إن اللياليَ والأيامَ أطراق

إن اللياليَ والأيامَ أطراق

ولا يدومُ لها عَهْدٌ وَمِيثَاقُ

ولا يدومُ لها عَهْدٌ وَمِيثَاقُ

Indeed, nights and days are successive blows;

The nights and days are treacherous,

And no pledge or covenant with them endures.

With no lasting promise or pact.

تَبْتَزُّنا حَيْثُ لا ندري وتَسْلُبُنا

تَبْتَزُّنا حَيْثُ لا ندري وتَسْلُبُنا

أرواحَنا ولها سَلْبٌ واطلاقُ

أرواحَنا ولها سَلْبٌ واطلاقُ

They plunder us unawares and rob us of

They ambush us when unaware, and rob

Our souls; theirs are seizure and release.

Our souls - theirs is the plunder and release.

والبينُ أعظمُ غولاً من غوائلها

والبينُ أعظمُ غولاً من غوائلها

في إثْرِنا وهو نَعَّابٌ ونَعَّاقُ

في إثْرِنا وهو نَعَّابٌ ونَعَّاقُ

And parting is more ruinous than their calamities;

Separation is the greatest of their calamities,

It follows on our heels, croaking and cawing.

Tracking us, snarling and howling.

يَنُوْشُنا الدَّهرُ أعواقاً بأكبِدِنا

يَنُوْشُنا الدَّهرُ أعواقاً بأكبِدِنا

وبانَ للبينِ أعواقٌ وأعواقُ

وبانَ للبينِ أعواقٌ وأعواقُ

Time strikes our livers with afflictions,

Time wears away our livers in chunks,

And with parting, afflictions upon afflictions appeared,

And separation's chunks pile upon chunks.

لما فَقْدنا فتى العلمِ هِمَّتُه

لما فَقْدنا فتى العلمِ هِمَّتُه

وفي الفصاحةِ والآثارِ سَبَّاقُ

وفي الفصاحةِ والآثارِ سَبَّاقُ

When we lost a youth whose aspiration was learning,

When we lost the youth of knowledge and resolve,

And who was foremost in eloquence and transmitted lore.

Skilled in rhetoric and the paths of old.

هذا سعيدُ الذي بانَتْ مَعَالِمُه

هذا سعيدُ الذي بانَتْ مَعَالِمُه

سليلُ ثانيَ مِطْعانَ ومِنْفَاقُ

سليلُ ثانيَ مِطْعانَ ومِنْفَاقُ

This is Sa'id, whose qualities stood clear,

This is Sa'eed, whose traits stand out,

A scion of Thani, a valiant lancer and lavish giver.

Scion of the second reviler and hypocrite.

متى سرى لضريحٍ وهو مُنْفِرِدٌ

متى سرى لضريحٍ وهو مُنْفِرِدٌ

بَكَتْ لِفُقْدانهِ صُحْفٌ وأوْرَاقُ

بَكَتْ لِفُقْدانهِ صُحْفٌ وأوْرَاقُ

When he journeyed by night to a tomb, alone,

Whenever he visited a tomb alone,

Scrolls and pages wept for his loss.

Papers and books wept for his loss.

كادتْ تميدُ بيَ الدُّنيا متى زُعِجت

كادتْ تميدُ بيَ الدُّنيا متى زُعِجت

نوقُ الفراقِ لها حادٍ وسَوَّاقُ

نوقُ الفراقِ لها حادٍ وسَوَّاقُ

The world almost reeled beneath me when they were driven onward—

When disturbed, the world nearly collapsed,

The she-camels of parting, with a chanter and a driver.

As the camels of parting brayed loudly.

كأنَّ خَرَّ عليَّ السَّقْفُ مُرْتَمياً

كأنَّ خَرَّ عليَّ السَّقْفُ مُرْتَمياً

لمّا على قَبْرِهِ الجُلاّءُ تَنْساقُ

لمّا على قَبْرِهِ الجُلاّءُ تَنْساقُ

As though the roof had fallen upon me, hurtling down,

It was as if the ceiling came crashing down,

When the eminent men were led to his grave.

When nobles walked to his grave in procession.

حَثَوا عليهِ تُراباً أبيضاً يَقَقَاً

حَثَوا عليهِ تُراباً أبيضاً يَقَقَاً

من نُورِهِ وَهُمُ صرعى فما فاقوا

من نُورِهِ وَهُمُ صرعى فما فاقوا

They cast over him earth white, pure white,

They heaped pure white soil on him while stunned,

From his radiance; they lay stricken and did not come to.

