1. يا أَيُّها الناعي أَبا الوُزَراءِ

    هَذا أَوانُ جَلائِلِ الأَنباءِ

    O you who announce the death of the father of ministers,

    this is the hour for tidings of great moment.

  2. حُثَّ البَريدَ مَشارِقاً وَمَغارِباً

    وَاِركَب جَناحَ البَرقِ في الأَرجاءِ

    Speed the courier east and west,

    and ride lightning's wing across the lands.

  3. وَاِستَبكِ هَذا الناسَ دَمعاً أَو دَماً

    فَاليَومُ يَومُ مَدامِعٍ وَدِماءِ

    Make these people weep tears or blood,

    for today is a day of tears and blood.

  4. لَم تَنعَ لِلأَحياءِ غَيرَ ذَخيرَةٍ

    وَلَّت وَغَيرَ بَقِيَّةِ الكُبَراءِ

    You have announced to the living only a treasure

    departed, and the last survivor of the great.

  5. رُزءُ البَرِيَّةِ في الوَزيرِ زِيادَةٌ

    فيما أَلَمَّ بِها مِنَ الأَرزاءِ

    Mankind's loss of the minister adds

    to the calamities that have befallen it.

  6. ذَهَبَت عَلى أَثَرِ المُشَيَّعِ دَولَةٌ

    بِرِجالِها وَكَرائِمِ الأَشياءِ

    An era of rule has passed in the wake of the man borne to burial,

    with its men and its most precious things.

  7. نُدمانُ إِسماعيلَ في آثارِهِ

    ذَهَبوا وَتِلكَ صُبابَةُ النُدَماءِ

    Ismail's boon companions, in his footsteps,

    have passed away; this was their last remnant.

  8. وُلِدوا عَلى راحِ العُلا وَتَرَعرَعوا

    في نِعمَةِ الأَملاكِ وَالأُمَراءِ

    Born upon the palms of eminence, they grew up

    amid the bounty of kings and princes.

  9. أَودى الرَدى بِمُهذَّبٍ لا تَنتَهي

    إِلّا إِلَيهِ شَمائِلُ الرُؤَساءِ

    Death has carried off a refined man; nowhere

    but in him do the virtues of leaders culminate.

  10. صافي الأَديمِ أَغَرَّ أَبلَجَ لَم يَزِد

    في الشَيبِ غَيرَ جَلالَةٍ وَرُواءِ

    Clear of complexion, radiant, bright-browed, he gained

    in gray-haired age only dignity and comeliness.

  11. مُتَجَنِّبِ الخُيَلاءِ إِلّا عِزَّةً

    في العِزِّ حُسنٌ لَيسَ في الخُيَلاءِ

    Shunning arrogance, save for noble pride—

    dignity has a beauty that arrogance does not.

  12. عَفِّ السَرائِرِ وَالمَلاحِظِ وَالخُطا

    نَزِهِ الخَلائِقِ طاهِرِ الأَهواءِ

    Chaste in his secret thoughts, his glances, and his steps,

    unsullied in character, pure in his desires;

  13. مُتَدَرِّعٍ صبرَ الكِرامِ عَلى الأَذى

    إِنَّ الكِرامَ مَشاغِلُ السُفَهاءِ

    armored with the patience of the noble under injury—

    for the noble are the preoccupation of fools.

  14. نَقَموا عَلَيهِ رَأيَهُ وَصَنيعَهُ

    وَالحُكمُ لِلتاريخِ في الآراءِ

    They resented his opinion and his conduct,

    but history is the judge of opinions.

  15. وَالرَأيُ إِن أَخلَصتَ فيهِ سَريرَةً

    مِثلُ العَقيدَةِ فَوقَ كُلِّ مِراءِ

    And an opinion, if you are inwardly sincere in it,

    is like a creed, above all dispute.

  16. وَإِذا الرِجالُ عَلى الأُمورِ تَعاقَبوا

    كَشَفَ الزَمانُ مَواقِفَ النُظَراءِ

    When men succeed one another in affairs,

    time reveals the stances of those peers.

  17. يا أَيُّها الشَيخُ الكَريمُ تَحِيَّةً

    أَندى لِقَبرِكَ مِن زُلالِ الماءِ

    O noble elder, a greeting

    more refreshing to your grave than limpid water.

  18. هَذا المَصيرُ أَكانَ طولَ سَلامَةٍ

    أَم لَم يَكُن إِلّا قَليلَ بَقاءِ

    This is the end, whether there was long well-being

    or nothing but a short span of life.

