أجَل أنا مَن أَرضاكَ خلّاً مُوافِياً

أجَل أنا مَن أَرضاكَ خلّاً مُوافِياً

وَيُرضيكَ في الباكين لو كنتَ واعِيا

وَيُرضيكَ في الباكين لو كنتَ واعِيا

Yes, I am the one who pleased you as a faithful friend,

Yes, I am the one who pleases you when I am obedient

and would please you among those who weep, if you were aware.

And you would be pleased with those who weep if you were aware

وَقلبِيَ ذاك المَورِدُ العَذبُ لم يَزَل

وَقلبِيَ ذاك المَورِدُ العَذبُ لم يَزَل

كَما ذُقتَ منه الحبُّ وَالوُدَّ صافِيا

كَما ذُقتَ منه الحبُّ وَالوُدَّ صافِيا

And my heart, that sweet spring, still remains

And my heart, that sweet spring, has not ceased to be

pure, as when you tasted love and affection from it,

As you have tasted its love and affection purely

سِوى أَنَّه يَعتادُه الحُزنُ كلَّما

سِوى أَنَّه يَعتادُه الحُزنُ كلَّما

رَآكَ عن الحَوضِ المُهَدَّدِ نائِيا

رَآكَ عن الحَوضِ المُهَدَّدِ نائِيا

except that sorrow visits it whenever

Except that sorrow has become its habit whenever

it sees you far from the threatened pool.

It sees you away from the threatened basin

وَيَعثُرُ في بعض الخُطوب إذا مشى

وَيَعثُرُ في بعض الخُطوب إذا مشى

إلى بعض ما يَهوى فَيرجِعَ دامِيا

إلى بعض ما يَهوى فَيرجِعَ دامِيا

And it stumbles amid certain ordeals as it walks

And it stumbles in some troubles when it walks

toward some of what it loves, then returns bleeding.

To some of what it desires, so it returns bloody

وَإِن رامَهُ سِربُ المَسَرّاتِ لم يَجِد

وَإِن رامَهُ سِربُ المَسَرّاتِ لم يَجِد

مَحَلّاً بهِ من لاعجِ الهَمِّ خاليا

مَحَلّاً بهِ من لاعجِ الهَمِّ خاليا

And if a flock of joys seeks it, it finds no

And if the flock of joys wanted it, it would not find

place within it free of care's burning pain.

A place in it empty of the torrents of worries

أَلا عَلِّلاني بِالتَعازي وَأَقنِعا

أَلا عَلِّلاني بِالتَعازي وَأَقنِعا

فُؤاديَ أَن يَرضى بهِنَّ تَعازِيا

فُؤاديَ أَن يَرضى بهِنَّ تَعازِيا

Come, you two, comfort me with consolations, and persuade

Oh two, console me and convince

my heart to accept them as consolations.

My heart to be content with consolations

وَإِلّا أَعيناني على النَوحِ وَالبُكا

وَإِلّا أَعيناني على النَوحِ وَالبُكا

فَشَأنُكما شَأني وما بِكُما بِيا

فَشَأنُكما شَأني وما بِكُما بِيا

Otherwise, you two, help me lament and weep;

Otherwise, help me with crying and weeping

for your plight is mine, and what afflicts you afflicts me.

For your state is my state, and there is nothing wrong with you

وَما نافِعي أن تَبكيا غيرَ أنّي

وَما نافِعي أن تَبكيا غيرَ أنّي

أُحبُّ دموعَ البِرِّ والمرءَ وافِيا

أُحبُّ دموعَ البِرِّ والمرءَ وافِيا

And your weeping does me no good, except that I

And it is no use that you cry except that I

love tears of devotion and a faithful man.

Love the tears of righteousness and the faithful companion

أَيا مصطفى تَاللَهِ نَومُكَ رابَنا

أَيا مصطفى تَاللَهِ نَومُكَ رابَنا

أَمِثلُكَ يَرضى أن ينامَ اللَياليا

أَمِثلُكَ يَرضى أن ينامَ اللَياليا

O Mustafa, by God, your sleep has troubled us.

