Sol 6.1

  1. أَلا هَل دَرى الداعي المُثَوِّبُ إِذ دَعا

    بِنَعيِكَ أَنَّ الدينَ مِن بَعضِ ما نَعى

    Ah, did the crier repeating his call know, when he announced

    your death, that faith was among what he announced as dead?

  2. وَأَنَّ التُقى قَد آذَنَتنا بِفُرقَةٍ

    وَأَنَّ الهُدى قَد بانَ مِنكِ فَوَدَّعا

    And that piety had notified us of its departure,

    and that guidance had parted from you and bidden farewell?

  3. لِرُزئِكِ تَنهَلُّ الدُموعُ فَمِثلُهُ

    إِذا حَلَّ وَدَّ القَلبُ لو كانَ مَدمَعا

    For the loss of you tears pour down; for a loss like this,

    when it befalls, the heart wishes it were a weeping eye.

  4. لَقَد أَجهَشَ الإِخلاصُ بِالأَمسِ باكِياً

    عَلَيكِ كَما حَنَّ اليَقينُ فَرَجَّعا

    Devotion burst into tears yesterday,

    for you, as certainty lamented and repeated its cry.

  5. وَدُنيا وَجَدنا العَيشَ في غَفَلاتِها

    طَريقاً إِلى وِردِ المَنِيَّةِ مَهيَعا

    And in this world, we found life amid its heedlessness

    a broad, open road to death's watering place.

  6. نُعَلِّلُ فيها بِالمُنى فَتَغُرُّنا

    بَوارِقُ لَيسَ الآلُ مِنها بِأَخدَعا

    We solace ourselves there with wishes, only to be beguiled by

    glimmers that even the mirage cannot surpass in deceit.

  7. أُصِبنا بِما لَو أَنَّ هَضبَ مَتالِعٍ

    أُصيبَ بِهِ لَاِنهَدَّ أَو لَتَضَعضَعا

    We were struck by what, had the rocky heights of Mataliʿ

    been struck by it, they would have collapsed or crumbled.

  8. مَنارٌ مِنَ الإيمانِ لَم يَعدُ أَن هَوى

    وَحَبلٌ مِنَ التَقوى وَهى فَتَقَطَّعا

    A beacon of faith has simply fallen,

    and a cord of piety grew weak and snapped.

  9. وَشَمسُ هُدىً أَمسى لَها التُربُ مَغرِباً

    وَكانَ لَها المِحرابُ في الخِدرِ مَطلَعا

    And a sun of guidance now has the dust for its setting place,

    whose rising place was the prayer niche in her secluded chamber.

  10. لَئِن أُتبِعَت مِنّا غَمامَةَ رَحمَةٍ

    لَقَد ظَلَّلَت ذاكَ السَريرَ المُرَفَّعا

    If a cloud of mercy from us followed her,

    it surely shaded that upraised bier.

  11. سَريرٌ بِأَملاكٍ وَزُهرِ مَلائِكٍ

    إِلى جَنَّةِ الفِردَوسِ راحَ مُشَيَّعا

    A bier that, with kings and radiant angels,

    went forth, escorted, to the Garden of Paradise.

  12. لِتَبكِ الأَيامى وَاليَتامى فَقيدَةً

    هِيَ المُزنُ أَحيا صَوبُهُ ثُمَّ أَقشَعا

    Let widows and orphans weep for her who is lost:

    she was the raincloud; its downpour gave life, then it cleared away.

  13. أَضَلَّهُمُ فِقدانُها فَكَأَنَّما

    أَضَلَّت سَوامُ الوَحشِ في الجَدبِ مَرتَعا

    Her loss left them bewildered, as though

    grazing wild beasts had lost their pasture in the drought.

  14. مُسَبِّحَةُ الآناءِ قانِتَةُ الضُحى

    ثَوَت فَزَوى مَغنى التَأَوُّهِ بَلقَعا

    Glorifying God at every hour, devout through the forenoon,

    she lies buried; the abode of her sighs has withered to a wasteland.

  15. تَبيتُ مَعَ الإِخباتِ مُسعَرَةَ الحَشا

    تَقِيَّةَ مَن يَخشى إِلى اللَهِ مَرجِعا

    She would spend the night in humble submission, her heart aflame,

    with the piety of one who fears returning to God.

  16. إِذا ما هِيَ اِستَوفَت مِنَ البِرِّ غايَةً

    تَأَتَّت لِأُخرى لا تَرى تِلكَ مَقنَعا

    Whenever she had attained one goal of righteousness,

    she set about another, deeming that one insufficient.

