تضعضعَwould have faltered فيin هذاthis المصابِthe calamity المباغتِsudden
تضعضعَ في هذا المصابِ المباغتِ
منَof الدِّينِthe faith لولاwere it not for نورهُits light كلُّall ثابتِthat stands firm
منَ الدِّينِ لولا نورهُ كلُّ ثابتِ
In this sudden calamity would have faltered
all that stands firm in the faith, were it not for its light.
فأَيامُfor the days نورِNur (light) الدِّينِal-Din (the faith) دامتْhave remained منيرةًradiant
فأَيامُ نورِ الدِّينِ دامتْ منيرةً
لناfor us خَلَفاًa recompense منfor كلِّevery مُودٍone who has perished وفائتِand one who has passed away
لنا خَلَفاً من كلِّ مُودٍ وفائتِ
For Nur al-Din's days have remained radiant,
a recompense for us for everyone dead and gone.
فماso what بالناis the matter with us نُبديwe display التّصامُمَfeigned deafness غفلةًout of heedlessness
فما بالنا نُبدي التّصامُمَ غفلةً
وداعيwhile the herald المناياof death ناطقٌspeaking غيرُnot صامتِsilent
وداعي المنايا ناطقٌ غيرُ صامتِ
Why, then, do we heedlessly feign deafness,
while death's herald speaks and is not silent?
نُؤمِّلُwe hope for فيin دارthe abode of الفناءtransience بقاءَناour permanence
نُؤمِّلُ في دار الفناء بقاءَنا
ونرجوand we hope for منfrom الدنياthis world صداقةَthe friendship of ماقتِone who hates
ونرجو من الدنيا صداقةَ ماقتِ
We hope to endure in the abode of transience,
and hope for a hater's friendship from this world.
وماand ... are not الناسُpeople إلاّbut كالغصونlike branches يدُthe hand of الردىdeath
وما الناسُ إلاّ كالغصون يدُ الردى
تُقرِّبُbrings near منهاfrom among them كلَّevery عودٍbough لناحتِto a carver
تُقرِّبُ منها كلَّ عودٍ لناحتِ
And people are but like branches: the hand of death
brings every bough among them to a carver.
لقدindeed أَبلغتْhave delivered the message رُسْلُthe messengers of المناياdeath وأَسمعتْand made themselves heard
لقد أَبلغتْ رُسْلُ المنايا وأَسمعتْ
ولكنّهاand yet they لمdid not تحظَobtain مناamong us بناصتِwith an attentive listener
ولكنّها لم تحظَ منا بناصتِ
Death's messengers have indeed delivered their message and made themselves heard,
yet they have found no listener among us.
فلهفيso, my grief علىfor تلكَthose الشّمائلِqualities of character إنّهاindeed, they
فلهفي على تلكَ الشّمائلِ إنّها
لقدindeed كرُمتْwere exalted فيin الحسنِbeauty عنbeyond نعتِthe description of ناعتِa describer
لقد كرُمتْ في الحسنِ عن نعتِ ناعتِ
Alas for those qualities! They
were indeed too sublime in beauty for any describer to describe.
Sol 6.1