سَلَّمتُ فارتجل الرضى وتبسّما

سَلَّمتُ فارتجل الرضى وتبسّما

أرَأيتَ كيفَ القلبُ يَسَبِقِ الفما

أرَأيتَ كيفَ القلبُ يَسَبِقِ الفما

I greeted him; he spontaneously showed pleasure and smiled.

I bid farewell, and delight blossomed as he smiled,

Did you see how the heart outruns the mouth?

Did you see how the heart precedes the mouth?

عبِثت صفاوةُ نفسِهِ بِوَقارِهِ

عبِثت صفاوةُ نفسِهِ بِوَقارِهِ

وتقسّماه فليس أروَعَ منهما

وتقسّماه فليس أروَعَ منهما

The purity of his soul toyed with his dignity,

The gentleness of his soul played with his composure,

And they shared him; nothing was more splendid than the two.

And shared it - nothing is more beautiful than them both.

ومشى إليّ ففي خُطاه رَصانةٌ

ومشى إليّ ففي خُطاه رَصانةٌ

وكأنما يطأ الطريقَ ترسُّما

وكأنما يطأ الطريقَ ترسُّما

And he walked toward me, with poise in his steps,

He walked towards me, his steps dignified,

As though his tread were tracing out the road.

As though he strode the path engraving it.

متأنقٌ بادي الرواءِ حسِبتُه

متأنقٌ بادي الرواءِ حسِبتُه

أخَذَ الأناقة والرُّواء عن الدُّمى

أخَذَ الأناقة والرُّواء عن الدُّمى

Elegant, his beauty plain to see, I thought he

Elegant, radiant, I thought him

Had taken elegance and beauty from dolls.

The essence of elegance and radiance from the dolls.

حيَّاك قبل لسانِهِ بفؤاده

حيَّاك قبل لسانِهِ بفؤاده

لمَّا أطلَّ من العيون وسَلَّما

لمَّا أطلَّ من العيون وسَلَّما

He greeted you with his heart before his tongue did,

His heart greeted me before his tongue did

When it looked out through his eyes and greeted you.

When he smiled from his eyes and bid farewell.

الحبُّ ما نشرتْ أسِرَّةُ وجهِهِ

الحبُّ ما نشرتْ أسِرَّةُ وجهِهِ

واللُّطْفُ ما وهبَ اللسانَ وقَسَّما

واللُّطْفُ ما وهبَ اللسانَ وقَسَّما

Love was what the lines of his face revealed,

Love is what his cheerful face revealed,

And kindness was what he gave his tongue and shared out.

And kindness is what his tongue dispensed and shared.

صدق الحكيمُ فلِلمروءة مجدُها

صدق الحكيمُ فلِلمروءة مجدُها

ومن المروءة أن تعفّ وترحما

ومن المروءة أن تعفّ وترحما

The sage spoke truly: nobility of character has its glory,

The wise man spoke true that manliness has its glory,

And part of nobility is to practice restraint and show mercy.

And it is manly to pardon and show mercy.

نزَّهت فضلك بالعفاف فصنتَه

نزَّهت فضلك بالعفاف فصنتَه

وعصمتَ جاهك أن يُنال فيُثلَما

وعصمتَ جاهك أن يُنال فيُثلَما

You kept your excellence pure through integrity and preserved it,

I extolled your nobility by being chaste, protecting it,

And shielded your standing from being assailed and marred.

And kept your stature safe from harm and blemish.

الطبُّ من نِعم السماء على الورى

الطبُّ من نِعم السماء على الورى

فادعُ الطبيب كأنما تدعو السما

فادعُ الطبيب كأنما تدعو السما

Medicine is among heaven's blessings upon humankind,

Medicine is a blessing from heaven upon the world,

So call upon the physician as though you called upon heaven.

So summon the doctor as though calling upon the sky.

لبّاك يحمل علمَهُ وفؤادَه

لبّاك يحمل علمَهُ وفؤادَه

هذا الحنانُ طوى وذاك البلسم

هذا الحنانُ طوى وذاك البلسم

He answered your call, carrying his knowledge and his heart;

Your hands carry your knowledge and your heart,

This enfolded tenderness, and that enfolded balm.

This tenderness folded, and that healing balm.

عفّ اليدِ السمحاء تُبسط للنَّدى

عفّ اليدِ السمحاء تُبسط للنَّدى

وأبى عليه حياؤه أن تلثما

وأبى عليه حياؤه أن تلثما

His generous hand was pure, stretched out in bounty,

The generous hand is outstretched to the dew,

And his modesty forbade that it be kissed.

But modesty prevented it from touching.

عف اللسان يرى الفصاحةَ سُبّةَ

عف اللسان يرى الفصاحةَ سُبّةَ

في ما حدا بالظرف أن يتجهّما

في ما حدا بالظرف أن يتجهّما

Pure of tongue, he deemed eloquence a disgrace

The eloquent tongue sees eloquence as disgraceful,

In anything that made good taste frown.

