خلق الموت فناء لبقاء

خلق الموت فناء لبقاء

وجزاء من نعيم أو شقاء

وجزاء من نعيم أو شقاء

Death was created as an ending for enduring life,

Death's creation is for extinction and existence

Death was created as annihilation leading to permanence,

and recompense of bliss or misery;

And recompense of bliss or misery

A recompense of either bliss or misery,

ولقاء في فراق باغتا

ولقاء في فراق باغتا

كل نفس أو فراقا في لقاء

كل نفس أو فراقا في لقاء

and a meeting in parting, suddenly overtaking

And a meeting in a sudden separation

A meeting within a sudden separation

every soul—or a parting in a meeting.

Every soul or a separation in a meeting

Befalling every soul, or a separation within a meeting.

حاشر الخلق الى خلاقها

حاشر الخلق الى خلاقها

ومزجيها الى فصل القضاء

ومزجيها الى فصل القضاء

Gathering creation unto its Creator,

Gatherer of creation to its Creator

It gathers creation unto its Creator,

and ushering it toward decisive judgment,

And its mixer to the judgment separation

Driving them toward the final decree.

هو معفي العقل من تكليفه

هو معفي العقل من تكليفه

ومريح الجسم من جهد البلاء

ومريح الجسم من جهد البلاء

it releases the mind from its obligations,

It relieves the mind from its obligation

It relieves the intellect of its burden,

and gives the body rest from the strain of affliction.

And comforts the body from the effort of affliction

And rests the body from the toil of affliction.

هو منجى الأرض من اشرارها

هو منجى الأرض من اشرارها

منقذ ابن الأرض من دنيا العناء

منقذ ابن الأرض من دنيا العناء

It saves the earth from its evildoers,

It saves the earth from its evils

It is the earth's deliverance from its wicked ones,

rescuing earth's son from the world of suffering.

Rescuer of the son of earth from the trouble of lament

The rescuer of earth's son from this world of suffering.

أيها الانسان هل أنت لما

أيها الانسان هل أنت لما

راع من شتى المراءي فيك راءى

راع من شتى المراءي فيك راءى

O human, do you perceive what

Oh human, have you been watching

O Man, do you—regarding what startles you

has awed you among the varied visions within you?

The manifold sights in you like a beholder

Among the myriad visions within—truly see?

حمت كالطير بسر أزلا

حمت كالطير بسر أزلا

لا بريش في صحفاء لا هواء

لا بريش في صحفاء لا هواء

You hovered like a bird, in mystery, before time,

You flew like a bird with the secret of eternity

You hovered like a bird with an eternal secret,

not with feathers, in an expanse without air,

With no feathers in clear air or atmosphere

Without feathers, in a void without air,

حول عرش من سناء وسنا

حول عرش من سناء وسنا

وكمال وجلال وبهاء

وكمال وجلال وبهاء

around a throne of grandeur and radiance,

Around a throne of brilliance, perfection

Around a Throne of brilliance and light,

and perfection, majesty, and beauty,

Glory, majesty and splendor

Of perfection, majesty, and splendor.

اذ جرى العهد واذ قلت بلى

اذ جرى العهد واذ قلت بلى

فيه لو شفعت وعدا بالوفاء

فيه لو شفعت وعدا بالوفاء

when the covenant was made, and when you said, 'Yes,'

When the covenant took place and you said "yes"

When the Covenant was struck, and you answered "Yes,"

therein—if only you had paired your promise with fulfillment!

In it, had you interceded and promised loyalty

If only you had followed that promise with fulfillment.

وتلاعمت (هيولى) فالتقى

وتلاعمت (هيولى) فالتقى

حمأ الأرض وإشراق السماء

حمأ الأرض وإشراق السماء

And primordial matter intermingled, and there met

And the two abstracts met

And matter coalesced, so there met together

earth's black mud and heaven's radiance:

The fervor of earth and the glow of heaven

The black mud of earth and the radiance of heaven.

عنصران امتزجا في صورة

عنصران امتزجا في صورة

نضرة رصا بها رص البناء

نضرة رصا بها رص البناء

two elements mingled in a form

Two elements blended in an image

Two elements blended into a single form,

fresh and radiant, fitted together within it like masonry.

Green, integral in it integral construction

Verdant, compacted within it like a sturdy edifice.