Oh Mustafa, by Allah your sleep has kept us awake

Would one like you consent to sleep night after night?

Is one like you content to sleep nights?

تكلَّم فَإنَّ القوم حولَكَ أطرَقوا

تكلَّم فَإنَّ القوم حولَكَ أطرَقوا

وَقُل يا خطيبَ الحيِّ رَأيَكَ عالِيا

وَقُل يا خطيبَ الحيِّ رَأيَكَ عالِيا

Speak, for the people around you have bowed their heads,

Speak, for the people around you are silent

and voice your opinion aloud, O orator of the community.

And say, oh preacher of the living, your opinion is high

لقد أوشَكَت من طولِ صَمتٍ وَهجرَةٍ

لقد أوشَكَت من طولِ صَمتٍ وَهجرَةٍ

تخالُكَ أعوادُ المَنابِرِ فانيا

تخالُكَ أعوادُ المَنابِرِ فانيا

Indeed, after such long silence and absence, they have almost

You have almost from long silence and estrangement

come to think you dead—the timbers of the pulpits.

Your pulpit has imagined you inanimate

وَتَبكيكَ لولا أنَّ فيها بَقِيَّةً

وَتَبكيكَ لولا أنَّ فيها بَقِيَّةً

تُعَلِّلها من ذلك الصَوتِ داوِيا

تُعَلِّلها من ذلك الصَوتِ داوِيا

And they would weep for you, were there not within them a remnant

And it would cry for you, if there was not in it a remainder

of that resounding voice to console them.

That excuses it from that voice as a remedy

فهَل أَلَّفَت ما بَينَ جَفنِكَ والكَرى

فهَل أَلَّفَت ما بَينَ جَفنِكَ والكَرى

مُحالَفَةٌ أم قد أَمِنتَ الأَعاديا

مُحالَفَةٌ أم قد أَمِنتَ الأَعاديا

Has your eyelid been bound to slumber, then,

So have you made a pact between your eyelids and the graves

by an alliance—or have you felt safe from your enemies?

An alliance or have you secured from enemies?

فَقَدناكَ فُقدانَ الكَمِىِّ سِلاحَه

فَقَدناكَ فُقدانَ الكَمِىِّ سِلاحَه

وَسارى الدِياجي كَوكَبَ القُطبِ هادِيا

وَسارى الدِياجي كَوكَبَ القُطبِ هادِيا

We have lost you as an armored warrior loses his weapon,

We have lost you the loss of an archer his weapon

and as a traveler through the darkness loses the Pole Star, his guide.

And the guide star of sailors the guiding pole star

وَبِتنا وَدَمعُ العَينِ أندى خَمائِلاً

وَبِتنا وَدَمعُ العَينِ أندى خَمائِلاً

وَأكثرُ إسعافا منَ الغَيثِ هاميا

وَأكثرُ إسعافا منَ الغَيثِ هاميا

And we spent the night, our tears watering the groves more richly

And we have spent the night while the tears of the eye were dew friends

and offering more succor than the rain pouring down.

And more beneficial than rain pouring

وَلَولا تُراثٌ مِن أمانيكَ عندنا

وَلَولا تُراثٌ مِن أمانيكَ عندنا

كريمٌ بَكَينا إذ بَكَينا الأَمانيا

كريمٌ بَكَينا إذ بَكَينا الأَمانيا

And were it not for a legacy of your hopes we possess,

And if we did not have an inheritance of your wishes with us

a noble one—we would have mourned our hopes when we mourned you.

