يدُ الدهرِ جارحةٌ آسيَهْ

يدُ الدهرِ جارحةٌ آسيَهْ

ودنْيَاكَ مُفْنِيَةٌ فانيَهْ

ودنْيَاكَ مُفْنِيَةٌ فانيَهْ

Time's hand wounds and heals;

The hand of fate is injurious, causing pain

and your world destroys and itself passes away.

And your world is vanishing, transient

وربّكَ وارثُ أربابها

وربّكَ وارثُ أربابها

وَمُحيي عظامِهمُ الباليه

وَمُحيي عظامِهمُ الباليه

And your Lord inherits its masters,

While your Lord inherits its lords

and brings their decaying bones to life.

And revives their withered bones

رأيتُ الحِمامَ يبيدُ الأنامَ

رأيتُ الحِمامَ يبيدُ الأنامَ

وَلَدْغَتُهُ ما لها راقيه

وَلَدْغَتُهُ ما لها راقيه

I have seen death annihilate humankind,

I saw the plague destroy people

and no healer can charm its sting away.

Its bite has no remedy

وأرواحنا ثَمَرَاتٌ له

وأرواحنا ثَمَرَاتٌ له

يَمُدّ إليها يداً جانيَه

يَمُدّ إليها يداً جانيَه

And our souls are fruits for it;

And our souls are fruits for it

it reaches toward them with a plucking hand.

It extends to them a thieving hand

وكلّ امرئٍ قد رأى سمْعُهُ

وكلّ امرئٍ قد رأى سمْعُهُ

ذهاباً منَ الأمَمِ الماضيه

ذهاباً منَ الأمَمِ الماضيه

And every man's hearing has already witnessed

And every person has seen with their hearing

the passing of nations gone before.

The passing of past nations

وعاريةٌ في الفتى روحُهُ

وعاريةٌ في الفتى روحُهُ

ولا بدّ من رَدّة العاريه

ولا بدّ من رَدّة العاريه

And a young man's soul is a loan within him,

A young man's soul is bare

and the loan must be returned.

And the bare must be returned

سقى اللّه قبر أبي رحمةً

سقى اللّه قبر أبي رحمةً

فسقياهُ رائحةٌ غاديه

فسقياهُ رائحةٌ غاديه

May God water my father's grave with mercy,

May Allah water my father's grave with mercy

and may its watering come at evening and dawn.

Sending to it a passing scent

وسيّرَ عن جِسمه روحه

وسيّرَ عن جِسمه روحه

إلى الرَّوْحِ والعيشة الرّاضيه

إلى الرَّوْحِ والعيشة الرّاضيه

And may He send his soul forth from his body

And facilitate his soul's release

to repose and a life of contentment.

To the Spirit and the pleasant life

فكم فيه من خُلُقٍ طاهرٍ

فكم فيه من خُلُقٍ طاهرٍ

ومن همّةٍ في العُلى ساميَه

ومن همّةٍ في العُلى ساميَه

For how many a pure trait he possessed,

So much pure manner was in him

and aspirations soaring to the heights,

And lofty, sublime ambition

ومن كَرَمٍ في العُلى أوّل

ومن كَرَمٍ في العُلى أوّل

وشمسُ النّهارِ لهُ ثانيَه

وشمسُ النّهارِ لهُ ثانيَه

and generosity foremost in glory,

And foremost, lofty generosity

with the sun of day second to it.

With the sun of day his second

ولوْ أنّ أخلاقَهُ للزّمانِ

ولوْ أنّ أخلاقَهُ للزّمانِ

لكانتْ مواردُهُ صافيه

لكانتْ مواردُهُ صافيه

And had Time possessed his virtues,

Had his manners embraced the age

its watering places would have been clear.

Its waters would be clear

أتاني بدارِ النوَى نَعْيُهُ

أتاني بدارِ النوَى نَعْيُهُ

فيا روعةَ السمع بالداهيه

فيا روعةَ السمع بالداهيه

News of his death reached me in the land of separation;

The news of his death came to me

and oh, how that calamity terrified the ear!

In the land of yearning, oh how woeful the news to my ears

فحمّرَ ما ابيضّ من عَبرتي

فحمّرَ ما ابيضّ من عَبرتي

وَبَيّضَ لِمّتيَ الداجيه

وَبَيّضَ لِمّتيَ الداجيه

It turned my once-white tears red,

It reddened what had whitened of my tears

and whitened my dark locks.

And whitened my dark sorrow

بدارِ اغترابٍ كأنّ الحياةَ

بدارِ اغترابٍ كأنّ الحياةَ

لذكر الغريب بها ناسيه

لذكر الغريب بها ناسيه

In a land of exile, as though life

In the land of exile, as if life there

had no remembrance of the stranger there.

Has forgotten the stranger with its mention

فمثّلتُ في خلدي شخْصَهُ

فمثّلتُ في خلدي شخْصَهُ

وَقَرّبْتُ تربته القاصيه

وَقَرّبْتُ تربته القاصيه

So I pictured his form in my mind,

I imagined him in my thoughts

and brought his distant grave near.

And made near his distant soil

ونُحْتُ كثكلى على ماجدٍ

ونُحْتُ كثكلى على ماجدٍ

ولا مُسْعِدٌ لي سوى القافيه

ولا مُسْعِدٌ لي سوى القافيه

And I wailed like a bereaved mother over a noble man,

I mourned like a widow for Majid

with none to join my mourning but rhyme.

With none to make me happy but rhyme

قديمُ تراثِ العلى سَيّدٌ

قديمُ تراثِ العلى سَيّدٌ

على النّجْمِ خُطّتُهُ ساميه

على النّجْمِ خُطّتُهُ ساميه

A lord with an ancient heritage of glory,

Ancient heritage has a master

whose station soared above the stars.

