سَماؤُكِ يا دُنيا خِداعُ سَرابِ
وَأَرضُكِ عُمرانٌ وَشيكُ خَرابِ
The sky of your world is a mirage of illusion,
And its civilization soon turns into ruins.
وَما أَنتِ إِلّا جيفَةٌ طالَ حَولَها
قِيامُ ضِباعٍ أَو قُعودُ ذِئابِ
You are but a carcass surrounded
By packs of wolves or hyenas sitting.
وَكَم أَلجَأَ الجوعُ الأُسودَ فَأَقبَلَت
عَلَيكِ بِظُفرٍ لَم يَعِفَّ وَنابِ
And how often has hunger led the black wolves
To attack you with unabating teeth.
قَعَدتِ مِنَ الأَظعانِ في مَقطَعَ السُرى
وَمَرّوا رِكاباً في غُبارِ رِكابِ
You lurked at the bends of the paths
As they passed by in clouds of dust.
وَجُدتِ عَلَيهِم في الوَداعِ بِساخِرٍ
مِنَ اللَحظِ عَن مَيتِ الأَحِبَّةِ نابي
You mocked them at farewell
With glances of disdain for the dead beloved.
أَقاموا فَلَم يُؤنِسكِ حاضِرُ صُحبَةٍ
وَمالوا فَلَم تَستَوحِشي لِغِيابِ
They stayed but the company of the present did not please you,
They turned away but their absence did not dishearten you.
تَسوقينَ لِلمَوتِ البَنينَ كَقائِدٍ
يَرى الجَيشَ خَلقاً هَيِّناً كَذُبابِ
You lead the children to death like a commander
Who sees his troops as insignificant insects.
رَأى الحَربَ سُلطاناً لَهُ وَسَلامَةً
وَإِن آذَنَت أَجنادَهُ بِتَبابِ
He saw war as his empire and safety
Though his armies warned of decay.
وَلَولا غُرورٌ في لُبانِكَ لَم يَجِد
بَنوكِ مَذاقَ الضُرِّ شَهدَ رُضابِ
Were it not for the delusions in your essence
Your children would not have tasted sorrow’s honey.
وَلا كُنتِ لِلأَعمى مَشاهِدَ فِتنَةٍ
وَلِلمُقعَدِ العاني مَجالَ وَثابِ
You would not have been a spectacle of temptations for the blind
Nor an arena of competition for the crippled.
وَلا ضَلَّ رَأيُ الناشِيءِ الغِرِّ في الصِبا
وَلا كَرَّ بَعدَ الفُرصَةِ المُتَصابي
Nor would the youth’s opinion go astray in their prime
Nor would they lose opportunities once open.
وَلا حَسِبَ الحَفّارُ لِلمَوتِ بَعدَما
بَنى بِيَدَيهِ القَبرَ أَلفَ حِسابِ
Nor would the gravedigger, after building
The grave with his hands, calculate any reckoning.
يَقولونَ يَرثي كُلَّ خِلٍّ وَصاحِبٍ
أَجَل إِنَّما أَقضى حُقوقَ صِحابي
They say each friend and companion mourn me.
But I am only fulfilling the rights of my companions.
جَزَيتُهُمُ دَمعي فَلَمّا جَرى المَدى
جَعَلتُ عُيونَ الشِعرِ حُسنَ ثَوابي
I rewarded them with my tears and when the days passed
I made the eyes of poetry my reward.
كَفى بِذُرى الأَعوادِ مِنبَرَ واعِظٍ
وَبِالمُستَقِلّيها لِسانَ صَوابِ
It is enough that the timbers of the pillars are the pulpit of the preacher
And that those leaning on them are the tongue of righteousness.
دَعَوتُكَ يا يَعقوبُ مِن مَنزِلِ البِلى
وَلَولا المَنايا ما تَرَكتَ جَوابي
I called you, O Jacob, from the house of affliction
And had it not been for death, you would not have answered my call.
أُذَكِّرُكَ الدُنيا وَكَيفَ وَلَم يَزَل
لَها أَثَرا شَهدٍ بِفيكَ وَصابِ
I remind you of this world and how
It always left a trace of honey in you.
