إِعجَب مِنَ الغَيمِ كَيفَ اِرفَضَّ فَاِنقَشَعا
وَصالِحِ العَيشِ كَيفَ اِعتيقَ فَاِرتُجِعا
The clouds' refusal astounds me, and how they then dissipate,
As does the wholesomeness of life, how it escapes and then returns.
لَولا الفَقيدُ الَّذي عَمَّت نَوافِلُهُ
ماضاقَ مِن جانِبِ الأَيّامِ ما إِتَّسَعا
Were it not for the absence of the departed, whose supererogations encompassed all,
The days would not have narrowed what they had expanded.
فَجيعَةٌ مِن صُروفِ الدَهرِ مُعضِلَةٌ
لَو يَعلَمُ الدَهرُ فيها كُنهَ ماصَنعا
So it is a confusing blow of fate's caprice,
As if fate did not know its essence, it would not have acted thus.
خَلّى أَبو القاسِمِ الجُلّى عَلى عُصَبٍ
إِن حاوَلوا الصَبرَ فيها بَعدَهُ اِمتَنَعا
Abu'l Qasim the Glorious left a people in anguish,
That if after him they attempt patience, it would be unbearable.
إِنَّ النَعِيَّ بِمَروِ الشاهِجانِ غَداً
لَباعِثٌ رَهَجاً في الشَرقِ مُرتَفَعا
The news tomorrow in Marw al-Shahijan
Will raise clamor in the Orient, loud and high.
تَنثالُ أَنجِيَةُ الوادي إِلى خَبَرٍ
بَنو سُوَيدٍ عَلَيهِ عاكِفونَ مَعا
The paths of the valley lead to news
Of the Banu Suwayd, gathered together as one.
يُخفونَ ماوَجَدوا مِنهُ وَبَينَهُمُ
وَجدٌ إِذا أَطفَأوا مَشبوبَهُ سَطَعا
They hide what they find, though amongst themselves
When they quench their flaming thirst, it ignites again.
لَأَبكِيَنَّ ضُيوفاً فيكَ حائِرَةً
أَسبابُها وَرَجاءً مِنكَ مُنقَطِعا
I will cry guests bewildered in you,
Their hopes in you cut off, desperately seeking union.
وَكَيفَ تَنسى وَما اِستُنزِلتَ عَن خَطَرٍ
وَلا نَسيتَ النُهى خَوفاً وَلا طَمَعا
How could you forget? You were not spared from danger,
Nor forgot the prohibition, fearing or hoping.
لاتَحسِبَنّي اِغتَفَرتُ الرُزءَ فيكَ وَلا
ظَلِلتُ فيهِ لِرَيبِ الدَهرِ مُنخَدِعا
Do not think I forgave the tragedy in you, or
Succumbed in it to the guiles of fate.
وَقَد تَقَصَّيتُ عُذري في التَجَمُّلِ لَو
أَحمَدتَ غايَتَهُ وَالحُزنِ لَو نَفَعا
I made excuses for myself in persisting elegantly, had you
Praised its perfection, and grief, had it been of use.
نَفسٌ سَلَكتُ بِها التَهجينَ رائِدَةً
فَما رَأَت جَلَداً أَغنى وَلا هَلَعا
A soul I took as my guide to departure
Saw no patience more profitable or safer refuge.
كَلَّفتُها الصَبرَ فَاِعتاصَت مُمانِعَةً
وَسامَحَت لَكَ إِذ كَلَّفتُها الجَزَعا
I tasked it with patience, but it resisted
And pardoned you when I tasked it with grief.
وَالدَمعُ سَيلٌ مَتى عَلَّيتَ جَريَتَهُ
أَبى الرُجوعَ وَإِن صَوَّبتَهُ اِندَفَعا
Tears are a torrent; when you unleash them they flow,
Refusing retreat, even when you curb them.
تَنَكَّرَ العَيشُ حَتّى صارَ أَكدَرُهُ
يَأتي نِظاماً وَيَأتي صَفوُهُ لُمَعا
Life became unrecognizable until its bitterness
Came regularly, and its sweetness came to shine.
وَآنَسَت مِن خُطوبِ الدَهرِ كَثرَتُها
فَلَيسَ يُرتاعُ مِن خَطبٍ إِذا طَلَعا
It perceived from the blows of fate their multitude,
So it is not alarmed by calamities when they appear.
قُل لِأَبي صالِحٍ إِمّا عَرَضتُ لَهُ
تَحمَدهُ قائِلَ أَقوامٍ وَمُستَمِعا
Say to Abu Salih, when people happen upon me,
Praising me while listeners hear,
قَد آنَ لِلصَبرِ أَن تُرجى مَثوبَتُهُ
وَمولَعٍ بِهُمولِ الدَمعِ أَن يَدَعا
It is time the reward of patience be hoped for
And the tearful urged to abandon their weeping.
فَقدُ الشَقيقِ غَرامٌ ما يُرامُ وَفي
فَقدِ التَجَمُّلِ وَهنٌ يُعقِبُ الظَلَعا
To lose a brother is a death nothing can replace, and in
Losing composure, a weakness follows the stumble.
كِلاهُما عِبءُ مَكروهٍ إِذا اِفتَرَقا
فَكَيفَ ثِقلُهُما الموهي إِذا اِجتَمَعا
Both are a burden when they meet,
So how heavy is their weight on the afflicted soul?
لَيسَ المُصيبَةُ في الثَأوى مَضى قَدَراً
بَلِ المُصيبَةُ في الباقي هَفا جَزَعا
The misfortune is not in the ordained departure,
Rather, the misfortune is in the remaining one, distraught in grief.
إِنَّ البُكاءَ عَلى الماضينَ مَكرُمَةٌ
لَو كانَ ماضٍ إِذا بَكَّيتَهُ رَجَعا
Crying for the departed is an honored thing—
If only the departed returned when we cried!
صُعوبَةُ الرُزءِ تُلقى في تَوَقُّعِهِ
مُستَقبَلاً وَاِنقِضاءُ الرُزءِ أَن يَقَعا
The difficulty of tragedy lies in dreading its arrival
In the future, while enduring present tragedy.
وَفي أَبيكَ مُعَزٍّ عَن أَخيكَ إِذا
فَكَّرتَ فيهِ وَفي الوَفدِ الَّذي تَبِعا
In your father the consoler for your brother, consider,
And the procession that followed—
هُمُ وَنَحنُ سَواءٌ غَيرَ أَنَّهُمُ
أَضحَوا لَنا سَلَفاً نُمسي لَهُم تَبَعا
They and us are equal, save that they
Have gone before at dawn, and we will follow at dusk.
قَد رَدَّ في نُوَبِ الأَيّامِ شِرَّتَها
أَن لَم تَكُن غَمَراً فيها وَلا ضَرَعا
The bitterness of those days has passed;
They were not flooded nor torn asunder.
عَزيمَةٌ مِنكَ أَن حَشَّمتَها جَشِمَت
وَرُكنُ رَضوى إِذا حَمَّلتَهُ اِضطَلَعا
A resolve of yours sought to make firm
Would buttress accepting the divine decree.
