أيا رَنَّة الناعي بِسُعدي تأيّدي

أيا رَنَّة الناعي بِسُعدي تأيّدي

على كبدٍ حَرَّى وجَفنٍ مُسهَّدِ

على كبدٍ حَرَّى وجَفنٍ مُسهَّدِ

O cry of the herald of Suʿdi's death, be gentle

O you who mourn Su’di, support me,

on a burning liver and a sleepless eyelid.

On a burning liver and eyelids that never close in sleep,

ورفقاً بمحزونٍ أُصيبَ بلُبّهِ

ورفقاً بمحزونٍ أُصيبَ بلُبّهِ

فأصبحَ موصوفاً بعقلٍ مُشرّدِ

فأصبحَ موصوفاً بعقلٍ مُشرّدِ

And be kind to a grieving man stricken in his reason,

And have mercy on a grieving soul, wounded at its core,

who is now marked by a wandering mind.

Who has become known for a wandering mind,

ألمَّ بهِ طيفٌ مِن الحنِّ طارِقٌ

ألمَّ بهِ طيفٌ مِن الحنِّ طارِقٌ

وقد كان ذا رأيٍ وقولٍ مُسدَّدِ

وقد كان ذا رأيٍ وقولٍ مُسدَّدِ

A phantom of the hinn spirits came upon him by night,

A specter of sorrow has befallen him,

though he once had sound judgment and well-directed speech.

Once firm in counsel and speech,

أتيتِ فؤاداً بالرزّايا مُحرّقاً

أتيتِ فؤاداً بالرزّايا مُحرّقاً

فأصليتهِ في جمرِ غَمّاءَ مُوصدِ

فأصليتهِ في جمرِ غَمّاءَ مُوصدِ

You came upon a heart scorched by calamities,

You came upon a heart scorched by afflictions,

and made it burn in the sealed-in embers of overwhelming sorrow.

And made it prostrate amidst burning sorrows,

وأجريتِ دمعاً لم يزل متحدراً

وأجريتِ دمعاً لم يزل متحدراً

غداةَ اجتماعِ الشملِ خوفَ التبدُّدِ

غداةَ اجتماعِ الشملِ خوفَ التبدُّدِ

And you set flowing tears that had never ceased descending

And shed tears that never ceased flowing

on the morning of reunion, for fear of separation.

Since the day of parting, fearing our love would fade,

أعيني جودا ما تبقّت حُشاشتي

أعيني جودا ما تبقّت حُشاشتي

بدمعٍ كسكبِ العارضِ المتردِّدِ

بدمعٍ كسكبِ العارضِ المتردِّدِ

O my two eyes, pour freely while my last spark of life remains,

My eyes, give freely what remains of my tears

with tears like the downpour of a returning raincloud.

In floods, like the running brooks,

فإنمكا ان لم تجودا اخالُها

فإنمكا ان لم تجودا اخالُها

تقطعُ من حرِّ الأسى المتوقدِ

تقطعُ من حرِّ الأسى المتوقدِ

For if you two do not pour forth, I think it

For if you do not give freely, in my mind,

will be torn apart by the blazing heat of sorrow.

Sorrow’s burning will cut you off,

فأسبلتا دمعاً كأنَّ انحدارهُ

فأسبلتا دمعاً كأنَّ انحدارهُ

جُمانٌ تداعى مِن كثيبٍ ممهدِ

جُمانٌ تداعى مِن كثيبٍ ممهدِ

Then both eyes let tears fall, as though their descent were

So they shed copious tears, as if their flowing

pearls cascading from a smoothed mound of sand.

Was a torrent rushing down a smooth slope,

بكيتُ الى أن قرّحَ العينَ دمعُها

بكيتُ الى أن قرّحَ العينَ دمعُها

وسالَ دماً في خدّي المُتخدِّدِ

وسالَ دماً في خدّي المُتخدِّدِ

I wept until the eye's tears ulcerated it,

I cried until my tears ulcerated my eyes

and flowed as blood along my furrowed cheek.

And blood flowed down my sunken cheeks,

تحدرَ دُرّاً ثمَّ أقبلَ عندما

تحدرَ دُرّاً ثمَّ أقبلَ عندما

كمجلوّةٍ في أبيضٍ ومُورّدِ

كمجلوّةٍ في أبيضٍ ومُورّدِ

They streamed down as pearls, then came forth as crimson dye,

The drops then flowed like pearls

like an unveiled bride in white and rose-red.