When it borders on tactless bluntness.

عفّ السماع عن النميمة خلته

عفّ السماع عن النميمة خلته

وهو الفصيحُ غدا الأَصمَّ الأَبكما

وهو الفصيحُ غدا الأَصمَّ الأَبكما

Pure in hearing, he shunned gossip; I thought him,

The keen hearing avoided gossip and slander,

Though eloquent, grown deaf and mute.

And the articulate became mute and deaf.

نادمته فهو الكياسةُ جملة

نادمته فهو الكياسةُ جملة

وبَلَوتُه فهو الإباءُ مجسَّما

وبَلَوتُه فهو الإباءُ مجسَّما

I kept him company; he was tact itself,

I reproached him, but he is discretion itself,

And I tested him; he was noble pride embodied.

And I tested him, but he is determination embodied.

في محفلٍ وفد الجموعُ لساحه

في محفلٍ وفد الجموعُ لساحه

كالسيل مندفعاً على الشعب ارتمى

كالسيل مندفعاً على الشعب ارتمى

At a gathering, crowds flocked to his precinct,

In a gathering, crowds flocked to hear him,

Like a rushing torrent plunging into a ravine.

Like a torrent rushing down a valley they came.

وفدوا ليستمعوا فما استمعوا إلى

وفدوا ليستمعوا فما استمعوا إلى

أسمى معانَي أَو أَحبَّ تكلُّما

أسمى معانَي أَو أَحبَّ تكلُّما

They came to listen; never had they listened to

They came to listen, but heard nothing

Loftier meanings or more delightful speech.

More sublime, or dearer speech.

أثنى على الأخلاق فاذدكروا به

أثنى على الأخلاق فاذدكروا به

عيسى وقد خَطَبَ الجموعَ وعلَّما

عيسى وقد خَطَبَ الجموعَ وعلَّما

He praised good morals, and through him they recalled

He praised morals, so they remembered through him

Jesus, when he addressed the crowds and taught.

Jesus, as he preached to the crowds and taught.

واستنفر الحريةَ الحمراء في

واستنفر الحريةَ الحمراء في

كِلمٍ كأن حروفَها قطرت دما

كِلمٍ كأن حروفَها قطرت دما

And he roused crimson freedom in

He rallied the red freedom in

Words whose letters seemed to drip blood.

Words, as though its letters dripped blood.

تجري على ألفاظِهِ نبراتُه

تجري على ألفاظِهِ نبراتُه

كَمُرَتّلٍ غنّاك سورةَ مريما

كَمُرَتّلٍ غنّاك سورةَ مريما

His tones flowed over his words,

His voice flows over his expressions,

Like a reciter singing Surah Maryam to you.

Like a reciter chanting Surat Maryam.

بتنا يساقطُنا البيانُ كأننا

بتنا يساقطُنا البيانُ كأننا

بتنا يساجلُنا الهزارُ مُرَنّما

بتنا يساجلُنا الهزارُ مُرَنّما

We spent the night as eloquence conversed with us, as though we

We are made to seem, through his eloquence,

Spent the night with a nightingale vying with us in song.

As though we argue with his joking, chanting.

في ناظرَيه فصاحةٌ كلسانِهِ

في ناظرَيه فصاحةٌ كلسانِهِ

لم تدرِ بينهما الخطيبَ المفحِما

لم تدرِ بينهما الخطيبَ المفحِما

In his eyes was eloquence like that of his tongue;

In his eyes, eloquence like his tongue –

You could not tell which of the two was the orator who left you speechless.

Between them, the orator cannot silence.

يمشي النعيمُ إليك عند رضائه

يمشي النعيمُ إليك عند رضائه

وتُنير غضبتُه لديكَ جهنَّما

وتُنير غضبتُه لديكَ جهنَّما

Bliss walks toward you when he is pleased,

Contentment walks to you with his pleasure,

And his anger lights up hell before you.

And his wrath illuminates hell for you.

هذا فقيد اليومِ أَصبح يومُه

هذا فقيد اليومِ أَصبح يومُه

كالأمسِ يدركه الخيالُ توهُّما

كالأمسِ يدركه الخيالُ توهُّما

This is the one we mourn today; his day has become

The departed one of today, his day

Like yesterday, grasped by imagination in fancy.

Is like yesterday, imagined and unreal.

ليتَ البيان أطاعني فرثيتُه

ليتَ البيان أطاعني فرثيتُه

بأجلَّ ما يوحي البيانُ وأعظما

بأجلَّ ما يوحي البيانُ وأعظما

If only eloquence had obeyed me, I would have lamented him

Would that eloquence obeyed me, and I elegized him

With the noblest and grandest words eloquence inspires.

With the greatest that eloquence can inspire, the sublimest.