نَعاكَ النُعاةُ وَحُمَّ القَدَر

وَلَم يُغنِ عَنّا وَعَنكَ الحَذَر

The elegists eulogized you while fate plotted,

And caution could not protect us or you.

طَوَت ذَبحَةُ الصَدرِ صَدرَ النَدِيِّ

فَلَم تَطوِ إِلّا سِجِلَّ العِبَر

The slaughter of bosoms slaughtered the bosom of the noble one,

It did not cease except to inscribe lessons.

فَأَمسَيتَ تُذكَرُ في الغابِرينَ

وَإِن قَلَّ مِثلُكَ فيمَن غَبَر

So you came to be remembered among the departed,

Though few like you passed away into dust.

إِذا ذُكِرَت سِيَرُ النابِهينَ

فَسيرَةُ صَبري تَجُبُّ السِيَر

When the journeys of the eminent are mentioned,

My journey of patience is compelled to journey.

لَقَد كُنتَ بَرّاً بِظِلِّ الشَبابِ

فَلَمّا تَقَلَّصَ كُنتَ الأَبَرّ

Indeed you were righteous in the shade of youth,

When it shrank, you were the most righteous.

فَلَم تَستَبِق نَزوَةً في الصِبا

وَلَم تَستَبِح هَفوَةً في الكِبَر

You did not race ahead in the impetuosity of youth,

Nor did you allow yourself to slip in old age.

أُهَنّي الثَرى أَم أُعَزّي الوَرى

لَقَد فازَ هَذا وَهَذا خَسِر

Should I congratulate the earth or console the beings?

For this one succeeded while that one failed.

أَأَوَّلَ يَومٍ لِعَهدِ الرَبيعِ

تَجِفُّ الرِياضُ وَيَذوي الزَهَر

Is it the first day of spring's reign

That meadows wither and flowers melt away?

وَيَذبُلُ زَهرُ القَريضِ الثَرِيِّ

وَيُقفِرُ رَوضَ القَوافي الغُرَر

The blossoms of prolific poetry wilt

And the garden of elegant prose is stripped bare.

لِيَهدَأ عُمانُ فَغَوّاصُهُ

أُصيبَ وَأَمسى رَهينَ الحُفَر

That Oman may be still, for its diver

Was struck down and lies captive in a grave.

فَقَد كانَ يَعتادُهُ دائِباً

بَكوراً رَؤوحاً لِنَهبِ الدُرَر

He was wont to visit it constantly

At dawn, prowling to seize its pearls.

يَقولُ فَيُرخِصُ دُرَّ النُحورِ

وَيُغلي جُمانَ بَناتِ الفِكَرِ

He would speak and make the gems of necks lawful

And set simmering the stars of ideas.

يَسوقُ القِصارَ فَيَأبى العِثارِ

وَكَم مِن مُطيلٍ مُمِلٍّ عَثَر

He would lead the caravans, but misfortune refused,

And how many a lengthy, boring journey foundered.

قِصارٌ وَحَسبُ النُهى أَنَّها

لَها مُعجِزاتٌ قِصارِ السُوَر

Caravans whose number alone prohibits,

For they have miracles as short as Quranic chapters.

رُحِمتَ فَقَد كُنتَ حُلوَ اللِسانِ

جَلِيَّ البَيانِ صَدوقَ الخَبَر

You were blessed, for you were sweet of tongue,

Clear of expression, truthful of narrative.

قَليلَ التَعَجُّبِ جَمَّ الأَناةِ

حَكيمَ الوُرودِ حَكيمَ الصَدَر

Little wondering, forbearing,

Wise of visit, wise of heart.

شَمائِلُكَ الغُرُّ هُنَّ الرِياضُ

رَوى عَن شَذاها نَسيمُ السَحَر

Your noble traits are the meadows that related

The morning breeze of their fragrance.

لَها مِثلُ رَوحِ الدُعاءِ اِستُجيبَ

فَعافى وَآوى وَأَغنى وَسَرّ

They possess the spirit of answered prayers -

Healed, sheltered, enriched, and delighted.

إِذا ما وَرَدتَ لَها مَنهَلاً

وَرَدتَ نَميراً لَذيذَ الخَصَر

Whenever you came to them from a spring,

You came to a soft, slender waisted stream.

