1. أَبَعدَكَ يَعرِفُ الصَبرَ الحَزينُ

    وَقَد طاحَت بِمُهجَتِهِ المُنونُ

    After you, can the grieving one know patience,

    when death has laid his very soul low?

  2. رَمَتكَ يَدُ الزَمانِ بِشَرِّ سَهمٍ

    فَلَمّا أَن قَضَيتَ بَكى الخَأونُ

    The hand of time struck you with its worst arrow;

    then, when you died, the treacherous one wept.

  3. رَماكَ وَأَنتَ حَبَّةُ كُلِّ قَلبٍ

    شَريفٍ فَالقُلوبُ لَهُ رَنينُ

    It struck you, though you were the core of every heart

    that was noble—and hearts sound a lament for him.

  4. وَلَم يَكُ لِلزَمانِ عَلَيكَ ثارُ

    وَلَم يَكُ في خِلاِكَ ما يَشينُ

    Time bore no blood feud against you,

    and nothing in your traits was shameful.

  5. وَلَكِن كُنتَ ذا خُلُقٍ رَضِيٍّ

    عَلى خُلُقٍ لِغَيرِكَ لا يَكونُ

    Yet you possessed a gracious character,

    a character no one else could possess.

  6. وَكُنتَ تُحيطُ عِلماً بَِلخَفايا

    وَتَمنَعُ أَن تُحيطَ بِكَ الظُنونُ

    Your knowledge encompassed hidden things,

    and you kept conjectures from encompassing you.

  7. كَأَنَّكَ قَد قَتَلتَ الدَهرَ بَحثاً

    فَعِندَكَ سِرُّهُ الخافي مُبينُ

    As though you had slain time through inquiry,

    its hidden secret was clear to you.

  8. حَكَيتَ البَدرَ في عُمرٍ وَلَكِن

    ذَكاأُكَ لا تُكَوِّنُهُ قُرونُ

    You resembled the full moon in your lifespan, yet

    centuries cannot fashion your brilliance.

  9. عَجيبٌ أَن تَعيشَ بِنا الأَماني

    وَأَنّا لِلأَماني نَستَكينُ

    Strange that hopes live through us,

    and that we submit to hopes!

  10. وَما أَرواحُنا إِلّا أَسارى

    وَما أَجسادُنا إِلّا سُجونُ

    Our souls are nothing but captives,

    and our bodies nothing but prisons.

  11. وَما في الكَونِ مِثلُ الكَونِ فانٍ

    كَما تَفنى الدِيارُ كَذا القَطينُ

    Nothing in the universe is as perishable as the universe itself;

    as dwellings perish, so do their dwellers.

  12. لَقَد عَلِقَتكَ أَسبابُ المَنايا

    وَفِيّاً لا يُخانُ وَلا يَخونُ

    The cords of death have indeed ensnared you,

    faithful, neither betrayed nor betraying.

  13. أَيَدري النَعشُ أَيَّ فَتىً يُاري

    وَهَذا القَبرُ أَيَّ فَتىً يَصونُ

    Does the bier know what young man it conceals?

    And does this grave know what young man it safeguards?

  14. فَتىً جُمِعَت ضُروبُ الحُسنِ فيهِ

    وَكانَت فيهِ لِلحُسنى فُنونُ

    A youth in whom the forms of beauty were gathered,

    and in whom goodness had many forms.

  15. فَبَعضُ صِفاتِهِ لَيثٌ وَبَدرٌ

    وَبَعضُ خِلالِهِ شَمَمٌ وَلينُ

    Some of his qualities were a lion and a full moon,

    and some of his traits were noble pride and gentleness.

  16. أَماراتُ الشَبابِ عَلَيهِ تَبدو

    وَفي أَثوابِهِ كَهلٌ رَزينُ

    The signs of youth appear upon him,

    yet within his robes is a sober, middle-aged man.

  17. أَلا لا يَشمُتِ الأَعداءُ مِنّا

    فَكُلُّ فَتىً بِمَصرَعِهِ رَهينُ

    Take heed: let not the enemies gloat over us,

    for every young man is hostage to his death.

  18. أَيا نورَ العُيونِ بَعُدَت عَنّا

    وَلَمّا تَمَتَلِئ مِنكَ العُيونُ

    O light of the eyes, you have gone far from us,

    and our eyes had not yet had their fill of you.

  19. وَعاجَلَكَ الحَمامُ فَلَم تُوَدِّعُ

    وَبِنتَ وَلَم يُوَدِّعكَ القَرينُ

    Death overtook you suddenly, and you did not bid farewell;

    you departed, and your companion did not bid you farewell.

