دموع العين أربعة تباع

وليس عزا ولا صبرٌ يطاعُ

The eye’s tears come four in succession;

There is no solace, nor patience that is heeded.

نعى الناعي المشيّعَ فاستهلّت

دموعي وهي أربعةُ سراعُ

The herald announced the brave-hearted man’s death; forth poured

My tears, four and swift.

وكلّ معمّر للموت يبقى

وكلّ معيشة فلها انقطاعُ

Every long-lived man remains for death,

And every life must come to an end.

مضى شيخُ العشرة والمرجّى

وتاج الشحذ والرجلُ المطاعُ

Gone is the elder of our fellowship, the one we hoped in,

Begging’s crown, the man obeyed.

ولم يترك لنا خلفا نجيبا

يكون لقوله منّا استماعُ

He left us no gifted successor

Whose words we would listen to.

ستبكيك الأقارب والأقاصي

وتندبك الخياطة والرقاع

Kinsfolk and those far away will weep for you;

Tailoring and patches will lament you.

وتعدمك المساجد والقرابا

وتبكيك الآماكن والبقاع

The mosques and the qaraba will be bereft of you;

The places and districts will weep for you.

ويذكر فضلك القمّينُ يوماً

إذا اجتمعَ المطاريحُ الجياعُ

The kiln will one day recall your bounty,

When the hungry outcasts gather.

ونفذت الرجال إلى السرايا

وشاوركَ المقدّم والشجاعُ

You dispatched the men to the palaces,

And the leader and the brave man sought your counsel.

فعلمت المزكّر كيف يمشي

وكان له بها قدم وباع

You taught the muzakkir how to walk,

And he had a foothold and a long reach in it.

فكم من مدلق وجّهتَ يوما

إلى جهة له فيها انتفاع

How many a mudliq you once directed

Toward a place where he could benefit.

وكم رمّدت من حدث طريف

له في حال منطقه اتساع

How many a clever youth you made sore-eyed,

Whose speech had breadth and fluency.

ستبكيك المواقف والقرابا

وتفقدك المساجد والرباع

The standing places and the qaraba will weep for you;

The mosques and dwellings will miss you.

ويشكو فقدك الغربال يوما

بمسطية تعلّق او تباع

The sieve will one day lament your loss,

With a mastiyya, hung up or sold.

وكم من موقف لك في المطاني

توافي نحو راحتيك القطاع

How often you took your stand among the matani,

With scraps coming toward your two palms.

عليك الباذَرَكّ بطول شهرٍ

وقرّاعُ الكويذِ له اطّلاع

The badharakk is upon you for a whole month,

And the kuwaydh-beater knows about it.

شحذت الناس سبعينا تباعا

كريما لا تريع ولا تراع

You begged from people for seventy successive years,

Noble, neither frightening nor frightened.

إذا ما رمت متّجها بعقدٍ

مشيت ولم تروعك السباع

Whenever you set your course with firm resolve,

You walked, and wild beasts did not frighten you.

ولم تخش اللصوص ولا البوادي

ولم يفزعك في الهلكات قاع

Nor did you fear thieves or the desert wastes;

Nor did any plain amid deadly perils frighten you.

ستبكيك الزوامل والطوايا

إذا طال المجرّ لهم وكاعوا

The pack beasts and the hungry ones will weep for you,

When the haul grows long for them and they falter.

وتبكيك الطويلة أيّ شيخ

إذا انبسطت يمينك والذراع

The long one will weep for you—what an elder!—

When your right hand and arm stretch out.

ويبكيك الكليج وطاق بقّ

ويفقدك المصنّع والصناع

The kalij and Taq Baqq will weep for you;

The artificer and the craftsmen will miss you.

وكم أبركت في عمل غلاما

إلى القمّين ليس له اندفاع

How many a lad you settled into work,

To the kiln, with no power to resist.

إذا سألوك عن علق غريب

تشاوب فوك فانصرف الخداع

When they asked you about some unfamiliar valuable,

Your mouth mingled its speech, and deceit withdrew.

وإن فهم النجيب وشكّ غفلٌ

غبيّ فيه بردٌ وانقطاع

And if the quick-witted understood while a heedless man doubted—

A dullard, cold and halting—

عقدت العشر إيضاحا وكشفا

ومعنى العشر ليس له امتناع

You signed “ten” with your fingers, clarifying and revealing;

And the meaning of “ten” cannot be denied.

وخلفك المجيج لنا نقيبا

وها قد متّ فانكشف القناع

Al-Majij succeeded you as our leader;

And now you have died, and the veil has lifted.

إذا باشرت في علق رخيص

مددت يديه فهو لها شراع

When you handled some cheap merchandise,

You spread his two hands; he was a sail for it.

تبادرت المزاود والمخالي

وجاءتك المقالد والقصاع

The provision-bags and feedbags rushed forward,

And keys and bowls came to you.

وبعت لنا الركى وأخذت جعلا

وليس عليك في الدرك ارتجاع

You sold the wells for us and took a fee,

With no claim for restitution against you under the guarantee.

أأنسى يوم قولك للشكيكي

تطاعمه وقد كثر الصداع

Shall I forget the day you spoke to al-Shukayki,

Sharing food with him as the din grew loud?

ولاحقهُ أبو الدرداس جهلاً

وبينهما المودة والرضاع

Abu al-Dardas pursued him in ignorance,

Though affection and milk-kinship bound the two.

وقد سبقاك إصلاحاً ورغلا

متاعا والمتاع له شياعُ

They had already outdone you in mending, and seized

Goods—and goods pass from hand to hand.

وكنت فتى إذا ألفت علقا

من الدعلِ استجاب لك البقاع

You were a young man who, when you took to a treasure

From the da‘l, had the districts answer you.

فصارَ صغيرهم لك قد حكاه

ومنشدهم يعلّله الشقاع

Then their young one became yours, having copied it,

And the shiqa‘ kept their reciter occupied.

بسطت يديه في المكنى بفنّ

كما يغدو لضجرته اليفاع

You spread his two hands with skill in the mukanna,

As the youth sets forth in his impatience.

وأحضرت المحجوا بعد تندي

وصار لهم على الرحل اجتماع

You brought the mahju after tandi,

And they gathered at the saddle.

وهبت المقردان لو أحكاهُم

ومشتدّ لهُ كفلٌ وباع

You gave the muqardan—if he imitated them [wording unclear]—

And a strong one, with a rump and an arm’s reach.

ومخلاهُ القنابر للزكوري

وصار لك التهلّل والسماعُ

His bag of crested larks was for al-Zukuri;

And yours were rejoicing and music.

وسمّع حاسديك بذكر دار

وقد كذبوا عليك بما أشاعوا

Make your enviers hear, by mentioning a house—

They lied about you in what they spread abroad.

بلى قد كنت متّاراً قديماً

يلاحف رحلك العلق المشاع

Yes, you had long been a mattar,

With shared valuables draping your saddle.

سقت جدثا حللت به سحاب

لوابلها انحطاطٌ وارتفاع

May clouds water the grave in which you dwell,

Their heavy rain descending and rising.

وداعك كان آخر ما التقينا

ويوم البين أقبحه الوداع

Your farewell was our last meeting;

And the ugliest part of separation’s day is farewell.

بقينا ضائعين بلا نقيب

يقوّمنا فأكثرنا ضياع

We were left lost, without a leader

To set us right; most of us are adrift.