لا وَالأَسى وَتَلَهُّبِ الأَحشاءِ
ما باتَ بَعدَكَ مُعجَبٌ بِوَفاءِ
No, for yearning and for flaming heart,
None who lived since you left was true to faith.
أَنّى حَلَلتُ أَرى عَلَيكَ مَآتِماً
فَلِمَن أُوَجِّهُ فيكَ حُسنَ عَزائي
How can I endure to see you shrouded?
For whom shall I shape my dirge of praise:
لِبَنيكَ أَم لِذَويكَ أَم لِلكَونِ أَم
لِلدَهرِ أَم لِجَماعَةِ الجَوزاءِ
Your kin, or yours, or for all humankind,
Or for all time, or this November's folk?
أَودى سُلَيمانٌ فَأَودى بَعدَهُ
حُسنُ الوَفاءِ وَبَهجَةُ العَلياءِ
Solomon died and passed, and with him died
Fair constancy and grace of high estate.
لا تَحمِلوهُ عَلى الرِقابِ فَقَد كَفى
ما حُمِّلَت مِن مِنَّةٍ وَعَطاءِ
Bear him not on your necks - he scarce would brook
The honor that you did him while he lived.
وَذَروا عَلى نَهرِ المَدامِعِ نَعشَهُ
يَسري بِهِ لِلرَوضَةِ الفَيحاءِ
Leave him to float upon the stream of tears
That bears him on to gardens sweet with air.
تَاللَهِ لَو عَلِمَت بِهِ أَعوادُهُ
مُذ لامَسَتهُ لَأَورَقَت لِلرائي
By God, if once his boughs that bear him felt,
Since first they touched him, they'd turn fresh again for any seer.
خُلُقٌ كَضَوءِ البَدرِ أَو كَالرَوضِ أَو
كَالزَهرِ أَو كَالخَمرِ أَو كَالماءِ
A nature like the moon in splendor, or
A garden, or a blossom, or wine, or pure
وَشَمائِلٌ لَو مازَجَت طَبعَ الدُجى
ما باتَ يَشكوهُ المُحِبُّ النائي
Clear water; and a face that, if it mingled
With darkest night, the lovelorn far apart
وَمَحامِدٌ نَسَجَت لَهُ أَكفانَهُ
مِن عِفَّةٍ وَسَماحَةٍ وَإِباءِ
Would still complain that it was hidden from him.
His winding sheet is woven of decency,
وَمَناقِبٌ لَولا المَهابَةُ وَالتُقى
قُلنا مَناقِبُ صاحِبِ الإِسراءِ
Generosity, and brave endurance. And his virtues,
Did we not fear to blaspheme, were those the Prophet had
وَعَزائِمٌ كانَت تَفُلُّ عَزائِمَ ال
أَحداثِ وَالأَيّامِ وَالأَعداءِ
the night he made his way to heaven from us. His resolves
Put to shame whims of youths, of time and enemies.
عَطَّلتَ فَنَّ الشِعرِ بَعدَكَ وَاِنطَوى
أَجَلُ القَريضِ وَمَوسِمُ الشُعَراءِ
You've paralyzed poetry since you left, made vain
The art of verse and seasons of the poets.
وَاللُؤلُؤُ اِستَعصى عَلَينا نَظمُهُ
بِسُموطِ مَدحٍ أَو سُموطِ هَناءِ
Pearls beyond all price that once we strung no longer
Come to our call with necklaces of praise or pleasure.
إِلّا عَلى طَرفٍ بَكاكَ وَشاعِرٍ
أَحيا عَلَيكَ مَراثِيَ الخَنساءِ
Only the weeping eye of some pure bard
Brings you the elegies of El-Khansa.
شَوَّقتَنا لِلتُربِ بَعدَكَ وَاِشتَهى
فيهِ الإِقامَةَ واحِدُ العَذراءِ
Since you went from us we've yearned for earth to hide us,
And him who had but one life set his heart on a grave.
ثَبِّت فُؤادَكَ يا قَليلَ تَصَبُّري
وَاِشرَح لِآلِ أَباظَةٍ بُرَحائي
Comfort your heart, though little it can he comforted,
And tell El-Abaza's folk the little left them of my solace.
في جَنَّةِ الفِردَوسِ باتَ عَزيزُهُم
ضَيفاً بِساحَةِ أَكرَمِ الكُرَماءِ
In Paradise their precious one's a guest
In the pavilion of the noblest of the noble.