As bracelets on a fair white wrist,

لقد صار دمعي مألفاً لجفونهِ

لقد صار دمعي مألفاً لجفونهِ

اذا رامَ نُقصاناً يقولُ له زِدِ

اذا رامَ نُقصاناً يقولُ له زِدِ

My tears have indeed become a familiar haunt for the eyelids that shed them;

Indeed my tears have become dear to my eyelids

whenever they seek to lessen, the eyelid tells them, 'Increase!'

When they diminish, the eyes say “increase!”

يُرى واقفاً مِن كثرةٍ وهو مائرٌ

يُرى واقفاً مِن كثرةٍ وهو مائرٌ

وأني لها بالواقفِ المتجمدِ

وأني لها بالواقفِ المتجمدِ

They seem motionless from sheer abundance, though they are surging,

You see them standing still from excessive flowing

and how could they ever be still and frozen?

While I stand motionless like a statue,

أرى زهرةَ الدَّنيا بعينٍ مريضةٍ

أرى زهرةَ الدَّنيا بعينٍ مريضةٍ

عليها حجابٌ من زُجاجٍ ممردِ

عليها حجابٌ من زُجاجٍ ممردِ

I see the bloom of the world through an ailing eye,

I see the flowers of life with sickly eyes

over which lies a veil of polished glass.

Behind a veil of opaque glass,

امعصوبةً يا نورَ عيني ترحّلت

امعصوبةً يا نورَ عيني ترحّلت

ركابُكِ عنّي أم بِقصدِ التعمُّدش

ركابُكِ عنّي أم بِقصدِ التعمُّدش

Was it under constraint, O light of my eye, that

O light of my eyes, you left

your riding camels left me, or with deliberate intent?

Did your travels turn from me intentionally?

رحلتِ بقلبٍ أنتِ ساكنةٌ بهِ

رحلتِ بقلبٍ أنتِ ساكنةٌ بهِ

وخلّفتِ جسماً للهمومِ بمرصدِ

وخلّفتِ جسماً للهمومِ بمرصدِ

You departed with a heart in which you dwell,

You left with a heart in which you dwell

and left a body exposed to the ambush of sorrows.

And left a body exposed to worries,

وأقفرتني من كلِّ لذّةِ عيشةٍ

وأقفرتني من كلِّ لذّةِ عيشةٍ

وكنتُ غنيّاً فيكِ ممتلئ اليدِ

وكنتُ غنيّاً فيكِ ممتلئ اليدِ

And you left me bereft of every pleasure of living,

And emptied me of all the joys of life

though in you I had been rich and full-handed.

While through you I was rich, with hands full,

فقدتُكِ كالظامي أضلَّ سقاءهُ

فقدتُكِ كالظامي أضلَّ سقاءهُ

وقد قالتِ الآرامُ في ظهر فدفدِ

وقد قالتِ الآرامُ في ظهر فدفدِ

I lost you like a thirsty man who has mislaid his waterskin,

I lost you like a thirsty man who loses his water skin,

while the gazelles took their midday rest atop a barren plateau.

And the Aramean said, in the middle of the desert,

لئن كنتِ قد غُيبتِ عن ضوءِ ناظري

لئن كنتِ قد غُيبتِ عن ضوءِ ناظري

لأنتِ اذاً مِن نورِ قلبي بمشهدِ

لأنتِ اذاً مِن نورِ قلبي بمشهدِ

Even if you have been hidden from the light of my eye,

If you are absent from the light of my eyes

then surely you remain visible in the light of my heart.

You are thus always present in the light of my heart,

ولو كان هذا الموتُ يطلبُ فديةً

ولو كان هذا الموتُ يطلبُ فديةً

ويقبلُ ممن بالكرائم يفتدي

ويقبلُ ممن بالكرائم يفتدي

And if this death were to demand a ransom,

And if death demanded a ransom,

and accept it from one who ransoms with precious things,

And would accept payment from one honorable,

بذلت له شطر الحياةِ مسارعاً

بذلت له شطر الحياةِ مسارعاً

وسُقتُ له طوعاً طَريفي ومُتلدِي

وسُقتُ له طوعاً طَريفي ومُتلدِي

I would hasten to give it half my life,

I would give him half my life in haste,

and willingly bring it my newly acquired and inherited wealth.

