بَقاءُ الفَتى مُستَأنَفٌ مِن فَنائِهِ

بَقاءُ الفَتى مُستَأنَفٌ مِن فَنائِهِ

وَما الحَيُّ إِلا كالمُغيَّبِ في الرَمسِ

وَما الحَيُّ إِلا كالمُغيَّبِ في الرَمسِ

A young man's continued existence begins anew from his passing;

The youth lives on though death claimed him away

And the living are but like those hidden in the grave.

The living's like the hidden 'neath the sand's disarray

أَرى الناسَ وَرّادينَ حَوضاً مِنَ الرَدى

أَرى الناسَ وَرّادينَ حَوضاً مِنَ الرَدى

فَمِن فارِطٍ أَو بالِغِ الوِردِ عَن خِمسِ

فَمِن فارِطٍ أَو بالِغِ الوِردِ عَن خِمسِ

I see people coming to drink at a pool of death:

I see people coming to the pool of loss

Some going ahead, others reaching the water on the fifth day.

Some miss the mark, some drink their full no less

وَيَجري عَلى مَن ماتَ دَمعي وَما لَهُ

وَيَجري عَلى مَن ماتَ دَمعي وَما لَهُ

بَكَيتُ وَلَكِنّي بَكَيتُ عَلى نَفسي

بَكَيتُ وَلَكِنّي بَكَيتُ عَلى نَفسي

And my tears flow for the one who died, yet it was not for him

For those now passed my tears ever flow

that I wept; rather, I wept for myself.

I weep indeed, but for myself I weep and know

وَكُلُّ فَتىً باقٍ سَيَتبَعُ مَن مَضى

وَكُلُّ فَتىً باقٍ سَيَتبَعُ مَن مَضى

وَكُلُّ غَدٍ جاءٍ سَيَلحَقُ بِالأَمسِ

وَكُلُّ غَدٍ جاءٍ سَيَلحَقُ بِالأَمسِ

And every young man still living will follow those who have departed,

Each living youth will soon follow who went ahead

And every coming tomorrow will catch up with yesterday.

And every morrow will join with yesterdays long dead

فَلا يُبعِدَنكَ اللَهُ مِن مُتَفَرِّدٍ

فَلا يُبعِدَنكَ اللَهُ مِن مُتَفَرِّدٍ

رَأى المَوتَ أُنساً فَاِستَراحَ إِلى الأُنسِ

رَأى المَوتَ أُنساً فَاِستَراحَ إِلى الأُنسِ

May God never cast you away, solitary one,

So may God keep you from the path of those

who saw death as companionship, and found rest in that companionship.

Who lonely died and lonely, now in peace, repose

أَقولُ وَقَد قالوا مَضى لِسَبيلِهِ

أَقولُ وَقَد قالوا مَضى لِسَبيلِهِ

مَضى غَيرَ رِعديدِ الجَنانِ وَلا نِكسِ

مَضى غَيرَ رِعديدِ الجَنانِ وَلا نِكسِ

I say, after they have said, 'He has gone his way':

I say, though others said, he went his destined way

'He departed, neither trembling at heart nor a weakling.'

With no fuss or circumstance, he passed away

كَأَنَّ حِدادَ اللَيلِ زادَ سَوادَهُ

كَأَنَّ حِدادَ اللَيلِ زادَ سَوادَهُ

عَليكَ وَرَدَّ الضَوءَ مِن مَطلَعِ الشَمسِ

عَليكَ وَرَدَّ الضَوءَ مِن مَطلَعِ الشَمسِ

As though the night's mourning had deepened its blackness

As if the night's mourning did but darker grow

for you, and turned back the light from the sun's rising-place.

To see the sunshine banish all its weary woe

أَرى كُلَّ رُزءٍ دونَ رُزئِكَ قَدرُهُ

أَرى كُلَّ رُزءٍ دونَ رُزئِكَ قَدرُهُ

فَلَيسَ يُلاقيني لِيَومِكَ ما يُنسي

فَلَيسَ يُلاقيني لِيَومِكَ ما يُنسي

I see every calamity as lesser in magnitude than the loss of you;

Beside your worth all else to me's diminished

So nothing I encounter can make me forget the day you died.

Naught can console me for the loss I've finished