وقفنا على قبرِ العلاءِ بنِ صاعدٍ

وقفنا على قبرِ العلاءِ بنِ صاعدٍ

وأفواهُنا فيها صُدورُ الأنامِلِ

وأفواهُنا فيها صُدورُ الأنامِلِ

We stood at the grave of al-ʿAlāʾ ibn Ṣāʿid,

We stood at the grave of Ala' bin Sa'eed

and in our mouths were the tips of our fingers.

With mouths like the nests of ants

نزورُ غريباً لا يحنُ إلى هوىً

نزورُ غريباً لا يحنُ إلى هوىً

ولا يشتكي فقدَ الخليطِ المُزايلِ

ولا يشتكي فقدَ الخليطِ المُزايلِ

We visit a stranger who yearns for no love,

Visiting a stranger who longs for no passions

nor laments the loss of the companion who has parted.

Nor complains of the loss of intimate friends

بعيشكَ لا تبخلْ بِرَدِّ جوابنا

بعيشكَ لا تبخلْ بِرَدِّ جوابنا

متى كنتَ لا تخفى بطلعةِ سائِلِ

متى كنتَ لا تخفى بطلعةِ سائِلِ

By your life, do not begrudge us a reply,

With your life, be not miserly in answering us

when you never hid at a petitioner's approach.

Whenever you are not shy of the request of a questioner

وكيفَ تُجيبُ السّائلينَ وبينهم

وكيفَ تُجيبُ السّائلينَ وبينهم

وبينكَ أطباقُ الثّرى والجَنادِلِ

وبينكَ أطباقُ الثّرى والجَنادِلِ

And how can you answer the petitioners, when between them

How can you answer the questioners while between them

and you lie layers of earth and boulders?

And you are layers of earth and worms

بكيتُكَ للمكروبِ شُدَّ خِناقُه

بكيتُكَ للمكروبِ شُدَّ خِناقُه

وللخصمِ أعمى كلَّ حقٍّ بباطِلِ

وللخصمِ أعمى كلَّ حقٍّ بباطِلِ

I wept for you, for the anguished man whose noose was tightened,

I cried for you, for one whose neck is wrung by grief

and for the adversary who blinded every right with falsehood;

And for the blind adversary of every right with falsehood

ومولىً غسَلْتَ الذُّلَ عن حرِّ وجهِه

ومولىً غسَلْتَ الذُّلَ عن حرِّ وجهِه

وناقلتَ عنه القولَ كلَّ مُناقِلِ

وناقلتَ عنه القولَ كلَّ مُناقِلِ

and for a protégé whose face you washed clean of humiliation,

My master, you have washed away humiliation from the face of the free

and on whose behalf you traded words with every disputant;

And have conveyed from him the words of every conveyor

ومطروقةِ العينينِ طائرةِ الكَرى

ومطروقةِ العينينِ طائرةِ الكَرى

تكفكِفُ أسرابَ الدموعِ الهَوامِلِ

تكفكِفُ أسرابَ الدموعِ الهَوامِلِ

and for a downcast-eyed woman from whom sleep has flown,

With downcast eyes, soaring worries

who wipes away flocks of freely flowing tears.

Ruffle the flocks of pouring tears

لقد وَلَدتْ حزناً طويلاً وحسرةً

لقد وَلَدتْ حزناً طويلاً وحسرةً

تَهزُّ حَشاها بالضُّحى والأصائِلِ

تَهزُّ حَشاها بالضُّحى والأصائِلِ

She has indeed given birth to lasting sorrow and anguish

Indeed you have born long sorrow and regret

that shakes her innermost being in the forenoon and late afternoons.

That shake their dwellings at dawn and at nightfall

رحلتَ إلى مجهولةِ الماءِ والقِرى

رحلتَ إلى مجهولةِ الماءِ والقِرى

ولم تتزودْ زادَ يومٍ لراحِلِ

ولم تتزودْ زادَ يومٍ لراحِلِ

You departed for a land of unknown water and hospitality,

You have journeyed to the unknown lands and villages

and took no provisions for a traveler's day.

And did not provision yourself for the journey of a rider

وفارقتَ أقواماً يرونَ حياتَهم

وفارقتَ أقواماً يرونَ حياتَهم

وقد غالكَ المقدورُ إحدى الغَوائِلِ

وقد غالكَ المقدورُ إحدى الغَوائِلِ

And you parted from people who count their lives—

You have left people who see their lives

now that fate has slain you—as one of the calamities.

While destiny has led you to one of its twisting paths

كأنّكَ لم تعقِرْ لصَحْبِكَ ناقةً

كأنّكَ لم تعقِرْ لصَحْبِكَ ناقةً

فيأكل منها راكبٌ متنَ راجِلِ

فيأكل منها راكبٌ متنَ راجِلِ

As though you had never slaughtered a she-camel for your companions,

As if you did not hamper any she-camel of your companions

so that one riding a walker's back might eat from it;

So a rider eats of it while one on foot

وراحلةٍ وسطَ الفلاةِ تركتَها

وراحلةٍ وسطَ الفلاةِ تركتَها

تُغنّيهم أعضاؤها في المراجِلِ

تُغنّيهم أعضاؤها في المراجِلِ

and a riding-camel you left amid the wasteland,

Leaving in the wilderness a she-camel

its limbs singing to them in the cauldrons.

