طوفوا بأركان هذا القبر واستلموا — Hafez Ibrahim

طوفوا بِأَركانِ هَذا القَبرِ وَاِستَلِموا

وَاِقضوا هُنالِكَ ما تَقضي بِهِ الذِمَمُ

Circle the corners of this grave and touch them reverently,

And discharge there what duty demands.

هُنا جَنانٌ تَعالى اللَهُ بارِئُهُ

ضاقَت بِآمالِهِ الأَقدارُ وَالهِمَمُ

Here lies a heart—exalted is God, its Creator—

Whose hopes outstripped both destiny and resolve.

هُنا فَمٌ وَبَنانٌ لاحَ بَينَهُما

في الشَرقِ فَجرٌ تُحَيّي ضَوءَهُ الأُمَمُ

Here are a mouth and fingers; between them shone

In the East a dawn whose light the nations hail.

هُنا فَمٌ وَبَنانٌ طالَما نَثَرا

نَثراً تَسيرُ بِهِ الأَمثالُ وَالحِكَمُ

Here are a mouth and fingers that so often poured forth

Prose through which proverbs and maxims spread.

هُنا الكَمِيُّ الَّذي شادَت عَزائِمُهُ

لِطالِبِ الحَقِّ رُكناً لَيسَ يَنهَدِمُ

Here lies the armored warrior whose resolve built

For the seeker of truth a pillar that cannot fall.

هُنا الشَهيدُ هُنا رَبُّ اللِواءِ هُنا

حامي الذِمارِ هُنا الشَهمُ الَّذي عَلِموا

Here lies the martyr, here the lord of the banner, here

The defender of honor; here the gallant man they knew.

يا أَيُّها النائِمُ الهاني بِمَضجَعِهِ

لِيَهنِكَ النَومُ لا هَمٌّ وَلا سَقَمُ

O sleeper, content in his resting place,

May sleep be sweet to you, without care or sickness.

باتَت تُسائِلُنا في كُلِّ نازِلَةٍ

عَنكَ المَنابِرُ وَالقِرطاسُ وَالقَلَمُ

At every calamity they have kept asking us

About you—the pulpits, the paper, and the pen.

تَرَكتَ فينا فَراغاً لَيسَ يَشغَلُهُ

إِلّا أَبِيٌّ ذَكِيُّ القَلبِ مُضطَرِمُ

You left among us a void that none can fill

Except a proud, keen-hearted man, aflame,

مُنَفَّرُ النَومِ سَبّاقٌ لِغايَتِهِ

آثارُهُ عَمَمٌ آمالُهُ أَمَمُ

Bereft of sleep, racing ahead toward his goal,

His achievements far-reaching, his hopes within reach.

إِنّي أَرى وَفُؤادي لَيسَ يَكذِبُني

روحاً يَحُفُّ بِها الإِكبارُ وَالعِظَمُ

I see—and my heart does not deceive me—

A spirit surrounded by reverence and greatness.

أَرى جَلالاً أَرى نوراً أَرى مَلَكاً

أَرى مُحَيّاً يُحَيّينا وَيَبتَسِمُ

I see majesty, I see light, I see an angel;

I see a face that greets us and smiles.

اللَهُ أَكبَرُ هَذا الوَجهُ أَعرِفُهُ

هَذا فَتى النيلِ هَذا المُفرَدُ العَلَمُ

God is greatest! I recognize this face:

This is the youth of the Nile, this peerless luminary.

غُضّوا العُيونَ وَحَيّوهُ تَحِيَّتَهُ

مِنَ القُلوبِ إِذا لَم تُسعِدِ الكَلِمُ

Lower your eyes and give him his due greeting,

From your hearts, if words fail you.

وَأَقسِموا أَن تَذودوا عَن مَبادِئِهِ

فَنَحنُ في مَوقِفٍ يَحلو بِهِ القَسَمُ

And swear to defend his principles,

For we stand in a place where an oath is sweet.

لَبَّيكَ نَحنُ الأُلى حَرَّكتَ أَنفُسَهُم

لَمّا سَكَنتَ وَلَمّا غالَكَ العَدَمُ

At your call! We are those whose souls you stirred

When you grew still, and when nothingness carried you off.

جِئنا نُؤَدّي حِساباً عَن مَواقِفِنا

وَنَستَمِدُّ وَنَستَعدي وَنَحتَكِمُ

We have come to account for the stands we have taken,

And to seek aid, seek redress, and submit to judgment.

قيلَ اِسكُتوا فَسَكَتنا ثُمَّ أَنطَقَنا

عَسفُ الجُفاةِ وَأَعلى صَوتَنا الأَلَمُ

We were told, 'Be silent'; we fell silent, then were made to speak

By the tyranny of the callous, and pain raised our voice.

قَدِ اِتُّهِمنا وَلَمّا نَطَّلِب جَلَلاً

إِنَّ الضَعيفَ عَلى الحالَينِ مُتَّهَمُ

We were accused, though we had yet to demand anything great;

The weak are accused in either case.

قالوا لَقَد ظَلَموا بِالحَقِّ أَنفُسَهُم

وَاللَهُ يَعلَمُ أَنَّ الظالِمينَ هُمُ

They said, 'By seeking justice, they have indeed wronged themselves';

And God knows that they are the wrongdoers.

إِذا سَكَتنا تَناجَوا تِلكَ عادَتُهُم

وَإِن نَطَقنا تَنادَوا فِتنَةٌ عَمَمُ

If we are silent, they whisper together—that is their habit;

And if we speak, they call out, 'Widespread sedition!'

قَد مَرَّ عامٌ بِنا وَالأَمرُ يَحزُبُنا

آناً وَآوِنَةً تَنتابُنا النِقَمُ

A year has passed over us, with trouble besetting us

At times, and at others afflictions descend upon us.

