أَوثَقَ ما كانَ بَأيّامِهِ

أَوثَقَ ما كانَ بَأيّامِهِ

خانَتهُ وَالأَيّامُ خَوّانَه

خانَتهُ وَالأَيّامُ خَوّانَه

When his trust in his days was strongest,

The closest of what was in his days

they betrayed him—and days are ever treacherous.

Betrayed him, and time betrayed its confidant

ما رَعَتِ الأَيّامُ أَيّامَهُ

ما رَعَتِ الأَيّامُ أَيّامَهُ

وَلا اِتَّقى المَقدورُ سُلطانَه

وَلا اِتَّقى المَقدورُ سُلطانَه

The days did not safeguard his days,

Time did not heed his days

nor did fate fear his authority.

Nor did fate fear his authority

إِن قُلتَ مَن كانَ وَما وَصفُهُ

إِن قُلتَ مَن كانَ وَما وَصفُهُ

فَكُلُّ شَيءٍ حَسَنٍ كانَه

فَكُلُّ شَيءٍ حَسَنٍ كانَه

If you ask who he was and what he was like,

If you say who he was and describe him

then he was every good thing.

Everything good described him

ماتَ وَماتَ الناسُ مِن بَعدِهِ

ماتَ وَماتَ الناسُ مِن بَعدِهِ

وَما أَماتَ الشُكرُ إِحسانَه

وَما أَماتَ الشُكرُ إِحسانَه

He died, and the people died after him,

He died and after him people died

yet gratitude did not extinguish his kindness.

Gratitude did not make his kindness die

وَعُمرُ نوحٍ لَم يَكُن عُمرَهُ

وَعُمرُ نوحٍ لَم يَكُن عُمرَهُ

بَلِ النَدى غَمَّرَ طوفانَه

بَلِ النَدى غَمَّرَ طوفانَه

And Noah's lifespan was not his,

Noah’s lifetime was not his lifetime

but his generosity engulfed Noah's flood.

Rather, the deluge flooded his ship

غَمِّض عَنِ الدُنيا وَعَن أَهلِها

غَمِّض عَنِ الدُنيا وَعَن أَهلِها

عَينَكَ إِن لَم تَرَ إِنسانَه

عَينَكَ إِن لَم تَرَ إِنسانَه

Close, to the world and its people,

Turn your eyes away from this world and its people

your eye, if you do not see its man.

If you do not see its humaneness in it

أَبقَيتَ أَطرافَ غِنى كُلُّ مَن

أَبقَيتَ أَطرافَ غِنى كُلُّ مَن

أَبصَرها رَجَّعَ أَلحانَه

أَبصَرها رَجَّعَ أَلحانَه

You left remnants of wealth; everyone who

You kept the edges of sufficient wealth, everyone

beheld them repeated his melodies.

Who saw them went back to their tunes

فَقَضَّبَت أَحداثُها دَوحَهُ

فَقَضَّبَت أَحداثُها دَوحَهُ

وَقَصَفَت مِن بَعدُ أَغصانَه

وَقَصَفَت مِن بَعدُ أَغصانَه

Then its calamities lopped his spreading tree,

Its events have stripped it bare

and afterward snapped his branches.

And after that broke its branches

دُنياهُ يا دُنياهُ ما أَنتِ في

دُنياهُ يا دُنياهُ ما أَنتِ في

ظُلمِكِ ذا الإِنسانَ إِنسانَه

ظُلمِكِ ذا الإِنسانَ إِنسانَه

His world, O his world! You are not, in

Oh his world, oh his world, how you are not

your wronging of this man, human.

In your injustice, human to this human

وَزالَ إِمكانُ فَتىً واسِعٌ

وَزالَ إِمكانُ فَتىً واسِعٌ

لِلحَقِّ ما اِستَوسَعَ إِمكانَه

لِلحَقِّ ما اِستَوسَعَ إِمكانَه

And a young man's ample means vanished—

The ability of an honorable man has declined

means for justice, stretched as far as he could.

To the truth - his ability did not expand

إِن أَبكِهِ طَرفي عَلى خيفَةٍ

إِن أَبكِهِ طَرفي عَلى خيفَةٍ

يَأمُرُ بِالكِتمانِ أَجفانَه

يَأمُرُ بِالكِتمانِ أَجفانَه

If I weep for him, my eye, in fear,

If my eyes shed tears over a nightmare

enjoins secrecy on its eyelids.

My eyelids command to conceal

وَلَيتَهُ أَعلَنَ أَشجانَه

وَلَيتَهُ أَعلَنَ أَشجانَه

فَيَحمِلُ الإِعلانُ أَشجانَه

فَيَحمِلُ الإِعلانُ أَشجانَه

And would that it had proclaimed its sorrows,

And I wish he had revealed his sorrows

so that the proclamation might bear its sorrows.

So that disclosure carries his sorrows

وَكُنتُ في كِتمانِ حُبّي لَهُ

وَكُنتُ في كِتمانِ حُبّي لَهُ

كَمُؤمِنٍ يَكتُمُ إيمانَه

كَمُؤمِنٍ يَكتُمُ إيمانَه

And in concealing my love for him, I was

And I was, in keeping my love for him

like a believer concealing his faith.

Like a believer hiding his faith

مَن جَعَلَ الدَهرَ لِباساً لَهُ

مَن جَعَلَ الدَهرَ لِباساً لَهُ

فَكَيفَ يَستَغرِبُ أَلوانَه

فَكَيفَ يَستَغرِبُ أَلوانَه

Whoever makes time his garment,

He who made time his garment

then how can he find its colors strange?

How then would he be surprised by its colors?