أَبا قُرب النَعِيِّ مِنَ البَشيرِ

أَبا قُرب النَعِيِّ مِنَ البَشيرِ

وَيا لَيلَ المُصيبَةِ مِن سَميري

وَيا لَيلَ المُصيبَةِ مِن سَميري

Oh, how near the death-herald is to the bearer of glad tidings!

O you who bring tidings of calamity to the harbinger,

And O night of calamity arising from my night-companion!

And O night of tribulation from my vigilant one,

وَيا سَيفاً حَمائِلُهُ المَعالي

وَيا سَيفاً حَمائِلُهُ المَعالي

وَما خِلتُ الغُمودَ مِنَ القُبورِ

وَما خِلتُ الغُمودَ مِنَ القُبورِ

And O sword whose baldrics are lofty glories!

And O sword whose sheaths are glories,

And I had not thought scabbards could be graves.

Never were tombs devoid of burial mounds,

وَيا ذِكراً وَيا ذَكَراً تَوَلّى

وَيا ذِكراً وَيا ذَكَراً تَوَلّى

مُقيماً لِلإِناثِ وَلِلذُكورِ

مُقيماً لِلإِناثِ وَلِلذُكورِ

And O remembrance, and O male who has departed,

And O memory, O memories that have passed

Still abiding for women and for men.

Establishing the females and the males,

وَيَأَهلَ العُلا بَكّوا هِلالاً

وَيَأَهلَ العُلا بَكّوا هِلالاً

لَيالي التِمِّ عُدَّ مِنَ الشُهورِ

لَيالي التِمِّ عُدَّ مِنَ الشُهورِ

And O people of eminence, weep for a crescent,

And O people of loftiness weep for a crescent

On nights of fullness, numbered among the months.

Whose nights of darkness are counted as months,

بِنَفسِيَ أَنتَ مِن نَفسٍ تَوَلَّت

بِنَفسِيَ أَنتَ مِن نَفسٍ تَوَلَّت

وَسِرُّ عُلاً أُقِلُّ عَلى سَريرِ

وَسِرُّ عُلاً أُقِلُّ عَلى سَريرِ

My life be your ransom—what a soul has departed!

You are of a soul that has passed with my soul,

And the secret of eminence I bear upon a bier.

And the secret of glory I confide in my bed,

وَأَخذُكَ مِن رِجالٍ كَالمَنايا

وَأَخذُكَ مِن رِجالٍ كَالمَنايا

وَأَخذُكَ مِن قُلوبٍ كَالصُخورِ

وَأَخذُكَ مِن قُلوبٍ كَالصُخورِ

And your being taken from men like death itself,

And I took you from men who are like death,

And your being taken from hearts like rocks,

And I took you from hearts that are like rocks,

وَقَطفُكَ مِن ذُرا شَجَرِ العَوالي

وَقَطفُكَ مِن ذُرا شَجَرِ العَوالي

تَسَرَّبَ بَينَها خُلُجُ الذُكورِ

تَسَرَّبَ بَينَها خُلُجُ الذُكورِ

And your being plucked from the crests of the spear-trees,

And I picked you from the lofty tree’s branches

Streams of keen swords coursed between them.

Through which the torrents of masculinity seeped,

وَرَفعُكِ في حُجورٍ مِن سَماءِ

وَرَفعُكِ في حُجورٍ مِن سَماءِ

وَحَطُّكَ مِن سَماءٍ في جُحورِ

وَحَطُّكَ مِن سَماءٍ في جُحورِ

And your being lifted in laps of heaven,

And I raised you in the laps of heaven,

And your being lowered from heaven into burrows,

And I brought you down from heaven into lairs,

وَخَطفُكَ مِن يَدٍ تَهمي وَتَحمي

وَخَطفُكَ مِن يَدٍ تَهمي وَتَحمي

فَتَختَصِمُ النِصالُ مَعَ النُحورِ

فَتَختَصِمُ النِصالُ مَعَ النُحورِ

And your being snatched from a hand that rains bounty and shields,

And snatched you from a hand that protects and shields

So blade-points contend with throats.

So swords and spears quarrel and clash,

وَشَيَّعتُ السَحابَ بِسُحبِ دَمعٍ

وَشَيَّعتُ السَحابَ بِسُحبِ دَمعٍ

يُشَيِّعُها العَواصِفُ مِن زَفيري

يُشَيِّعُها العَواصِفُ مِن زَفيري

And I escorted the cloud with clouds of tears,

And I bade farewell to clouds with tears’ downpours

The tempests of my sighing escort them.

