لا أَلَمَّتْ بِجِسْمِكَ الآلاَمُ

لا أَلَمَّتْ بِجِسْمِكَ الآلاَمُ

يَا ضِياءً والعَالَمونَ ظَلاَمُ

يَا ضِياءً والعَالَمونَ ظَلاَمُ

May no pains afflict your body,

No pain has touched your body,

O light, while all the worlds are darkness!

O light, while the world is darkness.

بِي وَحْدِي ما تَشْتَكيهِ ومَصْرُو

بِي وَحْدِي ما تَشْتَكيهِ ومَصْرُو

فٌ إليَّ الغَداةَ عَنكَ السَّقَامُ

فٌ إليَّ الغَداةَ عَنكَ السَّقَامُ

May what ails you be mine alone, and may it be diverted—

With me alone do not complain,

The sickness—from you to me this morning.

and illness will flee from you in the morning.

أنَا أَوْلَى بحَملِهِ عَنْكَ فالسَّيْ

أنَا أَوْلَى بحَملِهِ عَنْكَ فالسَّيْ

يدُ يُغنِي بالكَلِّ عَنْهُ الغُلامُ

يدُ يُغنِي بالكَلِّ عَنْهُ الغُلامُ

I am fitter to bear it in your stead; for the master

It is more appropriate that I bear it from you,

Is spared the burden by his servant.

For the master relieves the boy.

لَكَ طُولُ البَقَاءِ فابْقَ وأُفْدِيْ

لَكَ طُولُ البَقَاءِ فابْقَ وأُفْدِيْ

كَ أنَا يا ابْنَ سَالمٍ والأنَامُ

كَ أنَا يا ابْنَ سَالمٍ والأنَامُ

Yours be long life; live on, and I would ransom

You have a long life, so remain,

You, O son of Salim—I and all mankind.

and I will ransom you, O son of Salam.

ما ألَذَّ الحِمَامَ ما كَانَ مَدْفُو

ما ألَذَّ الحِمَامَ ما كَانَ مَدْفُو

عاً إِلَينَا عَنكَ الغداةَ الحِمَامِ

عاً إِلَينَا عَنكَ الغداةَ الحِمَامِ

How sweet is death, so long as it is diverted—

How sweet was the pigeon sent

Death, this morning—from you to us!

as a gift to us from you in the morning!

ما لِعَمْرِي شَكَوْتُ بَلْ شَكَتِ الأيْ

ما لِعَمْرِي شَكَوْتُ بَلْ شَكَتِ الأيْ

يامُ والمُسْلِمونَ والإسْلامُ

يامُ والمُسْلِمونَ والإسْلامُ

By my life, I did not complain; rather, the days did,

By my life! I have not complained,

And the Muslims, and Islam.

but the days complained, and the Muslims, and Islam.

مَرَضٌ لَمْ يكنْ ليُحدِثهُ شُرْ

مَرَضٌ لَمْ يكنْ ليُحدِثهُ شُرْ

بٌ يُنافِي مزَاجُهُ وطَعَامُ

بٌ يُنافِي مزَاجُهُ وطَعَامُ

An illness not brought on by drink

An illness that no drink could cause

That disagrees with his constitution, nor by food.

whose nature drinking would oppose.

إنَّمَا أَحْدَثَتْهُ هِمَّةُ نَفسٍ

إنَّمَا أَحْدَثَتْهُ هِمَّةُ نَفسٍ

لا تَنَاهى لِغَايةٍ واعْتزَامُ

لا تَنَاهى لِغَايةٍ واعْتزَامُ

Only a soul's ambition brought it on—

Rather, a soul's ambition brought it on,

Ambition that stops at no goal—and determination.

which knows no bound or resolve.

أيُّ جِسمٍ يَقْوى علَى حَملِ نَفْسٍ

أيُّ جِسمٍ يَقْوى علَى حَملِ نَفْسٍ

يَذْبُلٌ دُونَ همِّها وشِمَامُ

يَذْبُلٌ دُونَ همِّها وشِمَامُ

What body is strong enough to bear a soul

What body can bear carrying a soul

Whose ambition towers above Yadhbul and Shimam?

that withers from its ambitions and values?

وإذَا كَانتْ النُّفُوسُ كِبَاراً

وإذَا كَانتْ النُّفُوسُ كِبَاراً

تَعِبَتْ في مُرَادِهَا الأجسَامُ

تَعِبَتْ في مُرَادِهَا الأجسَامُ

And when souls are great,

And when souls are great,

Bodies grow weary in pursuit of their aims.

the bodies are wearied by their wants.

وعَزيزٌ أَنَّا نَعُودُكَ بالكُتْ

وعَزيزٌ أَنَّا نَعُودُكَ بالكُتْ

بِ ولا زَوْرَةٌ ولا إِلمامُ

بِ ولا زَوْرَةٌ ولا إِلمامُ

And it pains us to visit you by letters,

And it is rare that we can heal you

With no visit, not even a brief call.

with books, neither false cures nor amulets.

والذي بَينَنا من البُعْدِ يسْتدْ

والذي بَينَنا من البُعْدِ يسْتدْ

نِيهِ زَحْفاً من لا لَهُ أقْدَامُ

نِيهِ زَحْفاً من لا لَهُ أقْدَامُ

The distance between us could be brought near

What lies between us of distance

By crawling, even by one who has no feet.

demands a crawling even from the legless.

لَيسَ إلاّ أنَّ العَزيزَ منَ النَّا

لَيسَ إلاّ أنَّ العَزيزَ منَ النَّا

سِ لَديكُمْ أَعزُّ مِنهُ الحُطَامُ

سِ لَديكُمْ أَعزُّ مِنهُ الحُطَامُ

It is only that a man esteemed among people

It is just that the dear one among the people

Is less dear to you than worldly dross.

is dearer to you than rubble.

تَبَّ للدَّهرِ لَيسَ يُرْضيهِ حَتَّى

تَبَّ للدَّهرِ لَيسَ يُرْضيهِ حَتَّى

تَتسَاوَى كِرَامُهُ واللِّئَامُ

تَتسَاوَى كِرَامُهُ واللِّئَامُ

A curse on time! It is not content until

Curse upon the fate that is not pleased

Its noble and its base become equal.

until its nobility equals the vile!

قَلَّ أن تُمدَحَ الكِرَامُ وتَمضِي

قَلَّ أن تُمدَحَ الكِرَامُ وتَمضِي

حِقْبَةٌ ثمَّ لا تَذُمُّ الكِرَامُ

حِقْبَةٌ ثمَّ لا تَذُمُّ الكِرَامُ

It is rare for the noble to be praised and for

Seldom are the noble praised and an era passes

A span of time to pass without your then reproaching the noble.

without dispraise of the noble.

غَيرَ بِدْعٍ فَما رأَينَا كَريماً

غَيرَ بِدْعٍ فَما رأَينَا كَريماً

لَمْ تُغيّرْ أخْلاقَهُ الأيَّامُ

لَمْ تُغيّرْ أخْلاقَهُ الأيَّامُ

This is nothing new: we have seen no noble man

Other than innovation, we have not seen

Whose character the days have not changed.

a noble one whose traits time altered.

وعلَى ذَا وذَا فَزارَاكَ أنَّى

وعلَى ذَا وذَا فَزارَاكَ أنَّى

كُنْتَ عَنَّا تحيَّةٌ وسَلاَمُ

كُنْتَ عَنَّا تحيَّةٌ وسَلاَمُ

Yet, despite this and that, may you be visited, wherever

As for so-and-so, they visited you.

You may be, by a greeting and peace from us.

Greetings and peace be upon you wherever you are from us.