نعيمٌ تقضّى مسرعاً في اِنقلابهِ

نعيمٌ تقضّى مسرعاً في اِنقلابهِ

تولّى ولم يسمح لنا باِلتفاتهِ

تولّى ولم يسمح لنا باِلتفاتهِ

Bliss passed swiftly away in its reversal;

Naeem's delight quickly passed in its reversal

it departed without granting us a backward glance.

He turned away and did not allow us a glance

نَعيم تملّيناه في غفلةٍ مضت

نَعيم تملّيناه في غفلةٍ مضت

بهِ وَقضى حكم الرّدى بفواتهِ

بهِ وَقضى حكم الرّدى بفواتهِ

Bliss we savored in a heedlessness that passed

We took Naeem lightly in a past heedlessness

with it, and death's judgment decreed its loss.

And the sentence of doom took him in his prime

فَمن لاِمرئ يا قوم أَصبحَ وارثاً

فَمن لاِمرئ يا قوم أَصبحَ وارثاً

مدى عمرهِ يعقوب في حسراتهِ

مدى عمرهِ يعقوب في حسراتهِ

Who will help a man, my people, who has become an heir,

So for a man, O people, who became an heir

throughout his life, to Jacob in his sorrows?

All his life long Jacob in his regrets

يهيمُ بأرض المحلِ طوراً وتارةً

يهيمُ بأرض المحلِ طوراً وتارةً

يُباكي حمام الأيكِ في وكناتهِ

يُباكي حمام الأيكِ في وكناتهِ

At times he wanders drought-stricken land, and at others

He wanders in the land of the camp now and then

weeps with the woodland doves in their nests.

Crying over the doves of the grove in their nests

تجلجل عيناه الدموع وقلبُه

تجلجل عيناه الدموع وقلبُه

يُقاسي عذاب الحزن في وقداتهِ

يُقاسي عذاب الحزن في وقداتهِ

His eyes shake forth tears, and his heart

His eyes spill tears and his heart

endures sorrow's torment amid its flames.

Suffers the torment of sorrow in its flames

فَمن لائمي إِن زرت قبراً تفجّرت

فَمن لائمي إِن زرت قبراً تفجّرت

شؤوني لمن قد حَلّ في ظلماتهِ

شؤوني لمن قد حَلّ في ظلماتهِ

Who, then, would blame me if I visit a grave and there burst forth

So blame me if I visited a grave from which

my tears for one who has settled in its darkness?

My affairs burst forth for one dwelling in its darkness

أَطوفُ به وجداً وألثمُ تربهُ

أَطوفُ به وجداً وألثمُ تربهُ

لأحظى جَزيل الفضل من بركاتهِ

لأحظى جَزيل الفضل من بركاتهِ

I circle it in longing and kiss its earth,

I go around it in earnest and kiss its soil

to gain abundant grace from his blessings.

To gain abundant merit from its blessings

أَتاني زماني كلّ ما كان خافيا

أَتاني زماني كلّ ما كان خافيا

وَأَسمعني ما قال من كلماتهِ

وَأَسمعني ما قال من كلماتهِ

My time brought me all that had been hidden,

My time brought me all that was hidden

and made me hear what it said in its words.

And let me hear what words he said

وَأَنهلني من بؤسهِ وأعلّني

وَأَنهلني من بؤسهِ وأعلّني

بكأسِ أجاج بعد كأس فراتهِ

بكأسِ أجاج بعد كأس فراتهِ

And it gave me a first draught of its misery, then a second,

And let me drink from his misery and told me

with a briny cup after a cup of its sweet water.

With a cup of bitter aloes after his cup of joy

فَرعياً لأيّام بها كنت مسعداً

فَرعياً لأيّام بها كنت مسعداً

بعيش سعيد منعماً بحياتهِ

بعيش سعيد منعماً بحياتهِ

So blessings on the days when I was happy,

Remembering days in which I was happy

in joyful living, blessed by his life.

With a joyful life, blissful in its life

وَلَم أنسهُ يومَ الوداع ومدمعي

وَلَم أنسهُ يومَ الوداع ومدمعي

يظلّ ملثّ الدمع في وجناتهِ

يظلّ ملثّ الدمع في وجناتهِ

Nor have I forgotten him on the day of farewell, while my eye

I did not forget him the day of farewell, with my tears

kept shedding ceaseless tears upon his cheeks.

