إِن يَكُن صَبرُ ذي الرَزِيَّةِ فَضلاً
تَكُنِ الأَفضَلَ الأَعَزَّ الأَجَلّا
If patience in the afflicted is a virtue,
If the patience of the stricken is a grace,
you are the most virtuous, the mightiest, the most august.
Then you are the noblest, the mightiest, the most sublime.
أَنتَ يا فَوقَ أَن تُعَزّى عَنِ الأَحـ
ـبابِ فَوقَ الَّذي يُعَزّيكَ عَقلا
You, O one beyond consolation for loved ones,
You who stand above all solace for lost kin,
are above your consoler in understanding.
Surpassing in wisdom he who seeks to comfort you.
وَبِأَلفاظِكَ اِهتَدى فَإِذا عَز
زاكَ قالَ الَّذي لَهُ قُلتُ قَبلا
And by your words he was guided; so when he consoles
By your own words he is guided; when he speaks,
you, he says what I told him before.
He merely echoes truths you taught to him before.
قَد بَلَوتَ الخُطوبَ مُرّاً وَحُلواً
وَسَلَكتَ الأَيّامَ حَزناً وَسَهلا
You have experienced calamities, bitter and sweet,
You have tested Fortune’s ways, the bitter and the sweet,
and traversed the days over rough ground and smooth.
And traversed the path of days, through rugged lands and plains.
وَقَتَلتَ الزَمانَ عِلماً فَما يُغـ
ـرِبُ قَولاً وَلا يُجَدِّدُ فِعلا
You have slain Time with knowledge; it offers no
You have slain Time with knowledge; it brings no strange surprise,
strange word, nor performs any new deed.
No novel word it utters, nor deed does it renew.
أَجِدُ الحُزنَ فيكَ حِفظاً وَعَقلاً
وَأَراهُ في الخَلقِ ذُعراً وَجَهلا
I find sorrow in you to be remembrance and wisdom,
I find your sorrow proofs of mind and memory,
but in others I see it as terror and ignorance.
While in the common herd, I see but panic and despair.
لَكَ إِلفٌ يَجُرُّهُ وَإِذا ما
كَرُمَ الأَصلُ كانَ لِلإِلفِ أَصلا
You have affection that draws sorrow forth—and when
It is a bond of love that draws your grief; and when
the root is noble, it becomes a root for affection—
The root is noble, it becomes the very root of love.
وَوَفاءٌ نَبَتَّ فيهِ وَلَكِن
لَم يَزَل لِلوَفاءِ أَهلُكَ أَهلا
and loyalty in which you grew; yet
A faithfulness in which you flourished—yet, indeed,
your family has always been worthy of loyalty.
Your kin have ever been the rightful lords of truth.
إِنَّ خَيرَ الدُموعِ عَوناً لَدَمعٌ
بَعَثَتهُ رِعايَةٌ فَاِستَهَلّا
Indeed, the most helpful tears are tears
The finest tear to aid the soul is one that flows,
roused by faithful care, which then pour forth.
Called forth by tender care, and thus begins to fall.
أَينَ ذي الرِقَّةُ الَّتي لَكَ في الحَر
بِ إِذا اِستُكرِهَ الحَديدُ وَصَلّا
Where is this tenderness of yours in
Where is that gentleness you hold amidst the war,
battle, when iron is strained and clangs?
When iron is loathed and swords ring out their clashing song?
أَينَ خَلَّفتَها غَداةَ لَقيتَ الـ
ـرومَ وَالهامُ بِالصَوارِمِ تُفلى
Where did you leave it on the morning you met the
Where did you leave it, that dawn you met the Romans,
Romans, while heads were cleaved by keen swords?
When skulls were cleaved asunder by the striking blade?
قاسَمَتكَ المَنونُ شَخصَينِ جَوراً
جَعَلَ القِسمُ نَفسَهُ فيكَ عَدلا
Death unjustly divided two persons with you;
Fate unjustly claimed a share of two dear lives,
yet the division itself proved just in your case.
Yet in the share it left with you, it sought to make amends.
فَإِذا قِستَ ما أَخَذنَ بِما أَغـ
ـدَرنَ سَرّى عَنِ الفُؤادِ وَسَلّى
So when you compare what was taken with what was
If you compare what Fates have taken with what remains,
left, it relieves the heart and consoles it.
It lifts the burden from the heart and brings relief.
وَتَيَقَّنتَ أَنَّ حَظَّكَ أَوفى
وَتَبَيَّنتَ أَنَّ جَدَّكَ أَعلى
And you know for certain that your share is fuller,
You realize your portion is the fuller share,
and see clearly that your fortune is higher.