وَفِكرُكَ في خِصبِهِ ثَروَةٌ

لِفِكرِ الأَديبِ إِذا ما اِفتَقَر

Your thoughts in their fertility are wealth

For the mind of the impoverished poet.

وَشِعرُكَ كَالماءِ في صَفوِهِ

عَلى صَفحَتَيهِ تَراءى الصُوَر

Your poetry is like pure water

Upon whose surface images appear.

عُيونُ القَصائِدِ مِثلُ العُيونِ

وَشِعرُكَ فيهِنَّ مِثلُ الحَوَر

The eyes of poems are like eyes

While your poetry in them is like houris.

وَكَم لَكَ شَكوى هَوىً أَو أَسىً

لَها نَفَثاتٌ تُذيبُ الحَجَر

How much did you complain of love or sorrow,

With breaths that melt rock?

هَتَفتَ بِها مَرَّةً في الهَجيرِ

فَكادَ يَدِبُّ إِلَيكَ الشَجَر

Once you called out in passion,

So that the trees almost crept to you.

وَكَم كُنتَ تُشعِلُ فَحمَ الدُجى

بِأَنفاسِ صَبٍّ طَويلِ السَهَر

How often did you ignite the darkness of night

With the breaths of prolonged, sleepless ecstasy?

فَيا وَيحَ قَلبِكَ ماذا أَلَح

حَ عَلَيهِ مِنَ الداءِ حَتّى اِنفَطَر

Oh, woe to your heart! What malady persisted

Upon it until it shattered?

أَيَخفِقُ تَحتَ الدُجى وَحدَهُ

لِذِكرى أَليفٍ سَلا أَو هَجَر

Does it flutter alone at night

Remembering an intimate, whether parted or estranged?

إِذا قيلَ صَبري ذَكَرتُ الوَليدَ

وَمَرَّت بِنَفسِيَ ذِكرى عُمَر

Whenever Sabri is mentioned, I recall Al-Walid

And the days of Omar cross my soul.

يَزينُ تَواضُعُهُ نَفسَهُ

كَما زانَ حُسنَ المِلاحِ الخَفَر

His humility adorns his soul

As beauty adorned the sheath of a sword.

زَكِيُّ المَشاعِرِ عَفُّ الهَوى

شَهِيُّ الأَحاديثِ حُلوُ السَمَر

Pure of feelings, gentle of passion,

Captivating in discourse, sweet in night talk.

لَقَد كُنتُ أَغشاهُ في دارِهِ

وَناديهِ فيها زَها وَاِزدَهَر

Truly, I would visit him in his house

And call him in it beauty and prosperity.

وَأَعرِضُ شِعري عَلى مَسمَعٍ

لَطيفٍ يُحِسُّ نُبُوَّ الوَتَر

I would present my poetry to a delicate ear

That perceives the subtlety of a string.

عَلى سَمعِ باقِعَةٍ حاضِرٍ

يَميزُ القَديمَ مِنَ المُبتَكَر

To an ear that attends,

Distinguishing old from innovative.

فَيَصقُلُ لَفظِيَ صَقلَ الجُمانِ

وَيَكسوهُ رِقَّةَ أَهلِ الحَضَر

It would refine my expression to the polish of pearls

And adorn it with the softness of city dwellers.

يُرَقرِقُ فيهِ عَبيرَ الجِنانِ

فَتَستافُ مِنهُ النُهى وَالفِكَر

It would tremble through it the scent of gardens,

So the melodies and thoughts were purified.

كَذَلِكَ كانَ عَلَيهِ السَلامُ

إِماماً لِكُلِّ أَديبٍ شَعَر

Thus it was with him, peace be upon him,

A leader to every poet who composed verse.

فَكُنّا الجَداوِلَ نُروي الظِماءَ

ظِماءَ العُقولِ وَكانَ النَهَر

We were brooks that quenched the thirst

Of thirsty minds while he was the river.

زَهِدتَ عَلى شُهرَةٍ طَبَّقَت

وَجاهٍ أَظَلَّ وَفَضلٍ بَهَر

You turned away from fame that spread

And influence that shaded and favor that dazzled.

خَلَعتَ الشَبابَ فَلَم تَبكِهِ

وَساءَكَ أَنَّكَ لَم تُختَضَر

You took off youth but did not weep for it

Though it saddened you that you did not prosper in it.

وَقَد ذُقتَ طَعمَ الرَدى عِندَما

أُصيبَ قِطارُكَ يَومَ السَفَر

You tasted the flavor of doom when

Your train was struck that day of travel.