  17. كَأَنَّ قَضاءَ الواجِباتِ مُحَرَّجٌ

    تَقَبُّلُهُ إِلّا بِأَن تَتَطَوَّعا

    As though the fulfillment of obligations were barred

    from acceptance unless she added voluntary deeds.

  18. أَصَرفَ الرَدى لَو أَنَّ لِلسَيفِ مَضرِباً

    لَما رُعتَنا أَو أَنَّ في القَوسِ مَنزَعا

    O stroke of death, had the sword a place to strike,

    you would not have frightened us—or had the bow scope to shoot.

  19. فَلَو كُنتَ إِذ ساتَرتَ رامَ مُجاهِرٌ

    ذِمارَ الهُدى كانَ المَحوطَ المُمَنَّعا

    For had you, instead of striking unseen, been an open assailant seeking

    the sanctuary of guidance, it would have been guarded and defended.

  20. إِذاً لَثَناهُ الجَيشُ مِن كُلِّ أَليَسٍ

    يُشايِعُ قَلباً في الحِفاظِ مُشَيِّعا

    Then the army would have repelled him, made up of every fearless warrior,

    each sustaining a heart dauntless in defense of honor.

  21. وَمُعتَضِدٌ بِاللَهِ يَحمي ذِمارَهُ

    فَلا سِربَ يُلفى في حِماهُ مُرَوِّعا

    And al-Muʿtadid bi-llah protects his sacred charge,

    so no flock is found terrified within his sanctuary.

  22. وَلَكِن عَرَرتَ المَلكَ مِن حَيثُ لا يَرى

    فَلَم يَستَطِع لِلحادِثِ الحَتمِ مَدفَعا

    But you assailed the king from where he could not see,

    and he could find no defense against the inevitable calamity.

  23. يُغيظُ العِتاقَ الجُردَ أَلّا تَرى لَها

    مَجالاً فَتَعنو في المَرابِطِ خُشَّعا

    It angers the sleek thoroughbreds to see no

    field for action; they bow in their stalls, humbled.

  24. وَتَأسَفَ بيضُ الهِندِ أَن لَيسَ تُنتَضى

    وَسُمرُ القَنا أَلّا تُهَزَّ وَتُشرَعا

    The gleaming Indian blades grieve that they are not drawn,

    and the brown spears, that they are not brandished and leveled.

  25. لَئِن ساءَكَ الدَهرُ المُسيءُ فَلَم يَكُن

    بِأَوَّلِ عَهدٍ واجِبَ الحِفظِ ضَيَّعا

    If ill-dealing Time has grieved you, this was not

    the first pledge it betrayed that it was bound to honor.

  26. شَهِدنا لَقَد طَرَّزتَ بُردَ جَمالِهِ

    وَقَلَّدتَهُ عِقدَ البَهاءِ مُرَصَّعا

    We bear witness: you embroidered the mantle of its beauty,

    and placed a gem-set necklace of splendor round its neck.

  27. وَما فَخرُهُ إِلّا بِأَن كانَ مُصغِياً

    لِأَمرِكَ إِن نادَيتَ لَبّى فَأَسرَعا

    Its only pride was that it listened attentively

    to your command: when you called, it answered and hastened.

  28. أَتى العَشرَةَ العُظمى فَهَل أَنتَ قائِلٌ

    لَهُ حينَ أَشفى مِن كَآبَتِهِ لَعا

    It has made the greatest misstep; will you say

    to it, when grief has brought it to the brink, 'Rise again'?

  29. وَها هُوَ مُنقادٌ لِحُكمِكَ فَاِحتَكِم

    لِتَبلُغَ ماتَهوى وَمُرهُ لِيَصدَعا

    And here it is, submissive to your judgment: set your terms,

    so you may gain what you desire; command it, and let it obey.

  30. لَعَمرُ الَّتي وَدَّعتَ أَمسِ مُفارِقاً

    لَقَد وَرَدَت حَوضَ السَعادَةِ مَشرَعا

    By the life of her whom you bade farewell yesterday in parting,

    she has surely reached the watering place at the pool of bliss.

  31. تَمَنَّت وَفاةً في حَياتِكَ بَعدَما

    حَشَدتَ لَها الآمالَ مَرأىً وَمَسمَعا

    She wished to die while you still lived, after

    you had gathered her hopes before her eyes and ears.

  32. فَوَفَّيتَها مالَم يَدَع لِضَميرِها

    إِلى غايَةٍ مِن بَعدِهِ مُتَطَلَّعا

    You fulfilled for her what left her heart

    no goal beyond it to aspire to.

  33. خَفَضتَ جَناحَ الذُلِّ في العِزِّ رَحمَةً

    لَها وَعَزيزٌ أَن تَذِلَّ وَتَخضَعا

    In your might you lowered the wing of humility, in mercy

    toward her—though rare it is for you to humble yourself and bow.