And see with clarity your fortune stands supreme.
وَلَعَمري لَقَد شَغَلتَ المَنايا
بِالأَعادي فَكَيفَ يَطلَبنَ شُغلا
By my life, you have kept the Fates busy
Upon my life, you kept the Dooms so occupied,
with enemies; how, then, can they seek more work?
With enemies to slay—how could they seek more work?
وَكَمِ اِنتَشتَ بِالسُيوفِ مِنَ الدَهـ
ـرِ أَسيراً وَبِالنَوالِ مُقِلّا
And how often have you rescued with swords from
How often have you wrested captives from Time's grip,
Time a captive, and with bounty a pauper!
By sword, or raised the pauper by your generous hand?
عَدَّها نُصرَةً عَلَيهِ فَلَمّا
صالَ خَتلاً رَآهُ أَدرَكَ تَبلا
It counted this a victory over itself; then, when
Time counted this a victory won against itself,
it struck by stealth, it thought it had gained vengeance.
So when it struck by stealth, it deemed revenge was won.
كَذَبَتهُ ظُنونُهُ أَنتَ تُبلي
هِ وَتَبقى في نِعمَةٍ لَيسَ تَبلى
Its assumptions deceived it: you wear
Its fancies lied! For you shall wear Time out and fade,
it out, and remain in a blessing that never wears out.
While you remain in grace that never knows decay.
وَلَقَد رامَكَ العُداةُ كَما را
مَ فَلَم يَجرَحوا لِشَخصِكَ ظِلّا
And your enemies indeed sought you, just as it
The foes have sought your ruin as Time sought it too,
did; yet they did not wound even your shadow.
Yet could not wound the merest shadow of your form.
وَلَقَد رُمتَ بِالسَعادَةِ بَعضاً
مِن نُفوسِ العِدا فَأَدرَكتَ كُلّا
And indeed, with good fortune, you sought some
You aimed, with fortune's aid, at just a part of them,
of your enemies' lives, and attained them all.
Of hostile souls—yet you attained the whole of them.
قارَعَت رُمحَكَ الرِماحُ وَلَكِن
تَرَكَ الرامِحينَ رُمحَكَ عُزلا
Spears clashed against your spear, but
Their spears engaged with yours in clashing antagonism,
your spear left the spearmen unarmed.
But yours has left the spearmen stripped and weaponless.
لَو يَكونُ الَّذي وَرَدتَ مِنَ الفَجـ
ـعَةِ طَعناً أَورَدتَهُ الخَيلَ قُبلا
Had the bereavement you encountered been
If this calamity you face were but a lance,
a spear-thrust, you would have led the horses straight into it.
You would have charged the horses headlong at the thrust.
وَلَكَشَفتَ ذا الحَنينِ بِضَربٍ
طالَما كَشَّفَ الكُروبَ وَجَلّى
And you would have dispelled this lament with blows
You would have silenced this moaning with a blow,
that have so often dispelled distress and cleared it away.
That often cleared the clouds of anguish and despair.
خِطبَةٌ لِلحِمامِ لَيسَ لَها رَد
دٌ وَإِن كانَتِ المُسَمّاةَ ثُكلا
Death's marriage proposal admits no
It is Death's proposal which cannot be refused,
refusal, though it is called bereavement.
Although the dowry named is loss and bereavement.
وَإِذا لَم تَجِد مِنَ الناسِ كُفواً
ذاتُ خِدرٍ أَرادَتِ المَوتَ بَعلا
And when she finds no equal among men,
When she of noble seclusion finds no equal mate,
a secluded maiden desires Death as her husband.
She chooses Death himself to be her husband then.
وَلَذيذُ الحَياةِ أَنفَسُ في النَفـ
ـسِ وَأَشهى مِن أَن يُمَلَّ وَأَحلى
And life's sweetness is too precious to the
The sweet delight of life is dearer to the soul,
soul, too desirable to tire of, and too sweet.
And far too luscious to be scorned, too sweet to tire.
وَإِذا الشَيخُ قالَ أُفٍّ فَما مَل
لَ حَياةً وَإِنَّما الضَعفَ مَلّا
And when an old man says, 'Ugh!', he has not tired
And if the elder groans in pain, he does not tire
of life; it is weakness alone he has tired of.
Of life itself; he wearies only of his frail decay.
آلَةُ العَيشِ صِحَّةٌ وَشَبابٌ
فَإِذا وَلَّيا عَنِ المَرءِ وَلّى
The tools of life are health and youth;
The instruments of life are health and vibrant youth;
when both depart from a man, he too departs.
When these depart a man, he too begins to fade.