  20. وَما عِفتَ الوَداعَ قِلىً وَلَكِن

    أَرَدتَ وَلَم يُرِد دَهرٌ ضَنينُ

    You did not shun farewell out of hatred, but

    you wished it, and miserly time did not.

  21. فَيا لَهَفي لِأُمِّكَ حينَ يَدوي

    نَعِيُّكَ بَعدَ ما طالَ السُكونُ

    Alas, my anguish for your mother when there rings out

    the news of your death, after silence has lasted so long!

  22. وَلَهفَ شَقيقِكَ النائي بَعيداً

    إِذا ما جائَهُ الخَبَرُ اليَقينُ

    And the anguish of your brother, distant and far away,

    when the certain news reaches him!

  23. سَتَبكيكَ الكَواكِبُ في الدَياجي

    كَما تَبكيكَ في الرَوضِ الغُضونُ

    The stars will weep for you in the darkness,

    as the boughs weep for you in the garden.

  24. وَيَبكي أُخوَةٌ قَد غِبتَ عَنهُم

    وَأُمٌّ تَأكُلُ وَأَبٌ حَزينُ

    And siblings from whom you have vanished will weep,

    and a mother who eats [as written], and a grieving father.

  25. فَما تَندى لَنا أَبَداً ضُلوعٌ

    عَلَيكَ وَما تَجِفَّ لَنا شُؤونُ

    So never will our ribs be moistened

    over you, nor will our tear ducts dry.

  26. قَدِ اِزدانَت بِكَ الفِتيانُ طِفلاً

    كَما يَزدانُ بِالتاجِ الجَبينُ

    Indeed, as a child you adorned the youths,

    as the brow is adorned with a crown.

  27. ذَهَبتَ بِزينَةِ الدُنيا جَميعاً

    فَما في الدَهرِ بَعدَكَ ما يَزينُ

    You took away all the world's adornment,

    so nothing in time, after you, brings beauty.

  28. وَكُنتَ لَنا الرَجاءَ رَجاءٌ

    وَكُنتَ لَنا المُعينَ فَلا مُعينُ

    And you were our hope—hope;

    and you were our helper—now there is none.

  29. أَبَعدَكَ يا أَخي أَبغي عَزاءً

    إِذا شُلَّت يَسارِيَ وَاليَمينُ

    After you, my brother, should I seek consolation,

    when my left hand and my right have been paralyzed?

  30. يَهونُ الرِزءُ إِلّا عِندَ مِثلي

    بِمِثلِكَ فَهوَ رِزءٌ لا يَهونُ

    Loss grows bearable, except for one like me

    losing one like you: that is a loss that cannot grow bearable.

  31. عَلَيكَ تُقَطِّعُ الحَسَراتُ نَفسي

    وَفيكَ أَطاعَني الدَمعُ الحَرونُ

    Anguish over you tears my soul apart,

    and over you my stubborn tears have obeyed me.

  32. فَمِلءُ جَوانِحي حُزنٌ مُذيبٌ

    وَمِلءُ مَحاجِري دَمعٌ سَخينُ

    So my breast is filled with melting sorrow,

    and my eye sockets are filled with hot tears.

  33. وَما أَبقى المُصابُ عَلى فُؤادي

    فَأَزعَمُ أَنَّهُ دامٍ طَعينُ

    The calamity has shown my heart no mercy,

    so I say it is bleeding and pierced.

  34. يَذودُ الدَمعُ عَينَ عَيني كَراها

    وَتَأبى أَن تُفارِقَهُ الجُفونُ

    Tears drive sleep away from my eye [wording uncertain],

    and the eyelids refuse to part from it.

  35. لَقَد طالَ السُهادُ وَطالَ لَيلي

    فَلا أَدري الرُقادَ مَتى يَكونُ

    Sleeplessness has grown long, and long has grown my night;

    I do not know when sleep will come.

  36. كَأَنَّ الصُبحَ قَد لَبِسَ الدَياجي

    عَلَيكَ أَسىً لِذَلِكَ ما يَبينُ

    As though dawn had clothed itself in darkness

    out of grief for you; that is why it does not appear.

  37. جَزاكَ اللَهُ عَنّا كُلَّ خَيرٍ

    وَجادَ ضَريحَكَ الغَيثُ الهَتونُ

    May God reward you with every good on our behalf,

    and may the ceaseless rain lavish itself upon your tomb.