1. سَكَنَ الفَيلَسوفُ بَعدَ اِضطِرابِ

    إِنَّ ذاكَ السُكونَ فَصلُ الخِطابِ

    The philosopher grew still after turmoil.

    Indeed, that stillness is the final word.

  2. لَقِيَ اللَهَ رَبَّهُ فَاِترُكوا المَر

    ءَ لِدَيّانِهِ فَسيحِ الرِحابِ

    He met God, his Lord; so leave the man

    to his Judge, whose courts are spacious.

  3. حَزِنَ العِلمُ يَومَ مِتَّ وَلَكِن

    أَمِنَ الدينُ صَيحَةَ المُرتابِ

    Knowledge grieved the day you died, yet

    religion was safe from the doubter's cry.

  4. كُنتَ تَبغي بَردَ اليَقينِ عَلى الأَر

    ضِ وَتَسعى وَراءَ لُبِّ اللُبابِ

    You sought the coolness of certainty on earth,

    and strove after the essence of essences.

  5. فَاِستَرِح أَيُّها المُجاهِدُ وَاِهدَأ

    قَد بَلَغتَ المُرادَ تَحتَ التُرابِ

    So rest, O striver, and be calm;

    you have attained your desire beneath the dust.

  6. وَعَرَفتَ اليَقينَ وَاِنبَلَجَ الحَـ

    ـقُ لِعَينَيكَ ساطِعاً كَالشِهابِ

    And you have known certainty, and truth has dawned

    before your eyes, blazing like a meteor.

  7. لَيتَ شِعري وَقَد قَضَيتَ حَياةً

    بَينَ شَكٍّ وَحَيرَةٍ وَاِرتِيابِ

    Would that I knew: after you spent a lifetime

    between doubt, bewilderment, and misgiving,

  8. هَل أَتاكَ اليَقينُ مِن طُرُقِ الشَـ

    ـكِ فَشَكُّ الحَكيمِ بَدءُ الصَوابِ

    did certainty come to you by the paths of doubt?

    For the sage's doubt is the beginning of sound judgment.

  9. كَم سَمِعنا مُسائِلاً قَبلَ شِبلي

    عاشَ في البَحثِ طارِقاً كُلَّ بابِ

    Many a questioner we heard before Shibli,

    who lived in inquiry, knocking at every door!

  10. أَطلَقَ الفِكرَ في العَوالِمِ حُرّاً

    مُستَطيراً يُريغُ هَتكَ الحِجابِ

    He set thought free among the worlds,

    flying far and wide, seeking to rend the veil,

  11. يَقرَعُ النَجمَ سائِلاً ثُمَّ يَرتَد

    دُ إِلى الأَرضِ باحِثاً عَن جَوابِ

    knocking at the star, questioning, then returning

    to earth, searching for an answer.

  12. أَعجَزَتهُ مِن قُدرَةِ اللَهِ أَسبا

    بٌ طَواها مُسَبِّبُ الأَسبابِ

    He was baffled by causes proceeding from God's power,

    which the Causer of causes had folded away.

  13. وَقَفَت دونَها العُقولُ حَيارى

    وَاِنثَنى هِبرِزِيُّها وَهوَ كابي

    Minds stopped short of them, bewildered,

    and their foremost genius turned back, crestfallen.

  14. لَم يَكُن مُلحِداً وَلَكِن تَصَدّى

    لِشُؤونِ المُهَيمِنِ الوَهّابِ

    He was no atheist, but he addressed himself

    to the affairs of the Guardian, the Bestower.

  15. رامَ إِدراكَ كُنهِ ما أَعجَزَ النا

    سَ قَديماً فَلَم يَفُز بِالطِلابِ

    He sought to grasp the essence of what had baffled humankind

    long ago, but did not succeed in his quest.

  16. إيهِ شِبلي قَد أَكثَرَ الناسُ فيكَ ال

    قَولَ حَتّى تَفَنَّنوا في عِتابي

    Speak on, Shibli: people have spoken so much of you

    that they grew inventive in reproaching me.

  17. قيلَ تَرثي ذاكَ الَّذي يُنكِرُ النو

    رَ وَلا يَهتَدي بِهَديِ الكِتابِ

    It was said: "You mourn the one who denies the light

    and does not follow the guidance of the Book."

  18. قُلتُ كُفّوا فَإِنَّما قُمتُ أَرثي

    مِنهُ خِلّاً أَمسى طَويلَ الغِيابِ

    I said: "Enough! I undertook only to mourn

    in him a friend whose absence has grown long."

  19. أَنا وَاللَهِ لا أُحابيهِ في القَو

    لِ فَقَد كانَ صاحِبي لا يُحابي

    By God, I show him no partiality in my words,

    for my companion showed no partiality.

  20. أَنا أَرثى شَمائِلاً مِنهُ عِندي

    كُنَّ أَحلى مِنَ الشِهادِ المُذابِ

    I mourn qualities of his which, to me,

    were sweeter than melted honeycomb.

  21. كانَ حُرَّ الآراءِ لا يَعرِفُ الخَتـ

    ـلَ وَلا يَستَبيحُ غَيبَ الصِحابِ

    He was free in his opinions and knew no deceit,

    nor did he allow himself to malign absent friends.

  22. مُفضِلاً مُحسِناً عَلى العُسرِ وَاليُسـ

    ـرِ جَميعَ الفُؤادِ رَحبَ الجَنابِ

    Generous and benevolent in hardship and ease,

    steadfast of heart, broad in welcome.

  23. عاشَ ما عاشَ لا يُليقُ عَلى الأَيـ

    ـامِ لا وَلَم يَلِن لِلصِعابِ

    All his life he laid nothing by for the days to come—

    no, nor did he yield to hardships.

  24. كانَ في الوُدِّ مَوضِعَ الثِقَةِ الكُب

    رى وَفي العِلمِ مَوضِعَ الإِعجابِ

    In friendship he was worthy of the utmost trust,

    and in learning, a source of admiration.

  25. نُكِبَ الطِبُّ فيهِ يَومَ تَوَلّى

    وَأُصيبَت رَوائِعُ الآدابِ

    Medicine was devastated by his loss the day he departed,

    and the glories of literature were stricken.

  26. وَخَلا ذَلِكَ النَدِيُّ مِنَ الأُنـ

    ـسِ وَقَد كانَ مَرتَعَ الكُتّابِ

    And that gathering-place was emptied of companionship,

    though it had been a pasture for writers.

  27. وَبَكَت فَقدَهُ الشَآمُ وَناءَت

    فَوقَ ما نابَها بِهَذا المُصابِ

    And al-Sham wept for his loss and was weighed down

    by this calamity, on top of all that had befallen her.

  28. كُلَّ يَومٍ يُهَدُّ رُكنٌ مِنَ الشَأ

    مِ لَقَد آذَنَت إِذاً بِالخَرابِ

    Each day a pillar of al-Sham is demolished;

    indeed, she has thus heralded ruin.

  29. فَهيَ بِاليازِجي وَجُرجي وَشِبلي

    فُجِعَت بِالثَلاثَةِ الأَقطابِ

    For in al-Yaziji, Jurji, and Shibli,

    she was bereaved of the three mainstays.

  30. فَعَلى الراحِلِ الكَريمِ سَلامٌ

    كُلَّما غَيَّبَ الثَرى لَيثَ غابِ

    So peace be upon the noble departed,

    whenever the earth conceals a lion of the forest.