شَبَحاً أَرى أَم ذاكَ طَيفُ خَيالِ
لا بَل فَتاةٌ بِالعَراءِ حِيالي
A ghost I see, or is that a figment of imagination?
No, but a maiden by the dunes I spy.
أَمسَت بِمَدرَجَةِ الخُطوبِ فَما لَها
راعٍ هُناكَ وَما لَها مِن والي
She has reached marriageable age, yet has no suitor,
No guardian, no protector here for her.
حَسرى تَكادُ تُعيدُ فَحمَةَ لَيلِها
ناراً بِأَنّاتٍ ذَكَينَ طِوالِ
Grieving, she almost rekindles the darkness of night
Into a fire with her long, anguished moans.
ما خَطبُها عَجَباً وَما خَطبي بِها
ما لي أُشاطِرُها الوَجيعَةَ ما لي
What ails her so? And why am I troubled by her?
Why must I share her torment, what is she to me?
دانَيتُها وَلِصَوتِها في مَسمَعي
وَقعُ النِبالِ عَطَفنَ إِثرَ نِبالِ
I drew near, her voice falling sweetly on my ears,
Like arrows following arrows in succession.
وَسَأَلتُها مَن أَنتِ وَهيَ كَأَنَّها
رَسمٌ عَلى طَلَلٍ مِنَ الأَطلالِ
I asked who she was, and she was like a drawing
On the remnants of ruins amongst ruins.
فَتَمَلمَلَت جَزَعاً وَقالَت حامِلٌ
لَم تَدرِ طَعمَ الغَمضِ مُنذُ لَيالي
She tossed fretfully, saying she has not known
The taste of sleep since nights gone by.
قَد ماتَ والِدُها وَماتَت أُمُّها
وَمَضى الحِمامُ بِعَمِّها وَالخالِ
Her father died, her mother died,
Her uncle and aunt left her behind.
وَإِلى هُنا حَبَسَ الحَياءُ لِسانَها
وَجَرى البُكاءُ بِدَمعِها الهَطّالِ
Modesty then tied her tongue
As copious tears flowed from her eyes.
فَعَلِمتُ ما تُخفي الفَتاةُ وَإِنَّما
يَحنو عَلى أَمثالِها أَمثالي
So I understood what the maiden hid, though
The likes of me empathize with her likes.
وَوَقَفتُ أَنظُرُها كَأَنّي عابِدٌ
في هَيكَلٍ يَرنو إِلى تِمثالِ
I watched her as if I were a worshipper
In a temple gazing upon an idol.
وَرَأَيتُ آياتِ الجَمالِ تَكَفَّلَت
بِزَوالِهِنَّ فَوادِحُ الأَثقالِ
I saw the signs of beauty destined
To decline, however weighty they are.
لا شَيءَ أَفعَلُ في النُفوسِ كَقامَةٍ
هَيفاءَ رَوَّعَها الأَسى بِهُزالِ
Nothing affects souls like the form
Of a delicate beauty worn thin with sorrow,
أَو غادَةٍ كانَت تُريكَ إِذا بَدَت
شَمسَ النَهارِ فَأَصبَحَت كَالآلِ
Or one who would show you, when she appeared,
The sun in daylight, but is now like the moon.
قُلتُ اِنهَضي قالَت أَيَنهَضُ مَيِّتٌ
مِن قَبرِهِ وَيَسيرُ شَنٌّ بالي
I said arise, but she said how can the dead
Rise from their graves and the withered walk?
فَحَمَلتُ هَيكَلَ عَظمِها وَكَأَنَّني
حُمِّلتُ حينَ حَمَلتُ عودَ خِلالِ
So I carried her frail skeleton as if
I carried a wisp of straw.
وَطَفِقتُ أَنتَهِبُ الخُطا مُتَيَمِّماً
بِاللَيلِ دارَ رِعايَةِ الأَطفالِ
And I went about that night, gathering the helpless
From the ward for orphan children.
أَمشي وَأَحمِلُ بائِسَينِ فَطارِقٌ
بابَ الحَياةِ وَمُؤذِنٌ بِزَوالِ
I walked carrying two wretched souls, with Death
Knocking on the door of life and decline at hand.