فَالناسُ في شِدَّةٍ وَالدَهرُ في كَلَبٍ

وَالعَيشُ قَد حارَ فيهِ الحاذِقُ الفَهِمُ

The people are in distress, and the age is raging,

And even the skilled and discerning are baffled by earning a living.

وَلِلسِياسَةِ فينا كُلَّ آوِنَةٍ

لَونٌ جَديدٌ وَعَهدٌ لَيسَ يُحتَرَمُ

And politics among us takes, at every turn,

A new color, and a pledge that is not honored.

بَينا نَرى جَمرَها تُخشى مَلامِسُهُ

إِذا بِهِ عِندَ لَمسِ المُصطَلي فَحَمُ

While we see its live coal, whose touch is feared,

Suddenly it is charcoal when one seeking warmth touches it.

تُصغي لِأَصواتِنا طَوراً لِتَخدَعَنا

وَتارَةً يَزدَهيها الكِبرُ وَالصَمَمُ

Sometimes it listens to our voices to deceive us,

And at others arrogance and deafness make it haughty.

فَمِن مُلايَنَةٍ أَستارُها خُدَعٌ

إِلى مُصالَبَةٍ أَستارُها وَهَمُ

So, from gentleness whose veils are tricks

To harshness whose veils are illusion.

ماذا يُريدونَ لا قَرَّت عُيونُهُمُ

إِنَّ الكِنانَةَ لا يُطوى لَها عَلَمُ

What do they want? May their eyes find no comfort!

Indeed, al-Kinanah's banner shall never be furled.

كَم أُمَّةٍ رَغِبَت فيها فَما رَسَخَت

لَها عَلى حَولِها في أَرضِها قَدَمُ

How many a nation coveted her, yet never gained

A firm foothold in her land, despite its might.

ما كانَ رَبُّكَ رَبُّ البَيتِ تارِكَها

وَهيَ الَّتي بِحِبالٍ مِنهُ تَعتَصِمُ

Your Lord, the Lord of the House, would never abandon her,

For she is the one who holds fast to ropes from Him.

لَبَّيكَ إِنّا عَلى ما كُنتَ تَعهَدُهُ

حَتّى نَسودَ وَحَتّى تَشهَدَ الأُمَمُ

At your call! We remain as you knew us,

Until we are sovereign, and until the nations bear witness,

فَيَعلَمَ النيلُ أَنّا خَيرُ مَن وَرَدوا

وَيَستَطيلَ اِختِيالاً ذَلِكَ الهَرَمُ

So the Nile may know we are the best of those who sought its waters,

And that pyramid may tower in pride.

هَذا الغِراسُ الَّذي والَيتَ مَنبِتَهُ

بِخَيرِ ما والَتِ الأَضواءُ وَالنَسَمُ

This is the planting whose seedbed you tended

With the best that light and breezes could bestow.

أَمسى وَأَضحى وَعَينُ اللَهِ تَحرُسُهُ

حَتّى نَما وَحَلاهُ المَجدُ وَالشَمَمُ

Through evening and morning, God's eye guarded it,

Until it grew, and glory and noble pride adorned it.

فَاُنظُر إِلَيهِ وَقَد طالَت بَواسِقُهُ

تَهنَأ بِهِ وَلِأَنفِ الحاسِدِ الرَغَمُ

So look at it, now that its lofty trees have grown tall;

You will rejoice in it; dust upon the envious man's nose!

يا أَيُّها النَشءُ سيروا في طَريقَتِهِ

وَثابِروا رَضِيَ الأَعداءُ أَو نَقِموا

O rising generation, follow his path,

And persevere, whether the enemies approve or resent it.

فَكُلُّكُم مُصطَفى لَو سارَ سيرَتَهُ

وَكُلُّكُم كامِلٌ لَو جازَهُ السَأَمُ

For each of you is a Mustafa—chosen—if he follows his example,

And each of you a Kamil—complete—if weariness passes him by.

قَد كانَ لا وانِياً يَوماً وَلا وَكِلاً

يَستَقبِلُ الخَطبَ بَسّاماً وَيَقتَحِمُ

He was never slack for a day, nor reliant on others;

He met calamity smiling and plunged into it.

وَأَنتَ يا قَبرُ قَد جِئنا عَلى ظَمَإٍ

فَجُد لَنا بِجَوابٍ جادَكَ الدِيَمُ

And you, O grave—we have come thirsting;

So grant us an answer; may steady rains water you.

أَينَ الشَبابُ الَّذي أودِعتَ نَضرَتَهُ

أَينَ الخِلالُ رَعاكَ اللَهُ وَالشِيَمُ

Where is the youth whose freshness was entrusted to you?

Where are the virtues—may God guard you—and the noble traits?

وَما صَنَعتَ بِآمالٍ لَنا طُوِيَت

يا قَبرُ فيكَ وَعَفّى رَسمَها القِدَمُ

And what have you done with hopes of ours, folded away

In you, O grave, their traces effaced by time?

أَلا جَوابٌ يُرَوّي مِن جَوانِحِنا

ما لِلقُبورِ إِذا ما نودِيَت تَجِمُ

Is there no answer to slake the thirst within our breasts?

Why do graves fall silent when called?

نَم أَنتَ يَكفيكَ ما عانَيتَ مِن تَعَبٍ

فَنَحنُ في يَقظَةٍ وَالشَملُ مُلتَئِمُ

Sleep on; you have endured enough toil.

For we are awake, and our ranks are united.

هَذا لِواؤُكَ خَفّاقٌ يُظَلِّلُنا

وَذاكَ شَخصُكَ في الأَكبادِ مُرتَسِمُ

This is your banner, fluttering and shading us,

And that is your form, imprinted deep in our hearts.