تنبه لما أن رأى شبيه فجرا

تنبه لما أن رأى شبيه فجرا

فنزَّه عن عاداته الشّعر الشّعرا

فنزَّه عن عاداته الشّعر الشّعرا

He awoke when he saw something resembling dawn;

He was alerted when he saw a dawn-like vision,

hair thus cleansed poetry of its accustomed ways.

So he transcended his poetic habits and became a true poet.

وأعرض عن أغزاله وغزاله

وأعرض عن أغزاله وغزاله

فلا قامةٌ سمرا ولا وجنةٌ حمرا

فلا قامةٌ سمرا ولا وجنةٌ حمرا

He turned away from his love poems and his gazelle:

He turned away from his gazelles and his fawns,

so no tawny figure, nor any rosy cheek;

No longer praising a dark complexion or rosy cheek.

ولا مقلةٌ نجلاءُ يحرس لحظها

ولا مقلةٌ نجلاءُ يحرس لحظها

لَمًى فأقول السيف قد حرس الثغرا

لَمًى فأقول السيف قد حرس الثغرا

nor a wide eye whose glance guards

No longer a wide-eyed doe guarding her glance

dark lips, so I might say, “The sword has guarded the mouth.”

For my sake. So I say the sword now guards the frontier.

ولا مرشفٌ ماءَ الحياةِ حسبته

ولا مرشفٌ ماءَ الحياةِ حسبته

ولا نبتُ خدٍّ كنت أحسبه الخضرا

ولا نبتُ خدٍّ كنت أحسبه الخضرا

Nor lips I imagined to be the water of life;

No longer a stream whose water I thought was life,

nor down upon a cheek that I thought was al-Khidr;

Nor growth of a cheek I thought was green.

ولا قهوةٌ أستغفر الله تجتلى

ولا قهوةٌ أستغفر الله تجتلى

ومن عجبٍ أنْ قد حلا منه ما مرا

ومن عجبٍ أنْ قد حلا منه ما مرا

nor wine unveiled—God forgive me!

No longer a coffee pot whose image, I beg God's forgiveness, was made clear,

And wondrously, what was bitter in it has grown sweet.

And how strange that what once passed from it is now bitter.

وكانت كما لا يقتضي العقل غِرَّةً

وكانت كما لا يقتضي العقل غِرَّةً

فحنَّك ذاك الشيب ذاك الفتى الغرا

فحنَّك ذاك الشيب ذاك الفتى الغرا

It had been heedlessness, which reason does not warrant;

So that gray hair made that young man seem a stranger

so that gray hair schooled that inexperienced youth.

And reminded me that I've lost my loved ones.

وذكَّرني فقدَ الأحبة مرجعي

وذكَّرني فقدَ الأحبة مرجعي

إليهم وترحالي فلم أستطع صبرا

إليهم وترحالي فلم أستطع صبرا

The loss of loved ones was recalled to me by my return

I can no longer return to them though I yearn to.

to them and by my journeying; I could not endure.

My dear friends who went before us to their dwellings -

أحبَّاء ساروا قبلنا لمنازلٍ

أحبَّاء ساروا قبلنا لمنازلٍ

فيا صاحبي رحلى قفا نبك من ذكرى

فيا صاحبي رحلى قفا نبك من ذكرى

Loved ones who journeyed before us to abodes—

My friend, halt my camel litter! Let us weep at the memory

so, my two traveling companions, stop: let us weep at a memory.

As though they never mounted a sailing back

كأنَّهمُ لم يركبوا ظهرَ سابح

كأنَّهمُ لم يركبوا ظهرَ سابح

ولا ركبوا في يوم مكرمةٍ ظهرا

ولا ركبوا في يوم مكرمةٍ ظهرا

As though they had never ridden the back of a swift steed,

Or on an auspicious day mounted a noble steed.

nor ridden a mount on a day of noble deeds;

Or extended a generous right hand

ولا بسطوا يمنى ببذلِ رغيبةٍ

ولا بسطوا يمنى ببذلِ رغيبةٍ

ولا أوجدوا من بعد جائحه يسرا

ولا أوجدوا من بعد جائحه يسرا

nor extended a right hand bestowing a prized gift;

Or found ease after tribulation.

nor brought ease after calamity.

Let their lesson make the doe alert

لنا عبرةٌ فيهم تنبه مقلةً

لنا عبرةٌ فيهم تنبه مقلةً

ولو أرشدت كانت له مقلة غبرا

ولو أرشدت كانت له مقلة غبرا

In them we have a lesson that awakens an eye;

Even if the doe were to guide it would find only dust.

and if it gave guidance, it would be a dust-gray eye for him.

The world has tricked with its treacherous war.