  19. ماذا اِنتِفاعُكِ بِاللَيالي بَعدَ ما

    مَرَّت بِكَ السَبعونَ مَرَّ عِشاءِ

    What benefit have you from nights, after

    seventy years have passed you like a single evening?

  20. أَو بِالحَياةِ وَقَد مَشى في صَفوِها

    عادي السِنينَ وَعاثَ عادي الداءِ

    Or from life, when its serenity has felt the tread

    of ravaging years and the havoc of marauding illness?

  21. مَن لَم يُطَبِّبهُ الشَبابُ فِداؤُهُ

    حَتّى يُغَيِّبَهُ بِغَيرِ دَواءِ

    He whom youth has not healed—his illness lingers

    until it buries him, without a cure.

  22. قَسَماتُ وَجهِكَ في التُرابِ ذَخائِرٌ

    مِن عِفَّةٍ وَتَكَرُّمٍ وَحَياءِ

    The features of your face are treasures in the dust,

    of chastity, generosity, and modesty.

  23. وَلَكَم أَغارُ عَلى مُحَيّا ماجِدٍ

    وَطَوى مَحاسِنَ مَسمَحٍ مِعطاءِ

    How often has dust raided a noble face,

    and folded away the beauties of a generous, lavish giver!

  24. كَم مَوقِفٍ صَعبٍ عَلى مَن قامَهُ

    ذَلَّلتَهُ وَنَهَضتَ بِالأَعباءِ

    How many a situation, hard for the man who faced it,

    you mastered, shouldering its burdens.

  25. كِبرُ الغَضَنفَرِ يَومَ ذَلِكَ زادَهُ

    مِن نَخوَةٍ وَحَمِيَّةٍ وَإِباءِ

    On such a day the lion's pride lent him more

    of noble spirit, ardor, and proud defiance.

  26. مَن يَكذِبِ التاريخَ يَكذِبُ رَبَّهُ

    وَيُسيءُ لِلأَمواتِ وَالأَحياءِ

    Whoever falsifies history lies to his Lord

    and wrongs the dead and the living.

  27. السِلمُ لَو لَم تودِ أَمسِ بِجُرحِها

    أَودَت بِهَذي الطَعنَةِ النَجلاءِ

    Had Peace not perished yesterday from her wound,

    she would have perished from this gaping thrust.

  28. لَو أُخِّرَت في العَيشِ بَعدَكَ ساعَةً

    لَبَكَت عَلَيكَ بِمَدمَعِ الخَنساءِ

    Had she been granted an hour of life beyond you,

    she would have wept for you with al-Khansa's tears.

  29. اِنفُض غُبارَكَ عَنكَ وَاِنظُر هَل تَرى

    إِلّا غُبارَ كَتيبَةٍ وَلِواءِ

    Shake your dust off yourself, and look: do you see

    anything but the dust of battalion and banner?

  30. يا وَيحَ وَجهِ الأَرضِ أَصبَحَ مَأتَماً

    بَعدَ الفَوارِسِ مِن بَني حَوّاءِ

    Alas for the face of the earth, now a house of mourning

    after the passing of the knights among the sons of Eve!

  31. مِن ذائِدٍ عَن حَوضِهِ أَو زائِدٍ

    في مُلكِهِ مِن صَولَةٍ وَثَراءِ

    Some guarded their watering-place; others added

    might and wealth to their dominion;

  32. أَو مانِعٍ جاراً يُناضِلُ دونَهُ

    أَو حافِظٍ لِعُهودِهِ ميفاءِ

    or shielded a neighbor, fighting in his defense,

    or kept their covenants, faithful to their word.

  33. يَتَقاذَفونَ بِذاتِ هَولٍ لَم تَهَب

    حَرَمَ المَسيحِ وَلا حِمى العَذراءِ

    They hurl at one another a terror that has not revered

    Christ's sanctuary, nor the Virgin's refuge.

  34. مِن مُحدَثاتِ العِلمِ إِلّا أَنَّها

    إِثمٌ عَواقِبُها عَلى العُلَماءِ

    One of science's new inventions—yet

    a sin whose consequences weigh upon the scientists.

  35. لَهَفي عَلى رُكنِ الشُيوخِ مُهَدَّما

    وَالحامِلاتِ الثُكلَ وَاليُتَماءِ

    My grief for the elders' pillar, brought to ruin,

    and for bereaved mothers and orphans;

  36. وَعَلى الشَبابِ بِكُلِّ أَرضٍ مَصرَعٌ

    لَهُمُ وَهُلكٌ تَحتَ كُلِّ سَماءِ

    and for the young: in every land a place to fall

    is theirs, and destruction beneath every sky.

