خلقنا للحياة وللممات — Ahmed Shawqi

خُلِقنا لِلحَياةِ وَلِلمَماتِ

وَمِن هَذَينِ كُلُّ الحادِثاتِ

We were created for life and for death,

and from these two arise all events.

وَمَن يولَد يَعِش وَيَمُت كَأَن لَم

يَمُرَّ خَيالُهُ بِالكائِناتِ

Whoever is born lives and dies, as though

his shadow had never passed through creation.

وَمَهدُ المَرءِ في أَيدي الرَواقي

كَنَعشِ المَرءِ بَينَ النائِحاتِ

And one's cradle in the hands of women reciting charms

is like one's bier amid wailing women.

وَما سَلِمَ الوَليدُ مِنِ اِشتِكاءٍ

فَهَل يَخلو المُعَمَّرُ مِن أَذاةِ

The newborn is not spared suffering;

can the long-lived, then, be free of harm?

هِيَ الدُنيا قِتالٌ نَحنُ فيهِ

مَقاصِدُ لِلحُسامِ وَلِلقَناةِ

This world is a battle in which we are

targets for the sword and spear.

وَكُلُّ الناسِ مَدفوعٌ إِلَيهِ

كَما دُفِعَ الجَبانُ إِلى الثَباتِ

And everyone is driven into it,

as the coward is driven to stand firm.

نُرَوَّعُ ما نُرَوَّعُ ثُمَّ نُرمى

بِسَهمٍ مِن يَدِ المَقدورِ آتي

We are terrified time and again, then shot

with an arrow coming from the hand of fate.

صَلاةُ اللَهِ يا تِمزارُ تَجزي

ثَراكِ عَنِ التِلاوَةِ وَالصَلاةِ

May God's blessing, O Timzar, reward

your dust for recitation and prayer,

وَعَن تِسعينَ عاماً كُنتِ فيها

مِثلَ المُحسِناتِ الفُضلَياتِ

and for ninety years in which you were

like the beneficent, virtuous women.

بَرَرتِ المُؤمِناتِ فَقالَ كُلُّ

لَعَلَّكِ أَنتِ أُمُّ المؤمِناتِ

You were kind to the believing women, and each said:

Perhaps you are the mother of believing women.

وَكانَت في الفَضائِلِ باقِياتٌ

وَأَنتِ اليَومَ كُلُّ الباقِياتِ

And among the virtues were some that endured;

and today you are all that endures.

تَبَنّاكِ المُلوكُ وَكُنتِ مِنهُم

بِمَنزِلَةِ البَنينِ أَوِ البَناتِ

The kings adopted you, and among them you held

the place of sons or daughters.

يُظِلّونَ المَناقِبَ مِنكِ شَتّى

وَيُؤوُنَ التُقى وَالصالِحاتِ

They shelter your manifold virtues

and give refuge to piety and good deeds.

وَما مَلَكوكِ في سوقٍ وَلَكِن

لَدى ظِلِّ القَنا وَالمُرهَفاتِ

They did not acquire you at a market, but

beneath the shadow of spears and keen-edged blades.

عَنَنتِ لَهُم بِمورَةَ بِنتَ عَشرٍ

وَسَيفُ المَوتِ في هامِ الكُماةِ

You appeared to them in Morea, ten years old,

while death's sword was among the warriors' heads.

فَكُنتِ لَهُم وَلِلرَحمَنِ صَيداً

وَواسِطَةً لِعِقدِ المُسلِماتِ

So you became quarry for them and for the Merciful,

and the central jewel in the necklace of Muslim women.

تَبِعتِ مُحَمَّداً مِن بَعدِ عيسى

لِخَيرِكِ في سِنيكِ الأولَياتِ

You followed Muhammad after Jesus,

for your own good, in your earliest years.

فَكانَ الوالِدانِ هُدىً وَتَقوى

وَكانَ الوِلدُ هَذي المُعجِزاتِ

Thus the two parents were guidance and piety,

and the offspring were these miracles.

