تُسائِلُني كَرمَتي بِالنَهارِ

تُسائِلُني كَرمَتي بِالنَهارِ

وَبِاللَيلِ أَينَ سَميري حَسَن

وَبِاللَيلِ أَينَ سَميري حَسَن

My grapevine asks me by day,

You ask me of my generosity in the day

And by night: “Where is my evening companion, Hasan?

And at night where is my companion Hasan

وَأَينَ النَديمُ الشَهِيُّ الحَديثِ

وَأَينَ النَديمُ الشَهِيُّ الحَديثِ

وَأَينَ الطَروبُ اللَطيفُ الأُذُن

وَأَينَ الطَروبُ اللَطيفُ الأُذُن

And where is the boon companion, sweet of speech?

And where is the eloquent, jesting boon companion

And where is the music-lover with the sensitive ear,

And where is the gentle, pleasing nightingale

نَجِيُّ البَلابِلِ في عُشِّها

نَجِيُّ البَلابِلِ في عُشِّها

وَمُلهِمُها صِبيَةً في الفَنَن

وَمُلهِمُها صِبيَةً في الفَنَن

The nightingales’ confidant in their nest,

Charmer of nightingales in their nest

And their inspirer as fledglings on the bough?”

And their inspirer, youthful in the arts

فَقُلتُ لَها ماتَ وَاِستَشعَرَت

فَقُلتُ لَها ماتَ وَاِستَشعَرَت

لَيالي السُرورِ عَلَيهِ الحَزن

لَيالي السُرورِ عَلَيهِ الحَزن

So I told her, “He has died”; and they donned—

So I said to her, he died, and she felt

The nights of joy—grief for him.

The nights of joy turn to sorrow for him

لَئِن ناءَ مِن سِمَنٍ جِسمُهُ

لَئِن ناءَ مِن سِمَنٍ جِسمُهُ

فَما عَرِفَت روحُهُ ما السِمَن

فَما عَرِفَت روحُهُ ما السِمَن

Though his body was weighed down by fat,

If his body grew plump from fat

Yet his soul never knew what fatness was.

His soul knew no fatness

وَما هُوَ مَيتٌ وَلَكِنَّهُ

وَما هُوَ مَيتٌ وَلَكِنَّهُ

بَشاشَةُ دَهرٍ مَحاها الزَمَن

بَشاشَةُ دَهرٍ مَحاها الزَمَن

And he is not dead; rather, he is

He is not dead, but rather

The gladness of an age, erased by time,

The liveliness of an era erased by time

وَمَعنىً خَلا القَولُ مِن لَفظِهِ

وَمَعنىً خَلا القَولُ مِن لَفظِهِ

وَحُلمٌ تَطايَرَ عَنهُ الوَسَن

وَحُلمٌ تَطايَرَ عَنهُ الوَسَن

And a meaning whose expression speech lacks,

And meaning stripped of its words

And a dream from which drowsiness has flown.

And dreams that lost their molars

وَلا يَذكُرُ المَعهَدُ الشَرقِيُّ

وَلا يَذكُرُ المَعهَدُ الشَرقِيُّ

لِأَنوَرَ إِلّا جَليلَ المِنَن

لِأَنوَرَ إِلّا جَليلَ المِنَن

And the Eastern Institute remembers nothing

The eastern school recalls

Of Anwar but his great benefactions,

Anwar only for his great favors

وَما كانَ مِن صَبرِهِ في الصِعابِ

وَما كانَ مِن صَبرِهِ في الصِعابِ

وَما كانَ مِن عَونِهِ في المِحَن

وَما كانَ مِن عَونِهِ في المِحَن

And the patience he showed amid hardships,

And his patience in difficulties

And the help he gave amid tribulations,

And his aid in afflictions

وَخِدمَةُ فَنٍّ يُداوي القُلوبَ

وَخِدمَةُ فَنٍّ يُداوي القُلوبَ

وَيَشفي النُفوسَ وَيُذكي الفِطَن

وَيَشفي النُفوسَ وَيُذكي الفِطَن

And his service to an art that heals hearts

And serving an art that heals hearts

And cures souls and sharpens wits.

And restores souls and awakens the perceptive

وَما كانَ فيهِ الدَعِيَّ الدَخيلَ

وَما كانَ فيهِ الدَعِيَّ الدَخيلَ

وَلَكِن مِنَ الفَنِّ كانَ الرُكُن

وَلَكِن مِنَ الفَنِّ كانَ الرُكُن

And he was no pretender or interloper in it,

Not merely an opportunist

But a pillar of the art.