لقد غرَّت الدُّنيا بخدعة حربها

لقد غرَّت الدُّنيا بخدعة حربها

فما أكثر القتلى وما أرخص الأسرى

فما أكثر القتلى وما أرخص الأسرى

The world has indeed deceived through the trickery of its war:

How many are the slain! How cheap the captives!

how many the slain, and how cheap the captives!

God protect us from the evil eye of time and its people!

حمى الله من عين الزمان وأهله

حمى الله من عين الزمان وأهله

لنا ملكاً قد أحرز الذكر والأجرا

لنا ملكاً قد أحرز الذكر والأجرا

May God protect, from the eye of Time and its people,

We have a king who has gained fame and reward.

a king for us who has secured renown and reward.

Kings hope for his worldly grace while we

ترجَّى لدنياه الملوك وإننا

ترجَّى لدنياه الملوك وإننا

لنرجوه للدنيا ملاذاً وللأخرى

لنرجوه للدنيا ملاذاً وللأخرى

Kings are looked to for one's worldly life, but we

Hope for refuge in this world and the next.

indeed look to him as a refuge for this world and the next.

A king whose eyes incline to piety and highness,

مليكٌ سمت عيناه للنسك والعلى

مليكٌ سمت عيناه للنسك والعلى

فكانت قليلاً من دجى الليل ما تكرى

فكانت قليلاً من دجى الليل ما تكرى

A king whose eyes rose toward devotion and high glory;

So he scarcely enjoyed the darkness of night.

they dozed but little in the darkness of night.

He pardoned his soul's shunning of luxury

وأعذرَ في هجر التنعم نفسه

وأعذرَ في هجر التنعم نفسه

وقال للاحيه لعلَّ لها عذرا

وقال للاحيه لعلَّ لها عذرا

He excused his soul for abandoning luxury,

And told his inner self perhaps it has an excuse.

and told his reprover, “Perhaps it has an excuse.”

While the inclinations of youth are indulgent

على حين أعطاف الشبيبة لدنةٌ

على حين أعطاف الشبيبة لدنةٌ

وروضتنا في الملك أو نفسها خضرا

وروضتنا في الملك أو نفسها خضرا

While youth's limbs were supple,

And our meadow under his rule becomes verdant.

and our garden, in kingship or in itself, was green.

His actions remained so pure that the deeds

وما زال طهر الفعل حتى تشبهت

وما زال طهر الفعل حتى تشبهت

فعال رعاياه فكان يرى طهرا

فعال رعاياه فكان يرى طهرا

He remained pure in deed until

Of his subjects resembled purity.

his subjects' deeds took after his, so he beheld purity.

How proud the Ayyubids must be that Muhammad

ليهن بني أيوب أن محمداً

ليهن بني أيوب أن محمداً

بنى لهمُ في كل صالحةٍ ذكرا

بنى لهمُ في كل صالحةٍ ذكرا

Let the sons of Ayyub rejoice that Muhammad

Built for them a legacy of benevolence!

has built renown for them in every righteous deed.

He nourished the land, his justice and gift,

وبرّ البرايا عدله ونواله

وبرّ البرايا عدله ونواله

فلا عدموا من شخصه البرّ والبحرا

فلا عدموا من شخصه البرّ والبحرا

His justice and bounty have blessed humankind;

Never lacking in his person gentleness and sea.

may they never lack his goodness and ocean of bounty.

Among the people are those whose paradise was a garden,

وفي الناس من حاز الممالك جنةً

وفي الناس من حاز الممالك جنةً

ولكنْ جنان الخلد مملكةٌ أخرى

ولكنْ جنان الخلد مملكةٌ أخرى

Among men are those who have won kingdoms as a paradise,

But the gardens of eternity are another kingdom.

but the gardens of eternity are another kingdom.

O great king we call on you when darkness descends -

أيا ملكاً نمسي إذا الدهر مظلم

أيا ملكاً نمسي إذا الدهر مظلم

نراقب من لألاء غرّته الفجرا

نراقب من لألاء غرّته الفجرا

O king, when Time is dark, we spend the evening

We observe the one whose dawn has deceived the poetic.

watching for dawn in the radiance of his brow.

You remain for us at a level above poetry,

بقيت لنا تعلو عن الشعر رتبة

بقيت لنا تعلو عن الشعر رتبة

نعم وعلى هامِ السماكين والشعرى

نعم وعلى هامِ السماكين والشعرى

May you remain for us, rising in rank above poetry—

Yes, and above the pinnacle of cliffs and peaks.

yes, and above the heads of the two Simaks and Sirius—

And remind us of the martyr's era and its time

وتذكرنا عهدَ الشهيدِ ودهرَه

وتذكرنا عهدَ الشهيدِ ودهرَه

سقى الغيثُ عنا ذلك العهد والدهرا

سقى الغيثُ عنا ذلك العهد والدهرا

and remind us of the martyr's era and his days.

That rain irrigated for us that epoch and time.

May rain water that era and those days on our behalf.