And walk voluntarily into his hands,

ولو أنّهُ يُلقى بأسمرَ ذابلٍ

ولو أنّهُ يُلقى بأسمرَ ذابلٍ

وابيضَ ماضي الشّفرتينِ مهندِ

وابيضَ ماضي الشّفرتينِ مهندِ

And if it could be met with a tawny, slender spear,

And if he accepts the dark, withered ones

and a bright-white Indian blade, keen on both edges,

And the fair skinned, with palms like the moon,

لجالدهُ مَن لم يزل متطلِبّاً

لجالدهُ مَن لم يزل متطلِبّاً

لمجدٍ أثيلٍ باستلابِ الممجّدِ

لمجدٍ أثيلٍ باستلابِ الممجّدِ

he would battle it who has never ceased striving

I would give myself to the one always seeking

for deep-rooted glory by despoiling the illustrious:

Eternal glory, through valorous deeds,

فَتىً لا يهابُ الموتَ في حومةِ الوَغى

فَتىً لا يهابُ الموتَ في حومةِ الوَغى

ولا يُهمِلُ الكرّاتِ عندَ التلدُّدِ

ولا يُهمِلُ الكرّاتِ عندَ التلدُّدِ

a young man who fears no death in the thick of battle,

A knight who fears no death in the fray of battle,

nor neglects repeated charges at moments of hesitation.

Nor neglects war, even when bodies pile,

يُهدّمُ بنيانَ الصفوفِ بشدّةٍ

يُهدّمُ بنيانَ الصفوفِ بشدّةٍ

ولو أنَّ سورَ الصّفِ يبنى بِجلمدِ

ولو أنَّ سورَ الصّفِ يبنى بِجلمدِ

He tears down the structure of the ranks with force,

Who shatters the ranks of men with force,

even if the battle-line's wall were built of solid rock.

Even if their battle line is made of rock,

وفي مثلِ سُعدي يبذلُ المرءُ نفسه

وفي مثلِ سُعدي يبذلُ المرءُ نفسه

ويَغشى حِمام الموتِ غيرَ مُصرّدِ

ويَغشى حِمام الموتِ غيرَ مُصرّدِ

For one like Suʿdi, a man would give his life,

And for one like Su’di, a man gives himself up

and plunge into death's doom without holding back.

And enters the sanctuary of death without hesitation,

ولكنَّهُ الخطبُ الذي ليس يُتقّى

ولكنَّهُ الخطبُ الذي ليس يُتقّى

بغيرِ اصطبارٍ أو بغيرِ تَجلُّدِ

بغيرِ اصطبارٍ أو بغيرِ تَجلُّدِ

But this is the calamity that cannot be warded off

But this was the decree, which cannot be avoided

except by steadfast patience or resolute endurance.

Except through patience or steely resolve,

ولو كان لي قلبٌ مطيعٌ عذلتُهُ

ولو كان لي قلبٌ مطيعٌ عذلتُهُ

وأركبتُه طُرقَ اللبّيبِ المُسدّدِ

وأركبتُه طُرقَ اللبّيبِ المُسدّدِ

Had I an obedient heart, I would rebuke it,

If I had an obedient heart I would rebuke it

and set it on the paths of the wise, right-guided man.

And walk the path of the wise and guided,

وألزمتُه السلوانَ عنكِ كراهةً

وألزمتُه السلوانَ عنكِ كراهةً

وان كان لا يأتي علو نحوِ مقصدِي

وان كان لا يأتي علو نحوِ مقصدِي

And I would reluctantly force it to seek solace for your loss,

And obligate it to forget you, though it wants not

even if that did not accord with my purpose,

To follow my own inclination in any way,

لأُبقِي على نفسٍ تردَّدُ مِن أسىً

لأُبقِي على نفسٍ تردَّدُ مِن أسىً

لدى جسدٍ في السُّقمِ بادي التردُّدِ

لدى جسدٍ في السُّقمِ بادي التردُّدِ

to spare a soul wavering from sorrow

I would keep living with a soul wandering in agony

beside a body visibly wavering in sickness.

While in a body visibly weak and confused,

ولكنَّني أحيا بقلب مُخالفٍ

ولكنَّني أحيا بقلب مُخالفٍ

أُطِيعُ فيستعصي وأغضي فيعتدي

أُطِيعُ فيستعصي وأغضي فيعتدي

Yet I live with a rebellious heart:

But my heart disobeys, I command but it refuses,

I obey it, yet it rebels; I turn a blind eye, yet it transgresses.

I look away but it transgresses,

سأبكيكِ يا سُعدي حياتي فإن أمت

سأبكيكِ يا سُعدي حياتي فإن أمت

بكتكِ عظامي في قرارة ملحدِي

بكتكِ عظامي في قرارة ملحدِي

I shall weep for you, O Suʿdi, all my life; and if I die,

I will cry for you, Su’di, my life, and if I die,

my bones will weep for you in the depths of my grave.

My bones will cry for you in the grave.