Poems in Praise of the Shaykh and Elegies for Him

The Shaykh—may Allah have mercy on him—was lauded with many odes in his lifetime, and with even more elegies after his demise (1).

Among the poems composed in his honour is the qasida of Najm al-Din Ishaq ibn Abi Bakr ibn Alma al-Turki (2):

Spare me the memories of Su‘ad and Zaynab,
and the laments for the deserted camps of al-Liwa and al-Muhassab;
spare me the praise of oryxes grazing at Rama,
and the love-lyrics that portray wandering herds and soft-eyed gazelles.
Do not recite to me anything but verse that soars to the heights—
ever refreshing, ever expanding its delight (3).
And if you must address me, then let your words
revolve around greatness and exalted rank.
With love of lofty aspirations (4)—not the passion for Umm Jundub—
I satisfy the longings of this anguished heart.
I was created resilient, able to bear the burden of devotion;
I care nothing for rejection or avoidance.
It is all the same whether, for union’s sake (5),
I glimpse the coy approach of a young antelope
or the turning away of a fawn whose dark gums frame shining teeth.
Since I was never smitten in the days of youth and childhood,
shall I now succumb as a greying man?
A fool—riding a mount other than mine—reproaches me
for seeking the stations of highest renown.