سَما يُناغي الشُهُبا
هَل مَسَّها فَاِلتَهَبا
The sky flirts with the stars,
Did a spark touch it and make it blaze?
كَالدَيدَبانِ أَلزَمو
هُ في البِحارِ مَرقَبا
Like limpets they clung
To the seas, watching.
شَيَّعَ مِنهُ مَركَباً
وَقامَ يَلقى مَركَبا
He bid farewell to a ship
And stood to meet another ship.
بَشَّرَ بِالدارِ وَبِال
أَهلِ السُراةَ الغُيَّبا
He gave good tidings of the house and
The people of the hidden place of pilgrimage.
وَخَطَّ بِالنورِ عَلى
لَوحِ الظَلامِ مَرحَبا
With light he drew upon
The tablet of darkness, "Welcome!"
كَالبارِقِ المُلِحِّ لَم
يُوَلَّ إِلّا عَقَّبا
Like the twinkling bright lightning
That flashes and is gone.
يا رُبَّ لَيلٍ لَم تَذُق
فيهِ الرُقادَ طَرَبا
O Lord of the night in which
You did not taste sleep or joy.
بِتنا نُراعيهِ كَما
يَرعى السُراةُ الكَوكَبا
We stay awake, watching over it
As the pilgrims watch the stars.
سَعادَةٌ يَعرِفُها
في الناسِ مَن كانَ أَبا
A happiness known
To people if they are fathers.
مَشى عَلى الماءِ وَجا
بَ كَالمَسيحِ العَبَبا
He walked upon the water and came
Like Jesus the miracle worker.
وَقامَ في مَوضِعِهِ
مُستَشرِفاً مُنَقِّبا
He stood in his place
Seeking, searching.
يَرمي إِلى الظَلامِ طَر
فاً حائِراً مُذَبذَبا
He aims into the darkness
Confused, wavering.
كَمُبصِرٍ أَدارَ عَي
ناً في الدُجى وَقَلَّبا
Like a seer, he turned his
Eyes in the gloom and examined.
كَبَصَرِ الأَعشى أَصا
بَ في الظَلامِ وَنَبا
Like the blind man's vision
He saw in the dark and ascended.
وَكالسِراجِ في يَدِ الري
حِ أَضاءَ وَخَبا
Like a lamp in the hand of the wind
He illuminated and disappeared.
كَلَمحَةٍ مِن خاطِرٍ
ما جاءَ حَتّى ذَهَبا
Like a spark of inspiration
That came and went.
مُجتَنِبُ العالَمِ في
عُزلَتِهِ مُجتَنَبا
Avoiding the world in
His isolation, avoided.
إِلّا شِراعاً ضَلَّ أَو
فُلكاً يُقاسي العَطَبا
Except for a sail gone astray
Or a ship battered by calms.
وَكانَ حارِسُ الفَنا
رِ رَجُلاً مُهَذَّبا
The keeper of oblivion was
A refined man.
يَهوى الحَياةَ وَيُحِبُّ
العَيشَ سَهلاً طَيِّبا
He loved life and loved
Living, easy and good.
أَتَت عَلَيهِ سَنَوا
تٌ مُبعَداً مُغتَرِبا
Years passed him by
Exiled and estranged.
لَم يَرَ فيها زَوجَهُ
وَلا اِبنَهُ المُحَبَّبا
He did not see his wife
Or his beloved son in them.
وَكانَ قَد رَعى الخَطي
بَ وَوَعى ما خَطَبا
He had watched fate
And understood what fate decreed.
فَقالَ يا حارِسُ خَل
لِ السُخطَ وَالتَعَتُّبا
So he said, "O keeper of emptiness,
Abandon discontent and complaining.
مَن يُسعِفُ الناسَ إِذا
نودِيَ كُلٌّ فَأَبى
Who will help people when
Each is called but refuses?
ما الناسُ إِخوَتي وَلا
آدَمُ كانَ لي أَبا
People are my brothers, not
Adam my father.
أُنظُر إِلَيَّ كَيفَ أَق
ضي لَهُمُ ما وَجَبا
Look at me, see how I fulfill
What is obligatory for them.
قَد عِشتُ في خِدمَتِهِم
وَلا تَراني تَعِبا
I have lived in serving them
And you do not see me weary.
كَم مِن غَريقٍ قُمتُ عِن
دَ رَأسِهِ مُطَبِّبا
How many drowning have I stood
At their heads, healing.
وَكانَ جِسماً هامِداً
حَرَّكتُهُ فَاِضطَرَبا
Their bodies were still
I stirred them and they shook.
وَكُنتُ وَطَّأتُ لَهُ
مَناكِبي فَرَكِبا
I bent my shoulders for them
To climb up and mount.
حَتّى أَتى الشَطَّ فَبَش
شَ مَن بِهِ وَرَحَّبا
Until they came to shore, delighted
And welcoming what they found.
وَطارَدوني فَاِنقَلَب
تُ خاسِراً مُخَيِّبا
They chased me away, so I returned
Losing, disappointed.
ما نلتُ مِنهُم فِضَّةً
وَلا مُنِحتُ ذَهَبا
I did not get any silver from them
Nor was I given gold.
وَما الجَزاءُ لا تَسَل
كانَ الجَزاءُ عَجَبا
What a reward! Strange
Was the reward!
أَلقَوا عَلَيَّ شَبَكاً
وَقَطَّعوني إِرَبا
They threw a net over me
And chopped me to pieces.
وَاِتَّخَذَ الصُنّاعُ مِن
شَحمِيَ زَيتاً طَيِّبا
The craftsmen took from
My fat good lamp oil.
وَلَم يَزَل إِسعافُهُم
لِيَ الحَياةَ مَذهَبا
And their aid to me
Kept taking away my life.
وَلَم يَزَل سَجِيَّتي
وَعَمَلي المُحَبَّبا
And my good-natured deeds
Remained beloved.
إِذا سَمِعتُ صَرخَةً
طِرتُ إِلَيها طَرَبا
If I heard a scream
I would dash to it, thrilled.
لا أَجِدُ المُسعِفَ
إِلّا مَلَكاً مُقَرَّبا
I do not find one who helps
Except an honored angel.
وَالمُسعِفونَ في غَدٍ
يُؤَلِّفونَ مَوكِبا
And the helpers, tomorrow,
Will join a procession.
يَقولُ رِضوانُ لَهُم
هَيّا أَدخلوها مَرحَبا
Paradise will say to them,
"Come, enter the welcome!"
مُذنِبُكُم قَد غَفَرَ
اللَهُ لَهُ ما أَذنَبا
"Your sins,
God has forgiven whatever you did."
