حضَنَتْهُ قبل فوتِ الأَجَلِ

حضَنَتْهُ قبل فوتِ الأَجَلِ

قوةُ العلمِ ولطفُ العملِ

قوةُ العلمِ ولطفُ العملِ

Before his allotted span ran out, he was embraced

He embraced him before the arrival of death

By the power of science and the gentleness of care.

The power of knowledge and the gentleness of deed

ويح دائَيه فكلٌ قاتلٌ

ويح دائَيه فكلٌ قاتلٌ

عِلةُ الجسم وداءُ الملل

عِلةُ الجسم وداءُ الملل

Alas for his two ailments—each is deadly:

Woe to his two illnesses, each a killer

Bodily sickness and the malady of boredom.

The ailment of the body and the sickness of boredom

أقسِمِ الدُّورَ له فوق الرُّبى

أقسِمِ الدُّورَ له فوق الرُّبى

وافتَتِح أبوابَها للشمألِ

وافتَتِح أبوابَها للشمألِ

Apportion dwellings for him upon the hills,

I swear by the abodes above the burial ground

And open their doors to the north wind.

And unlock their doors to the north wind

واسقِهِ الصّحَّةَ في إبريقها

واسقِهِ الصّحَّةَ في إبريقها

رشفةً آناً وجرعاتٍ تلي

رشفةً آناً وجرعاتٍ تلي

And give him health to drink from its pitcher:

Give him health in her pitcher

A sip now, and draughts to follow.

Sips now and doses followed

وخُذِ الطبَّ غِياثاً وهُدىً

وخُذِ الطبَّ غِياثاً وهُدىً

حكمة اليومِ وعلمَ الأُوَلِ

حكمة اليومِ وعلمَ الأُوَلِ

And take medicine as succor and guidance:

And take medicine as salvation and guidance

The wisdom of today and the knowledge of the ancients.

The wisdom of today and knowledge of the old

أنا لا أعرِفُ إنجيلاً لَهُ

أنا لا أعرِفُ إنجيلاً لَهُ

غَيرَ إِنجيلِ الحَنانِ المُنَزلِ

غَيرَ إِنجيلِ الحَنانِ المُنَزلِ

I know no gospel for him

I know no gospel for him

Other than the revealed gospel of compassion.

Other than the gospel of merciful revelation

داوِه بالفنّ والحسنى معاً

داوِه بالفنّ والحسنى معاً

تُحِيه بالحقّ أو بالأمَلِ

تُحِيه بالحقّ أو بالأمَلِ

Treat him with skill and kindness together;

Heal him with art and beauty together

You will revive him through truth or through hope.

Revive him with truth or hope

قَسوَةُ المِبْضَعِ لطفٌ لا أذىً

قَسوَةُ المِبْضَعِ لطفٌ لا أذىً

إن تلا المبضعَ لُطفُ الأنمُلِ

إن تلا المبضعَ لُطفُ الأنمُلِ

The scalpel's harshness is kindness, not harm,

The harshness of the lancet is gentleness, not harm

If gentle fingertips follow the scalpel.

If the lancet is preceded by the gentleness of fingers

ما أرى الحقَّ لآسٍ وحدَهُ

ما أرى الحقَّ لآسٍ وحدَهُ

إنما المرأةُ صِنو الرَّجُل

إنما المرأةُ صِنو الرَّجُل

I do not deem this right the physician's alone;

I do not see truth in grief alone

Indeed, woman is man's counterpart.

But woman is the partner of man

أيها البانِي إلى أَمجادِهِ

أيها البانِي إلى أَمجادِهِ

إِبتَنِ الرحمةَ قبلَ المنزِلِ

إِبتَنِ الرحمةَ قبلَ المنزِلِ

O builder aspiring toward your glories,

O builder toward his glories

Build compassion before the dwelling.

Build mercy before the edifice

سأَلَتْنِي جارَتي عَنْ عِلَّتي

سأَلَتْنِي جارَتي عَنْ عِلَّتي

عِلَّتي يا جارتي من جَبَلي

عِلَّتي يا جارتي من جَبَلي

My neighbor asked me about my illness.

My neighbor asked about my illness

My illness, O neighbor, comes from my mountain.

My illness, O neighbor, is my nature

إِبتلاه الداء في أخلاقِهِ

إِبتلاه الداء في أخلاقِهِ

فهو ماضٍ للرَّدى في مَهَلِ

فهو ماضٍ للرَّدى في مَهَلِ

Disease has afflicted it in its moral character,

Disease has tested his morals

So it moves slowly toward death.

So he proceeds to ruin in respite

هذِهِ الروعةُ في مظهره

هذِهِ الروعةُ في مظهره

مثلُها في الداء لمعُ المُقَلِ

مثلُها في الداء لمعُ المُقَلِ

This splendor in its appearance—

This radiance in his appearance

Its likeness in illness is the gleam of eyes.

