1. I stood by the grave where you now dwell,
Standing like a coward with fighting hands,
١. وَقَفْتُ عَلَى القَبْرِ الَّذِي أَنْتَ نَازِلُهْ
وُقُوفَ جَبانٍ بَادِيَاتٍ مَقَاتِلُهْ
2. The grave is but the gullet of a voracious crusher,
To whom death gives whatever it takes.
٢. وَمَا الْقَبْرُ إِلاَّ حَلْقُ غَرْثَانَ هَاضِمٍ
مِن المَوْتِ مَا يُلْقِي بِهِ فَهْوَ غَائِلُهْ
3. For one as faithful as Amin, people mourn when he passes,
His ending is praised and his beginnings too,
٣. لِمِثْلِ أَمِينٍ يَجْزَعُ النَّاسُ إِذْ مَضَى
اَوَاخِرُهُ مَحْمُودَةٌ وَأَوَائِلُهْ
4. We buried him in tears, his youthful equals,
And in tears his manners and virtues.
٤. دَفَنَّاهُ مُبْكِيّاً نَضِيرُ شَبَابِهِ
وَمَبْكِيَّةً آدَابُهُ وَفَضَائِلُهْ
5. As if we bid the earth farewell every hour,
In sorrow, as if we descend to him each moment.
٥. كَأَنَّا نُوَارِيهِ الثَّرَى كُلَّ سَاعَةٍ
أَسىً وَكَأَنَّا كُلَّ آنٍ نُزَايِلُهْ
6. He fell between our hands though fate yearned for him,
If only merit could save him, it would have rescued him.
٦. هَوَى بَيْنَ أَيْدِينَا وَقَدْ وَدَّتِ المُنَى
لَوْ أَنَّ لِفَضْلٍ سَاعِداً فَهْوَ نَاشِلُهْ
7. Like a miser's pearl that fell in the sea,
Despair's tides engulfed him.
٧. كَمَا سَقَطَتْ فِي البَحْرِ دُرَّةُ بَاخِلٍ
أَحَاقَ بِهِ لُجٌّ مِنَ اليَأْسِ شَامِلُهْ
8. He glanced around, not resigned,
Not knowing what he was pondering.
٨. فَرَاحَ يُعِيدُ الطَّرْفَ لا هُوَ صَابِرٌ
وَلا هُوَ يَدْرِي أَيَّ أَمْرٍ يُحَاوِلُهْ
9. He sheds tears over sorrow, questioning their source,
A lad who raced to every goal,
٩. يُقَطِّرُ فَوْقَ الغَمْرِ سَائِلَ دَمْعِهِ
وَلا يُدْرِكُ الشيء الَّذِي هُو سَائِلُهْ
10. None can know his worth but God.
We hoped medicine would delight us by curing him,
١٠. فَتىً كَانَ سَبَّاقاً إِلَى كُلِّ غَايَةٍ
وَيَعْلَمُ إِلاَّ قَدْرَهُ فَهْوَ جَاهِلُهْ
11. But the hoped-for remedy failed him.
When the sickness lies in the heart,
١١. رَجَوْنَا لَهُ بِالطِّبِّ بُرْءاً يَسُرُّنَا
بِهِ وَإِذَا الطب المُؤَمَّلُ خَاذِلُهْ
12. What remedies, what efforts can heal?
He enjoyed life's goodness and bitterness,
١٢. وَمنْ قَلْبُهُ الدَّاءُ الَّذِي هُوَ يَشْتَكِي
فَمَاذَا تَدَاوِيهِ وَمَاذَا وَسَائِلُهْ
13. Sweetly drinking the draughts of company,
Seeking only praise, ascent, and God's approval,
١٣. وَكَانَ عَلَى طِيبِ الزَّمَانِ وَخُبْثِهِ
جَنِيَّ ثِمَارِ الأُنْسِ عَذْباً مَنَاهِلُهْ
14. In all his endeavors.
When clouds of events encircled him,
١٤. وَلا يَبْتَغِي إِلاَّ المَحَامِدَ وَالعُلَى
وَمَرضَاةَ وجْهِ اللهِ فِيمَا يُزَاوِلُهْ
15. His virtues and traits shone through them.
If the fires of malice approached him,
١٥. إِذَا أَطْبَقَتْ سُحْبُ الحَوَادِثِ حَوْلَهُ
أَضَاءَتْ بِهَا أَخْلاقُهُ وَشَمَائِلُهْ
16. His virtues were perfumed by them.
His hand recoiled only from evil,
١٦. وَإِنْ تَدْنُ نَارُ الحِقْدِ مِنْهُ تَضَوَّعَتْ
مَنَاقِبُه طِيباً بِهَا وَفَوَاصِلُهْ
17. His fingers stretched only towards good.
He left us torn between the faithful one while we
١٧. وَمَا انْقَبَضَتْ إِلاَّ عَنِ الشَّرِّ كَفُّهُ
وَمَا انْبَسَطَتْ إِلاَّ لِخَيْرٍ أَنَامِلُهْ
18. Yearned for him and sorrows rode us.
Can a man hope for longevity under any condition,
١٨. فَلا رَاعَنَا بَيْنَ الأَمِينِ وَكُلُّنَا
يَجِدُّ إِلَيْهِ وَالهُمُومُ رَواحِلُهْ
19. When nights and days are his executioners?
If an infant, death holds him hostage from birth
١٩. هَلِ المَرْءُ مَرْجُوٌّ عَلَى كُلِّ حَالَةٍ
لِطُول بَقَاءٍ وَاللَّيَالِي كَوافِلُهْ
20. And fate and calamities are his midwives.
If an old man, his head has bowed down to the ground,
٢٠. فَإِنْ كَانَ طِفْلاً فَهْوَ منذ وِلادِهِ
رَهِينُ المَنَايَا وَالرَّزَايَا قَوَابِلُهْ
21. From frailty, and his shoulders are weighed down.
٢١. وَإِنْ كَانَ شَيْخاً فَهوَ قَدْ شدَّ رَأْسُهُ
إِلَى الأَرضِ مِنْ عَجْزٍ وَنَاءَتْ كَوَاهِلُهْ
٢٢.