فَأَقسَمتَ أَنَّكَ أَلفَيتَهُ

لَذيذَ المَذاقَةِ إِذ تُحتَضَر

You swore you found it upon dying

Sweet tasting as you bid farewell.

تَمَنَّيتَ أَن لَم تَعُد لِلحَياةِ

وَلَكِن أَباها عَلَيكَ القَدَر

You wished you had not returned to life

But destiny refused you.

وَكَم ساعَةٍ بَينَ ساعِ الحَياةِ

سَقَتكَ المُرارَ بِكَأسِ الضَجَر

How many an hour between life’s hours

Made you drink bitterness from the cup of boredom?

فَرُحتَ إِلى أُختِها شاكِياً

أَذاتَكَ مِنها فَكانَت أَمَر

You would then go complaining to its sister

Of your torment by it, but it only got worse.

فَفَتَّشتَ أَثناءَها جاهِداً

بِعَينَي بَصيرٍ بَعيدِ النَظَر

So you searched through it, striving

With the eyes of an insightful seer.

فَلَم تَرَ فيها عَلى طولِها

هُنَيهَةَ صَفوٍ خَلَت مِن كَدَر

But you did not see in all its length

A moment of clarity devoid of gloom.

وَما زِلتَ تَشكو إِلى أَن أَتَت

كَما تَشتَهي ساعَةٌ لَم تَذَر

You continued to complain until an hour came

As you wished, leaving nothing remaining.

فَلا صَدَّ تَخشاهُ بَعدَ الوِصالِ

وَلا ضَعفَ تَشكوهُ بَعدَ الأَشَر

No weakness to complain of after the union,

No barrier feared after attaining desire.

أُريحَ فُؤادُكَ مِمّا ضَناهُ

وَصَدرُكَ مِمّا عَلَيهِ اِنكَدَر

Your heart was rested from what distressed it

And your chest from what angered it.

تَمَنَّيتَها خُطوَةً لِلمَماتِ

تُفَرِّجُ عَنكَ كُروبَ الغِيَر

You wished for it as a step towards death

To relieve you of others' sorrows.

وَها قَد خَطاها وَنِلتَ المُنى

فَهَل في المَماتِ بُلوغُ الوَطَر

And here you have taken that step and attained wishes

But is there in death the reaching of relief?

صَدَقتَ فَفي المَوتِ نَصرُ الأَبِيِّ

عَلى الدَهرِ إِن هُوَ يَوماً غَدَر

You spoke truthfully, for in death lies victory

For the resolute over fate if one day it betrays.

مَلِلتَ الثَواءَ بِدارِ الزَوالِ

فَماذا رَأَيتَ بِدارِ المَقَرّ

You were weary of dwelling in the abode of decay

So what did you see in the abode of rest?

أَتَحتَ التُرابِ يُضامُ الكَريمُ

وَيَشقى الحَليمُ وَيَخفى القَمَر

Beneath the earth, the generous is persecuted

And the forbearing distressed, the moon obscured.

وَيُهضَمُ حَقُّ الأَديبِ الأَريبِ

وَيُطمَسُ فَضلُ النَبيهِ الأَغَرّ

The right of the skilled poet is usurped

And the merit of the brilliant, chaste one erased.

أَتَحتَ التُرابِ تُساقُ الشُعوبُ

بِسَوطِ العُبودَةِ سَوقَ البَقَر

Beneath the earth, nations are driven

With the whip of servitude, driven like cattle.

وَيُعقَدُ مُؤتَمَرٌ لِلسَلامِ

فَنَخرُجُ مِنهُ إِلى مُؤتَمَر

A conference for peace is convened

Then we exit it into another conference.

فَإِن كانَ ما عِندَنا عِندَكُم

فَلَيسَ لَنا مِن شَقاءٍ مَفَرّ

If what we have is what you have

Then we have no escape from misery.

خِضَمُّ الحَياةِ بَعيدُ النَجاةِ

فَطوبى لِراكِبِهِ إِن عَبَر

The tumult of life is far from deliverance

So blessed is the one who crosses it.

فَعُد سالِماً غانِماً لِلتُرابِ

كَرَأيِكَ في المَوتِ وَاِهنَأ وَقَرّ

Return safely, having triumphed over dust

As you opined of death - congratulations and settle.