الدَهرُ أَبدل راحَتي بِعَناء

وَاِعتاضَ صَفو تَنعمي بِشَقاء

Time has replaced my comfort with toil,

And marred the serenity of my life with misery.

وَبَدا الزَمانُ اِلى العُيونِ بِمَظهَر

يَقضي بِمَزج دُموعِها بِدِماء

And time has assumed an appearance before all eyes

That decrees the mixing of their tears with blood.

آلي لِيَختَطِفَن أَفئِدَة الوَرى

يَومَ المُصاب وَبر في الايلاء

Woe to me if it steals the hearts of mankind

On the day of tribulation, showing no compassion in calamity!

مِرآتُهُ طَمَسَت وَأَصدَأَ وَجهَها

مِن بَعدِ سعدت بِطول جَلاء

Its mirror has been obscured and the face of it is rusty,

After having been happy for so long unveiled.

وَلَطالَما اِكتَحَلَت عُيونُ أَولى النُهى

مِن غَدرِهِ بِمَصائِبِ وَبَلاء

And for long the eyes of the noblest men have been lined

With its betrayals, calamities and afflictions!

وَلَكَم يَفوقُ لِلقُلوبِ نباله

وَلَكَم يشق مَرائِرَ النُبَلاء

And how numerous are its arrows that pierce hearts,

And how many the chests of the eminent they cleave!

حَجُبت بَوارِق غيث أَنواءِ الهُدى

عَن عَين كل مؤمل أَورائى

The lightning bolts of the rain clouds of guidance are veiled

From the eyes of every hopeful and desirous one.

كَذبت لَوامع كل صبح صادِق

مُذ غابَ شَمس العِلم في الضَيراء

The brilliant stars of every truthful dawn have lied

Since the sun of knowledge set in obscurity.

فَتَحزن العُلماء وَلتَأسف عَلى

يَنبوعِ فَضل العِلمِ وَالعُلَماء

So the scholars are saddened and grieve

For the fountain of the grace of knowledge and scholars.

وَليَفرَح الجَهلُ المُبيد وَأَهلَه

وَليَجعَلوا مَسراه لَيل هَناء

And ignorant ruinous misguidance and its people rejoice,

Making their evening a night of delight.

وَليَسعد المَغرور مِن أَعوانِهِم

فَاليَومَ راقَ الحَي لِلجُهَلاء

And those of its henchmen who are deluded are glad,

For today the living have bowed to the ignorant.

تَبت يَدا زَمَن دَهانا صَرفُهُ

بِفُراقِهِ في لَيلَة لَيلاء

May the hand of time that mocked us wither,

For its turning has, in one fell night,

لِما تَغَيَّب نير الدين الَّذي

اِنوارُهُ يَنبوع كُل ضِياء

Caused the light of the religion to set, he

Whose radiances are the fountain of all brilliance.

صدقت اِن الشّافي قَضى وَما

صَدقت قَبل تَغيب السقاء

Indeed, al-Shāfi‘ī has passed away - but never before him

Had “the water bearer is gone” been true!

بَحر التفقه كَنز اِرشاد الوَرى

رَب الفَخار وَواحِد البَلغاء

He was an ocean of jurisprudence, the treasure of mankind’s guidance,

Master of eloquence and unequalled rhetorician.

شَجن عَرى الاِسلام بِالظَمَأ الَّذي

حَل العَرى بِضَمائِرَ العُلَماء

The heart of Islam languishes from the thirst

That has befallen the hearts of the learned.

وَشَعائِرَ الدينِ القَويمِ بَدا بِها

أَثر الهُلوعِ فَمن لَها بِعَزاء

And the externals of the upright religion have been made to appear

With the traces of burning grief - so who can comfort it?

أَروى أَفانين العُلوم بغيثه

وَلَكم سَقى مِن رَوضَةِ غَنّاء

I would water the boulevards of sciences with his rain,

And how many a blooming garden he watered!

وَلَطالَما قَد أَبرات أَفكارَه

أَمراض قَلب بِالضَلالَة ناء

And for long his ideas healed the sickness

Of a heart gone astray into misguidance.