أَبكيهِما وَكَأَنَّما أَنا ثالِثٌ
لَهُما مِنَ الإِشفاقِ وَالإِعوالِ
I cried for them as if I were a third kindred spirit,
Full of compassion and eager to help.
وَطَرَقتُ بابَ الدارِ لا مُتَهَيِّباً
أَحَداً وَلا مُتَرَقِّباً لِسُؤالِ
I knocked on the door without hesitation
Or care for any inquiry or request.
طَرقَ المُسافِرِ آبَ مِن أَسفارِهِ
أَو طَرقَ رَبِّ الدارِ غَيرَ مُبالي
I knocked like a traveler come back from his journey
Or like the homeowner, indifferent.
وَإِذا بِأَصواتٍ تَصيحُ أَلا اِفتَحوا
دَقّاتُ مَرضى مُدلِجينَ عِجالِ
Then voices cried, "Open the door!"
The knocks of the gravely ill in haste.
وَإِذا بِأَيدٍ طاهِراتٍ عُوِّدَت
صُنعَ الجَميلِ تَطَوَّعَت في الحالِ
And gentle, charitable hands accustomed
To doing good hastened to respond.
جاءَت تُسابِقُ في المَبَرَّةِ بَعضُها
بَعضاً لِوَجهِ اللَهِ لا لِلمالِ
Each competing in benevolence with the other
For the sake of God, not wealth or fame.
فَتَناوَلَت بِالرِفقِ ما أَنا حامِلٌ
كَالأُمِّ تَكلَأُ طِفلَها وَتُوالي
They took from me gently, as a mother would coddle
Her child, lavishing upon it her care.
وَإِذا الطَبيبُ مُشَمِّرٌ وَإِذا بِها
فَوقَ الوَسائِدِ في مَكانٍ عالي
And the doctor rolled up his sleeves, and then
She was above the pillows in an elevated place.
جاءوا بِأَنواعِ الدَواءِ وَطَوَّفوا
بِسَريرِ ضَيفَتِهِم كَبَعضِ الآلِ
They brought all kinds of remedies and tended
To their guest on her bed as if she were family.
وَجَثا الطَبيبُ يَجُسُّ نَبضاً خافِتاً
وَيَرودُ مَكمَنَ دائِها القَتّالِ
The doctor knelt to feel her faint pulse
And discover the origin of her fatal illness.
لَم يَدرِ حينَ دَنا لِيَبلُوَ قَلبَها
دَقّاتِ قَلبٍ أَم دَبيبَ نِمالِ
When he drew near to check her heart,
He knew not if it was a beating heart or a throbbing termite hill.
وَدَّعتُها وَتَرَكتُها في أَهلِها
وَخَرَجتُ مُنشَرِحاً رَضِيَّ البالِ
I bid her farewell and left her with her people,
At peace and content.
وَعَجَزتُ عَن شُكرِ الَّذينَ تَجَرَّدوا
لِلباقِياتِ وَصالِحِ الأَعمالِ
I was unable to thank those who gave selflessly
For lasting works and righteous deeds.
لَم يُخجِلوها بِالسُؤالِ عَنِ اِسمِها
تِلكَ المُروءَةُ وَالشُعورُ العالي
They did not shame her by asking her name -
Such is their chivalry and noble sentiment!
خَيرُ الصَنائِعِ في الأَنامِ صَنيعَةٌ
تَنبو بِحامِلِها عَنِ الإِذلالِ
The best of all crafts among mankind is one
That signals through its doer a refusal of humiliation.
وَإِذا النَوالُ أَتى وَلَم يُهرَق لَهُ
ماءُ الوُجوهِ فَذاكَ خَيرُ نَوالِ
When generosity is given without draining
The faces of their color, that is the best charity.
مَن جادَ مِن بَعدِ السُؤالِ فَإِنَّهُ
وَهوَ الجَوادُ يُعَدُّ في البُخّالِ
One who gives after being asked is considered generous,
While the miser is counted among the stingy.
