لَنَدبِكَ أَحزانٌ وَسابِقُ عَبرَةٍ

لَنَدبِكَ أَحزانٌ وَسابِقُ عَبرَةٍ

أَثَرنَ دَماً مِن داخِلِ الجَوفِ مُنقَعا

أَثَرنَ دَماً مِن داخِلِ الجَوفِ مُنقَعا

In mourning you, sorrows and a rushing tear

Your sorrows invoke lamentations, and precede weeping,

Have stirred up pooled blood from deep within my body.

They have left blood prints inside my heart soaked through,

تَجَرَّعتُها مِن بِعدِ مَعنٍ بِمَوتِهِ

تَجَرَّعتُها مِن بِعدِ مَعنٍ بِمَوتِهِ

لَأَعظَم مِنها ما اِحتَسى وَتَجَرَّعا

لَأَعظَم مِنها ما اِحتَسى وَتَجَرَّعا

I swallowed them after Ma'n was taken by death;

I endured them after Ma'n died, though greater than them

Surely greater than these was what he sipped and swallowed.

Is what I held back and endured stoically.

وَمِن عَجَبٍ أَن بِتَّ بِالرُزءِ ثاوِياً

وَمِن عَجَبٍ أَن بِتَّ بِالرُزءِ ثاوِياً

وَبِتُّ بِما خَوَّلتَني متَمَتِّعا

وَبِتُّ بِما خَوَّلتَني متَمَتِّعا

And strange it is that you spent the night laid low by calamity,

And how odd that I spend the night suffering

While I spent mine enjoying what you bestowed on me.

While you left me to live in comfort.

وَلَو أَنَّني أَنصَفتُكَ الوُدَّ لَم أَبِت

وَلَو أَنَّني أَنصَفتُكَ الوُدَّ لَم أَبِت

خِلافَكَ حَتّى نَنطَوي في الرَدى مَعا

خِلافَكَ حَتّى نَنطَوي في الرَدى مَعا

Had I been fair to you in my love, I would not have remained

Had I been equitable in my love for you, I would not

Behind you, until we were enfolded in death together.

Have opposed you until we were laid together in the grave.

أَلِمّا بِمَعنٍ ثُمَّ قولا لِقَبرِهِ

أَلِمّا بِمَعنٍ ثُمَّ قولا لِقَبرِهِ

سَقَتكَ الغَوادي مَربَعاً بعدَ مَربَعا

سَقَتكَ الغَوادي مَربَعاً بعدَ مَربَعا

You two, call on Ma'n, then say to his grave:

Go to Ma'n, then say at his grave:

May the morning rains water you, springtime after springtime.

The valleys have given you to drink, courtyard after courtyard.

فَيا قَبرَ مَعنٍ أَنتَ أَوَّلُ حُفرَةٍ

فَيا قَبرَ مَعنٍ أَنتَ أَوَّلُ حُفرَةٍ

مِنَ الأَرضِ خُطَّت لِلسَّماحَةِ مَضجَعا

مِنَ الأَرضِ خُطَّت لِلسَّماحَةِ مَضجَعا

So, O grave of Ma'n, you are the first pit

So O Ma'n's grave, you were the first dug hole

Marked out in the earth as a resting place for generosity.

In the earth, made into a resting place for the magnanimous.

وَيا قَبرَ مَعنٍ كَيفَ وارَيتَ جودُهُ

وَيا قَبرَ مَعنٍ كَيفَ وارَيتَ جودُهُ

وَقَد كانَ مِنهُ البَرُّ وَالبَحرُ مُترَعا

وَقَد كانَ مِنهُ البَرُّ وَالبَحرُ مُترَعا

And, O grave of Ma'n, how did you bury his generosity,

And O Ma'n's tomb, how could you contain his munificence

When land and sea once brimmed with it?

When the land and sea were nourished by it?

بَلى قَد وَسِعتَ الجودَ وَالجودُ مَيِّتٌ

بَلى قَد وَسِعتَ الجودَ وَالجودُ مَيِّتٌ

وَلَو كانَ حَيّاً ضِقتَ حَتّى تَصَدَّعا

وَلَو كانَ حَيّاً ضِقتَ حَتّى تَصَدَّعا

Yes, you held generosity—but generosity was dead;

Yes, you contained the munificence, but the munificent is dead,

Had it been alive, you would have grown too narrow and split apart.