حَمَلنا إِلَيكَ الغارَ بِالأَمسِ ناضِراً
وَسُقنا كِتابَ الحَمدِ تِلوَ كِتابِ
Yesterday we carried the cave while it was flourishing
And we recited the Opening Chapter after the Chapter.
وَما اِنفَكَّتِ الدُنيا وَإِن قَلَّ لُبثُها
لِسانَ ثَوابٍ أَو لِسانَ عِقابِ
And still this world does not cease, though its lifetime is short,
To be a tongue of reward or a tongue of punishment.
أَلا في سَبيلِ العِلمِ خَمسونَ حِجَّةً
مَضَت بَينَ تَعليمٍ وَبَينَ طِلابِ
In the path of knowledge alone, fifty arguments
Passed between teaching and students.
قَطَعتَ طَوالَي لَيلِها وَنَهارِها
بِآمالِ نَفسٍ في الكَمالِ رِغابِ
You crossed its long nights and days
With hopes of a thirsty soul seeking perfection.
رَأى اللَهُ أَن تُلقى إِلَيكَ صَحيفَةٌ
فَنَزَّهتَها عَن هَوشَةٍ وَكِذابِ
God wanted you to receive a message
So you protected it from frivolity and lies.
وَلَم تَتَّخِذها آلَةَ الحِقدِ وَالهَوى
وَلا مُنتَدى لَغوٍ وَسوقَ سِبابِ
You did not take it as a means of hatred and passion
Nor an arena of nonsense, marketplace of insults.
مَشَينا بِنورَي عِلمِها وَبَيانِها
فَلَم نَسرِ إِلّا في شُعاعِ شِهابِ
We walked in its light of knowledge and clarity
Only illuminating the rays of the falling star.
وَعِشنا بِها جيلَينِ قُمتَ عَلَيهِما
مُعَلِّمَ نَشءٍ أَو إِمامَ شَبابِ
Through it we lived two generations in which you stood
A teacher of youth or an imam of youth.
رَسائِلُ مِن عَفوِ الكَلامِ كَأَنَّها
حَواشي عُيونٍ في الطُروسِ عِذابِ
Your messages are of the forgiveness of speech as if
They are commentaries by brilliant insights in the Chapter of the Mount.
هِيَ المَحضُ لا يَشقى بِهِ اِبنُ تَميمَةٍ
غِذاءً وَلا يَشقى بِهِ اِبنُ خِضابِ
With it neither the son of Tamimah contents himself with food
Nor the son of Khadhab contents himself with food.
سُهولٌ مِنَ الفُصحى وَقَفتَ بِها الهَوى
عَلى ما لَدَيها مِن رُبىً وَهِضابِ
It has accessible highs of eloquence which stopped fancy
From what it has of hills and plateaus.
وَما ضِعتَ بَينَ الشَرقِ وَالغَربِ مِشيَةً
كَما قيلَ في الأَمثالِ حَجلُ غُرابِ
You have never walked crookedly between East and West
As they say in proverbs, the gait of the crow.
فَلَم أَرَ أَنقى مِنكَ سُمعَةَ ناقِلٍ
إِذا وَسَمَ النَقلُ الرِجالَ بِعابِ
So I have not seen anyone’s transmitted reputation as immaculate
If transmission brands men with flaws.
وَكَم أَخَذَ القَولَ السَرِيَّ مُعَرِّبٌ
فَما رَدَّهُ لِاِسمٍ وَلا لِنِصابِ
And how much secret talk has the transmitter arabized
Yet he did not refute it for a name or lineage!
وَفَدتَ عَلى الفُصحى بِخَيراتِ غَيرِها
فَوَاللَهِ ما ضاقَت مَناكِبَ بابِ
You surpassed eloquence with the goodness of others
By God, its platforms did not narrow with the narrowness of the gate.
وَقِدماً دَنَت يونانُ مِنها وَفارِسٌ
وَروما فَحَلّوا في فَسيحِ رِحابِ
And Greek, Persian, and Roman drew near
And lodged in its spacious courtyard.