Its like in illness is the gleam of the sickle

هذه الزَّهرةُ فيه دمُهُ

هذه الزَّهرةُ فيه دمُهُ

وهو في السلّ نذيرُ الأجلِ

وهو في السلّ نذيرُ الأجلِ

This bloom within it is its blood,

This flower in him is his blood

And in consumption, it is a harbinger of death.

And he in consumption is a messenger of death

ليتَه والسلّ داءٌ قاتِلٌ

ليتَه والسلّ داءٌ قاتِلٌ

لم يُصَب بعدُ بداءٍ أَقتلِ

لم يُصَب بعدُ بداءٍ أَقتلِ

If only—though consumption is a deadly disease—

Would that he and consumption were a deadly disease

It had not yet been struck by a deadlier disease.

He had not yet been struck with a more fatal disease

خَلَقَ الساسةُ فيه علّةً

خَلَقَ الساسةُ فيه علّةً

حِينَ داءُ الحكم أَشقى العِلَلِ

حِينَ داءُ الحكم أَشقى العِلَلِ

The politicians have created an illness in it,

The politicians created in him an illness

While the disease of rule is the most grievous of ailments.

When the disease of governance is the most wretched of diseases

حَبَّذا دولته لو لم تكن

حَبَّذا دولته لو لم تكن

حينَ تُنمَى من بناتِ الدُّوَلِ

حينَ تُنمَى من بناتِ الدُّوَلِ

How fine its state would be, were it not,

How good his state would be had it not been

When its lineage is traced, a daughter of the states.

When it grew from the daughters of states

يا أُساةَ القومِ داووا أُمَّةً

يا أُساةَ القومِ داووا أُمَّةً

طُعِنَت لمّا استوت في المقتَلِ

طُعِنَت لمّا استوت في المقتَلِ

O healers of the people, heal a nation

O pity of the people, treat a nation

Stabbed in a vital spot just as it came of age.

That was pierced when it attained the slain

عندكم للسّلّ مستشفى فهل

عندكم للسّلّ مستشفى فهل

عندَكُمْ للخُلُقِ المبتذَلِ

عندَكُمْ للخُلُقِ المبتذَلِ

You have a hospital for consumption; but do

You have for consumption a hospital, but do you

You have one for debased moral character?

Have one for degraded morals?

راهباتُ الديرِ أقبلنَ فقُمْ

راهباتُ الديرِ أقبلنَ فقُمْ

نلتقِ الرحمةَ جاءَت من علِ

نلتقِ الرحمةَ جاءَت من علِ

The convent's nuns have arrived; rise,

The nuns of the monastery came, so stand

Let us greet compassion, which has come from on high.

We meet mercy that came from above

طُفْنَ بالعاني فأبصرتُ يداً

طُفْنَ بالعاني فأبصرتُ يداً

نُزِهت مثل الندى عن زغلِ

نُزِهت مثل الندى عن زغلِ

They circled the sufferer, and I saw a hand

They circled the sufferer, and I saw a hand

Kept, like dew, free from taint.

Purified like dew from filth

جسّت العلةَ ثم ارتجعت

جسّت العلةَ ثم ارتجعت

فهي أشهى ما ترى للقبلِ

فهي أشهى ما ترى للقبلِ

It felt for the ailment, then withdrew,

They examined the illness, then drew back

And of all you see, it is the most inviting to kiss.

For it is the most delicious that one can kiss

أيها الآسي إذا جلتَ هنا

أيها الآسي إذا جلتَ هنا

تبذل الفنّ وتأسو مَنْ بلي

تبذل الفنّ وتأسو مَنْ بلي

O healer, when you make your rounds here,

O you who suffer, when you come here

Offering your skill and healing the afflicted,

Art expends itself and those who endure misery despair

وتعهّدتَ ِشباباً ناضراً

وتعهّدتَ ِشباباً ناضراً

مالَ كالزهرة وقتَ الطَفَلِ

مالَ كالزهرة وقتَ الطَفَلِ

And tending flourishing youth

You have undertaken exuberant youth

That drooped like a flower at twilight,

Inclined like the flower at childhood

أُذْكُرِ الحقلَ الذي أَنبتَّهُ

أُذْكُرِ الحقلَ الذي أَنبتَّهُ

كم زَهاه الزهرُ لَوْ لَمْ يذبُلِ

كم زَهاه الزهرُ لَوْ لَمْ يذبُلِ

Remember the field you cultivated:

Remember the field you cultivated

How richly the flowers would have graced it, had they not withered!

How plentifully it bloomed with flowers before they withered

أَنتَ تبني أُمةً مِنْ أمّةِ

أَنتَ تبني أُمةً مِنْ أمّةِ

إِبنِ لليومِ وللمستقبلِ

إِبنِ لليومِ وللمستقبلِ

You are building a nation from a nation;

You build a nation from a nation

Build for today and for the future.

Build for today and the future