وَلَو لَم تَظهَري في العُربِ إِلّا

بِأَحمَدَ كُنتِ خَيرَ الوالِداتِ

Even had you been known among the Arabs only

through Ahmad, you would have been the best of mothers.

تَجاوَزتِ الوَلائِدَ فاخِراتٍ

إِلى فَخرِ القَبائِلِ وَاللُغاتِ

You passed beyond the proud slave women

to him who is the pride of tribes and tongues,

وَأَحكَمِ مَن تَحَكَّمَ في يَراعٍ

وَأَبلَغِ مَن تَبَلَّغَ مِن دَواةِ

and the most masterful of those who wield a reed pen,

and the most eloquent of those who live by an inkwell,

وَأَبرَإِ مَن تَبَرَّأَ مِن عَداءٍ

وَأَنزَهِ مَن تَنَزَّهَ مِن شَماتِ

and the freest from enmity among those who renounce it,

and the purest of those who refrain from gloating,

وَأَصوَنِ صائِنٍ لِأَخيهِ عِرضاً

وَأَحفَظِ حافِظٍ عَهدَ اللِداتِ

and the staunchest guardian of his brother's honor,

and the most faithful keeper of his peers' covenant,

وَأَقتَلِ قاتِلٍ لِلدَهرِ خُبراً

وَأَصبَرِ صابِرٍ لِلغاشِياتِ

and the keenest of those who fathom time through experience,

and the most patient of those who endure calamities.

كَأَنّي وَالزَمانُ عَلى قِتالٍ

مُساجَلَةً بِمَيدانِ الحَياةِ

It is as though Time and I are in combat,

contending, turn for turn, in the arena of life.

أَخافُ إِذا تَثاقَلَتِ اللَيالي

وَأُشفِقُ مِن خُفوفِ النائِباتِ

I fear when the nights grow heavy,

and dread the swift coming of calamities.

وَلَيسَ بِنافِعي حَذَري وَلَكِن

إِباءً أَن أَراها باغِتاتِ

My caution is no use to me, yet

I refuse to see them strike by surprise.

أَمَأمونٌ مِنَ الفَلَكِ العَوادي

وَبَرجَلُهُ يَخُطُّ الدائِراتِ

Can one be safe from the firmament's assaults,

while its compass traces circles?

تَأَمَّل هَل تَرى إِلّا شِباكاً

مِنَ الأَيّامِ حَولَكَ مُلقَياتِ

Reflect: do you see anything but nets

cast around you by the days?

وَلَو أَنَّ الجِهاتِ خُلِقنَ سَبعاً

لَكانَ المَوتُ سابِعَةَ الجِهاتِ

And had the directions been created seven in number,

death would have been the seventh direction.

لَعاً لِلنَعشِ لا حُبّاً وَلَكِن

لِأَجلِكِ يا سَماءَ المَكرُماتِ

May the bier be safe—not for love of it, but

for your sake, O heaven of noble deeds.

وَلا خانَتهُ أَيدي حامِليهِ

وَإِن ساروا بِصَبرِيَ وَالأَناةِ

And may its bearers' hands not betray it,

though they went off with my patience and composure.

فَلَم أَرَ قَبلَهُ المَريخَ مُلقىً

وَلَم أَسمَع بِدَفنِ النَيِّراتِ

For before it I had never seen Mars laid low,

nor heard of the burial of shining heavenly bodies.

هُناكَ وَقَفتُ أَسأَلُكِ اِتِّئاداً

وَأُمسِكُ بِالصِفاتِ وَبِالصَفاةِ

There I stood, asking you to linger,

and clinging to your qualities and to the stone.

وَأَنظُرُ في تُرابِكِ ثُمَّ أُغضي

كَما يُغضي الأَبِيُّ عَلى القَذاةِ

And I gaze into your dust, then lower my eyes,

as a proud man closes his eyes upon a mote.

وَأَذكُرُ مِن حَياتِكِ ما تَقَضّى

فَكانَ مِنَ الغَداةِ إِلى الغَداةِ

And I recall what has passed of your life,

and it was but from one morning to the next.