Whose limbs will cook them in the cooking pots

فتى ينصرُ المولى ويغفر جهلَه

فتى ينصرُ المولى ويغفر جهلَه

فليس بمعذولٍ وليسَ بعاذِلِ

فليس بمعذولٍ وليسَ بعاذِلِ

A youth who champions his protégé and forgives his folly,

A young man who aids his master and forgives his ignorance

neither reproached nor a reproacher himself.

Is neither blamable nor reproachable

أُقلبُ طَرفي في الأنامِ فَلا أرَى

أُقلبُ طَرفي في الأنامِ فَلا أرَى

على ما بِنا من غفلةٍ غيرَ غافِلِ

على ما بِنا من غفلةٍ غيرَ غافِلِ

I turn my gaze among mankind, but see no one—

I turn my eyes among the people but I do not see

for all our heedlessness—except the heedless.

Other than one heedless of our heedlessness

يعيّرُ زيدٌ بالسّفاهةِ مَزيداً

يعيّرُ زيدٌ بالسّفاهةِ مَزيداً

وقبرُ حليمٍ مثلُه قبرُ جاهِلِ

وقبرُ حليمٍ مثلُه قبرُ جاهِلِ

Zayd taunts Mazīd for foolishness,

Zayd accuses Mazeed of idiocy

yet a forbearing man's grave is like a fool's grave.

While the grave of Hakeem is like the grave of an ignorant one

وأُقسِمُ ما الدُّنيا بدارِ إقامةٍ

وأُقسِمُ ما الدُّنيا بدارِ إقامةٍ

ولا هي إلاّ مثلُ بعضِ المنازِلِ

ولا هي إلاّ مثلُ بعضِ المنازِلِ

And I swear: the world is no lasting abode,

And I swear this world is no abode of settlement

and is nothing but the likeness of a waystation.

It is but like some of the lodgings

نسيرُ إلى الآجالِ حولَ رجائِها

نسيرُ إلى الآجالِ حولَ رجائِها

ونَطوي بها الأيامَ طيَّ المَراحِلِ

ونَطوي بها الأيامَ طيَّ المَراحِلِ

We journey toward our appointed ends, circling her hopes,

We travel towards our deaths, hoping around them

and within her fold up days as we fold the stages of a journey.

And live out our days travelling the stages

ونأكلُ مرْعاها فتأكلُنا به

ونأكلُ مرْعاها فتأكلُنا به

لقد طلبت أرواحنا بالطّوائلِ

لقد طلبت أرواحنا بالطّوائلِ

And we feed on her pasture, and through it she devours us;

We eat its pasture, so it eats us through it

she has indeed pursued our souls for blood-revenge.

It has sought our souls through hardships

أصاعِد جنبها الدروعَ فإنّهُ

أصاعِد جنبها الدروعَ فإنّهُ

لبطنِ الثّرى تُثْري بُطونُ الحوامِلِ

لبطنِ الثّرى تُثْري بُطونُ الحوامِلِ

O Ṣāʿid, keep armor away from her, for

I climb its side with armor, for it

it is for the earth's belly that pregnant women's wombs grow rich.

Enriches the bellies of the earth with the bellies of the pregnant

وقد أخذتْ منكَ المصائبُ قبلَها

وقد أخذتْ منكَ المصائبُ قبلَها

فَما طفِرتْ من مقلتيْكَ بطائِلِ

فَما طفِرتْ من مقلتيْكَ بطائِلِ

Calamities had already taken from you before this one,

Calamities had taken you before it

and no tears sprang from your eyes to any avail.

So no misfortune escaped your eyelids

هَبِ الدهرَ لم يسمحْ بهِ يا ابن ثابتٍ

هَبِ الدهرَ لم يسمحْ بهِ يا ابن ثابتٍ

أكنتَ توَلّيهِ ملامَةَ عاذِلِ

أكنتَ توَلّيهِ ملامَةَ عاذِلِ

Suppose Time had not bestowed him, O son of Thābit:

Give the days, they were not lenient with you, O Ibn Thabit

would you have laid a reproacher's blame upon it?

Were you to accuse them of reproaching a reproacher?

ومَن ذا الذي يهوَى تلوّنَ عيشه

ومَن ذا الذي يهوَى تلوّنَ عيشه

ويَرْضى عن الأيّامِ غيرُ المجامِلِ

ويَرْضى عن الأيّامِ غيرُ المجامِلِ

And who is there who loves his life's changing colors,

And who is he that desires the changes of his life

and is content with the days, except one who humors them?

And is content with the days other than a flatterer?

أقِلها صروفَ الدهرِ كلَّ إقالةٍ

أقِلها صروفَ الدهرِ كلَّ إقالةٍ

وعشْ سالِماً يا خيرَ حافٍ وناعِلِ

وعشْ سالِماً يا خيرَ حافٍ وناعِلِ

Pardon them—the turns of Time—with complete forgiveness,

Make its turns few, every little turning,

and live safe and well, O best of the barefoot and the shod.

And live safely, O best cautioning companion

فإنّ الذي يُحثى عليهِ من الثّرى

فإنّ الذي يُحثى عليهِ من الثّرى

كآخرَ تستهديهِ أيدي القَوابلِ

كآخرَ تستهديهِ أيدي القَوابلِ

For he upon whom earth is heaped

For what is rubbed into the earth

is like another whom midwives' hands seek as a gift.

Is like the last the hands of fate will guide