  34. تَروحُ أَميراً في البِلادِ مُحَكَّماً

    وَتَغدو شَفيعاً في الذُنوبِ مُشَفَّعا

    You go at evening a ruler in the lands, vested with authority,

    and at morning an intercessor for sins, whose pleas are granted.

  35. عَزاءٌ فَدَتكَ النَفسُ عَزمَ مُسَلِّمٍ

    لِمَوقِعِ أَمرٍ لَم يَزَل مُتَوَقَّعا

    Take comfort—may my soul ransom you—with the resolve of one resigned

    to the arrival of an event that has always been expected.

  36. مَتى ظَنَّتِ الأَيّامُ أَنَّكَ جازِعٌ

    أَوِ اِستَشعَرَت في فَلِّ صَبرِكَ مَطمَعا

    When have the days ever thought you would despair,

    or sensed a chance of blunting your patience?

  37. فَما اِربَدَّ وَجهُ الخَطبِ إِلّا لَقيتَهُ

    بِصَفحَةِ طَلقِ الوَجهِ أَبلَجَ أَروَعا

    Never has adversity's face darkened but you have met it

    with a cheerful countenance, radiant and majestic.

  38. وَما كُنتَ أَهلاً أَن يُصيبُكَ حادِثٌ

    فَتُصبِحَ عَنهُ مُقصَدَ القَلبِ موجَعا

    You were never one whom a calamity could strike

    and leave with a pierced and aching heart.

  39. فَلَولاكَ لَم يَسمَح مِنَ الدَهرِ جانِبٌ

    وَلا اِهتَزَّ أَعطافاً وَلا لانَ أَخدَعا

    But for you, no aspect of Time would have shown generosity,

    nor swayed its flanks, nor softened its neck.

  40. فَأَنتَ الَّذي لَم يَنتَقِم غِبَّ قُدرَةٍ

    وَلَم يُؤثِرِ المَعروفَ إِلّا لِيَشفَعا

    For you are he who never took revenge after gaining power,

    and never chose a kindness without following it with another.

  41. مَتى تُسدِ نُعمى قيلَ أَنعَمَ مِثلَها

    يُقَل جَلَلٌ حَتّى إِذا قيلَ أَبدَعا

    Whenever you grant a favor, if they say, 'He has given its like,'

    it is deemed a trifle, until they say, 'He has done the unprecedented.'

  42. وَإِن يَسَلِ العافونَ جَدواكَ يُعطِهِم

    جَوادٌ إِذا لَم يَسأَلوهُ تَبَرَّعا

    And if petitioners ask for your bounty, they are given it by

    a generous man who gives freely even when they do not ask him.

  43. وَيُغرى بِتَوكيدِ الإِساءَةِ مُذنِبٌ

    فَيَلقاكَ بِالإِحسانِ أَغرى وَأَولَعا

    A wrongdoer becomes intent on persisting in offense,

    and finds you more intent on kindness, more devoted still.

  44. خَلائِقُ مُمهاةُ الفِرِندِ كَأَنَّها

    حَدائِقُ رَوضِ الحَزنِ جيدَ فَأَينَعا

    Traits with a burnished, watered-steel luster, as though they were

    gardens in an upland meadow, rained upon until it flourished.

  45. تُنافِحُها مِنها أَحاديثُ سُؤدَدٍ

    تَخالُ فَتيتَ المِسكِ عَنها تَضَوَّعا

    Tales of nobility waft from them, vying with their fragrance;

    you would think powdered musk had spread its scent from them.

  46. تَغَلغَلُ في الآفاقِ أَسرى مِنَ الصَبا

    وَأَشهَرَ مِن شَمسِ النَهارِ وَأَسرَعا

    They spread through the horizons, more far-ranging than the east wind,

    more renowned than the sun of day, and swifter still.

  47. فَلَو صَرَفَت صَرفَ المَنونِ جَلالَةً

    لَكُنتَ بِمَحيا مَن تَوَدَّ مُمَتَّعا

    Had majesty been able to avert the stroke of death,

    you would still enjoy the life of the one you love.

  48. فَلا زِلتَ مَمنوعَ الحِمى مُسعَفَ المُنى

    إِذا كانَ شانيكَ المُصابَ المُفَجَّعا

    May your sanctuary ever be defended and your wishes fulfilled,

    while he who hates you is the one stricken and bereaved.

  49. وَدُمتَ مُلَقّى أَنجُمِ السَعدِ باقِياً

    لِدينٍ وَدُنيا أَنتَ فَخرُهُما مَعا

    And may you live on, welcomed by stars of good fortune, enduring

    for faith and the world, the pride of both together.