Remaining ceaselessly flowing down my cheeks

وَأَسمعه يوماً وقلبي كأنّه

وَأَسمعه يوماً وقلبي كأنّه

تقلّبهُ في الجمر أيدي طهاتهِ

تقلّبهُ في الجمر أيدي طهاتهِ

And one day I hear him, while my heart is as though

And I heard him one day while my heart was as if

its cooks' hands were turning it over in the embers.

His hands turned it about in embers

وَكانَ إِذا ما لاح لي خلتُ أَنّه

وَكانَ إِذا ما لاح لي خلتُ أَنّه

هلالُ تمامٍ لاحَ في درجاتهِ

هلالُ تمامٍ لاحَ في درجاتهِ

And whenever he appeared to me, I thought he was

And if he appeared to me, I felt he was

a perfect crescent shining in its heights.

The full moon rising in his spheres

أَريب يرى ماء الحياءِ ممازجاً

أَريب يرى ماء الحياءِ ممازجاً

بماء الشباب الغضّ في قسماتهِ

بماء الشباب الغضّ في قسماتهِ

A discerning one, with modesty's water seen mingling

I wonder, did he see the water of shyness

with the water of tender youth in his features.

Mixed with the tender, green water of youth in his features

إِذا غضّ دست وهو فيه تحيّرت

إِذا غضّ دست وهو فيه تحيّرت

بصائر أهليه لتكييف ذاتهِ

بصائر أهليه لتكييف ذاتهِ

When a seat of honor was lowered [wording unclear], with him in it, bewildered were

When his hand covered it, I was confused

his people's insights in trying to define his nature.

By the perceptions of his companions regarding his essence

وَيُسعدهم منه طلاقة وجههِ

وَيُسعدهم منه طلاقة وجههِ

وَحُسن أَياديه ورسب حصاتهِ

وَحُسن أَياديه ورسب حصاتهِ

And they were gladdened by the cheerfulness of his face,

And they were made happy by his eloquent face

and the goodness of his favors and his weighty judgment.

The softness of his hands and porridge of his meals

وَلَو لَم يكن غالي المحلّ لما بكت

وَلَو لَم يكن غالي المحلّ لما بكت

عَليه بواكي الجنّ قبل مماتهِ

عَليه بواكي الجنّ قبل مماتهِ

And had he not been so highly esteemed, there would not have wept

And if he were not of high station, the Jinn would not

for him the mourning jinn before his death.

Have wept over him before his death

وَليلة أركى جاءني هاتفٌ وقد

وَليلة أركى جاءني هاتفٌ وقد

تَجلّى ضياء الصبح في بهواتهِ

تَجلّى ضياء الصبح في بهواتهِ

And on the night of Arka, an unseen caller came to me, when

And on a pitch-black night, a voice came to me when

dawn's light had shone forth in its halls.

The dawn's light had appeared in its expanse

وَقال إلهُ العرشِ يوصيك آمراً

وَقال إلهُ العرشِ يوصيك آمراً

بِحُسن الغرافات عمل بما في وصاتهِ

بِحُسن الغرافات عمل بما في وصاتهِ

And he said, "The God of the Throne enjoins you, commanding

And the God of the Throne commanded you, insisting

goodness in the scoops [wording unclear]; work according to His counsel."

On good burial rites, act according to his bequests

فَأصبحت ملهوفَ الحشا مشفقاً

فَأصبحت ملهوفَ الحشا مشفقاً

فؤادي يذوب الصخرُ من حرقاتهِ

فؤادي يذوب الصخرُ من حرقاتهِ

So I awoke anguished at heart and afraid;

So I became frantic with fear, my heart melting -

rock melts from the burning anguish of my heart.

The rock from its burning

وقلت ما هذا العزاءُ وما الّذي

وقلت ما هذا العزاءُ وما الّذي

سَيجري بهذا الدهر في نكباتهِ

سَيجري بهذا الدهر في نكباتهِ

And I said, "What is this consolation, and what is it that

And I said, “What is this consolation and what is

will happen in this age amid its calamities?"

That which will happen in this life in its adversities?”

إِلى أَن جرى هذا وهذا الّذي أنا

إِلى أَن جرى هذا وهذا الّذي أنا

أحاذرُ قبل اليوم من رهفاتهِ

أحاذرُ قبل اليوم من رهفاتهِ

Until this came to pass—and this is what I

Until this occurred, and this which I

had feared before today from its cutting blows.

Feared before today from its tremors