أَضحَت حَصيداً أَرض أَزهرنا الَّتي

كانَت بِهِ كَالدَوحَةِ الخَضراء

Our land that blossomed has become barren,

Which by him was verdant like an emerald meadow.

تَشكو الاِوام وَما لَها من مطفىّ

مُذ غابَ سَقاء العلى بِالماء

It complains of drought, with none to quench it,

Since the water bearer of the Most High disappeared with the water!

ما حال آماق العُيون وَقَد رَأَت

شيخ المَشايِخ غابَ في الغَبراء

What is the state of eyes that have seen

The Shaykh of Shaykhs vanish into the dust?

لَم لا تَفيض عَزيز مَدمَعِها الَّذي

يُزرى بسح المزنة الوَطفاء

Why does that dear tear of theirs not overflow copiously,

Which is embarrassed by the tender dripping of tears?

حق عَلى الآماق يَوم فُراقِهِ

أَن لا تَضن بِذِئب الاِحشاء

It is deserved that when he departed, eyes

Should not refrain from shedding bloody tears!

عَينُ العُلومِ بَكَت دَما لما رَأَت

اِنسانَها مُتهرا لخيفاء

The eye of knowledge cried blood when it saw

Its companion carried off furtively by death.

لَو اِن كَتب العِلم تَقدر فقده

لَتَبَددت مِن لَوعَةِ وَعناء

If books of knowledge were able to lose him,

They would have crumbled from the anguish and hardship.

وَأَرى عطارد بات يَكتب جاهِرا

آثار فِرقَتِهِ عَلى الجَوزاء

And I saw Mercury openly writing

The effects of parting with him on Virgo!

دَهَشَت عُيون أَولى النهى مُذ أَبصَرَت

شَمسُ العُلومِ تَغيب في الداماء

The eyes of the noblest were shocked when they saw

The sun of knowledge set in blood.

كَم قَلَبته يَدُ السِقام وَلم يَقل

أَو لما يُلقى مِنَ الضَرّاء

How much did the hand of ill health toss him,

And yet he did not say: “Oh, the adversity I have faced!”

وَلَطالَما لاقى الصُروف وَلَم بل

مِن مَعشَرِ الحُكَماء كَيف دَوائي

And for long he encountered misfortunes, but then why

Would he complain to the assembly of wise men about my condition?

أَدى فَريضَة عِلمِهِ بِحَقيقَة

حَتّى قَضى مُتَوَحِّشاً يَثناهُ

He carried out the duty of his knowledge truthfully

Until he passed away, lonesome and bereaved.

نادى بِشير القُرب طب نَفسا فَقَد

طابَ الرَحيل اِلى ديار بَقاء

The herald of proximity called out: “Gladden your soul,

For setting off to the abode of eternity is pleasant.”

سَمع النِداء دجى فسلم نَفسه

عَن طيبِها لِمُبشِر بَلقاء

He heard the call in the darkness and surrendered his soul,

Willingly to the herald of the meeting.

أَرواح عُشّاق العُلوم تَهَيَّأَت

لِقُدومِهِ ببرازخ السُعَداء

The spirits of the lovers of knowledge prepared

For his arrival in the stations of the fortunate,

وَتَعَطَّرَت غُرف الجِنان وَغَرَّدَت

فيها بَلابِلُها بِحُسنِ غِناء

And the chambers of Paradise were sweetly scented

And its birds warbled there beautifully.

وَرَقى اِلى اِعلى مَنازِلَ حَظِّهِ

لِما اِستَوى بِمَراتِبَ الشُهَداء

And he ascended to the highest level of his fortune,

Once he was installed in the ranks of martyrs.

هُوَ في نَعيمٍ دائِم لكِنَّنا

لِبِعادِهِ في شِدَّةِ البُأَساء

He is in eternal bliss, but because of his distance from us

We are in severe tribulation!

قَلبي عابَهُ غَدا كَجَمراتِ الغَضى

وَالوعتى من حره وَشَقائي

My heart blamed it the next day, like embers of hatred,

And I am weary of its heat and my misery.

فَلأَذرقن أَسى عَلَيهِ مَدامِعي

ما دمت عائِشَة بخدر فَنائى

So I will shed tears of sorrow for him,

As long as I live in the ruins of my abode!