خانَنا فيكَ حادثُ الأَيامِ
فَاِحتَكَمنا إِلى الدُموعِ السِّجامِ
Our house has been afflicted by the vicissitudes of time,
So we appeal to copious tears, however unavailing,
تِلكَ أَوفى في النازِلاتِ وَإِن لَم
تَكُ أَشفى لِلوعةٍ وَأَوامِ
For they are the most faithful in disasters, though they cannot
Relieve the anguish of grief and sorrow.
وَقَليلٌ مِن بَعد مَصرَعِكَ الدَم
عُ وَلَو سالَ مِن جُفونِ الغَمامِ
After your death, my tears flow scantily,
Though poured from the clouds of my eyes.
وَلَعَمري لَيسَ البُكاءُ بِمُغنٍ
مِن فَواتٍ قَد عُدَّ في الأَحلامِ
By my life! Weeping cannot make good
What is lost and gone in dreams.
إِنَّما تِلكَ سُنَّةٌ لِلمَآقي
سَنَّها العَجزُ في الخَطوبِ العِظامِ
Rather, that is the law of dire events
Ordained for helpless men in great calamities.
جَلَّ خَطبٌ نَفِرُّ مِنهُ لِخَطبٍ
وَسَقامٌ نَطبّهُ بِسِقامِ
One fate is worse than another, yet O man –
Patience and despair are the utmost of efforts.
قَدرٌ أَنفَع السِلاحين فَيا ال
صَبر وَاليَأس غاية الأَقدام
For Time in events has a way
Other than weeping or smiling.
إِن لِلدَّهرِ في الحَوادث شَأناً
غَيرَ شَأن البُكاءِ وَالابتِسامِ
Misery in it and happiness are matters
Of the disposition of souls and bodies.
وَالشَقا فيهِ وَالسَعادة مِن أَح
وَالِ هَذي النُفوسِ وَالأَجسامِ
And decrepitude, like existence, is not for man
To choose, and was not according to his wishes.
وَالرَّدى كَالوجودِ ما فيهِ للمَر
ءِ اِختيارٌ وَلَم يَكُن عَن مَرامِ
Man is born into life by compulsion
And by compulsion tastes the cup of death.
يُولَدُ المَرءُ لِلحَياةِ اِضطِراراً
وَاِضطِراراً يَذوقُ كاسَ الحِمامِ
O you who hurry away! Go gently
And give us some words of company.
أَيُّها الراحِلُ الحَثيثُ رُويداً
وَأَصحَبنَّا وَلَو بِبَعضِ كَلامِ
Grant my eyes a farewell glance -
Alas! After it how far from greetings!
وَاِمنَحِ العَينَ نَظرةً مِن وَداعٍ
لَكَ هَيهاتَ بَعدَهُ مِن سَلامِ
Woe for him who laments you, what a terrible lament,
How wildly his tongue raves!
وَيحَ ناعيكَ وَهوَ أَهول نَعيٍ
كَيفَ أَجرى لِسانَهُ بِالضَّرامِ
News that darkened the morn with gloom
And banished the sweet dreams into the gloom.
نَبأ بَرقَعَ الضُحى بِظَلامٍ
وَنَفى في الظَلام طِيبَ المَنامِ
Neither East nor West was aware, with the least
Sorrow in the hearts of Syria’s people,
لَم يَكُ الشَرق فيهِ أَدرى مِن الغَر
ب بِزلزال رَجفةٍ وَاهِتِزامِ
Of an earthquake shock whereby everything shook and trembled.
Universal mourning! Virtues weeping
لا وَلا مِصر وَالعِراقَ بِأَدنى
لَوعةٍ من صُدورِ أَهلِ الشآمِ
With smiles’ tears,
And elegy among pulpits, horses and pens!
مأْتمٌ باتتِ الفَضائلُ فيهِ
باكياتٍ بِأَدمُعِ الاِبتِسامِ
Blessed are you who have left among us someone
To manage grave events with resolution and contract.
وَنُواحٌ بَينَ المَنابرِ وَالحَش
دِ وَبَينَ الطُروسِ وَالأَقلامِ
You were a pillar for us, so when it collapsed,
Glory and sublimity proclaimed its fall.
يا لَكَ الخَيرُ وَالمَراحمُ مَن أَب
قيَتَ فينا لِلحادِثاتِ الجِسامِ
You opposed misfortunes with a zeal
That was like fire, and a resolve that nothing could cleave.
وَإِلى مَن عَهدتَ في الحَزم وَالعزْ
مِ وَنَقضِ الأُمورِ وَالإِبرامِ
Misfortunes attacked you for ages but you did not
Give way save to overwhelm them in ruin.
كُنتَ رُكناً لَنا فَلَما تَداعَى
آذنَ العزُّ وَالعُلى بِاِنهِدامِ
This disaster is the first of calamities
In which you have surrendered us to the days.
غَيرةٌ مِثلُها اللَهيبُ وَعَزمٌ
دونَهُ في المضاءِ حَدُّ الحُسامِ
We shun patience lest it turn the scalding
Tears into cool life-giving water.
قارَعتْكَ الخَطوبُ دَهراً فَما وُلْ
لِيتَ إِلاّ وَغَربَها في اِنثِلامِ
And we refuse solace for you, for it makes
A thousand memories rise up with a thousand stabs.
إِن هَذا المُصابُ أَولُّ خَطبٍ
فيهِ أَسلَمتَنا إِلى الأَيامِ
I wonder what man hopes for in his life
Between morn and dark!
نَتَوَخَّى عَنك اِصطِباراً فَيغدو الصْ
صَبرُ ماءً مِن المَاجرِ هامي
Death has mixed with his blood
And dwelt between his flesh and bones.
وَنَرومُ العَزاءَ عَنكَ فتَبدو
أَلف ذِكرى تَأتي بِأَلفِ ذِمامِ
We live in a castle that has no permanence
And endures not.
لَيتَ شِعري ما يَرتَجي المَرءُ في دُن
ياهُ ما بَينَ صُبحِهِ وَالظَلامِ
People of the desert whom the winds of calamity
Have succeeded each other under a tent of decay.
خالطَ المَوتَ مُنذُ كانَ دمِاهُ
وَثَوى بَينَ لَحمِهِ وَالعِظامِ
Rather, it is a road we pass along, so choose
From it provision for the abode of eternity.
نَحنُ في دارِ قَلعةٍ ليسَ فيها
مِن دَوامٍ وَلا لَها مِن دَوامِ
It is, if you wish, the road of desolation.
And if you wish, it is the road of peace.
أَهل قَفرٍ تَناوَبتَهُ رِياحُ الْ
بينِ في ظلِّ خَيمةٍ مِن ثُمامِ
بَل طَريقٌ نَجوزُها فَتَخَير
لَكَ مِنها زاداً لِدارِ المُقامِ
فَهْيَ إِن شئتَها طَريقُ بوارٍ
وَهيَ إِن شئتَها طَريقُ سَلامِ