  37. خَرَجوا إِلى الأَوطانِ مِن أَرواحِهِم

    كَرَمٌ يَليقُ بِهِم وَمَحضُ سَخاءِ

    They yielded their souls to their homelands—

    a generosity worthy of them, and pure munificence.

  38. مِن كُلِّ بانٍ بِالمَنِيَّةِ في الصِبا

    لَم يَتَّخِذ عِرساً سِوى الهَيجاءِ

    Each a bridegroom to death in his youth,

    who took no bride but battle.

  39. المُرضِعاتُ سَكَبنَ في وِجدانِهِ

    حُبَّ الدِيارِ وَبِغضَةَ الأَعداءِ

    The women who nursed him poured into his heart

    love of the homeland and hatred of enemies,

  40. وَقَرَّرنَ في أُذُنَيهِ يَومَ فِطامِهِ

    أَنَّ الدِماءَ مُهورَةُ العَلياءِ

    and impressed upon his ears, the day he was weaned,

    that blood is the bride-price of lofty glory.

  41. أَأَبا البَناتِ رُزِقتَهُنَّ كَرائِماً

    وَرُزِقتُ في أَصهارِكَ الكُرَماءِ

    O father of daughters, you were blessed with noble ones,

    and I was blessed to be among your noble sons-in-law.

  42. لا تَذهَبَنَّ عَلى الذُكورِ بِحَسرَةٍ

    الذِكرُ نِعمَ سُلالَةُ العُظَماءِ

    Do not depart in sorrow over sons:

    remembrance is the finest offspring of the great.

  43. وَأَرى بُناةَ المَجدِ يَثلِمُ مَجدَهُم

    ما خَلَّفوا مِن طالِحٍ وَغُثاءِ

    And I see builders of glory whose glory is marred

    by the wicked and worthless they leave behind.

  44. إِنَّ البَناتَ ذَخائِرٌ مِن رَحمَةٍ

    وَكُنوزُ حُبٍّ صادِقٍ وَوَفاءِ

    Daughters are treasures of mercy,

    and hoards of true love and fidelity;

  45. وَالساهِراتُ لِعِلَّةٍ أَو كَبرَةٍ

    وَالصابِراتُ لِشِدَّةٍ وَبَلاءِ

    the ones who keep vigil through illness or old age,

    and bear patiently hardship and affliction;

  46. وَالباكِياتُكَ حينَ يَنقَطِعُ البُكا

    وَالزائِراتُكَ في العَراءِ الناءِ

    who weep for you when other weeping ceases,

    and visit you in the distant wilderness;

  47. وَالذاكِراتُكَ ما حَيِينَ تَحَدُّثاً

    بِسَوالِفِ الحُرُماتِ وَاللَآلاءِ

    who remember you as long as they live, recounting

    the honors and splendors of the past.

  48. بِالأَمسِ عَزّاهُنَّ فيكَ عَقائِلٌ

    وَاليَومَ جامَلَهُنَّ فيكَ رِثائي

    Yesterday, noble ladies consoled them for your loss;

    today, my elegy offers them sympathy for you.

  49. أَبيكَ ما الدُنيا سِوى مَعروفِها

    وَالبِرَّ كُلُّ صَنيعَةٍ بِجَزاءِ

    By your father, the world is nothing but its kindness

    and goodness; every good deed has its recompense.

  50. أَجَزِعنَ أَن يَجري عَلَيهِنَّ الَّذي

    مِن قَبلِهِنَّ جَرى عَلى الزَهراءِ

    Do they grieve that there should befall them what

    befell al-Zahra before them?

  51. عُذراً لَهُنَّ إِذا ذَهَبنَ مَعَ الأَسى

    وَطَلَبنَ عِندَ الدَمعِ بَعضَ عَزاءِ

    Forgive them if they give themselves to sorrow

    and seek some consolation in tears.

  52. ما كُلُّ ذي وَلَدٍ يُسَمّى والِداً

    كَم مِن أَبٍ كَالصَخرَةِ الصَمّاءِ

    Not everyone with a child deserves to be called a father;

    how many a father is like a deaf, unyielding rock.

  53. هَبهُنَّ في عَقلِ الرِجالِ وَحِلمِهِم

    أَقُلوبُهُنَّ سِوى قُلوبُ نِساءِ

    Grant that they have men's reason and forbearance:

    are their hearts anything but women's hearts?