حديث الدهر أصدقه الفناء

حديث الدهر أصدقه الفناء

وأكذب ما ينمقه البقاء

وأكذب ما ينمقه البقاء

Time's truest tale is passing away;

The words of fate, death makes them true

and the falsest it embellishes is permanence.

While continuation makes them untrue

نؤمل في الزمان صفاء عيش

نؤمل في الزمان صفاء عيش

وما في هؤه الدنيا صفاء

وما في هؤه الدنيا صفاء

We hope for a life of serenity in time,

We hope that life will be serene

yet in this world there is no serenity.

Yet there is no serenity in this world

ولكنا رأيناها بعين

ولكنا رأيناها بعين

عليها من مساويها غطاء

عليها من مساويها غطاء

But we have looked upon it with an eye

But we saw it with an eye

over which lies a veil of its own faults.

That a veil covered its ruggedness

هي الداء العضال وليس يرجى

هي الداء العضال وليس يرجى

بغير الاعتبار له شفاء

بغير الاعتبار له شفاء

It is the intractable disease, and there is no hope

It is incurable disease, and nothing

of a cure for it without taking heed.

But wisdom can bring it remedy

وما أيامها إلا ركاب

وما أيامها إلا ركاب

ونحن الركب والموت الحداء

ونحن الركب والموت الحداء

Its days are nothing but riding camels;

Its days are but mounts

we are the riders, and death the camel-driving chant.

And we are the riders, and death the guide

ولو كان الخلود بها نعيماً

ولو كان الخلود بها نعيماً

لفازت بالخلود الانبياء

لفازت بالخلود الانبياء

And had immortality within it been bliss,

And if immortality in it were bliss

the prophets would surely have won immortality.

The prophets would have won immortality

وما يسترجع الباكي فقيدا

وما يسترجع الباكي فقيدا

وان ادمى محاجره البكاء

وان ادمى محاجره البكاء

And no mourner brings back the departed,

He who cries for the departed cannot restore them

even if weeping makes his eye sockets bleed.

However much his eyes pour tears

الم تر كيف قوضت المنايا

الم تر كيف قوضت المنايا

بناء العلم فانتقض البناء

بناء العلم فانتقض البناء

Did you not see how the fates dismantled

Have you not seen how death has demolished

the edifice of learning, so the structure collapsed?

The edifice of knowledge, so the edifice collapsed

فقيد قد فقدنا الصبر عنه

فقيد قد فقدنا الصبر عنه

فذل الدمع إذ عز العزاء

فذل الدمع إذ عز العزاء

A departed one whose absence we have no patience to bear;

We have lost patience for the departed

so tears came easily when solace proved hard to find.

So tears humiliated while consolation was difficult

نسر بما سيلقي من نعيم

نسر بما سيلقي من نعيم

ولكنا لضيعتنا نساء

ولكنا لضيعتنا نساء

We rejoice in the bliss he will encounter,

Delighted with what it will attain of bliss

but we are saddened by our loss.

Yet we weep for our lost one

ولو سيم الفدا رخصت وهانت

ولو سيم الفدا رخصت وهانت

نفوس كان يغليها الفداء

نفوس كان يغليها الفداء

Had ransom been demanded, cheap and slight would have been

And if self-sacrifice were cheap and lowly

lives that ransom had made precious.

Souls boiling with sacrifice had done so

كأن مدامع الباكين مدت

كأن مدامع الباكين مدت

بنائله فعم بها الرواء

بنائله فعم بها الرواء

As though the mourners' tears were replenished

It is as if the tears of the weeping

by his bounty, so through them refreshment spread everywhere.

Watered it, so it was saturated

فيا من قد رأى قمرا منيرا

فيا من قد رأى قمرا منيرا

يمد سنا الشموس له ضياء

يمد سنا الشموس له ضياء

So, O you who have seen a radiant moon,

O you who saw a shining moon

whose light sustains the radiance of the suns:

Shedding the rays of suns as its light

غياث الملتجي في الخطب يلقي

غياث الملتجي في الخطب يلقي

لديه الأمن ان عظم البلاء

لديه الأمن ان عظم البلاء

a rescuer of the refuge-seeker, who in calamity finds

The refuge of one distressed with worries, he finds

safety with him, even if the affliction grows great;

With him safety if the affliction is great

وغوث المرتجى يلقى لديه

وغوث المرتجى يلقى لديه

وشيك النجح ان خاب الرجاء

وشيك النجح ان خاب الرجاء

and a helper of the hopeful seeker, who finds with him

And the refuge of one hopeful, he finds with him

swift success even when hope has failed.

Imminent success if hopes are dashed

منار هدى أضاء وكل سار

منار هدى أضاء وكل سار

له في ضوء طلعته اهتداء

له في ضوء طلعته اهتداء

A beacon of guidance that shone; and every night traveler

A beacon of guidance that illuminated and all walked

found guidance in the light of his countenance.

Rightly in the light of its rising

ودارت حوله العلماء شعثا

ودارت حوله العلماء شعثا

كما دارت على الورود الظماء

كما دارت على الورود الظماء

And scholars circled around him, disheveled,

And the scholars circled it disheveled

as the thirsty circled on reaching water.

As moths circle around roses

وشرع محمد يبكي حسيناً

وشرع محمد يبكي حسيناً

بعين كان منه لها ضياء

بعين كان منه لها ضياء

And Muhammad's law weeps for Husayn

And Muhammad cried for Husayn

with an eye whose light had come from him.

With an eye that had given him light

ولا عجب وقد وسع البرايا

ولا عجب وقد وسع البرايا

نداه ان يضيق بها الفضاء

نداه ان يضيق بها الفضاء

And no wonder—since all creatures were encompassed

No wonder, as his call fills the wild

by his bounty—that the expanse should be too narrow for them.

That it cannot contain him, but space is confined

وكانت تستعير ذكاء منه

وكانت تستعير ذكاء منه

سناً فاليوم كاسفة ذكاء

سناً فاليوم كاسفة ذكاء

And Dhukāʾ, the sun, used to borrow from him

It used to borrow brilliance from him

radiance; so today Dhukāʾ is eclipsed.

Now it is gloomy, brilliance borrowed