تَبَتَّلتَ لِلعِلمِ الشَريفِ كَأَنَّهُ
حَقيقَةُ تَوحيدٍ وَأَنتَ صَحابي
You endured the noble knowledge as if it is
The reality of God’s oneness and you are its people.
وَجَشَّمتَ مَيدانَ السِياسَةِ فارِساً
وَكُلُّ جَوادٍ في السِياسَةِ كابي
And you entered the arena of politics an outstanding horseman
While every steed in politics is unruly.
وَكُنّا وَنَمرٌ في شِغابٍ فَلَم يَزَل
بِنا الدَهرُ حَتّى فَضَّ كُلَّ شِغابِ
We were a leopard in thickets and time continued with us
Until it exposed every single thicket.
رَأى الثَورَةَ الكُبرى فَسَلَّ يَراعَهُ
لِتَحطيمِ أَغلالٍ وَفَكِّ رِقابِ
It saw the great revolution so it asked its shepherd
To destroy the shackles and unleash the necks.
وَما الشَرقُ إِلّا أُسرَةٌ أَو عَشيرَةٌ
تَلُمُّ بَنيها عِندَ كُلِّ مُصابِ
The Orient is nothing but a family or a clan
That gathers its children at every affliction.
سَلامٌ عَلى شَيخِ الشُيوخِ وَرَحمَةٌ
تَحَدَّرُ مِن أَعطافِ كُلِّ سَحابِ
Peace unto the Sheikh of Sheikhs and mercy
That flows from the edges of every cloud,
وَرَفّافُ رَيحانٍ يَروحُ وَيَغتَدي
عَلى طَيِّباتٍ في الخِلالِ رِطابِ
And whiffs of basil that spreads fragrance
Over goodnesses in the thickets - generous, fresh.
وَذِكرى وَإِن لَم نَنسَ عَهدَكَ ساعَةً
وَشَوقٌ وَإِن لَم نَفتَكِر بِإِيابِ
As for remembrance - even if we do not forget your era an instant -
And longing - even if we do not think of return.
وَوَيحَ السَوافي هَل عَرَضنَ عَلى البِلى
جَبينَكَ أَم سَتَّرنَهُ بِحِجابِ
And woe to the biers! Did decay expose to affliction
Your forehead or did they cover it with a veil?
وَهَل صُنَّ ماءً كانَ فيهِ كَأَنَّهُ
حَياءُ بَتولٍ في الصَلاةِ كَعابِ
And did they protect water that was as though
It were the modesty of a maiden in her prayer - diffident?
وَيا لِحَياةٍ لَم تَدَع غَيرَ سائِلٍ
أَكانَت حَياةً أَم خَلِيَّةَ دابِ
Oh what a life that left none but a questioner -
Was it life or the burrow of a creeping insect?
وَأَينَ يَدٌ كانَت وَكانَ بَنانُها
يَراعَةَ وَشيٍ أَو يَراعَةَ غابِ
Where is the hand whose fingers
Were shepherding something lost or shepherding a forest?
وَلَهفي عَلى الأَخلاقِ في رُكنِ هَيكَلٍ
بِبَطنِ الثَرى رَثِّ المَعالِمِ خابي
My anguish for morals in the corner of a temple
With the belly of the ground - the landmarks have perished.
نَعيشُ وَنَمضي في عَذابٍ كَلَذَّةٍ
مِنَ العَيشِ أَو في لَذَّةٍ كَعَذابِ
We live and pass in torture like pleasure
From life or in pleasure like torture.
ذَهَبنا مِنَ الأَحلامِ في كُلِّ مَذهَبٍ
فَلَمّا اِنتَهَينا فُسِّرَت بِذَهابِ
We are lost in dreams in every doctrine
Yet when we finished they were interpreted as lost.
وَكُلُّ أَخي عَيشٍ وَإِن طالَ عَيشُهُ
تُرابٌ لَعَمرُ المَوتِ وَاِبنُ تُرابِ
And each dear lifetime, however long,
Is dust - the lifetime of death and the son of dust.