واذا الطير بفخ مثقل

واذا الطير بفخ مثقل

عجب الصنعة من طين وماء

عجب الصنعة من طين وماء

And behold, the bird weighed down in a snare,

And when the bird in a heavy trap

Suddenly, the bird lies within a heavy trap,

a marvel of workmanship, made of clay and water.

Marvelous workmanship of clay and water

A marvel of craftsmanship made of clay and water.

فتنزى رهنه حتى اذا

فتنزى رهنه حتى اذا

حطم الفخ تنزى في الفضاء

حطم الفخ تنزى في الفضاء

So it leapt, the snare's captive, until, when

It rose above it until when

It struggled in its captivity until, when

it shattered the snare, it leapt into open space,

It broke the trap, rose into the sky

The trap was shattered, it leaped into the void,

دامي الجرح عليه مسحة

دامي الجرح عليه مسحة

من شحوب وبه وخز حياء

من شحوب وبه وخز حياء

bleeding from its wound, with a tinge upon it

My bleeding wound has a touch

Bleeding from its wound, bearing a trace

of pallor, and within it a sting of shame.

Of pallor, shame and sting of bashfulness

Of pallor, and within it a sting of shame.

كدت أجلو الروح لولا أن من

كدت أجلو الروح لولا أن من

أمر ربي صونه تحت الخفاء

أمر ربي صونه تحت الخفاء

I would almost unveil the spirit, were it not that

I almost let out my soul unless the one

I nearly unveiled the Spirit, were it not that by

my Lord commands that it be kept hidden.

Who commanded my Lord protected it in hiding

My Lord’s command, it must be kept in concealment.

هو لغز الله عماه فما

هو لغز الله عماه فما

كشفه غير خيال وادعاء

كشفه غير خيال وادعاء

It is God's riddle, which He has obscured; so

It is God's riddle, he blinded so

It is God’s riddle which He made obscure, so nothing

its unveiling is nothing but fancy and pretension.

None revealed it but fantasy and claim

Has unveiled it save imagination and pretension.

عجز العقل عن الروح وما

عجز العقل عن الروح وما

زال بين اليأس فيه والرجاء

زال بين اليأس فيه والرجاء

The mind is powerless before the spirit, and

The mind is helpless about the soul and

The intellect failed to grasp the Spirit, and remains

remains between despair over it and hope.

Remains between despair in it and hope

Wavering between despair regarding it and hope.

أستميح العفو في خوضي فما

أستميح العفو في خوضي فما

هو إلا من هيام الشعراء

هو إلا من هيام الشعراء

I beg pardon for delving into this, for

I ask for forgiveness in my audacity for it

I seek forgiveness for delving into this, for it is but

it is only the impassioned wandering of poets.

Is but the ravings of poets

A product of the poets’ wandering delirium.

أي هواة الفن أحرار الحجى

أي هواة الفن أحرار الحجى

حصفاء الذوق أبرار الإخاء

حصفاء الذوق أبرار الإخاء

O lovers of art, free in thought,

Oh lovers of art, free speakers

O lovers of art, O liberal minds,

discerning in taste, upright in brotherhood,

Discerning tastes, righteous brothers

Of refined taste and righteous brotherhood,

أدركوا بالعطف أما ثاكلا

أدركوا بالعطف أما ثاكلا

لم تبارحها عوادي البرحاء

لم تبارحها عوادي البرحاء

come with compassion to the aid of a bereaved mother,

Realize with kindness, do not be

Reach out with compassion to a bereaved mother,

whom the ravages of anguish have not left.

Abandoner whom ruin of separation haunted

Whom the ravages of severe distress have not left.

رزئت بكرين لن ترزأهما

رزئت بكرين لن ترزأهما

قط أم مبكر بالنجباء

قط أم مبكر بالنجباء

She lost two firstborn sons, such as no

I was hurt by two beings time will never

She was bereft of two noble sons; never was such loss suffered

mother bearing noble firstborns will ever lose.

Hurt nor a mother hurt by the loss of babies

By a mother who bore such noble offspring.

هذه أناتها رنانة

هذه أناتها رنانة

رددتها اليوم أصداء الجواء

رددتها اليوم أصداء الجواء

These are her resounding moans,

These are her sighs chanting

These are her moans, resonating loudly,

repeated today by the echoes of the open air.

Echoed today by the airs of atmosphere

Which the echoes of the skies repeated today.