Farewells ushered by storms from my whimpering,

فَمِن صَبرٍ تَداعى لِلتَداعي

فَمِن صَبرٍ تَداعى لِلتَداعي

وَمِن حُزنٍ تَداعى بِالنَفيرِ

وَمِن حُزنٍ تَداعى بِالنَفيرِ

So, some from patience that gave way to collapse,

So patience has collapsed into collapse,

And some from grief that rallied at the call to arms.

And anguish has collapsed with a cry,

وَغَضُّكَ أَيَّ عَينٍ لَم تُجِلها

وَغَضُّكَ أَيَّ عَينٍ لَم تُجِلها

فَتَعرِفَ في العِدا عَينَ الظُهورِ

فَتَعرِفَ في العِدا عَينَ الظُهورِ

And your closing—what an eye!—before you had let it roam,

And which eye that you hid did not become bleary

So you might recognize victory itself among your foes.

Thus recognizing in enmity the eye of prejudice,

كَبيرٌ ما جَناهُ الدَهرُ فيهِ

كَبيرٌ ما جَناهُ الدَهرُ فيهِ

فَلِم صَغَّرتَ ثَكلِيَ في الصَغيرِ

فَلِم صَغَّرتَ ثَكلِيَ في الصَغيرِ

Great is the wrong that time committed against him;

Great is what fate has inflicted upon him,

So why did you belittle my bereavement for the little one?

Why did you belittle my agony in the small,

فَيا لَلَهِ مِن هَمٍّ طَويلاٍ

فَيا لَلَهِ مِن هَمٍّ طَويلاٍ

وَيا لِلناسِ مِن جَفنٍ قَصيرِ

وَيا لِلناسِ مِن جَفنٍ قَصيرِ

So, O God, what a long sorrow!

Oh what prolonged worries,

And O people, how short the eyelid!

And what brief slumbers people have,

وَيا ثُكلَ الجُفونِ جَفا كَراها

وَيا ثُكلَ الجُفونِ جَفا كَراها

وَيا هَمَّ القُلوبِ مِنَ السُرورِ

وَيا هَمَّ القُلوبِ مِنَ السُرورِ

And O bereavement of eyelids—their slumber has forsaken them!

And O grief of eyelids, sorrow has desiccated them,

And O sorrow of hearts, born of joy!

And O worries of hearts, of happiness,

بَني أَيّوبَ قَد أَذوَت وَأَدوَت

بَني أَيّوبَ قَد أَذوَت وَأَدوَت

أُذاةُ صُدورِكُم ذاتَ الصَدورِ

أُذاةُ صُدورِكُم ذاتَ الصَدورِ

Sons of Ayyub, what has withered and sickened

O lineage of Job, you have been hurt and wounded,

All that breasts contain is the anguish in your breasts.

The hurting of your chests with breasts,

فَيا عَجَباً لِدَفنِ النورِ لَيلاً

فَيا عَجَباً لِدَفنِ النورِ لَيلاً

وَجُنحُ اللَيلِ يَجلو كُلَّ نورِ

وَجُنحُ اللَيلِ يَجلو كُلَّ نورِ

So, how strange to bury light by night,

How strange to bury light in the night,

When night's darkness reveals every light!

And the wings of night unveil all light,

بَرَزنا بِالأَميرِ إِلى فَلاةٍ

بَرَزنا بِالأَميرِ إِلى فَلاةٍ

يَبيتُ طَليقُها عَينَ الأَسيرِ

يَبيتُ طَليقُها عَينَ الأَسيرِ

We went forth with the prince into a wilderness,

We marched with the prince into desolation

Where its free man spends the night a captive indeed.

Whose horizons are open to the eyes of the captive,

وَوَدَّعناهُ قَلباً في ضُلوعٍ

وَوَدَّعناهُ قَلباً في ضُلوعٍ

وَأَودَعناهُ سِرّاً في ضَميرِ

وَأَودَعناهُ سِرّاً في ضَميرِ

And we bade him farewell, a heart within ribs,

And we bade him farewell with a heart in chests

And lodged him, a secret within the mind.

