املئي الأرضَ من حدادٍ وغيهبْ

مالَ نجمُ البيانِ عنكِ وغرَّبْ

The earth is filled with grief and vanished

The star of eloquence has disappeared from you and set

وخبا من مصابح الفكر نورٌ

كان أمضى من الشهابِ وأثقبْ

The light has faded from the lamps of thought

That was more decisive than a shooting star and more piercing

وطوى الموتُ هالةً كان يُنْمَى

كلُّ أفقٍ إلى سناها ويُنْسَبْ

And death has folded a halo that was being groomed

Every horizon turns to its peak and is attributed

يا سماءَ الخيال ما كلُّ يومٍ

من بني الشعر تظفرينَ بكوكبْ

O sky of imagination, not every day

Do you gain from the children of poetry a planet

ذهبَ الشاعرُ الذي رَدَّدَ الشـ

ـرقُ صدى شعره الجميلِ المحبَّبْ

The poet who echoed the East is gone

The echo of his beautiful beloved poetry has vanished

ومضى الناثرُ الذي صوَّرَ النفسَ،

وجلَّى سرَّ الضميرِ المحجَّبْ

And the prose writer who portrayed the soul is gone

And the mystery of the veiled conscience is revealed

الأديبُ العريقُ في لغة الضَّا

دِ، وقاموسُها الصحيحُ المرتَّبْ

The seasoned literateur in the language of the predecessor

And its correct well-arranged dictionary

لم يكن شاعرَ القديم، ولا كا

نَ لآداب عصرِهِ يتعصَّبْ

He was not the poet of old, and he was not

Prejudiced to the literature of his time

كان يُعْنى بكل فَذٍّ من القو

لِ، ويُزْهَى بكلِّ حسنٍ ويُعجبْ

He cared for every eloquent speech

And was adorned by every beauty and admired

شاعرُ الحبِّ والجمالِ، وربُّ الـ

ـمنطقِ الحقِّ واليراعِ المؤدَّبْ

The poet of love and beauty, and the lord of

Sound logic and well-mannered composer

شعرُه من ينابع السحر ينسا

بُ، وفي عالم الحقيقة ينصبْ

His poetry is from the springs of magic it flows

And in the real world it stands firmly

عاطفيُّ القصيدِ، يعبثُ بالألبا

ب أسلوبُهُ الرشيقُ ويلعبْ

Emotional in his ode, his graceful style frolics

And plays with sensations

وخيالٌ يسمو إلى ما وراءِ الكو

ن من عالم اليقينِ ويذهبْ

And an imagination that ascends beyond the universe

From the world of certainty and goes

يُنْفِذُ الفكرَ في مجاهل دنيا

هُ فيبدو له الخفيُّ المغَيَّبْ

It implements thought in the unknown of its world

So the hidden and absent appears to it

ومعانٍ أرقُّ من نسمة الفجرِ

ولفظٌ من سلسل الخمرِ أعذبْ

And meanings more subtle than the morning breeze

And words smoother than a chain of wine

وبيانٌ يسيلٌ في كل نفسٍ

فعلُه من غرائبِ السحر أغربْ

And an eloquence that flows in every soul

Its effect is of the strangest magic

وقوافٍ كأنَّها نغماتٌ

هاجها الشجوُ في يراعٍ مُثَقَّبْ

And rhythms as if they are various melodies

The soul dances to them and is thrilled

وكأنَّ الأوزانَ شتَّى مثانٍ

ترقص النفسُ وفقهنَّ فتطربْ

Woe to life, for every day

Calamities befall it, and living is most unfortunate

بؤساءَ الحياة من لكمُ اليو

مَ على الحادثات، والعيشُ أخطبْ

The earth is too narrow for affection, and overflowed

With harm like tumultuous, raging seas

ضاقت الأرضُ بالحنانِ، وفاضتْ

بالأذى أبحرًا، تضجُّ وتصخبْ

So search in its cliffs for a refuge

And seek from the star's apertures an escape

فابحثوا في شعابها عن مقيلٍ

وانشدوا من منافِذِ النَّجم مهربْ

You have lost your supporter and been deprived

Of a unique arm that disdains to be overcome or defeated

قد فَقدتم نصيرَكم وسُلبتمْ

عَضُدًا شَذَّ أن يُغال ويُسلبْ

Death has silenced an angry saying from it

And folded a brain and closed a head

عَقَلَ الموتُ مِقولًا منه عضبًا

وطوى مهجةً وأطبق هيدبْ

And today is devoid of your consolation, a heart

That melted with mercy for you and dripped

وخلا اليومَ مِنْ شجاكم فؤادٌ

ذابَ من رحمةٍ لكم وتصبَّبْ

And eyes that wept for you with tears

That did not leave behind what could be shed or poured

وَغَفَتْ أعينٌ بكتكم بدمعٍ

لم تَدَعْ منه ما يُراق ويُسكبْ

The affectionate friend to every heart

That misery has dug its fangs and claws into

الرفيقُ الحاني على كلِّ قلبٍ

أنشبَ البؤسُ فيه نابًا ومخلبْ

And the light-stepped to every soul

Its supporter has deviated from it and turned away

والخفيفُ الخطى إلى كل نفسٍ

مال عنها نصيرُها وتنكَّبْ

So remember him in the nights when

Hard times crowd your pillar and show hostility

فاذكروه على الليالي إذا ما

زحمَ الدهرُ ركنَكم وتألَّبْ

Who will attend to the stricken with worries after you, o guardian?

Who will be there for the grieved? Who for the tortured?

