نَعَوكَ بِهِم كانَ النَعيُّ وَلَم تَمُت

نَعَوكَ بِهِم كانَ النَعيُّ وَلَم تَمُت

وَلَو مُتَّ ماتَ الظَرفُ أَجمَعَ كُلُّهُ

وَلَو مُتَّ ماتَ الظَرفُ أَجمَعَ كُلُّهُ

They announced your death; the death notice concerned them, and you did not die.

They mourned you though you had not died,

And had you died, all wit would have died, every bit of it.

And if you had died, everything charming would have died.

وَما اِستَثقَلوا مِن مُدَّةٍ قَد تَكامَلَت

وَما اِستَثقَلوا مِن مُدَّةٍ قَد تَكامَلَت

وَمِن عُمُرٍ لَم يَبقَ إِلّا أَقَلُّهُ

وَمِن عُمُرٍ لَم يَبقَ إِلّا أَقَلُّهُ

And what did they find burdensome in a span already complete,

They did not find your long life a burden,

And in a life of which only the smallest part remains,

Nor the little left of your life too short.

عَلى أَنَّ لَهواً لِلصَديقِ يَسُرُّهُ

عَلى أَنَّ لَهواً لِلصَديقِ يَسُرُّهُ

وَدَرءً عَلى حَدِّ العَدُوِّ يَفُلُّهُ

وَدَرءً عَلى حَدِّ العَدُوِّ يَفُلُّهُ

Though diversion for a friend brings him joy,

To cheer a friend is joy,

And a defense against the enemy’s edge blunts it?

To repel a foe gives cause to cheer.

بَقيتَ أَبا العَيناءِ فينا وَلا يَزَل

بَقيتَ أَبا العَيناءِ فينا وَلا يَزَل

لَنا ظِلُّ أُنسٍ في ذَراكَ نَحُلُّهُ

لَنا ظِلُّ أُنسٍ في ذَراكَ نَحُلُّهُ

May you remain among us, Abu al-ʿAynāʾ, and may there always be

You remain, Abu Al-Ayna, among us,

For us a shade of companionship in your shelter, where we dwell.

And we will always find dear company in your memory.