أَبَداً تَستَرِدُّ ما تَهَبُ الدُن
يا فَيا لَيتَ جودَها كانَ بُخلا
The world forever takes back what she gives;
The World forever claims back every gift it gave;
if only her generosity had been stinginess!
Oh, would that its largesse had been but miserliness!
فَكَفَت كَونَ فَرحَةٍ تورِثُ الغَمـ
ـمَ وَخِلٍّ يُغادِرُ الوَجدَ خِلّا
Then she would have spared us a joy that bequeaths
To spare us fleeting joys that heir us only grief,
sorrow, and a friend who leaves anguish as a friend.
And friends whose leaving leaves but sorrow in their place.
وَهيَ مَعشوقَةٌ عَلى الغَدرِ لا تَحـ
ـفَظُ عَهداً وَلا تُتَمِّمُ وَصلا
Yet she is beloved despite her treachery; she does not
She is a mistress loved despite her treacherous ways;
keep a covenant or fulfill a union.
She keeps no covenant, nor brings love to its end.
كُلِّ دَمعٍ يَسيلُ مِنها عَلَيها
وَبِفَكِّ اليَدَينِ عَنها تُخَلّى
Every tear that flows comes from her and is for her;
Each tear that falls is shed for her, because of her,
and she is relinquished when both hands release her.
Yet only when hands loosen is she truly left.
شِيَمُ الغانِياتِ فيها فَلا أَد
ري لِذا أَنَّثَ اِسمَها الناسُ أَم لا
In her are the ways of beautiful women; I do not
She holds the fickle traits of bright and lovely maids;
know whether people made her name feminine for this reason or not.
Is this why men have named her with a female name?
يا مَليكَ الوَرى المُفَرِّقَ مَحياً
وَمَماتاً فيهِم وَعِزّاً وَذُلّا
O king of mankind, who apportions life
O King of all mankind, divider of their lot—
and death among them, and honor and abasement,
Dealing out death and life, and honor and disgrace.
قَلَّدَ اللَهُ دَولَةً سَيفُها أَنـ
ـتَ حُساماً بِالمَكرُماتِ مُحَلّى
God has girded a realm—whose sword is
God has adorned a State of which you are the Sword,
you—with a keen blade adorned with noble deeds.
A blade made sharp by might, with noble deeds inlaid.
فَبِهِ أَغنَتِ المَوالِيَ بَذلاً
وَبِهِ أَفنَتِ الأَعادِيَ قَتلا
Through it, the realm enriched its followers with gifts,
Through it, the State enriched its friends with lavish gifts,
and through it annihilated its enemies by killing.
Through it, it decimated foes with slaughtering.
وَإِذا اِهتَزَّ لِلنَدى كانَ بَحراً
وَإِذا اِهتَزَّ لِلوَغى كانَ نَصلا
And when he stirs to generosity, he is a sea;
And when it moves to give, it is a boundless sea;
and when he stirs to battle, he is a blade.
And when it moves for war, it is a severing blade.
وَإِذَ الأَرضُ أَظلَمَت كانَ شَمساً
وَإِذا الأَرضُ أَمحَلَت كانَ وَبلا
And when the earth grows dark, he is a sun;
When earth is wrapped in dark, he is a radiant sun;
and when the earth grows barren, he is a downpour.
When earth is parched with drought, he is the pouring rain.
وَهُوَ الضارِبُ الكَتيبَةِ وَالطَع
نَةُ تَغلو وَالضَربُ أَغلى وَأَغلى
And he strikes the battalion when a spear-thrust
He strikes the dense battalion while the lance's thrust
is costly, and sword-blows costlier and costlier.
Costs dear—yet his strike commands a higher price.
أَيُّها الباهِرُ العُقولَ فَما تُد
رَكُ وَصفاً أَتعَبتَ فِكري فَمَهلا
O dazzler of minds, beyond being grasped
O you who dazzle minds! You cannot be comprised
in description, you have exhausted my thought; be gentle!
By mere description; you have tired my thought—go soft!
مَن تَعاطى تَشَبُّهاً بِكَ أَعيا
هُ وَمَن دَلَّ في طَريقِكَ ضَلّا
Whoever tries to resemble you is exhausted by the attempt;
Who seeks to mime your state is weary and undone;
and whoever guides along your path goes astray.
Who tries to guide others on your path is lost.
فَإِذا ما اِشتَهى خُلودَكَ داعٍ
قالَ لا زُلتَ أَو تَرى لَكَ مِثلا
So when one praying desires your immortality,
So if a supplicant should wish you boundless life,
he says, 'May you live on until you see your equal.'
He says: 'Live on, until you see your peer arise.'
Sol 6.1