تَوَلّى سيبَوَيهِ وَجاشَ سَيبٌ

تَوَلّى سيبَوَيهِ وَجاشَ سَيبٌ

مِنَ الأَيّامِ فَاِختَلَّ الخَليلُ

مِنَ الأَيّامِ فَاِختَلَّ الخَليلُ

Sibawayh passed away, and a torrent surged

Sībawayh turned away, and a cause of longing arose

from the days, and al-Khalil was undone.

From the days, so al-Khalīl was disturbed,

وَيونُسُ أَوحَشَت مِنهُ المَغاني

وَيونُسُ أَوحَشَت مِنهُ المَغاني

وَغَيرُ مُصابِهِ النَبَأُ الجَليلُ

وَغَيرُ مُصابِهِ النَبَأُ الجَليلُ

And Yunus—the dwellings grew desolate without him;

And Yūnus—his songs were made desolate by it,

and the momentous news is other than his loss.

And for others not stricken the mighty news was hard to bear.

أَتَت عِلَلُ المَنونِ فَما بَكاهُم

أَتَت عِلَلُ المَنونِ فَما بَكاهُم

مِنَ اللَفظِ الصَحيحُ وَلا العَليلُ

مِنَ اللَفظِ الصَحيحُ وَلا العَليلُ

Death's ailments came, yet none wept for them

Illnesses of death came, but they did not weep for them

among words, neither the sound nor the ailing.

Either words that were sound or words that were infirm,

وَلَو أَنَّ الكَلامَ يُحِسُّ شَيئاً

وَلَو أَنَّ الكَلامَ يُحِسُّ شَيئاً

لَكانَ لَهُ وَراءَهُمُ أَليلُ

لَكانَ لَهُ وَراءَهُمُ أَليلُ

And if speech could feel anything,

And if speech felt anything,

it would have a lament in their wake.

There would have been for it beyond them a long weeping.

وَدَلَّتهُم إِلى حُفَرٍ أَيادٍ

وَدَلَّتهُم إِلى حُفَرٍ أَيادٍ

لَنا بِوُرودِها وَضُحَ الدَليلُ

لَنا بِوُرودِها وَضُحَ الدَليلُ

And hands lowered them into pits;

And hands pointed them to graves—

the proof that we shall enter them is clear to us.

For us by their becoming green the proof was clear.