Sol 6.1

  1. لقد عِفْتُ عيشيَ بعْدَ العَفِيفِ

    على العَيشِ بَعْدَ العفيفِ العَفاءُ

    I have indeed loathed my life after al-ʿAfif;

    May life after al-ʿAfif be blotted out!

  2. فما غاب ما غاب إِلاَّ الجميلُ

    وما مات ما ماتَ إِلاَّ الوفاءُ

    For when he vanished, only beauty vanished,

    And when he died, only loyalty died—

  3. وإِلا الصديقُ وإِلاَّ الصَّدُوقُ

    وإِلاَّ الصفيُّ وإِلاَّ الصَّفاءُ

    And the friend, and the ever-truthful,

    And the intimate companion, and purity.

  4. حبِيبٌ قريبٌ به يُلْتَهى

    وتُنسَى الأَحبّاءُ والأَقرباءُ

    A dear, close friend whose company beguiles,

    And loved ones and kinsfolk are forgotten.

  5. يقرَّب إِن بَعُد الأَقربون

    ويُشْكَرُ إِنْ ذُمَّتِ الأَصدقاءُ

    He is held close when the nearest kin grow distant,

    And praised when friends are censured.

  6. تلاومتُ إِنْ عشت من بعدِه

    فأين الإباء وأين الحياء

    I reproach myself if I live on after him;

    Where, then, is self-respect, and where is shame?

  7. وإِنَّ بَقَائِي من بعدِه

    قبيحٌ وإِنَّ حياتِي جفاءُ

    Indeed, my remaining after him

    Is shameful; indeed, my life is callousness.

  8. وكيف ولِمْ لا فَدَتْهُ الحياةُ

    وقلَّ له من حياتي الفِدَاءُ

    How, and why, did life not ransom him?

    Yet my life would have been a paltry ransom for him.

  9. ولِمْ لا نَقَلْتَ إِليّ السَّقامَ

    ويُنْقَلُ عنِّي إِليكَ الشَّفاءُ

    And why did you not pass the sickness to me,

    While healing passed from me to you?

  10. وكيف ولِمْ لا رددتُ القضاءَ

    وهيهاتَ ليس يُردُّ القضاءُ

    How, and why, did I not turn fate back?

    But no—fate cannot be turned back.

  11. فلا تَحْسَبُوا أَنَّني قد بَقِيتُ

    بَقِيتُ ولكن بقائي فَنَاءُ

    So do not think that I have survived:

    I have survived, but my survival is extinction.

  12. وأَمَّا مُقَاميَ فهُوَ الرّحيلُ

    وأَمَّا نعيميَ فهو الشَّقاءُ

    And as for my staying, it is departure;

    And as for my bliss, it is misery.

  13. برغمي دفَنْتُ عزيزاً عليّ

    فصارَ عزيزاً عليَّ العَزَاءُ

    Against my will, I buried one dear to me;

    So consolation became hard for me to find.

  14. مررتُ على رَبعه خَالياً

    وما رَبْعُه في فُؤَادي خَلاءُ

    I passed his dwelling, empty,

    Yet his dwelling in my heart is not empty.

  15. دفنت سرُورِيَ في قَبْره

    فما لِيَ في ذا ولا ذَا رجاءُ

    I buried my joy in his grave;

    So I have no hope in either this or that.

  16. تقول أَمانيَّ هل نَلتَقي

    فَقُلتُ نَعم في المعَادِ اللِّقَاءُ

    My hopes ask, 'Shall we meet?'

    So I said, 'Yes—at the Resurrection we shall meet.'

  17. ولست أُطيقُ أَرىَ قبرَه

    وإِنْ كَان فيه السَّنا والسَّناءُ

    I cannot bear to see his grave,

    Though it holds radiance and glory.

  18. فقد مَنع الطرفَ منِّي ومنْه

    إِمّا الدُّمُوعُ وإِمّا الضِّياءُ

    For between me and it, my sight is barred

    By either tears or radiance.

  19. فأُفٍّ لدينا تساوى الَّذيـ

    ـن بساحَتِها أَحْسَنُوا أَمْ أَسَاءُوا

    Fie on a world where all are equal—

    Whether they did good in its arena or did evil.

  20. يَعُم أَذَاهَا فلا الأَغنياءُ

    نَجَوْا من أَذَاها ولا الأَنْبِياءُ

    Its harm reaches all: neither the wealthy

    Escaped its harm, nor the prophets.

  21. ونالَتْ كما تشتهي مَا تشاءُ

    وما نالَ خلقٌ بها ما يَشاءُ

    It has gained what it wishes, just as it desires,

    Yet no creature in it has gained what he wishes.

  22. يشيب بها المرءُ قَبْلَ الشبابِ

    ويُهدَمُ من قبلِ يُبْنى البناءُ

    In it, a man grows gray before his youth,

    And a building is demolished before it is built.

  23. خَلِيلِي وحاشاك أَن لا تجيبَ

    ندائِي فَقَدْ طال منِّي النِّداءُ

    My dear friend—far be it from you not to answer

    My call, for long have I been calling.

  24. لئن كنتَ أُسْكِنْتَ دَارَ البلى

    فقد دَارَ بالقلب منِّي البَلاَءُ

    If indeed you have been lodged in the house of decay,

    Affliction has indeed encircled my heart.

  25. وإِن جفَّ فيكَ دمٌ واحدٌ

    فقد سَالَ من مُقْلَتَيَّ دِمَاءُ

    And if one life's blood has dried within you,

    Streams of blood have flowed from my two eyes.

  26. سأُثْنِي عَلَيْكَ وما قلَّ ما

    يَقُومُ بما يَسْتَحِقُّ الثَّناءُ

    I shall praise you—and it is no small feat

    For praise to do justice to what you deserve.

  27. ثناءٌ يُنَدُّ به النَّدُّ عنه

    حياءً ويَكْبُو لدَيْه الكِبَاءُ

    Praise that sends perfume fleeing from it

    In shame, while incense stumbles before it.

  28. ثنائيَ قد غَبَطتْهُ الرِّياضُ

    وقَبْرُكُ قد حَسَدتْهُ السَّماءُ

    The gardens have envied my praise,

    And heaven has envied your grave.

  29. تصرَّمَ ما بيننا وانْقَضى

    وزال التزاورُ والإِلتقاءُ

    What lay between us has been severed and ended,

    And visits and meetings have ceased.

  30. فماليَ منك سوى الاكتئابِ

    ومالك مِني إِلاَّ الدُّعَاءُ

    So I have nothing from you but sorrow,

    And you have nothing from me but prayer.

  31. ويبكي عليكَ فَمِي بالقَريضِ

    إِذا قلَّ مِنْ مقلتيَّ البُكَاءُ

    My mouth weeps for you in verse

    When weeping from my two eyes grows scant.

  32. فَجوزِيتَ عنِّي خَيْر الجزاءِ

    وأَعطاكَ مَنْ بيَديْهِ العطاءُ

    May you be rewarded on my behalf with the best reward,

    And may He in whose hands is all giving bestow upon you.

  33. ولا زِلْتَ بالقَبْرِ في جنةِ

    لك الرِّيُّ من ظَمْئِها والرُّواءُ

    And may you ever dwell in a garden within the grave,

    Whose very thirst brings you refreshment and beauty.