يا قبرَ محمود لا جازَتْك غاديةٌ

يا قبرَ محمود لا جازَتْك غاديةٌ

تَسقي ثَراكَ بصَوْبٍ غير مفقودِ

تَسقي ثَراكَ بصَوْبٍ غير مفقودِ

O grave of Mahmud, may no morning rain cloud pass you by

O Mahmoud’s grave, may no morning raincloud pass you by,

O Mahmoud's grave, no passerby waters your soil

but water your earth with an unfailing downpour.

but water your earth with unfailing rain.

With a water skin that is not yet lost

لقد فَقَدْتُ بك المعروفَ أجمَعَهُ

لقد فَقَدْتُ بك المعروفَ أجمَعَهُ

يا خيرَ من راحَ مفقوداً لموجود

يا خيرَ من راحَ مفقوداً لموجود

Through you I have lost all goodness, every part of it—

In losing you, I have indeed lost all goodness,

I have lost through you all favor combined

O best of those who departed, lost to one who remains.

O best of those departed, lost to the living.

O best of those who left, missing to the existing

وقد كرهتُ حياة لا أراكَ بها

وقد كرهتُ حياة لا أراكَ بها

مذ كانَ موتُك موت الفضل والجود

مذ كانَ موتُك موت الفضل والجود

I have come to hate a life in which I do not see you,

And I have come to hate a life in which I do not see you,

I hated a life in which I cannot see you

since your death was the death of virtue and generosity.

since your death was the death of virtue and generosity.

Since your death was the death of virtue and generosity

وليس بعدكَ عيشي ما أُسَرُّ به

وليس بعدكَ عيشي ما أُسَرُّ به

ما العيش من بعد محمود بمحمود

ما العيش من بعد محمود بمحمود

After you, there is nothing in my life to bring me joy;

And after you, my life gives me no joy;

And after you my living is not one I rejoice in

life after Mahmud is no life to be praised.

life after Mahmoud is not to be praised.

What is living without Mahmoud with Mahmoud

كنَّا بفضلك في خِصبٍ وفي سعةٍ

كنَّا بفضلك في خِصبٍ وفي سعةٍ

ومنهلٍ من ندى كفَّيك مورود

ومنهلٍ من ندى كفَّيك مورود

Through your bounty we lived in abundance and ease,

Through your bounty we lived in plenty and abundance,

Through your grace we were in fertility and in abundance

and drank from the wellspring of your hands’ generosity.

and at a wellspring of your hands’ generosity, much frequented.

And a spring of dew from your overflowing palms

ونستظلُّ بحيث الدَّهر هاجرة

ونستظلُّ بحيث الدَّهر هاجرة

ولا ظلال بظلٍّ منك ممدود

ولا ظلال بظلٍّ منك ممدود

We sheltered in your shade whenever Time blazed at noon,

And when time was a scorching noon, we sheltered,

We sought shade wherever time emigrated

for no shade could match the shade you spread.

with no other shade, beneath the shade you spread.

And no shades in a shadow cast by you outstretched

أبكيك والحقّ أن أبكي عليك دماً

أبكيك والحقّ أن أبكي عليك دماً

بأَدْمُعٍ فوقَ خدّي ذات أخدود

بأَدْمُعٍ فوقَ خدّي ذات أخدود

I weep for you—and rightly should I weep blood over you,

I weep for you; rightly should I weep blood for you,

I cry for you and in truth I cry blood over you

with tears that furrow channels down my cheek.

with tears that leave a furrow on my cheek.

With tears above my cheek in a depression

أَنْتَ الَّذي تحكي مناقبه

أَنْتَ الَّذي تحكي مناقبه

بشاهدٍ من معاليه ومشهود

بشاهدٍ من معاليه ومشهود

You are the one whose virtues are recounted

You are he whose virtues are recounted

You who tell of his virtues

by witness and witnessed proof drawn from his lofty deeds.

by testimony and visible evidence of his noble deeds.

With a witness of his excellencies and testified

أيَّامه كانت الأَعيادَ أذكرها

أيَّامه كانت الأَعيادَ أذكرها

فلم تَرُقْ بعده لي طلعةُ العيد

فلم تَرُقْ بعده لي طلعةُ العيد

His days were the feast days that I remember;

His days were festivals; I remember them,

His days were holidays I recall them

since he departed, the rising face of the feast has brought me no delight.

but after him, the face of Eid no longer pleased me.

