راحوا بأرواحٍ ظماء

راحوا بأرواحٍ ظماء

يتهافتون على الفناء

يتهافتون على الفناء

They departed with spirits athirst,

They departed with thirsty souls,

rushing headlong toward extinction.

rushing headlong toward annihilation.

جفَّت حلوقٌ بعدهم

جفَّت حلوقٌ بعدهم

لم تلق دونهمُ رواء

لم تلق دونهمُ رواء

Throats dried after they were gone;

Throats grew parched after their departure;

without them, none found a quenching drink.

without them, they found no relief from thirst.

واهاً لكأسٍ كالخُلو

واهاً لكأسٍ كالخُلو

دِ ومنهلٍ فيه الشفاء

دِ ومنهلٍ فيه الشفاء

Ah, for a cup of immortality,

Ah, for a cup like immortality,

and a spring wherein lies healing.

and a spring in which lies healing!

كنَّا إذا ضجَّ الفؤا

كنَّا إذا ضجَّ الفؤا

دُ وضاق بالدنيا وناء

دُ وضاق بالدنيا وناء

Whenever the heart cried out,

We would, whenever the heart cried out

oppressed by the world and heavy with weariness,

and felt hemmed in by the world and weighed down,

نَمضي إليه فنستَقي

نَمضي إليه فنستَقي

ونَعُبُّ منه كما نشاء

ونَعُبُّ منه كما نشاء

we would go there and drink,

go to it and draw water,

and quaff from it as freely as we wished.

and drink deeply from it as we wished.

فاليومَ إذ شطَّ المزا

فاليومَ إذ شطَّ المزا

رُ بكم وقد عزَّ اللقاء

رُ بكم وقد عزَّ اللقاء

But today, now that visiting you

So today, now that your resting place is far away,

lies far away and meeting has become impossible,

and meeting you has become so hard,

وبخلتُمُ بُخلَ الضَّني

وبخلتُمُ بُخلَ الضَّني

نِ فحسبُنا قَطراتُ ماء

نِ فحسبُنا قَطراتُ ماء

and you have withheld with a miser’s parsimony,

and you have withheld with a miser's stinginess,

a few drops of water must suffice us.

drops of water must suffice us.

أين الأمين على الإما

أين الأمين على الإما

رة والحريصُ على اللواء

رة والحريصُ على اللواء

Where is the one entrusted with command,

Where is the trusted guardian of the princedom,

the zealous guardian of the banner?

and the vigilant keeper of the banner?

قبسٌ أضاء العالَمي

قبسٌ أضاء العالَمي

ن كما تُضيءُ لهم ذكاء

ن كما تُضيءُ لهم ذكاء

A flame that illuminated all creation,

A flame that lit the worlds,

as Dhukāʾ—the sun—shines upon it.

as Dhukā’, the sun, shines for them.

ثم اختفى خلف الغيو

ثم اختفى خلف الغيو

ب مخلِّفاً ظُلم المساء

ب مخلِّفاً ظُلم المساء

Then it vanished behind the clouds,

Then it vanished behind the clouds,

leaving the darkness of evening behind.

leaving behind the darkness of evening.

فكأنما هبة السّما

فكأنما هبة السّما

ءِ قد استردَّتها السَّماء

ءِ قد استردَّتها السَّماء

It was as though Heaven’s own gift

As though heaven's gift

had been reclaimed by Heaven.

had been reclaimed by heaven.

جزع الرياض لطائرٍ

جزع الرياض لطائرٍ

غنَّى فأبدعَ في الغناء

غنَّى فأبدعَ في الغناء

The gardens grieved for a bird

The gardens grieved for a bird

that sang and made song wondrous.

who sang and excelled in song,

حتى إذا خلب العقو

حتى إذا خلب العقو

لَ وقيل سِحرٌ لا مراء

لَ وقيل سِحرٌ لا مراء

Until, once it had bewitched the minds,

until, once he had enchanted minds

and all said, “Magic, beyond dispute,”

and they said, 'Magic beyond dispute,'

ولَّى عن الأيك الفخو

ولَّى عن الأيك الفخو

ر به إلى عرضِ الفضاء

ر به إلى عرضِ الفضاء

it turned from the grove that gloried

he left the grove so proud

in it, out into the vastness of the sky.

of him, for the breadth of the sky.

فكأنَّه والسُّحّب تط

فكأنَّه والسُّحّب تط

ويه فيمعن في الخفاء

ويه فيمعن في الخفاء

And while the clouds enfolded it,

It was as though, while the clouds enfolded

it receded ever deeper into hiding—

him and he sank ever deeper from sight,

دنيا من الأمل الجمي

دنيا من الأمل الجمي

لِ قد استبدَّ بها العَفاء

لِ قد استبدَّ بها العَفاء

a world of beautiful hope

he were a world of beautiful hope

now overrun by desolation.

held in the grip of ruin.

ووراءها شفقٌ من الذ

ووراءها شفقٌ من الذ

ذكرى كجرحٍ ذي دِماء

ذكرى كجرحٍ ذي دِماء

Beyond it glowed the twilight of memory,

And behind it, a twilight glow of

like a wound flowing with blood.

remembrance, like a bleeding wound.

وتُسائل الدُّنيا التي

وتُسائل الدُّنيا التي

ناطت به كلَّ الرَّجاء

ناطت به كلَّ الرَّجاء

And the world, which had fastened

And the world asks—the world that

all its hopes upon him, asks:

had hung all its hope on him—

عن أي سرٍ طار عن

عن أي سرٍ طار عن

هَذي الرُّبى وعلام جاء

هَذي الرُّبى وعلام جاء

what secret has flown away from

by what mystery he flew away from

these hills, and why did it come?

these hills, and why he came.

