أيَاO منyou who بشرقِin the east of الأرضِthe earth والغربِand the west يَمتريseeks
أيَا من بشرقِ الأرضِ والغربِ يَمتري
صَدىthe echo الجودِof generosity أوor يطويtraverses إليهtoward it الفَيافِياthe deserts
صَدى الجودِ أو يطوي إليه الفَيافِيا
O you who, in the earth's east and west, seek
O you who travels the breadth of east and west
generosity's echo, or cross the deserts toward it,
Echoing generosity or journeying towards it
أقيمواappoint لهfor it إنْif كنتمْyou are منamong ثِقاتِهِits trusted ones
أقيموا له إنْ كنتمْ من ثِقاتِهِ
بكاةًmale mourners علىover أمواتِهits dead وبَواكِياand female mourners
بكاةً على أمواتِه وبَواكِيا
appoint for it, if you are among its trusted ones,
Pay your respects if you are among his comrades
men and women to mourn its dead.
Weeping for his dead and lamenting
فإنّfor indeed بميّافَارِقينَin Mayyafariqin حفيرةًa grave
فإنّ بميّافَارِقينَ حفيرةً
تركْناwe left عليهاover it ناظرَthe eye الجودِof generosity دامِياbleeding
تركْنا عليها ناظرَ الجودِ دامِيا
For in Mayyafariqin lies a grave
For in Miyafariqin we left behind a grave
over which we left generosity's eye bleeding.
Where the generous gazed ruefully
تُضَمِّنُهاplace within it الأيديthe hands فتىa youth ثكلتْwere bereaved بهِthrough him
تُضَمِّنُها الأيدي فتى ثكلتْ بهِ
غَداةَthe morning ثَوىhe lay buried آمالَهاtheir hopes والأمانِياand wishes
غَداةَ ثَوى آمالَها والأمانِيا
Hands lay within it a youth whose death bereaved them,
Containing one whose hands were severed
the morning he lay buried, of their hopes and wishes.
When hopes and desires were laid to rest
مِنَfrom التغلِبيينَthe Taghlibites الأُلىwho لوif رأيتَهمyou saw them
مِنَ التغلِبيينَ الأُلى لو رأيتَهم
رأيتَyou would see رجالاًmen يَخلقونَcreate المَعالياlofty achievements
رأيتَ رجالاً يَخلقونَ المَعاليا
Of the Taghlibites—if you were to see them,
Of the noblest of the Taghlib if you saw them
you would see men who fashion lofty achievements.
You'd see men who embody the highest virtues
إذاwhen هطَلواthey pour down خِلتَyou imagine السَّحابَthe clouds سَواقِياًwatercourses
إذا هطَلوا خِلتَ السَّحابَ سَواقِياً
وإنْand if نَطقواthey speak خِلتَyou imagine الكلامَspeech قَوافِياrhymes
وإنْ نَطقوا خِلتَ الكلامَ قَوافِيا
When they pour forth, you think the clouds mere watercourses;
When they attack, they leave clouds pouring rain
and if they speak, you take speech for rhyming verse.
When they speak, they leave words rhyming eloquently
وأيُّand what a فتىًyouth يشْكوone laments إلىto الموتِDeath فقدَهhis loss
وأيُّ فتىً يشْكو إلى الموتِ فقدَه
كأنْas though لمnot يكنْhad been يوماًever لهto him الموتُDeath شاكِياcomplaining
كأنْ لم يكنْ يوماً له الموتُ شاكِيا
And what a youth! One laments his loss to Death,
What young man complains to death of losing him
as though Death had never once complained to him.
As though death had never claimed all ardently
إذاwhen ذكرتْrecall أخلاقُهhis virtues منهof his شيمةًa trait
إذا ذكرتْ أخلاقُه منه شيمةً
تسربلَclothes itself منهthrough him أخلَقworn-out الحَدِّthe cutting edge ماضِياkeen
تسربلَ منه أخلَق الحَدِّ ماضِيا
When his virtues recall a trait of his,
When his manners are remembered, each a virtue
a worn-edged blade, through him, clothes itself in keenness.
Morals most sublime are revealed fittingly
فتىَa youth يشربُone drinks الماءَthe water الزّلالَclear and sweet لفَقْدِهfor his loss
فتىَ يشربُ الماءَ الزّلالَ لفَقْدِه
ذعافاًdeadly poison ويجنيand one gathers الطيّباتِgood things أفاعِياvipers
ذعافاً ويجني الطيّباتِ أفاعِيا
A youth whose loss makes one drink clear, sweet water
A lad who drinks pure spring water in grief
as deadly poison, and gather good things as vipers.
And harvests sweet herbs now with enmity
فياso, O قَبرَهhis grave جُدْgive generously to كلَّevery أرضٍland بجودِهِwith his bounty
فيا قَبرَه جُدْ كلَّ أرضٍ بجودِهِ
ولاand do not تنتظِرْawait فِيهاin it السَّحابَthe clouds الفَوادياredeeming
ولا تنتظِرْ فِيها السَّحابَ الفَواديا
So, O his grave, shower his bounty on every land,
Oh his grave, be bounteous in every land
and do not wait there for the redeeming clouds.
Do not expect clouds to rain copiously
فإنكَfor indeed you لوif تدريknew بماwhat فيكَwithin you منof نَدىbounty
فإنكَ لو تدري بما فيكَ من نَدى
تصدّعتَyou would split open حتىuntil يُصبحَbecame الجوُّthe sky طامِياoverflowing
تصدّعتَ حتى يُصبحَ الجوُّ طامِيا
For if you knew the bounty held within you,
For if you but knew the dew inside you
you would split open until the sky overflowed.