مَنْ لصرعى الهمومِ بعدَك يا حا

فظُ، مَنْ للحزينِ؟ مَنْ للمعذَّبْ؟

You were righteous to them, and inclined

With the heart of the affectionate father

كنتَ برًّا بهم، وأحْنى عليهم

من فؤادِ الأبِ الشفيقِ، وأحدبْ

It amazes that they endure your devastating misfortune

And the endurance of the afflicted is even more amazing!

عَجَبٌ صبرُهم على خطبك الدَّاوي

وصبرُ البَأساءِ من ذاكَ أعجبْ!

Arise and witness the disasters of the East and see

How eloquence weeps for you and laments

قُمْ وشاهد مآتمَ الشرقِ وانظرْ

كيف يُبكى البيانُ فيك ويُندبْ

I swear if “Hugo” could return to life

I would hand over the reins to you and draw near

قَسَمًا لو يُرَدُّ «هيجو» إلى العيـ

ـشِ لألقى لكَ الزمامَ وقَرَّبْ

And the den of “Paris” would walk to

Your noble head and bandage

ومشى في يمينه غارُ «باريـ

ـسَ» إلى رأسِكَ الكريمِ وعَصَّبْ

And wish for what you wrote about misery and returned the authentic not just translated!

The awakening of the countries was devastated with a structure

وتمنَّى الذي كتبت عن البؤ

سِ وردَّ الأصيل دون المعرَّبْ!

That strengthened its pillars and built and made firm

And endowed it from his poetry and enriched it

فُجِعَتْ نهضةُ البلاد ببانٍ

شدَّ من ركنها، وشادَ، وطنَّبْ

With what benefited the struggle with pride and profit

He provoked its ferocious cubs

وحباها من شعرِه وحجاهُ

ما أفادَ الجهادَ فخرًا وأكسبْ

And revived a hope in their hearts that hops

Had you witnessed the morning of its great revolution

هزَّ أشبالها الكماةَ وأحيا

أملًا في صدورهم يتوثَّبْ

And the souls bursting with enthusiasm

You would have seen in the revolution of his soul

لو شهِدتم غداةَ ثورتها الكبرى

لَجَاجَ النفوسِ وهي تَلَهَّبْ

Indignant at the tyranny of injustice, angry

A voice has not stopped ringing out from him in the hearing

لرأيتم في ثورةِ النفسِ منه

محنقًا من قساورِ الغيل مُغْضَبْ

That the antelopes anticipate its echo and become frightened

Penetrating in the depths the falsehood of the nation

لم يَزَلْ منه في المسامع صوتٌ

تتوقَّى الظُّبَى صداهُ وترهبْ

As the sharpened spear penetrates

Who cherished affection and alliance, farewell

نافذٌ في الصميم من باطلِ القو

مِ كما ينفُذُ السِّنانُ المذرَّبْ

After this none remain who cherish or accompany

You were the best of friends at every moment

حافظَ الودِّ والذمامِ سلامًا

لم يَعُدْ بعدُ من يُوَدُّ ويُصحَبْ

When a friend is hoped for or sought out

Worldly life and existence with its people

كنتَ نعم الصديقِ في كل آنٍ

حينَ يُرجى الصديقُ أو حين يُطلبْ

Did not change you as it fluctuates

A nature you espoused on the path of truth

لم تُغَيِّرْكَ من زمانِكَ دنيا

وحياةٌ بأهلها تتقلَّبْ

Even if hope betrayed you and lied

And a concern you protected from pettiness

خُلُقٌ رضتَه على شرعةِ الصدقِ

وإنْ خانكَ الرجاءُ وكذَّبْ

And the glitter of deceitful covenants

And a heart not swayed except by the passion of

وإياءٌ حميتَهُ من صغارٍ

وبريقِ من المواعد خُلَّبْ

Emotion that does not become subservient or draw near

And a conscience that wealth cannot influence

وفؤادٌ لغير عاطفة الـ

ـوِجدان لا يدَّنِي ولا يتقرَّبْ

And reaching the stars is nearer to that

And a tongue you safeguarded from questioning

وضميرٌ لا يبلغُ المالُ منه

وبلوغُ النجومِ من ذاك أقربْ

That does not manipulate speech or waver

It articulates the soul sincerely, and if

ولسانٌ حفظته من سؤالٍ

لا يَمينُ الكلامَ أو يتذبذبْ

No path to water is paved, it does not drink

Pages pure with the ink of truth

يلفظُ الروحَ صاديًا وإذا لم

يَصْفُ للماءِ موردٌ ليس يشربْ

In the assemblies of great deeds are written

My logic failed me in you, and a pen disobeyed me

صفحاتٌ نقيةٌ بمدادِ الحـ

ـقِّ في مجتلِي العظائِم تُكتبْ

That has long overflowed and elaborated

Poetry falls short of eulogizing your tragedy

خانني فيك منطقي، وعصاني

قَلَمٌ طالما أفاضَ وأسهبْ

Lamenting its deficiency in you and failed hopes

You are from a nation that Allah sent

آب بالشعرِ من مصابِكَ يبكي

رزءَه فيك والرجاءَ المخيَّبْ

Guiding it to the nations so it awoke

There has not ceased to be from you on earth a shadow

أنتَ من أمةٍ بهم بعثَ الله

هداهُ إلى الشعوبِ فثوَّبْ

And guiding radiance and targeted rain

And in every moment, a voice from you traverses life

لم يَزَلْ منكم على الأرض ظِلٌّ

وشعاعٌ هادٍ، وغيثٌ مُصوَّبْ

A chanter and an apparition meandering

You are present in hearts even if you are

ويجوبُ الحياةَ في كل آنٍ

هاتفٌ منكمُ وطيفٌ تأوَّبْ

Absent to meeting sights

حُضَّرٌ في القلوب أنتم وإن كنـ

ـتم، على ملتقى النواظر غُيَّبْ