لِلَّهِ دَرُّهُمُ فَكَم مِن بائِسٍ
جَمِّ الوَجيعَةِ سَيِّئِ الأَحوالِ
God bless them! How many miserable souls
Whom life treats harshly with ill fortune -
تَرمي بِهِ الدُنيا فَمِن جوعٍ إِلى
عُريٍ إِلى سُقمٍ إِلى إِقلالِ
Casting them from hunger to nakedness,
From illness to destitution and exhaustion -
عَينٌ مُسَهَّدَةٌ وَقَلبٌ واجِفٌ
نَفسٌ مُرَوَّعَةٌ وَجَيبٌ خالي
With a tearful eye, a desolate heart,
A troubled soul, and empty pockets,
لَم يَدرِ ناظِرُهُ أَعُرياناً يَرى
أَم كاسِياً في تِلكُمُ الأَسمالِ
Their observer knows not if naked or clad
In those ragged clothes they appear to be in.
فَكَأَنَّ ناحِلَ جِسمِهِ في ثَوبِهِ
خَلفَ الخُروقِ يُطِلُّ مِن غِربالِ
As if the bees that once shaped his body
Left holes in his garment through which you could sift.
يا بَردُ فَاِحمِل قَد ظَفِرتَ بِأَعزَلٍ
يا حَرُّ تِلكَ فَريسَةِ المُغتالِ
O cold! You have triumphed over one exposed!
O heat! That is easy prey for the assassin!
يا عَينُ سُحّي يا قُلوبُ تَفَطَّري
يا نَفسُ رِقّي يا مُروءَةُ والي
O eyes! Weep! O hearts! Break!
O soul! Tremble! O manhood! Protect her!
لَولاهُمُ لَقَضى عَلَيهِ شَقاؤُهُ
وَخَلا المَجالُ لِخاطِفِ الآجالِ
Were it not for them, his woes would have destroyed him,
And death seized its opportunity to take him.
لَولاهُمُ كانَ الرَدى وَقفاً عَلى
نَفسِ الفَقيرِ ثَقيلَةَ الأَحمالِ
Were it not for them, ruin would have befallen
The soul of the poor laden with burdens.
لِلَّهِ دَرُّ الساهِرينَ عَلى الأُلى
سَهِروا مِنَ الأَوجاعِ وَالأَوجالِ
God bless those who stay up nights with the suffering!
They sacrificed sleep, agony, and toil.
القائِمينَ بِخَيرِ ما جاءَت بِهِ
مَدَنِيَّةُ الأَديانِ وَالأَجيالِ
Those who bring the good to which
Civilization, religions, and generations call.
أَهلِ اليَتيمِ وَكَهفِهِ وَحُماتِهِ
وَرَبيعِ أَهلِ البُؤسِ وَالإِمحالِ
They care for the orphan, shelter him, guard him,
And are the springtime for the distressed and downtrodden.
لا تُهمِلوا في الصالِحاتِ فَإِنَّكُم
لا تَجهَلونَ عَواقِبَ الإِهمالِ
In your charity, do not neglect good works,
For you know not the consequences of negligence!
إِنّي أَرى فُقَراءَكُم في حاجَةٍ
لَو تَعلَمونَ لِقائِلٍ فَعّالِ
To me, your poor are in need, if only you knew,
Of a Speaker whose deeds are effective.
فَتَسابَقوا الخَيراتِ فَهيَ أَمامَكُم
مَيدانُ سَبقٍ لِلجَوادِ النالِ
So race to good works! For they are before you,
An arena of competition for the giving and the generous.
وَالمُحسِنونَ لَهُم عَلى إِحسانِهِم
يَومَ الإِثابَةِ عَشرَةُ الأَمثالِ
The benefactors will have tenfold reward
On the Day of Requital for their benefaction.
وَجَزاءُ رَبِّ المُحسِنينَ يَجِلُّ عَن
عَدٍّ وَعَن وَزنٍ وَعَن مِكيالِ
The recompense of the Lord of the benefactors transcends
Counting, weighing, and measuring.
