أَتى الدَهر مِن حَيث لا أَتَّقي

أَتى الدَهر مِن حَيث لا أَتَّقي

وَخانَ من السَبب الأَوثَقِ

وَخانَ من السَبب الأَوثَقِ

Time came at me from where I kept no guard,

Time crept up on me from where I least expected

and betrayed me through the firmest bond.

And failed the strongest cause

مَضى بِأَبي الفَضلِ شَطرَ الحَياة

مَضى بِأَبي الفَضلِ شَطرَ الحَياة

وَما مَرَّ أَنفَسُ مِمّا بَقي

وَما مَرَّ أَنفَسُ مِمّا بَقي

With Abu al-Fadl, half my life departed;

It took my father Al-Fadl in life's prime

and what has passed is more precious than what remains.

Yet my soul did not pass with what remained

فَقُل لِلحَوادِثِ من بَعدِهِ

فَقُل لِلحَوادِثِ من بَعدِهِ

أَسِفّي بمن شئت أَو حَلِّقي

أَسِفّي بمن شئت أَو حَلِّقي

So say to calamities after his passing:

So say to events after him

Fly low with whomever you wish, or soar aloft.

Do what you wish or soar high

أَمِنتُكِ لَم يبق لي مَن أَخاف

أَمِنتُكِ لَم يبق لي مَن أَخاف

عليه الحِمامُ ولا أَتَّقي

عليه الحِمامُ ولا أَتَّقي

I am safe from you; none remains for whom I fear

I trusted you, none remains for me to fear for

death, nor do I guard against it.

Neither plague nor unexpected toll

وَقَد كُنتَ أَشفق مِمّا دَهاه

وَقَد كُنتَ أَشفق مِمّا دَهاه

وَقَد سكنت لوعة المُشفِقِ

وَقَد سكنت لوعة المُشفِقِ

I used to dread what befell him,

You used to fear what wore him out

and now the anxious one's anguish has subsided.

And stilled the anguished heart

وَلَمّا قضى دون أَترابِهِ

وَلَمّا قضى دون أَترابِهِ

تَيَقَّنتُ أَنَّ الرَدى يَنتَقي

تَيَقَّنتُ أَنَّ الرَدى يَنتَقي

And when he died before his peers,

When he passed before his peers

I knew for certain that death picks and chooses.

I was sure fate handpicked its choice

مَضى حينَ وَدَّع دَرّ الرَضاعِ

مَضى حينَ وَدَّع دَرّ الرَضاعِ

لدَرِّ التَفصُّحِ في المَنطِقِ

لدَرِّ التَفصُّحِ في المَنطِقِ

He died just as he bade farewell to the flow of nursing milk

He left the teat's affection

for the flow of eloquence in speech;

For the goblet's eloquence in speech

وَهَزَّ اليَراع أَنابيبه

وَهَزَّ اليَراع أَنابيبه

وَهُنّىءَ بِالكاتِبِ المُفلِقِ

وَهُنّىءَ بِالكاتِبِ المُفلِقِ

and the reed-pen shook its hollow shafts,

And shook the bough's pipelines

and was congratulated on the brilliant writer.

And was greeted by the articulate writer

وَقيلَ سَيشرف هَذا الغُلامُ

وَقيلَ سَيشرف هَذا الغُلامُ

وَقالَت مخايله أَخلِقِ

وَقالَت مخايله أَخلِقِ

And it was said, “This boy will become eminent,”

It was said "this boy will rise high"

and his signs of promise said, “How worthy he is!”

And his character said "be righteous"

كَأَنَّ اللِثامَ عَلى وَجهِهِ

كَأَنَّ اللِثامَ عَلى وَجهِهِ

هِلالٌ عَلى كَوكَبٍ مُشرِقِ

هِلالٌ عَلى كَوكَبٍ مُشرِقِ

It was as though the veil upon his face

As if the headscarf on his face

were a crescent upon a radiant star.

A crescent on a shining star

وَما النَومُ إِلّا التِقاء الجُفونِ

وَما النَومُ إِلّا التِقاء الجُفونِ

فَكَيفَ أَنامُ وَما نَلتَقي

فَكَيفَ أَنامُ وَما نَلتَقي

And sleep is nothing but the meeting of eyelids;

Sleep is but joined eyelids

so how can I sleep when we do not meet?

How can I sleep when we don't meet

يَعُزُّ عَلى حاسِدي أَنَّني

يَعُزُّ عَلى حاسِدي أَنَّني

إِذا طرق الخطب لَم أُطرِقِ

إِذا طرق الخطب لَم أُطرِقِ

It pains my envier that I,

It's hard for my envier that when

when calamity knocks, do not bow my head.

Destinies knock, I don't bow

وَإِنّي طود إِذا صادمته

وَإِنّي طود إِذا صادمته

رياحُ الحَوادِث لَم يَقلقِ

رياحُ الحَوادِث لَم يَقلقِ

And I am a mountain that, when struck

I'm a towering mountain, if events

by the winds of calamity, does not waver.

Collide, I will not waver