Had he been alive, you would have been too narrow and cracked.

وَلَمّا مَضى مَعنٌ مَضى الجودُ وَاِنقَضى

وَلَمّا مَضى مَعنٌ مَضى الجودُ وَاِنقَضى

وَأَصبَحَ عِرنينُ المَكارِمِ أَجدَعا

وَأَصبَحَ عِرنينُ المَكارِمِ أَجدَعا

And when Ma'n passed away, generosity passed away and ended,

When Ma'n died, generosity died and ended,

And the nose of noble virtues was left severed.

And the burrows of virtues became barren.

وَما كانَ إِلّا الجودَ صورَةُ وَجهِهِ

وَما كانَ إِلّا الجودَ صورَةُ وَجهِهِ

فَعاشَ رَبيعاً ثُمَّ وَلّى وَوَدَّعا

فَعاشَ رَبيعاً ثُمَّ وَلّى وَوَدَّعا

And the form of his face was nothing but generosity;

Generosity was only the image of his face,

So he lived as springtime, then turned away and bade farewell.

So it lived a springtime then turned and left.

وَكُنتَ لِدارِ الجودِ يا مَعنُ عامِراً

وَكُنتَ لِدارِ الجودِ يا مَعنُ عامِراً

وَقَد أَصبَحَت قَفراً مِنَ الجودِ بَلقَعا

وَقَد أَصبَحَت قَفراً مِنَ الجودِ بَلقَعا

And you, O Ma'n, kept the house of generosity flourishing;

You were flourishing, O Ma'n, through your generosity

And now it has become a barren waste, empty of generosity.

But it has now become a barren spot devoid of giving.

فَتىً عيشَ في مَعروفِهِ بَعدَ مَوتِهِ

فَتىً عيشَ في مَعروفِهِ بَعدَ مَوتِهِ

كَما كانَ بَعدَ السَيلِ مَجراهُ مَرتَعا

كَما كانَ بَعدَ السَيلِ مَجراهُ مَرتَعا

A noble youth on whose bounty people lived after his death,

A youth whose virtues lived on after his death,

Just as, after a flood, its channel becomes pasture.

As did his valley stream remain fertile after the floods.

تَمَنّى أُناس شَأوَهُ مِن ضَلالِهِم

تَمَنّى أُناس شَأوَهُ مِن ضَلالِهِم

فَأَضحَوا عَلى الأَذقانِ صَرعى وَظُلَّعا

فَأَضحَوا عَلى الأَذقانِ صَرعى وَظُلَّعا

Some men, in their folly, aspired to his eminence,

Some people wished for his stature out of their misguidance

So they ended up on their chins, fallen and limping.

And fell defeated, battered on the hillsides.

تَعَزَّ أَبا العَبّاسِ عَنهُ وَلا يَكُن

تَعَزَّ أَبا العَبّاسِ عَنهُ وَلا يَكُن

عَزاؤُكَ مِن مَعنٍ بِأَن تَتَضَعضَعا

عَزاؤُكَ مِن مَعنٍ بِأَن تَتَضَعضَعا

Console yourself for his loss, Abu al-Abbas, and do not let

May your consolation for the loss of Ma'n never lapse,

Your consolation for Ma'n's loss consist in falling apart.

And do not be consoled by listless wavering.

أَبى ذِكرُ مَعنٍ أَن تَموتَ فعالُهُ

أَبى ذِكرُ مَعنٍ أَن تَموتَ فعالُهُ

وَإِن كانَ قَد لاقى حِماماً وَمَصرَعا

وَإِن كانَ قَد لاقى حِماماً وَمَصرَعا

Ma'n's memory refuses to let his deeds die,

The mention of Ma'n refuses to die though his deeds have ceased,

Even though he has met death and a fatal fall.

Even if he met his doom and destruction.

فَما ماتَ مَن كُنتَ اِبنَهُ لا وَلا الَّذي

فَما ماتَ مَن كُنتَ اِبنَهُ لا وَلا الَّذي

لَهُ مِثلُ ما أَبقى أَبوكَ وَما سَعى

لَهُ مِثلُ ما أَبقى أَبوكَ وَما سَعى

For he whose son you are has not died—no, nor has anyone

So he who you were a son to did not die, nor did he

Who has the like of what your father left behind and what he strove to achieve.

Whose deeds survive just as your father strove.