1. Sībawayh turned away, and a cause of longing arose
From the days, so al-Khalīl was disturbed,

2. And Yūnus—his songs were made desolate by it,
And for others not stricken the mighty news was hard to bear.

3. Illnesses of death came, but they did not weep for them
Either words that were sound or words that were infirm,

4. And if speech felt anything,
There would have been for it beyond them a long weeping.

5. And hands pointed them to graves—
For us by their becoming green the proof was clear.