في الدُنيا عَجيبُ

وَلَكِنَّ البَقاءَ بِها عَجيبُ

And death in this world is no wonder;

but staying alive in it is a wonder.