His line on the stars stamped sublime

مضى بالرّجاحةِ من حِلمِهِ

مضى بالرّجاحةِ من حِلمِهِ

فما سَيّرَ الهضبَةَ الراسيه

فما سَيّرَ الهضبَةَ الراسيه

He departed with the weight of his forbearance—

He went with wise calm

what carried that firmly rooted mountain away?

He did not hurry the firm-standing mountain

وما أنْسَ لا أنْسَ يوْم الفراق

وما أنْسَ لا أنْسَ يوْم الفراق

وأسرارُ أعيننَا فاشيَه

وأسرارُ أعيننَا فاشيَه

Whatever I forget, I will not forget the day of parting,

Nor forget the sadness of the day we parted

when our eyes' secrets were laid bare.

And the secrets of our eyes laid bare

ومَرّتْ لتوديعنَا ساعةٌ

ومَرّتْ لتوديعنَا ساعةٌ

بلؤلؤ أدْمُعِنَا حَاليَه

بلؤلؤ أدْمُعِنَا حَاليَه

An hour passed as we bade farewell,

And there passed to bid us farewell an hour

adorned with the pearls of our tears.

With the pearls of our falling tears

ولي بالوقوفِ على جمرها

ولي بالوقوفِ على جمرها

وإنْضاجه قَدَمٌ حافيَه

وإنْضاجه قَدَمٌ حافيَه

And I stood upon its embers,

And my stepping on its embers barefoot

their heat searing my bare foot.

To cook and prepare

ورحتُ إلى غربةٍ مُرّةٍ

ورحتُ إلى غربةٍ مُرّةٍ

وراحَ إلى غُرْبَةً ساجيَه

وراحَ إلى غُرْبَةً ساجيَه

And I departed into bitter exile,

I went to a bitter estrangement

and he departed into a tranquil exile.

And he to a blissful retreat

وقَدْ أوْدَعَتني آراؤهُ

وقَدْ أوْدَعَتني آراؤهُ

نجوماً طوالعُها هاديه

نجوماً طوالعُها هاديه

And his counsels had lodged within me

Into me he entrusted his principles

stars whose risings showed the way.

With stars whose rising is guiding

سمعتُ مقالَةَ شيخي النّصيحِ

سمعتُ مقالَةَ شيخي النّصيحِ

وأَرضِيَ عَنْ أرضِهِ نائيه

وأَرضِيَ عَنْ أرضِهِ نائيه

I heard the words of my well-wishing elder,

I heard the advice of my mentoring elder

though my land lay far from his,

Pleased with his distant land

كأنّ بأذني لها صرخةً

كأنّ بأذني لها صرخةً

أرادَ بها عُمَرٌ ساريه

أرادَ بها عُمَرٌ ساريه

as though those words were a cry within my ear

As if my ear heard in it a scream

with which Umar addressed Sariyah.

With which a lifetime bid farewell

مَضَى سالكاً سُبْلَ آبائهِ

مَضَى سالكاً سُبْلَ آبائهِ

وأجدادِهِ الغُرَرِ الماضيه

وأجدادِهِ الغُرَرِ الماضيه

He departed, following the paths of his fathers

He went, walking the roads of his forefathers

and his illustrious forebears of old.

And ancestors, the departed noble ones

كرامٌ تولوا بريب المنونِ

كرامٌ تولوا بريب المنونِ

وأبقوْا مفاخرَهُمْ باقيَه

وأبقوْا مفاخرَهُمْ باقيَه

Noble men who departed under death's blows,

Generous people who confronted the threat of death

leaving their glories to endure.

And left their glories lasting

مَضَى وهو منّي أخو حَسرَةٍ

مَضَى وهو منّي أخو حَسرَةٍ

تُمازِجُ أنفاسَهُ الرّاقيَه

تُمازِجُ أنفاسَهُ الرّاقيَه

He departed, anguished on my account,

He went and he was to me a brother of sorrow

that anguish mingling with his rising breaths.

That mingles with his lofty breath

تجودُ بدفع الأسى والرّدى

تجودُ بدفع الأسى والرّدى

على خدّه عينُهُ الباكيه

على خدّه عينُهُ الباكيه

Driven by sorrow and death, tears streamed

Bestowing in his push against pain and havoc

upon his cheek from his weeping eye.

Upon his cheek, his weeping eye

وإني لذو حَزَنٍ بعده

وإني لذو حَزَنٍ بعده

شؤونُ الدمعِ لهُ داميَه

شؤونُ الدمعِ لهُ داميَه

And I am filled with grief since his departure;

And I have after him deep sorrow

the channels of my tears bleed for him.

The affairs of tears for him ever-flowing

بكيتُ أبي حقبَةً والأسى

بكيتُ أبي حقبَةً والأسى

عليّ شَواهدُهُ باديه

عليّ شَواهدُهُ باديه

I have wept for my father a long while, and sorrow—

I wept for my father an era, with grief

its signs are plain upon me.

Its landmarks visible to me

وما خمدتْ لوعةٌ تلتظي

وما خمدتْ لوعةٌ تلتظي

ولا جَمَدَتْ عَبرةٌ جاريه

ولا جَمَدَتْ عَبرةٌ جاريه

And no blazing anguish has died down,

No burning anguish has subsided

nor has a flowing tear congealed.

Nor flowing tear congealed

ونفسي وإن مُدّ في عُمرِها

ونفسي وإن مُدّ في عُمرِها

لما لقيَتْ نفسُه لاقيه

لما لقيَتْ نفسُه لاقيه

And my soul, though its lifetime be prolonged,

And my soul, however lengthy its life

will meet what his soul has met.

Did not meet a soul like his