إِذا لَم يَكُن لِلمَيتِ أَهلٌ فَقَلَّما

إِذا لَم يَكُن لِلمَيتِ أَهلٌ فَقَلَّما

يَزورُ أُناسٌ قَبرَهُ لِلتَذَمُّمِ

يَزورُ أُناسٌ قَبرَهُ لِلتَذَمُّمِ

If the dead man has no family, seldom

If the dead has no kin, rarely will people

do people visit his grave out of a sense of duty.

Visit his grave out of pretense.

وَإِن مَسَّتِ الأَرزاءُ نَفسَكَ لَم يَكُن

وَإِن مَسَّتِ الأَرزاءُ نَفسَكَ لَم يَكُن

لَها ناصِرٌ إِلّا بِحُسنِ التَغَمُّمِ

لَها ناصِرٌ إِلّا بِحُسنِ التَغَمُّمِ

And if calamities touch your soul, there is no

And if misery touches your soul, you will have

helper for it save through grieving well.

No helper but to endure with resolve.

وَهَل رَدَّ حَيّاً مالِكَ اِبنَ نُوَيرَةٍ

وَهَل رَدَّ حَيّاً مالِكَ اِبنَ نُوَيرَةٍ

نَكيرُ عَلِيٍّ أَو بُكاءُ مُتَمَّمِ

نَكيرُ عَلِيٍّ أَو بُكاءُ مُتَمَّمِ

And was Malik ibn Nuwayra brought back alive

Did the weeping of Ali or the wailing of Mutammim

by Ali's protest or Mutammim's weeping?

Bring Malik bin Nuwayrah back to life?

زَمَمتُ المَطايا لِلوَجيفِ وَلَم تَكُن

زَمَمتُ المَطايا لِلوَجيفِ وَلَم تَكُن

تُنالُ المَعالي بِالمَطِيِّ المُزَمَّمِ

تُنالُ المَعالي بِالمَطِيِّ المُزَمَّمِ

I bridled the mounts for swift travel, yet never were

I prepared steeds for the corpse, but glory

lofty honors won on bridled mounts,

Cannot be attained with a bridled horse.

وَلَكِن بِأَطرافِ القَنا وَكُعوبِهِ

وَلَكِن بِأَطرافِ القَنا وَكُعوبِهِ

وَضَربِ الهَوادي بِالحَديدِ المُسَمَّمِ

وَضَربِ الهَوادي بِالحَديدِ المُسَمَّمِ

but by spearpoints and the joints of their shafts,

Rather, with spear tips and horse hoofs

and striking necks with poisoned iron,

And striking the valleys with sharpened swords.

وَجذبِ رِداءٍ يَدرُجُ النَملُ فَوقَهُ

وَجذبِ رِداءٍ يَدرُجُ النَملُ فَوقَهُ

لِتَعميمِ رَأسِ الهِبرِزِيِّ المُعَمَّمِ

لِتَعميمِ رَأسِ الهِبرِزِيِّ المُعَمَّمِ

and snatching a cloak upon which ants crawl,

And pulling a gown ants crawl over

to wind a turban round the turbaned noble's head.

To blindfold the crowned jurist.

روَيَدَكَ لَم تَبلُغ مِنَ الدَهرِ لَذَّةً

روَيَدَكَ لَم تَبلُغ مِنَ الدَهرِ لَذَّةً

إِذا لَم تَعِش عَيشَ الغَبِيِّ المُذَمَّمِ

إِذا لَم تَعِش عَيشَ الغَبِيِّ المُذَمَّمِ

Easy now: you gain no pleasure from life

You will never taste the sweetness of life

unless you live the life of a reviled fool;

Unless you live the life of a witless fool,

وَتَسمَعَ فيهِ ما يُصِمُّ ذَوي النُهى

وَتَسمَعَ فيهِ ما يُصِمُّ ذَوي النُهى

فَلا رَوحَ إِلّا بِالحِمامِ المُصَمَّمِ

فَلا رَوحَ إِلّا بِالحِمامِ المُصَمَّمِ

and in it you hear what deafens those endowed with reason,

Hearing what deafens the virtuous,

so there is no relief except through inexorable death.

With no respite but obsessed pigeons.

وَحَظُّكَ فيهِ نَبذَةُ الفيلِ إِن دَنا

وَحَظُّكَ فيهِ نَبذَةُ الفيلِ إِن دَنا

إِلَيها نَأَت عَن أَنفِهِ بِالتَشَمُّمِ

إِلَيها نَأَت عَن أَنفِهِ بِالتَشَمُّمِ

And your share in it is the elephant's scrap: if the beast draws near

Your share is the elephant's tossing

to it, it recedes from its trunk as it sniffs.

If you approach it holding your nose.

وَأَخلَقَني مَرُّ الزَمانِ وَكدُّهُ

وَأَخلَقَني مَرُّ الزَمانِ وَكدُّهُ

فَصارَ أَديمي كَالسَقاءِ المُرَمَّمِ

فَصارَ أَديمي كَالسَقاءِ المُرَمَّمِ

And the passage of time and its toil have worn me out,

Time's bitterness made me

so my skin has become like a patched waterskin.

Like a water skin patched and mended.

فَعُد جَسَدي لِلعُنصُرِ الطُهرِ تَستَرِح

فَعُد جَسَدي لِلعُنصُرِ الطُهرِ تَستَرِح

إِذا صِرتَ تَقضي الفَرضَ عِندَ التَيَمُّمِ

إِذا صِرتَ تَقضي الفَرضَ عِندَ التَيَمُّمِ

So return, my body, to the pure element; you will find rest

So return my body to the pure elements,

when you come to fulfill the obligation in dry ablution.

Find rest when performing dry ablution.