You would crack open till dawn breaks violently
وياand O يومَهhis day عَزَّconsole الأنامmankind بفقدِهfor his loss
ويا يومَه عَزَّ الأنام بفقدِه
فأنتَfor you بمولاهُمthrough their lord تُعزّىyou console المَوالياthe retainers
فأنتَ بمولاهُم تُعزّى المَواليا
And O day of his death, console mankind for his loss,
Oh day of his loss, glorified by all peoples
for through their lord you console the retainers.
Through their master you gain solace readily
وحاشاكَand far be it from you سيفَSword الدولةِof the State اليومَtoday أنْto تُرىbe seen
وحاشاكَ سيفَ الدولةِ اليومَ أنْ تُرى
منof الصبرِpatience خُلواdevoid أوor إلىfor الحزنِgrief ظامِياthirsting
من الصبرِ خُلوا أو إلى الحزنِ ظامِيا
And far be it from you, Sayf al-Dawla, to be seen today
Never shall you see Swords of State's sword today
devoid of patience or thirsting for grief.
Bereft of patience or steeped in agony
فإنْfor if تَكُit be أفنتْhas ended سطوةُthe assault الدّهْرِof Time عمرَهhis life
فإنْ تَكُ أفنتْ سطوةُ الدّهْرِ عمرَه
فعُمْرُthen the life عُلاهُof his glory يتركُleaves الدّهْرَTime فانِياperishing
فعُمْرُ عُلاهُ يتركُ الدّهْرَ فانِيا
For if Time's assault has ended his life,
Though the days have ended his life's span
then the life of his glory leaves Time itself to perish.
His lofty life leaves fleeting days vainly
وماand nothing فيهof him مفقودٌlost إذاif كنتَyou are حاضراًpresent
وما فيه مفقودٌ إذا كنتَ حاضراً
ولاand no فيهِof him مَثكولbereaved person إذاif كنتَyou are باقِياremaining
ولا فيهِ مَثكول إذا كنتَ باقِيا
And nothing of him is lost while you are present,
Nothing is missed if you're present
and no one is bereaved of him while you remain.
Nothing yearned for if you remain eternally
ولمّاand when عَدِمْناwe lost الصبرَpatience بعدَafter محمّدٍMuhammad
ولمّا عَدِمْنا الصبرَ بعدَ محمّدٍ
أتيناwe came to أباهُhis father نستفيدُwe receive التّعازِياconsolation
أتينا أباهُ نستفيدُ التّعازِيا
And when we had no patience left after Muhammad,
When we lost patience after Muhammad
we came to his father to receive consolation.
We came to his father seeking condolences
عجبتُI marveled لهat him كيفَhow استقلَّhe bore بحزنِهhis grief
عجبتُ له كيفَ استقلَّ بحزنِه
عليْهِfor him وقدalthough it had هدّshattered الجبالَthe mountains الرّواسِياfirmly rooted
عليْهِ وقد هدّ الجبالَ الرّواسِيا
I marveled at him: how could he bear his grief
I wondered how he bore his grief alone
for him, when it had shattered the firmly rooted mountains?
When mountains quake from sorrows mightily
ولكنّهُbut he سيفٌa sword إذاwhen التبستْentangled themselves بهِwith him
ولكنّهُ سيفٌ إذا التبستْ بهِ
صُروفُthe vicissitudes اللّياليof the nights رَدَّهُنّhe sends them back نَوابِياrecoiling
صُروفُ اللّيالي رَدَّهُنّ نَوابِيا
But he is a sword: when he is beset
But he's a sword, when dark nights close in
by the vicissitudes of the nights, he sends them back recoiling.
He repels them, ever bright and shiningly
جديرٌwell able إذاif مالجَفنُever the scabbard جلّلَcovers نصْلَهhis blade
جديرٌ إذا مالجَفنُ جلّلَ نصْلَه
بتمزيقِهto tear it apart حتىuntil ترىyou see النّصلَthe blade بادِياexposed
بتمزيقِه حتى ترى النّصلَ بادِيا
He is well able, if ever the scabbard covers his blade,
Worthy, when his eyelids droop, to bare his blade
to tear it apart until you see the blade exposed.
Till you see the steel gleam brilliantly
بِطولِwith the length ذِراعٍof an arm لاnot يَرىhe deems الرمحَthe spear نائلاًreaching
بِطولِ ذِراعٍ لا يَرى الرمحَ نائلاً
وحدّةِand the sharpness كفٍّof a hand لاnot يَرىhe deems السيفَthe sword كافِياsufficient
وحدّةِ كفٍّ لا يَرى السيفَ كافِيا
With an arm so long he deems the spear unable to reach,
With arms spread so no spear seems out of reach
and a hand so keen he deems the sword insufficient.
With clenched fists so no sword seems inadequately
إذاwhen الحُزْنُgrief ولّىappoints نفسَهitself صدرَthe breast of جازعٍa distraught person
إذا الحُزْنُ ولّى نفسَه صدرَ جازعٍ
أقامَhe sets عليهover it حسبةhope of reward الصبْرِpatience والِياas governor
أقامَ عليه حسبة الصبْرِ والِيا
When grief makes itself ruler of a distraught man's breast,
When grief twists a mourning heart
he appoints the hope of reward through patience as governor over it.
Patience stands guard over him staunchly
فلاso may not زالتِcease الدُّنياthe world ولاand may not زالَcease مجدُهhis glory
فلا زالتِ الدُّنيا ولا زالَ مجدُه
يُغرّيspurs بهagainst him أيامَهاits days واللّيالِياand the nights
يُغرّي به أيامَها واللّيالِيا
May the world endure, and may his glory never cease
His glory has not waned as days go by
to spur its days and nights against him.
Mocking their nights and days scornfully
Sol 6.1