قُم يا فقيدَ الشعرِ وان

قُم يا فقيدَ الشعرِ وان

ظُر أيّ حفلٍ للرثاء

ظُر أيّ حفلٍ للرثاء

Rise, O poetry’s lost one, and behold

Rise, O you whom poetry has lost, and

what a gathering has assembled to mourn.

see what a gathering for lamentation!

أمَمٌ يُصبِّرُ بعضُها

أمَمٌ يُصبِّرُ بعضُها

بعضاً وهيهات العزاء

بعضاً وهيهات العزاء

Nations console one

Nations: some urge patience on

another—yet consolation is far away.

others, but consolation is far beyond reach.

هذي الجموع الباكيا

هذي الجموع الباكيا

تُ الساخطاتُ على القضاء

تُ الساخطاتُ على القضاء

These weeping crowds,

These weeping multitudes,

indignant at Fate’s decree—

indignant at fate,

قاسمتها أشجانها

قاسمتها أشجانها

ووفيت ما شاءَ الوفاء

ووفيت ما شاءَ الوفاء

you shared their sorrows,

you shared their sorrows

and fulfilled all that fidelity required.

and fulfilled all that faithfulness asked.

أوَ لَم تجدكَ لسانها الش

أوَ لَم تجدكَ لسانها الش

شاكي إذا احتدم البلاء

شاكي إذا احتدم البلاء

Did they not find in you their voice

And did they not find you their voice,

of complaint whenever affliction raged?

lamenting when affliction raged?

أوَ لَم تكن غِرّيدَها

أوَ لَم تكن غِرّيدَها

ونديمها عند الصفاء

ونديمها عند الصفاء

Were you not their sweet singer,

And were you not their songbird

and their boon companion in serenity?

and their companion in times of serenity?

لم لا توفيك الجَمي

لم لا توفيك الجَمي

ل وتَستَقلّ لك الفداء

ل وتَستَقلّ لك الفداء

Why should they not repay your goodness,

Why should they not repay your kindness

deeming every sacrifice for you too small?

and deem sacrifice for you too little?

ومُنَعَّمٍ بين القصو

ومُنَعَّمٍ بين القصو

رِ قد استَتم له الثراء

رِ قد استَتم له الثراء

And one pampered amid palaces,

And a pampered man among palaces,

whose wealth had reached completion—

whose wealth had become complete:

ما بالهُ حملَ الهمو

ما بالهُ حملَ الهمو

مَ وجشَّم القلبَ العناء

مَ وجشَّم القلبَ العناء

why did he shoulder cares

why did he shoulder cares

and burden his heart with suffering,

and burden his heart with hardship,

وينوءُ بالعبءِ الذي

وينوءُ بالعبءِ الذي

هو عن أذاه في غَناء

هو عن أذاه في غَناء

staggering beneath a load

and why does he stagger beneath a burden

from whose harm he had no need?

whose hurt he has no need to bear?

ويحَ الذكاءِ وما يُكل

ويحَ الذكاءِ وما يُكل

لِفه من الثَّمنِ الذَّكاء

لِفه من الثَّمنِ الذَّكاء

Woe to genius—and the price

Alas for genius, and the price

genius makes him pay!

that genius makes him pay!

أضنى قواه ولم يدع

أضنى قواه ولم يدع

من جسمه إلا ذماء

من جسمه إلا ذماء

It exhausted his strength and left

It sapped his strength and left nothing

only a last flicker of life in his body.

of his body but a last flicker of life.

والمجد يوغل في حنا

والمجد يوغل في حنا

يا روحه والمجدُ داء

يا روحه والمجدُ داء

Glory burrowed into the folds

And glory reaches deep into the recesses

of his spirit—and glory is a disease.

of his soul—and glory is a disease.

صرحٌ من الأدبِ الصمي

صرحٌ من الأدبِ الصمي

مِ له على الدنيا البقاء

مِ له على الدنيا البقاء

An edifice of literature, true at its core,

An edifice of genuine literature,

shall endure in the world.

that shall endure in this world.

الدَّهر يحمي ركنَه

الدَّهر يحمي ركنَه

والفنُّ في روح البناء

والفنُّ في روح البناء

Time guards its cornerstone,

Time guards its pillar,

and art is the spirit of its structure.

and art dwells in the spirit of its structure.

شوقي على رغم التفر

شوقي على رغم التفر

ردِ والتفوقِ والعلاء

ردِ والتفوقِ والعلاء

Shawqi—despite your singularity,

Shawqi, despite your singularity,

your supremacy and loftiness—

your excellence and eminence,

ذاك الرقادُ بساحةٍ

ذاك الرقادُ بساحةٍ

كل الرجال بها سواء

كل الرجال بها سواء

that sleep is in a realm

that repose is in a place

where all men are equal.

where all men are equal.

وبرغم ذهن كالفرا

وبرغم ذهن كالفرا

شة حول مصباح أضاء

شة حول مصباح أضاء

And despite a mind like a moth

And despite a mind like a butterfly

circling a lamp that shone,

circling a lamp that shone,

مثواك لا تشكو السكو

مثواك لا تشكو السكو

نَ ولا تمل من الثواء

نَ ولا تمل من الثواء

in your resting place you do not lament the silence,

in your resting place you do not lament the stillness,

nor ever tire of abiding.

nor grow weary of your stay.