And entrusted him as a secret in conscience,

وَسَلَّمناهُ دُرَّةَ أَيِّ بَحرٍ

وَسَلَّمناهُ دُرَّةَ أَيِّ بَحرٍ

سَنَلقاهُ قَرينَ نُحورِ حورِ

سَنَلقاهُ قَرينَ نُحورِ حورِ

And we surrendered him—a pearl from what a sea!

And we handed over a pearl from any sea

We shall meet him beside the necks of houris.

That we will meet at the banks of paradisiacal Houris,

رَدَدناهُ مُعاراً وَاِحتِسَبنا

رَدَدناهُ مُعاراً وَاِحتِسَبنا

فَلَم نَسخَط عَلى قَدَرِ المُعيرِ

فَلَم نَسخَط عَلى قَدَرِ المُعيرِ

We returned him, lent to us, and sought God's reward,

We returned him as a loan and hoped for reward

So we did not resent the Lender's decree.

So we were not indignant at the decree of destiny,

وَجَدَّدنا لِلُطفِ اللَهِ حَمداً

وَجَدَّدنا لِلُطفِ اللَهِ حَمداً

لِإِمتِناعِ العُلا بِالمُستَعيرِ

لِإِمتِناعِ العُلا بِالمُستَعيرِ

And we renewed our praise for God's kindness,

And we renewed gratitude for God’s kindness

For eminence stands secure through the borrower.

For preventing loftiness through borrowing,

خَفَضنا أَرفَعَ الأَصواتِ فيهِ

خَفَضنا أَرفَعَ الأَصواتِ فيهِ

عَلى رَفعِ الغَليلِ المُستَطيرِ

عَلى رَفعِ الغَليلِ المُستَطيرِ

We lowered the loudest voices in mourning him,

We softened the loudest lamenting for him

Despite the rise of far-spreading, burning anguish.

For raising fleeting adversity,

فَأَطلَعنا دُموعاً مِن جُفونٍ

فَأَطلَعنا دُموعاً مِن جُفونٍ

كَما اِبتَسَمَت شِفاهٌ عَن ثُغورِ

كَما اِبتَسَمَت شِفاهٌ عَن ثُغورِ

So we brought forth tears from eyelids,

So we shed tears from eyelids

As lips smiled, revealing teeth.

As lips smiled revealing teeth,

وَأَدَّبَنا تَجَلُّدُ ثاكِليهِ

وَأَدَّبَنا تَجَلُّدُ ثاكِليهِ

وَإِن نادى المَدامِعَ بِالنَفيرِ

وَإِن نادى المَدامِعَ بِالنَفيرِ

And the fortitude of those bereaved of him schooled us,

And the composure of his bereaved disciplined us

Even though it summoned the tear ducts to arms.

Even as tears called for crying,

وَيُعدِمُنا العُيونَ وَلَيتَ أَنّا

وَيُعدِمُنا العُيونَ وَلَيتَ أَنّا

حُجِبنا في الظُهورِ عَنِ الظُهورِ

حُجِبنا في الظُهورِ عَنِ الظُهورِ

And it robs us of our eyes; if only we

And may our eyes perish, but we wish

Had been hidden in the loins, never to appear.

We were veiled in appearance from appearance,

سَيُعدَمُ ذا النَسيمُ فَيا غَليلي

سَيُعدَمُ ذا النَسيمُ فَيا غَليلي

تَزَوَّد قَبلَ يُحجَبُ بِالقُبورِ

تَزَوَّد قَبلَ يُحجَبُ بِالقُبورِ

This breeze will be lost; so, O my burning thirst,

This gentle breeze will perish, so O my solace,

Take your fill before it is veiled in graves.

Take provisions before you are barred by tombs,

وَعَتبي لِلزَمانِ بِغَيرِ ذَنبٍ

وَعَتبي لِلزَمانِ بِغَيرِ ذَنبٍ

كَما عُتِبَ الصَباحُ مِنَ البَصيرِ

كَما عُتِبَ الصَباحُ مِنَ البَصيرِ

And my reproach of time is for no fault,

And my blame of fate is without crime

As dawn is reproached by the sighted.

As the morning was blamed by the keen-sighted,

فَلَو نَطَقَ الزَمانُ لَقالَ فينا

فَلَو نَطَقَ الزَمانُ لَقالَ فينا

كَم أَرسَلَنا إِلَيهِم مِن نُذيرِ

كَم أَرسَلَنا إِلَيهِم مِن نُذيرِ

So, were time to speak, it would say of us:

If time could speak of us it would say

How many warners we have sent to them!

How many warners we have sent to them.