1. I toiled until I almost bled,
And returned with nothing but regret.
١. سَعَيتُ إِلى أَن كِدتُ أَنتَعِلُ الدَما
وَعُدتُ وَما أُعقِبتُ إِلّا التَنَدُّما
2. May God obliterate the covenant of the unjust,
By which parts of our edifice fell.
٢. لَحى اللَهُ عَهدَ القاسِطينَ الَّذي بِهِ
تَهَدَّمَ مِن بُنيانِنا ما تَهَدَّما
3. If you want to find happiness among them,
Be neither Egyptian nor Muslim.
٣. إِذا شِئتَ أَن تَلقى السَعادَةَ بَينَهُم
فَلا تَكُ مِصرِيّاً وَلا تَكُ مُسلِما
4. Peace upon the world, the farewell peace
Of one who saw comfort and gain in the darkness of the grave.
٤. سَلامٌ عَلى الدُنيا سَلامَ مُوَدِّعٍ
رَأى في ظَلامِ القَبرِ أُنساً وَمَغنَما
5. The first one harmed me, so I turned to her sister,
And if the other turns out bad, woe to me from both.
٥. أَضَرَّت بِهِ الأولى فَهامَ بِأُختِها
فَإِن ساءَتِ الأُخرى فَوَيلاهُ مِنهُما
6. O winds of death, blow me over and extinguish
The lamp of my life before it gets smashed.
٦. فَهُبّي رِياحَ المَوتِ نُكباً وَأَطفِئي
سِراجَ حَياتي قَبلَ أَن يَتَحَطَّما
7. My virtues did not protect me from my fate,
But I saw that death is most protective of the free.
٧. فَما عَصَمَتني مِن زَماني فَضائِلي
وَلَكِن رَأَيتُ المَوتَ لِلحُرِّ أَعصَما
8. O heart, do not grieve when sorrow stings you,
For after this day, you shall never again feel pain.
٨. فَيا قَلبُ لا تَجزَع إِذا عَضَّكَ الأَسى
فَإِنّكَ بَعدَ اليَومِ لَن تَتَأَلَّما
9. O eye, the time for your tears has passed
So shed no more tears or blood.
٩. وَيا عَينُ قَد آنَ الجُمودُ لِمَدمَعي
فَلا سَيلَ دَمعٍ تَسكُبينَ وَلا دَما
10. O hand, I never asked you once
To favor one with kindness or gifts.
١٠. وَيا يَدُ ما كَلَّفتُكِ البَسطَ مَرَّةً
لِذي مِنَّةٍ أَولى الجَميلَ وَأَنعَما
11. To God belongs what adorns you with rings
Even if you are lovelier with bracelets and generosity.
١١. فَلِلَّهِ ما أَحلاكِ في أَنمُلِ البِلى
وَإِن كُنتِ أَحلى في الطُروسِ وَأَكرَما
12. O feet, you never took me to humiliation
But only climbed the ladder of honor.
١٢. وَيا قَدَمي ما سِرتِ بي لِمَذَلَّةٍ
وَلَم تَرتَقي إِلّا إِلى العِزِّ سُلَّما
13. Do not hesitate to walk toward death, and know
That the most honorable people die with honor.
١٣. فَلا تُبطِئي سَيراً إِلى المَوتِ وَاِعلَمي
بِأَنَّ كَريمَ القَومِ مَن ماتَ مُكرَما
14. O soul, how I adorned you with patience and consent,
And adorned myself to wear the badge of glory.
١٤. وَيا نَفسُ كَم جَشَّمتُكِ الصَبرَ وَالرِضا
وَجَشَّمتِني أَن أَلبَسَ المَجدَ مُعلَما
15. You did not succeed in relishing its bitter taste,
Nor did I succeed in preceding the people.
١٥. فَما اِسطَعتِ أَن تَستَمرِئي مُرَّ طَعمِهِ
وَما اِسطَعتُ بَينَ القَومِ أَن أَتَقَدَّما
16. This is our farewell, so take it gracefully,
For destruction is sweeter and more flavorful.
١٦. فَهَذا فِراقٌ بَينَنا فَتَجَمَّلي
فَإِنَّ الرَدى أَحلى مَذاقاً وَمَطعَما
17. O chest, how much distress has descended upon you,
And how much worry and sorrow took refuge inside you.
١٧. وَيا صَدرُ كَم حَلَّت بِذاتِكَ ضيقَةٌ
وَكَم جالَ في أَنحائِكَ الهَمُّ وَاِرتَمى
18. Can you not see relief in the narrowness of the grave
That would relieve your suffering once concluded?
١٨. فَهَلّا تَرى في ضيقَةِ القَبرِ فُسحَةً
تُنَفِّسُ عَنكَ الكَربَ إِن بِتَّ مُبرَما
19. O grave, do not be stingy in returning a greeting
To a friend who was loyal to us and bid farewell.
١٩. وَيا قَبرُ لا تَبخَل بِرَدِّ تَحِيَّةٍ
عَلى صاحِبٍ أَوفى عَلَينا وَسَلَّما
20. Alas, the living will not visit the dead,
For I saw sincerity for the living as frail.
٢٠. وَهَيهاتَ يَأتي الحَيُّ لِلمَيتِ زائِراً
فَإِنّي رَأَيتُ الوُدَّ في الحَيِّ أُسقِما
21. O star that stayed up long
And the Pleiades took from it - where did it point to?
٢١. وَيا أَيُّها النَجمُ الَّذي طالَ سُهدُهُ
وَقَد أَخَذَت مِنهُ السُرى أَينَ يَمَّما
22. Perhaps you do not forget the company of a devoted friend
Who learned wakefulness and direction from you whenever.
٢٢. لَعَلَّكَ لا تَنسى عُهودَ مُنادِمٍ
تَعَلَّمَ مِنكَ السُهدَ وَالأَينَ كُلَّما