But pillar of the art was he

وَلَو أَنصَفَ الصَحبُ يَومَ الوَداعِ

وَلَو أَنصَفَ الصَحبُ يَومَ الوَداعِ

دُفِنتَ كَإِسحاقَ لَمّا دُفِن

دُفِنتَ كَإِسحاقَ لَمّا دُفِن

And had the companions been just on the day of farewell,

Had his friends been fair on the day of farewell

You would have been buried like Ishaq when he was buried,

He'd have been buried like Isaac when interred

فَغُيِّبتَ في المِسكِ لا في التُرابِ

فَغُيِّبتَ في المِسكِ لا في التُرابِ

وَأُدرِجتَ في الوَردِ لا في الكَفَن

وَأُدرِجتَ في الوَردِ لا في الكَفَن

So you would have been laid away in musk, not in earth,

So you were enveloped in musk, not dust

And wrapped in roses, not in a shroud.

And wrapped in roses, not a shroud

وَخُطَّ لَكَ القَبرُ في رَوضَةٍ

وَخُطَّ لَكَ القَبرُ في رَوضَةٍ

يَميلُ عَلى الغُصنِ فيها الغُصُن

يَميلُ عَلى الغُصنِ فيها الغُصُن

And your grave would have been marked out in a garden,

And your grave was dug in a garden

Where bough leans upon bough,

Where branch leans over branch

وَيَنتَحِبُ الطَيرُ في ظِلِّها

وَيَنتَحِبُ الطَيرُ في ظِلِّها

وَيَخلَعُ فيها النَسيمُ الرَسَن

وَيَخلَعُ فيها النَسيمُ الرَسَن

And birds sob in its shade,

And birds weep in its shade

And there the breeze casts off its halter.

And the breeze sheds its petals

وَقامَت عَلى العودِ أَوتارُهُ

وَقامَت عَلى العودِ أَوتارُهُ

تُعيدُ الحَنينَ وَتُبدي الشَجَن

تُعيدُ الحَنينَ وَتُبدي الشَجَن

And its strings would have risen upon the oud,

And on the lute his strings

Renewing longing and revealing grief;

Recall the longing and expose the passion

وَطارَحَكَ النايُ شَجوَ النُواحِ

وَطارَحَكَ النايُ شَجوَ النُواحِ

وَكُنتَ تَئِنُّ إِذا النايُ أَن

وَكُنتَ تَئِنُّ إِذا النايُ أَن

And the reed flute would have exchanged sorrowful laments with you,

And the reed-pipe laments your absence

And you used to moan whenever the reed flute moaned.

And you would moan when the reed-pipe did

وَمالَ فَناحَ عَلَيكَ الكَمانُ

وَمالَ فَناحَ عَلَيكَ الكَمانُ

وَأَظهَر مِن بَثِّهِ ما كَمَن

وَأَظهَر مِن بَثِّهِ ما كَمَن

And the violin would have bent and then wailed over you,

And the violin leaned to grieve over you

And revealed the anguish that lay hidden within it.

Revealing what it had concealed

سَلامٌ عَلَيكَ سَلامُ الرُبا

سَلامٌ عَلَيكَ سَلامُ الرُبا

إِذا نَفَحَت وَالغَوادي الهُتَن

إِذا نَفَحَت وَالغَوادي الهُتَن

Peace be upon you, the peace of the hills,

Peace be upon you, peace of the meadows

When they breathe fragrance, and of the pouring morning rains.

When the valleys blow their scent

سَلامٌ عَلى جيرَةٍ بِالإِمامِ

سَلامٌ عَلى جيرَةٍ بِالإِمامِ

وَرَهطٍ بِصَحرائِهِ مُرتَهَن

وَرَهطٍ بِصَحرائِهِ مُرتَهَن

Peace upon neighbors at al-Imam,

Peace on a neighborhood by the imam

And a company held captive in its desert.

And comrades hostage in its deserts

سَلامٌ عَلى حُفَرٍ كَالقِبابِ

سَلامٌ عَلى حُفَرٍ كَالقِبابِ

وَأُخرى كَمُندَرِساتِ الدِمَن

وَأُخرى كَمُندَرِساتِ الدِمَن

Peace upon graves like domes,

Peace on graves like domes

And others like the effaced traces of old camps,

And others like crumbling ruins

وَجَمعٍ تَآلَفَ بَعدَ الخِلافِ

وَجَمعٍ تَآلَفَ بَعدَ الخِلافِ

وَصافى وَصوفِيَ بَعدَ الضَغَن

وَصافى وَصوفِيَ بَعدَ الضَغَن

And an assembly that came together after discord,

And a group reconciled after conflict

And gave and received friendship after rancor.

And Sufis purified after rancor

سَلامٌ عَلى كُلِّ طَودٍ هُناكَ

سَلامٌ عَلى كُلِّ طَودٍ هُناكَ

لَهُ حَجَرٌ في بِناءِ الوَطَن

لَهُ حَجَرٌ في بِناءِ الوَطَن

Peace upon every lofty mountain there

Peace on every hill there

With a stone in the homeland’s edifice.

With a stone in the nation's structure