And could not rise above it.

ووالدي كان دُنيائي وآخرتي

ووالدي كان دُنيائي وآخرتي

حواه لَحد من الدَّقْعَاءِ مِضْيَاقُ

حواه لَحد من الدَّقْعَاءِ مِضْيَاقُ

And my father was my world and my hereafter;

My father was my worldly life and afterlife,

A cramped burial niche in dusty earth enclosed him.

Contained in a narrow grave dug in al-Daq'a.

يُفيدني بعلومٍ كنتُ جاهلَها

يُفيدني بعلومٍ كنتُ جاهلَها

من علمِهِ وهو ليَ بَرّ وَشفّاقُ

من علمِهِ وهو ليَ بَرّ وَشفّاقُ

He would impart to me knowledge I had not known,

He enlightened me with knowledge I was ignorant of,

From his learning, and he was kind and compassionate toward me.

With his knowledge, my pillar and protector.

عليهِ خضرُ ثيابٍ مِ التُقى قُشُبٌ

عليهِ خضرُ ثيابٍ مِ التُقى قُشُبٌ

والكُتْبُ في جِيده سِمْطٌ وأطْوَاقُ

والكُتْبُ في جِيده سِمْطٌ وأطْوَاقُ

Upon him are new green garments of piety,

Clad in green garments of piety, plain and unadorned,

And books around his neck are a necklace and neck-rings.

Books were strapped to his neck in bundles.

لو قسمت للورى طُرّاً رزيته

لو قسمت للورى طُرّاً رزيته

ذابوا غَراماً وهم للصبر ما طاقوا

ذابوا غَراماً وهم للصبر ما طاقوا

If the calamity of his loss were divided among all humankind,

Had I divided my soul to give him life,

They would melt in anguish, unable to endure patiently.

They would have melted in love, unable to endure patience.

شَلَّتْ يَمِينُ العُلا من حين ميتَتهِ

شَلَّتْ يَمِينُ العُلا من حين ميتَتهِ

وطُلَ للمجد أبصارٌ وأحداقُ

وطُلَ للمجد أبصارٌ وأحداقُ

The right hand of eminence was paralyzed from the moment of his death,

The hand of glory weakened at his death,

And glory's eyes and pupils perished unavenged.

And eyes aspiring to glory were cast down.

وقد ذوى كلُّ ما في الأرضِ من شَجَرٍ

وقد ذوى كلُّ ما في الأرضِ من شَجَرٍ

وقد سَفَحْنَ لضُمَ الصَّخْرِ آماقُ

وقد سَفَحْنَ لضُمَ الصَّخْرِ آماقُ

And every tree upon the earth has withered,

Every tree on earth had withered away,

And the rock masses' eye-corners have poured forth tears.

And rocks spilled tears from their cracks.

والشمس كاسفة والشهب آفلة

والشمس كاسفة والشهب آفلة

والبدر ليس له نور وإشراقُ

والبدر ليس له نور وإشراقُ

And the sun is eclipsed, and the bright stars are setting,

The sun eclipsed, the stars disappeared,

And the full moon has no light or radiance.

The moon had no light or radiance.

والأفُقُ مُظْلِمٌ والبيداءُ موحشةٌ

والأفُقُ مُظْلِمٌ والبيداءُ موحشةٌ

والخَلْقُ أدمُعها بالسُّكبِ مهراقُ

والخَلْقُ أدمُعها بالسُّكبِ مهراقُ

And the horizon is dark, and the desert desolate,

The horizon was dark, the desert desolate,

And creation's tears are poured out in streams.

And creation's tears flowed in torrents.

لكنَّ صبراً فما في الموتِ من عَتَب

لكنَّ صبراً فما في الموتِ من عَتَب

نذوق ما أنبياءُ اللهِ قد ذاقوا

نذوق ما أنبياءُ اللهِ قد ذاقوا

But patience, for death admits no reproach;

But patience - there is no blame in death,

We taste what God's prophets have tasted.

We taste what prophets of God have tasted.

ولا تُخَلَّدُ أجساهُ الورى أبَدَاً

ولا تُخَلَّدُ أجساهُ الورى أبَدَاً

وليس يبقى من الأرواحِ أرْمَاقُ

وليس يبقى من الأرواحِ أرْمَاقُ

And the bodies of humankind are never made immortal,

No bodies last forever in this world,

And of the souls, no remnants of life remain.

Nor do any souls remain.