Precious, we would have cried when we cried wishes

طَواكَ الرَدى طَيَّ الكتابِ تَضَمَّنَت

طَواكَ الرَدى طَيَّ الكتابِ تَضَمَّنَت

صحائِفهُ من كلِّ فخرٍ معانِيا

صحائِفهُ من كلِّ فخرٍ معانِيا

Death folded you away like a book that contained

Time has folded you, the pages of the book have contained

in its pages meanings of every kind of glory:

From every pride meanings

مَضاءٌ إذا البيضُ انتَمَت لِأُصولِها

مَضاءٌ إذا البيضُ انتَمَت لِأُصولِها

غَضِبنا إذا سَمّاكَ قومٌ يَمانِيا

غَضِبنا إذا سَمّاكَ قومٌ يَمانِيا

keenness—when bright swords proclaim their lineage,

Shining when the whites revert to their origins

we bristle if some people call you Yemeni;

We get angry when a Yemeni people insult you

وَرَأيٌ يُجَلّى اليَأسَ واليَأسُ ضارِبُ

وَرَأيٌ يُجَلّى اليَأسَ واليَأسُ ضارِبُ

عَلى الأُفقِ ليلا فاحمَ اللَونِ داجِيا

عَلى الأُفقِ ليلا فاحمَ اللَونِ داجِيا

and judgment that dispels despair, as despair casts

And an opinion that clarifies despair, and despair is hitting

over the horizon a coal-black, pitch-dark night.

The horizon at night, so it darkens in color

إِذا ما تَقاضَينا وَلم تَكُ بيننا

إِذا ما تَقاضَينا وَلم تَكُ بيننا

ذَكَرناهما حتّى نُجيدَ التَقاضِيا

ذَكَرناهما حتّى نُجيدَ التَقاضِيا

Whenever we plead our case and you are not among us,

When we request and you were not between us

we recall them both, so that we may plead our case well.

We do not mention them until we know requesting well

فَلَيتكَ إذ أَعيَيتَ كلَّ مُساجِلٍ

فَلَيتكَ إذ أَعيَيتَ كلَّ مُساجِلٍ

قَنِعتَ فَلم تُعيِ الطَبيبَ المُداوِيا

قَنِعتَ فَلم تُعيِ الطَبيبَ المُداوِيا

If only, then, after baffling every rival in debate,

If only when you exhausted every debater

you had been content, and had not baffled the physician treating you.

You were satisfied and did not expend the healing doctor

وَلَيتَكَ إذ ناضَلتَ عن مصرَ لم تُفِض

وَلَيتَكَ إذ ناضَلتَ عن مصرَ لم تُفِض

مع الحِبرِ قلباً يعلمُ اللَهُ غالِيا

مع الحِبرِ قلباً يعلمُ اللَهُ غالِيا

And if only, while defending Egypt, you had not poured out

And if only when you struggled for Egypt you did not pour out

with the ink a heart that God knows was precious.

A heart that Allah knows is precious with ink

لَقد ضاع إخلاصُ الطبيبِ وَحِذقُه

لَقد ضاع إخلاصُ الطبيبِ وَحِذقُه

سُدىً فَبَكى الفخرَ الذي كان راجِيا

سُدىً فَبَكى الفخرَ الذي كان راجِيا

Indeed, the physician's devotion and skill were wasted

Alas the sincerity and skill of the doctor were lost in vain

in vain, so he mourned the glory he had hoped for.

And the pride that was hopeful cried

ولم تَنتَهِز تلك العَقاقيرُ فُرصَةٌ

ولم تَنتَهِز تلك العَقاقيرُ فُرصَةٌ

تُرى الناسَ فيها فضلَ بُقراطَ بادِيا

تُرى الناسَ فيها فضلَ بُقراطَ بادِيا

And those medicines seized no opportunity

And those drugs did not seize an opportunity

in which to show people Hippocrates' excellence plainly.

In which people see the merit of Hippocrates clearly

يَحيّيك سَيفاً باتَ في التُربِ مُغمَداً

يَحيّيك سَيفاً باتَ في التُربِ مُغمَداً

تَقَلَّدَه فيما مَضى الحقُّ ماضِيا

تَقَلَّدَه فيما مَضى الحقُّ ماضِيا

He salutes you, a sword now lying sheathed in the earth,

It greets you as a sword that slept in the soil sheathed

which Truth once wore at its side, keen-edged.

The truth wore it in the past gloriously