خَلّى طفَيْلٌ عَلَيّ الهَمَّ وَانْشَعَبَا
فَهَدَّ ذَلِكَ رُكْنِي هَدَّةً عَجَبَا
Tufayl brought grief upon me, splitting it open,
That shocked my core with amazing force.
وَابْنَيْ سمَيَّةَ لا أنْسَاهمَا أَبداً
فِي مَنْ نَسِيتُ وَكل كَانَ لي نَصَبَا
And my two sons, Sumayya - I'll never forget them
Among those I forgot, though all brought me agony.
وَما طُفَيْلٌ بِوَقَّافٍ إذَا افْتَرَسَتْ
زُرقُ الأسِنَّةِ هَيَّابٍ إذَا رَكِبَا
And Tufayl is no guardian, when the blue blades
Of fierce tongues attack, once they ride.
فَاذْهَبْ فَلاَ يُبْعِدَنْكَ اللهُ مِنْ رَجُل
فَقَدْ تَرَكْتَ رَقِيقاً عَظْمُهُ وَصِبا
So go - may Allah not distance you from a man
Who left behind a slave whose bone matured early.
فَإِنْ سَلَكْتَ سَبِيلاً كُنْتَ سَالِكَهَا
وَلاَ مَحَالَةَ أنْ يَأتِي الَّذِي كُتِبَا
If you take a path you used to take
What's destined will inevitably come.
فَمَا لَفَظْتُكَ مِنْ رِيٍّ وَلاَ شِبَعٍ
وَلاَ ظَللت بِبَاقِي الْعَيْشٍِ مُرْتَقِبَا
I spared you no luxury, or plenty,
Nor lingered, expecting more years.
تَرَكْتَنِي حِينَ لا مَالٌ أعِيشُ بِهِ
وَحِينَ جُن زَمَانُ النَّاسِ أوْ كَلِبَا
You left me when I've no money to live by,
When people's times turned feral, or doggish.
وَأخْطَأتَنِي الْمَنَايَا لاَ تُطَالِعُني
حَتَّى كَبِرْتُ وَلَمْ يَتْرُكْنَ لِي نَشَبَا
And death avoided me - it doesn't check on me,
Till I grew old, and it left me no youth.
وَكُنْتُ بَعْدَ طُفَيْلٍ كَالَّذِي نَضَبَتْ
عَنْهُ الْمِيَاهُ وَفَاضَ المَاءُ فَانْقَضَبَا
After Tufayl, I was like one whose water ran out,
As water gushed forth, then was blocked.
فَلاَ بَعِيرَ لهُ في الأرْضِ يَرْكَبُهُ
وَإنْ سَعَى إثْرَ مَنْ قَدْ فَاتَهُ لَغِبَا
He has no camel on earth to ride,
And if he pursued one gone, he'd be duped.
وَسَارَ مِنْ أرْضِ خَاقَانَ التي غَلَبَتْ
أبْنَاءَ فَارِسَ فِي أرْجَائِهَا غلبا
He went from Khagan's land that overpowered
The Persians' sons in its far reaches.
حَتَّى وَرَدْتَ حِيَاضَ المَوْتِ فَانْكَشَفَتْ
عَنْكَ الكَتَائِبُ لاَ تُخْفِي لَهَا عَقِبَا
Until you reached the basin of death, and there dispersed
The battalions, not hiding any trace.
وَمِنْ سِجِسْتَانَ أَسْبَابٌ تُزَيّنهَا
لَكَ المَنِيَّةُ حَيْناً كَانَ مُجْتَنَبَا
And from Sijistan, there are causes adorning
Your death, when it was once avoided.
وَغَادَرُوكَ صَرِيعاً رَهْنَ مَعْرَكَةٍ
تَرَى النُّورَ عَلَى القَتْلَى بِهِ عُصَبَا
They abandoned you a corpse hostage to a battle
In which you see light upon the dead, binding them.
تَعَاهَدُوا ثُم لَمْ يُوفُوا بِمَا عَهٍدُوا
وَأَسْلَمُوا لَلْعَدُوّ السَّبْيَ وَالسَّلَبَا
They made a pact then failed to keep their word,
Handing over captives and loot to the enemy.
يَا سَوْءَةَ الْقَوْم إنْ تُسْبَى نِسَاؤُهُمْ
وَهُمْ كَثِيرٌ يَرَوْنَ الْخِزْيَ وَالحَرَبا
Oh what an evil folk, whose women are made captive
As they, many, witness dishonor and war.
فَامْلِكْ عَزَاءَكَ إنْ رُزْءٌ بُلِيتَ بِهِ
فَلَنْ يَرُد بُكَاءُ المَرْءِ مَا ذَهَبَا
So master your consolation if you're taunted by it -
A man's weeping won't restore what's gone.
وَلَيْسَ يَشْفِي حَزِيناً مِنْ تَذَكُّرِهِ
إِلا البُكَاءُ إذَا مَا نَاحَ وَانْتَحَبَا
And remembering doesn't comfort a griever
Except weeping, when he moans and laments.
