1. دهش الفؤاد فكان أن يتفطّرا

    والدّمع فاض ولم يزل متحدّرا

    The heart was stunned, and so it came to break apart;

    And tears overflowed and never ceased to stream down.

  2. فتنكّد العيش الهنئ واظلم الوقت

    المضيء لوقته وتكدّرا

    So pleasant life grew bitter, and the time grew dark;

    Once radiant, it grew clouded in that very moment.

  3. وتوالت الأحزان طرّاً وانقضت

    عنّا أويقات السرور كما ترى

    All sorrows came in succession, and there ended

    For us the fleeting moments of joy, as you see.

  4. والهمِّ والغمِّ الممضّ تجدّدا

    والأنس ولَّى بالسّرور وأدبرا

    And worry and tormenting grief were renewed,

    And solace departed with joy and turned away.

  5. كلّ القلوب تنغّصت وتفتت

    لمّا نعى الشهم الهزير بلا مرا

    All hearts were embittered and shattered

    When the noble lion's death was announced, beyond doubt—

  6. العالم المفضال شيخ العصر بل

    نور الزّمان لمن غدا متدبّرا

    The munificent scholar, the shaykh of the age—nay,

    The light of the age for whoever comes to reflect.

  7. عالي المقام علي ابن محمد

    جالي القتام إذا الزّمان تنكّرا

    Exalted in standing, Ali ibn Muhammad,

    Dispeller of dust when the times turn hostile;

  8. من فاق أهل العلم من أقرانه

    بمآثر وفضائل لن تُحصرا

    Who surpassed the scholars among his peers

    In glorious deeds and virtues that will never be counted.

  9. فهو الكريم لمن أتى يبغي الندى

    والبدر في أوج الكمال إذا سرى

    So he is the generous one to whoever comes seeking bounty,

    And the full moon at the zenith of perfection when he travels by night.

  10. ذو همّة تعلو الثريا رفعة

    وعزيمة عنها الشجاع تقهقرا

    Possessed of ambition that rises higher than the Pleiades,

    And resolve before which the brave man has retreated;

  11. وفصاحة وبراعة وبلاغة

    خصّت به والغير عنها تأخّرا

    And clarity of speech, mastery, and eloquence

    Were bestowed on him alone, while others fell short of them.

  12. هو قطبنا الحاوي لكلّ فضيلة

    لا غرو كلّ الصيد في جوف الفرا

    He is our pole, encompassing every virtue;

    No wonder: all game is in the wild ass's belly.

  13. أسفي على ذاك الإمام المنتقى

    مبدي الصواب إذا اللبيب تحيّرا

    How I grieve for that chosen imam,

    Who reveals what is right when the wise man is perplexed.

  14. رزء تكاد الأرض ترجف دهشةً

    والنّاس كادت أن تموت تحسّرا

    A loss at which the earth almost trembles in shock,

    And people nearly died of sorrow.

  15. أسفي على ركن العلوم ورأسها

    أسفي على من للدروس مقرّرا

    How I grieve for the pillar of the sciences and their head;

    How I grieve for the one who expounded the lessons.

  16. من للتلامذة العفاة مساعداً

    من للسؤال موضّحاً ومفسّرا

    Who will assist the pupils seeking bounty?

    Who will clarify and explain questions?

  17. من للنصيحة باذلاً بتواضع

    من في دجى الليل البهيم منوّرا

    Who will offer counsel with humility?

    Who will shine in the darkness of the pitch-black night?

  18. من للنواهي المعضلات مفرّجاً

    من للضعيف المستجير مؤازرا

    Who will bring relief in difficult matters of prohibition?

    Who will support the weak one seeking refuge?

  19. من آمراً بالعرف حقاً بعدة

    وعن المناكر زاجراً ومحذرا

    Who will truly enjoin what is right, with readiness,

    And restrain and warn against wrongful deeds?

  20. إن المجالس والمحافل أظلمت

    لمماته والجوّ عاد مغبراً

    Indeed, the gatherings and assemblies grew dark

    At his death, and the air became dusty.

  21. فبكت عليه الأنس حزناً بعدما

    هتفت به الجنّ المنيعة في العرا

    So humankind wept for him in sorrow, after

    The unassailable jinn cried out for him in the open land.

  22. وبكى عليه الدّرس عطّل نحره

    والعلم يندبه بدمع أحمرا

    And the lesson wept for him, its neck stripped of adornment,

    And knowledge mourns him with red tears.

  23. والليل أظلم مذ نعى محبوبه

    إذ كان يحيى قلبه متفكرا

    And night grew dark since it mourned its beloved,

    For he would enliven his heart through contemplation.

  24. يا دهر قد أفجعتنا بوفاة من

    قد كان كهف اللائذين بلا مرا

    O time, you have bereaved us through the death of one

    Who was a cave for those seeking refuge, without doubt.

  25. يا قبر قد واريت طوداً باذخاً

    عجباً لطود ساخ في وسط الثرى

    O grave, you have concealed a towering mountain;

    How wondrous: a mountain sank into the midst of the soil!

  26. إن تسترنّ الجسم عنا قد بقت

    منه علوم بثها لن تسترا

    If you conceal the body from us, there remain

    Teachings from him, which he spread and which you will never hide.

  27. فحياته موجودة بعلومه

    والجسم عاد إلى التراب كما ترى

    Thus his life endures through his teachings,

    And the body returned to dust, as you see.

  28. فلقد رضينا ما قضى المولى على

    كل الورى ممن قضى وتأخرا

    For we have accepted what the Lord decreed for

    All humanity, those who have passed away and those who remain.

  29. لا بدّ للمخلوق أن يتجرعن

    كاس الحمام فكن إذاً متصبرا

    Every created being must drink down

    The cup of death; so then endure patiently.

  30. يا ربِّ فاسكنه الجنان منعماً

    بجوار أحمد خير أصناف الورى

    O Lord, settle him in the Gardens, enjoying bliss,

    Beside Ahmad, the best of all creation.

  31. ثم الصلاة مع السلام عليه ما

    غنّى الحمائم فوق غصن أخضرا

    Then blessings and peace upon him, as long as

    Doves sing above a green branch,

  32. والآل والأصحاب ما بدر بدا

    في الأفق معترضاً وما ركب سرى

    And upon his family and companions, as long as a full moon appears

    On the horizon, stretching across it, and as long as a caravan journeys by night.