رجلٌ ينحني لوقر الزمانِ

شائب الرأسِ مرسل الأجفانِ

A man bowed beneath the weight of time,

gray of head, his eyelids lowered;

اشبع العمرُ قلبه فتخطى

منه محصول تسعةٌ بثمانِ

life had sated his heart, and he had passed

beyond a harvest of nine times eight.

قام في معبد يصلي خشوعاً

عابداً ضارعاً تقي الجنان

He stood in a place of worship, praying humbly,

a worshiper, supplicating, pure of heart,

طالباً أن يرى قبيل مماتٍ

مولد المرتجى لذاك الزمان

asking, before his death, to behold

the newborn awaited by that age.

ذاك شيخ وسط المصلى مقيمٌ

زاهدٌ عن مسالك الطغيان

That old man dwelt within the place of prayer,

an ascetic shunning the paths of tyranny.

يرتجي رؤية المخلص قبل المو

ت من ربه بغير توان

He hoped to see the Savior before dea—

—th, asking his Lord tirelessly.

فإذا بالبتول يوسف والعذ

راء قد عرجا بذاك المكان

Then behold—the chaste Joseph and the Vir—

—gin had come up to that place,

وعلى ساعديهما الطفل يسو

ع قد احضراه للاختتان

and in their arms the infant Jesu—

—s, whom they had brought to be circumcised.

بلغا ذلك المصلى وما في

ه أحد غير شيخنا سمعان

They reached that place of prayer; no one

was there but our elder Simeon.

اخذ الطفل في يديه ونادى

انت ربي ومبدع الأكوان

He took the child into his hands and cried:

“You are my Lord and Maker of the worlds.”

بارك اللَه ثم انشد ربي

عبدك الأن اطلقن بأمان

He blessed God, then chanted: “My Lord,

now release Your servant in peace.

قد رأت اعيني الذي املته

ورأت ما أعد للإنسان

My eyes have seen the one for whom I hoped

and seen what was prepared for humankind.”

لفظ الشيخ ذا ومال إلى العذ

را بوجه تطوف فيه التهاني

The elder uttered this, turning toward the Vir—

—gin, his face wreathed in rejoicing.

قال هذا الفتى يكون لاسقا

ط وانهاض اكثر الفتيان

He said: “This boy shall bring the downfa—

—ll and raising up of most of the youths.

واعلمي ان قلبك الغض يوماً

سوف تفريه حربة الأحزان

And know that one day your tender heart

will be cleft by the spear of sorrows.”

هكذا قال ذلك الشيخ سمعان

بوحي من روح باري الكيان

Thus spoke that elder, Simeon,

by revelation from the Spirit of the Creator of all being.

يوسف والبتول مريمُ كانا

عند تلك الأقوالِ ينذهلان

Joseph and the Virgin Mary both

stood astonished at those words.

قدما للإله فرخي يمام

طوع ناموسهم لذاك الزمان

They offered to God two young doves,

in obedience to their law in that age.

وقضى الشيخ بعدما تم وحي ال

روح فيه ونال كل الأماني

And the elder died after the revelation of the

Spirit was fulfilled in him, and he attained every hope.

كل هذا يا قوم سرٌّ عجيب

أين مني بيانه ببياني

All this, O people, is a wondrous mystery—

how could my own words ever explain it?