وتخلت عن مباراة اللغى

وتخلت عن مباراة اللغى

بعد نهدين لها قيدي ظباء

بعد نهدين لها قيدي ظباء

And she withdrew from the contest of tongues,

I gave up competing with the eloquent

She has abandoned the rivalry of words,

after losing her two mighty steeds—two fetters for gazelles,

After two shining lights tied me, a prisoner

After losing two towering figures, swift as gazelles,

خاطفي برقين سهمي صائد

خاطفي برقين سهمي صائد

صائب ريحي رخاء ورخاء

صائب ريحي رخاء ورخاء

snatchers of twin lightning flashes, two arrows of a hunter

Whose lightning was my arrows, hunting

Snatching like two flashes of lightning, like two hunter’s arrows,

unerring; two winds of gentleness and prosperity.

A sure wind, slowly and slowly

Striking true amidst winds of ease and prosperity.

صحف الشرق جرت أنهارها

صحف الشرق جرت أنهارها

عبرات بعبارات الرثاء

عبرات بعبارات الرثاء

The newspapers of the East—their rivers flowed

The east's papers, her rivers flowed

The journals of the East have had their rivers flow

as tears in expressions of lamentation.

With tears in phrases of elegy

With tears amidst the phrases of eulogy.

أعربت لا بسواد الحبر بل

أعربت لا بسواد الحبر بل

بسواد العين عن سوء سواء

بسواد العين عن سوء سواء

They spoke, not with the blackness of ink, but

It expressed not in black ink but

They expressed themselves not with black ink, but

with the blackness of the eye, of a shared misfortune.

In the black of the eye, the evil of evil

With the very pupils of the eye, mourning a grievous common fate.

أي قلب لم يكدر بالأسى

أي قلب لم يكدر بالأسى

أي طرف لم يفجر بالبكاء؟

أي طرف لم يفجر بالبكاء؟

What heart was not clouded by sorrow?

What heart has not been perturbed by grief

What heart has not been troubled by sorrow?

What eye was not made to gush with weeping?

What eye has not overflowed with crying?

What eye has not burst forth with weeping?

هل على الدوار من نسريه أو

هل على الدوار من نسريه أو

فرقديه بعض حسن وضياء

فرقديه بعض حسن وضياء

Does the wheeling sky draw from its two Eagle stars or

Does it have some charm or

Is there remaining in the spinning firmament, of its two Eagles or

its two Farqad stars some beauty and radiance?

Grace of my two eagles?

Its two Farqad stars, any beauty or light?

أفلا أندب نجمين به

أفلا أندب نجمين به

أفلا، بعد ازدهار وازهاء؟

أفلا، بعد ازدهار وازهاء؟

Shall I not then lament two stars in it

Should I not mourn two stars that died

Shall I not mourn two stars within it,

that set after blossoming and splendor?

Should I not, after thriving and shining?

Shall I not, after their flourishing and brilliance?

سائلوا البرزخ عن ضيفيه هل

سائلوا البرزخ عن ضيفيه هل

لهما صيت كما في الأرض نائي

لهما صيت كما في الأرض نائي

Ask the Barzakh about its two guests: do

Ask the isthmus about my two guests, do they

Ask the Realm of Spirits about its two guests: do they

they have far-reaching renown, as on earth?

Have renown as they did on distant earth

Possess renown there as far-reaching as on earth?

سائلوا البرزخ عن طيريه هل

سائلوا البرزخ عن طيريه هل

غردا فيه بنوح أو غناء؟

غردا فيه بنوح أو غناء؟

Ask the Barzakh about its two birds: have

Ask the isthmus about my two birds, did they

Ask the Realm of Spirits about its two birds: do they

they warbled there in lamentation or in song?

Chirp in it a song or melody?

Warble therein with wailing or with song?

ضرب الحجر على حنجرة

ضرب الحجر على حنجرة

صوتها غاد على الأحياء جاءي

صوتها غاد على الأحياء جاءي

A ban was imposed upon a throat

The rock has silenced its voice, it came

The seal of silence has been stamped upon a throat

whose voice went to and fro among the living.

Upon the living, an absentee

Whose voice once came and went among the living.

ملأ الصمت عليها ملأ

ملأ الصمت عليها ملأ

ملكي الجمع قدسي الرواء

ملكي الجمع قدسي الرواء

A host filled the silence over it,

Silence has filled it, the silence

Silence has engulfed it completely,

angelic in its gathering, sacred in its appearance.

Of my two angels, sacred and satisfying.

An angelic gathering, of holy countenance.