1. أَيُّ اِصطِبارٍ لَيسَ بِالزائِلِ

    وَأَيُّ دَمعٍ لَيسَ بِالهامِلِ

    What patient endurance does not fade?

    And what tears do not flow?

  2. إِنّا فُجِعنا بِفَتى وائِلٍ

    لَمّا فُجِعنا بِأَبي وائِلِ

    We were indeed bereaved of Wa'il's young hero

    when we were bereaved of Abu Wa'il,

  3. المُشتَري الحَمدَ بِأَموالِهِ

    وَالبائِعِ النائِلَ بِالنائِلِ

    who bought praise with his wealth

    and sold bounty for bounty.

  4. ماذا أَرادَت سَطَواتُ الرَدى

    بِالأَسَدِ اِبنِ الأَسَدِ الباسِلِ

    What did death's onslaughts intend

    for the lion, son of the valiant lion,

  5. السَيِّدِ اِبنِ السَيِّدِ المُرتَجى

    وَالعالِمِ اِبنُ العالِمِ الفاضِلِ

    the lord, son of the lord in whom hopes were placed,

    and the scholar, son of the virtuous scholar?

  6. أَقسَمتُ لَو لَم يَحكِهِ ذِكرُهُ

    رَجَعنَ عَنهُ بِشَبّاً ثاكِلِ

    I swear, had his renown not mirrored him,

    they would have turned back from him, their blade-points bereft.

  7. كَأَنَّما دَمعِيَ مِن بَعدِهِ

    صَوبُ سَحابٍ واكِفٍ وابِلِ

    My tears since his loss seem like

    the downpour of a cloud, streaming in torrents.

  8. ما أَنا أَبكيهِ وَلَكِنَّما

    تَبكيهِ أَطرافُ القَنا الذابِلِ

    It is not I who weep for him; rather,

    the tips of the slender spears weep for him.

  9. ماكانَ إِلّا حَدَثاً نازِلاً

    مُوَكَّلاً بِالحَدَثِ النازِلِ

    He was nothing but a calamity descending,

    charged with confronting each calamity that befell.

  10. دانٍ إِلى سُبلِ النَدى وَالعُلا

    ناءٍ عَنِ الفَحشاءِ وَالباطِلِ

    Near to the paths of generosity and high honor,

    far from indecency and falsehood.

  11. أَرى المَعالي إِذ قَضى نَحبَهُ

    تَبكي بُكاءَ الوالِهِ الثاكِلِ

    I see noble virtues, since he met his end,

    weeping like one distraught and bereaved.

  12. الأَسَدُ الباسِلُ وَالعارِضُ ال

    هاطِلُ عِندَ الزَمَنِ الماحِلِ

    The valiant lion, and the rain cloud—

    pouring down in a time of drought.

  13. لَو كانَ يَفدي مَعشَرٌ هالِكاً

    فَداهُ مِن حافٍ وَمِن ناعِلِ

    If a people could ransom one doomed to die,

    barefoot and shod alike would have ransomed him.

  14. فَكَم حَثا قَبرَكَ مِن راغِبٍ

    وَكَم حَشا تُربَكَ مِن آمِلِ

    For how many a seeker has your grave buried,

    and how many a hopeful has your dust enclosed!

  15. سَقى ثَرىً ضَمَّ أَبا وائِلٍ

    صَوبُ عَطايا كَفِّهِ الهاطِلِ

    May the earth that enfolded Abu Wa'il be watered

    by the downpour of gifts from his streaming hand.

  16. لادَرَّ دَرُّ الدَهرِ مابالُهُ

    حَمَّلَني مالَستُ بِالحامِلِ

    May time's milk run dry! What ails it,

    that it burdened me with what I cannot bear?

  17. كانَ اِبنُ عَمّي إِن عَرا حادِثٌ

    كَاللَيثِ أَو كَالصارِمِ الصاقِلِ

    My cousin, whenever a calamity befell,

    was like a lion or a keen, gleaming sword.

  18. كانَ اِبنُ عَمّي عالِماً فاضِلاً

    وَالدَهرُ لايُبقي عَلى فاضِلِ

    My cousin was a learned and virtuous man,

    but time spares no virtuous man.

  19. كانَ اِبنُ عَمّي بَحرَ جودٍ طَمى

    لَكِنَّهُ بَحرٌ بِلا ساحِلِ

    My cousin was a sea of generosity, overflowing,

    yet he was a sea without a shore.

  20. مَن كانَ أَمسى قَلبُهُ خالِياً

    فَإِنَّني في شُغُلٍ شاغِلِ

    If anyone has reached evening with a heart free of care,

    I, for my part, am caught in all-consuming care.