They did not please me after him, the appearance of Eid

ما بعد صاحب هذا القبر من أحَدٍ

ما بعد صاحب هذا القبر من أحَدٍ

يُرجى الخيرُ أو يُدْعى إلى الجود

يُرجى الخيرُ أو يُدْعى إلى الجود

After the occupant of this grave, there is no one

After the occupant of this grave, there is no one

After the owner of this grave there is no one

from whom good may be hoped or who may be summoned to generosity.

from whom goodness is expected, or who is called upon for generosity.

From whom good is expected or who is called on for generosity

جَرَّبْتُ من بعده السَّادات أجمعها

جَرَّبْتُ من بعده السَّادات أجمعها

فَصَحَّ لي فيه بعد الله توحيدي

فَصَحَّ لي فيه بعد الله توحيدي

After him I tested every one of the great lords,

I tested all the noblemen after him,

I have tried after him the masters all together

and thus, after God, my belief in his uniqueness proved true.

and my belief in his uniqueness, after God, proved true.

So my dependence on him after Allah was proven right to me

وربَّما قادَني ظنِّي إلى أرب

وربَّما قادَني ظنِّي إلى أرب

فخاب ظنِّي ولم أظفر بمقصودي

فخاب ظنِّي ولم أظفر بمقصودي

Often my expectations led me toward some desired end,

And sometimes my hopes led me toward a goal,

And perhaps my assumption led me to hope

but my expectations failed, and I did not attain my aim.

but my hopes failed, and I did not attain what I sought.

But my assumption was dashed and I did not attain my goal

وليس من بعده حظٌّ لذي أملٍ

وليس من بعده حظٌّ لذي أملٍ

ولا السَّراب وإنْ يطغى بمورود

ولا السَّراب وإنْ يطغى بمورود

After him, no one who hopes has any share of fortune,

And after him, there is no good fortune for one who hopes,

And after him there is no share for one who hopes

nor is a mirage, however it swells, a watering place.

nor can a mirage, however it swells, be reached for water.

Not even a mirage even if it is overflowing

إنِّي لأبكي عليه كلَّما ذُكرت

إنِّي لأبكي عليه كلَّما ذُكرت

أيَّامه البيضُ في أيَّاميَ السُّود

أيَّامه البيضُ في أيَّاميَ السُّود

Indeed, I weep for him whenever there is mention

Indeed, I weep for him whenever there is mention

I cry over him whenever I am reminded

of his radiant days amid my days of darkness.

of his white days amid my black days.

Of his white days during my black days

أبكي على ابن رسول الله يتركني

أبكي على ابن رسول الله يتركني

في فقده بين تنغيصٍ وتنكيدِ

في فقده بين تنغيصٍ وتنكيدِ

I weep for a descendant of God’s Messenger, who has left me

I weep for the son of God’s Messenger, who leaves me,

I cry over the son of the Messenger of Allah leaving me

through his loss amid unrelieved bitterness and misery.

in losing him, between anguish and misery.

In losing him between distress and subjugation

ليتَ المنايا بما غالت وما تركت

ليتَ المنايا بما غالت وما تركت

قد بَدَّلَتْ أَلْفَ موجودٍ بمفقود

قد بَدَّلَتْ أَلْفَ موجودٍ بمفقود

Would that death, in all it seized and all it spared,

Would that the fates, in what they claimed and what they spared,

I wish death with all it has taken and left

had exchanged a thousand living men for the one we lost.

had traded a thousand living souls for the one lost.

Had substituted a thousand existents for one missing

أَذمُّ دهراً لعيشٍ لَسْتُ أَحْمدُهُ

أَذمُّ دهراً لعيشٍ لَسْتُ أَحْمدُهُ

ولستُ أحمدُ عيشاً بعد محمود

ولستُ أحمدُ عيشاً بعد محمود

I condemn an age for a life I cannot praise,

I condemn time for a life I do not praise,

I blame a life I do not praise

and I cannot praise any life after Mahmud.

and I praise no life after Mahmoud.

And I do not praise a living after Mahmoud

بالعيد كنتُ أُهنِّيه وأمْدَحُهُ

بالعيد كنتُ أُهنِّيه وأمْدَحُهُ

فصِرْتُ أبكيه أو أرثيه بالعيد

فصِرْتُ أبكيه أو أرثيه بالعيد

At the feast I once congratulated him and sang his praises;

At Eid I used to congratulate him and praise him;

On Eid I would congratulate him and praise him

now at the feast I weep for him and compose his elegy.

now at Eid I weep for him or mourn him in elegy.

I have come to cry over him or eulogize him on Eid