أتانِيَ والرّكبانُ يأتي نجيُّهمْ

بما ساء أو سرّ الفتى وهو غافلُ

The riders came to me, with news of their savior,

Of what saddened or pleased the youth while he was absent.

بأنّ الّذي سالتْ شعابُ النّدى به

تلاقتْ على رغمي عليه الجَنادلُ

That he for whom the valley streams flowed,

Despite me, the tents were pitched over him.

وحلّ بدارٍ ليس عنها مُعَرَّجٌ

ولا نازلٌ فيها مدى الدّهرِ راحلُ

And he settled in a house with no roads to it,

Nor a lodger in it for eternity.

أمِنْ بعد أن راع القرومَ هديرُه

ونِيلتْ بما تجنِي يداه الطّوائلُ

After the pastures were grazed by the herds,

And his hands reaped what they had sown.

يُضامُ ويُسقى غِرَّةً أكْؤُسَ الرّدى

فللّهِ حقٌّ غاله ثمّ باطلُ

The cups of misfortune are filled and drunk,

God has a right that was lost, then false.

فإنْ غبتَ عنّا فالنّجومُ غوائبٌ

وإنْ زلتَ عنّا فالجبالُ زوائلُ

If you are absent from us, the stars are absent,

If you slip from us, the mountains will slip.

وما أنتَ مقتولاً وذكرُك خالدٌ

بل أنتَ لمن قد ظلّ بعدك قاتلُ

You were not killed, and your memory is eternal,

But you are the killer of those who came after you.

فلا حملتنا للجلادِ ضوامرٌ

ولا فرّقتنا من بلادٍ رواحلُ

We did not carry shackles for the executioner,

Nor were we divided by countries of migrants.

ولا عاد من حربٍ بما شاء صارخٌ

ولا آب من جَدْبٍ بما رام سائلُ

Nor did a screaming warrior return from war with what he wanted,

Nor did a beggar come back from drought with what he sought.

ولا تبكهِ منّا العيونُ وإِنّما

بكته المواضي والقنا والعواملُ

It is not our eyes that weep for you, but

The meadows, the canals and the boats weep for you.

ولولا هَنَاتٌ سوف يُقلعُ عذرها

ضحىً أو عشيّاً قال ما شاء قائلُ

Had it not been for the passions, they would have made excuses

Morning or evening, saying what any speaker would say.