سَكَنَ الفَيلَسوفُ بَعدَ اِضطِرابِ

إِنَّ ذاكَ السُكونَ فَصلُ الخِطابِ

The philosopher has settled after turmoil

That tranquility is the end of discourse

لَقِيَ اللَهَ رَبَّهُ فَاِترُكوا المَر

ءَ لِدَيّانِهِ فَسيحِ الرِحابِ

He met his Lord so leave the man

To his Judge, so spacious and easy

حَزِنَ العِلمُ يَومَ مِتَّ وَلَكِن

أَمِنَ الدينُ صَيحَةَ المُرتابِ

Knowledge grieved the day he died but

Faith felt eased from doubts' cries

كُنتَ تَبغي بَردَ اليَقينِ عَلى الأَر

ضِ وَتَسعى وَراءَ لُبِّ اللُبابِ

You sought certainty's coolness on earth

And pursued the pith of the pithiest core

فَاِستَرِح أَيُّها المُجاهِدُ وَاِهدَأ

قَد بَلَغتَ المُرادَ تَحتَ التُرابِ

So rest o struggler, and relax

You've reached the goal beneath the soil

وَعَرَفتَ اليَقينَ وَاِنبَلَجَ الحَـ

ـقُ لِعَينَيكَ ساطِعاً كَالشِهابِ

And knew certainty and truth shone

Resplendent to your eyes like a flaming meteor

لَيتَ شِعري وَقَد قَضَيتَ حَياةً

بَينَ شَكٍّ وَحَيرَةٍ وَاِرتِيابِ

I wonder, after living a life

Of doubt, bewilderment and disbelief

هَل أَتاكَ اليَقينُ مِن طُرُقِ الشَـ

ـكِ فَشَكُّ الحَكيمِ بَدءُ الصَوابِ

Did certainty come to you from doubt's paths?

For the wise man's doubt is the start of right

كَم سَمِعنا مُسائِلاً قَبلَ شِبلي

عاشَ في البَحثِ طارِقاً كُلَّ بابِ

How many issues we heard before Shibli

Lived researching, knocking every door

أَطلَقَ الفِكرَ في العَوالِمِ حُرّاً

مُستَطيراً يُريغُ هَتكَ الحِجابِ

He unleashed his mind in the worlds, free

Soaring, rending the veil, probingly

يَقرَعُ النَجمَ سائِلاً ثُمَّ يَرتَد

دُ إِلى الأَرضِ باحِثاً عَن جَوابِ

Knocking on stars, then back to earth retreating

Seeking answers, an inquiry repeating

أَعجَزَتهُ مِن قُدرَةِ اللَهِ أَسبا

بٌ طَواها مُسَبِّبُ الأَسبابِ

God's power mystified him through causes enshrouded

By the causer of causes, clouded

وَقَفَت دونَها العُقولُ حَيارى

وَاِنثَنى هِبرِزِيُّها وَهوَ كابي

Minds stood before them lost

And their shaking sage bowed, confounded

لَم يَكُن مُلحِداً وَلَكِن تَصَدّى

لِشُؤونِ المُهَيمِنِ الوَهّابِ

No atheist was he, but he tackled

The tasks of the Bountiful, Almighty

رامَ إِدراكَ كُنهِ ما أَعجَزَ النا

سَ قَديماً فَلَم يَفُز بِالطِلابِ

Seeking to grasp the essence that disabled

Humans of old, so he missed what he craved

إيهِ شِبلي قَد أَكثَرَ الناسُ فيكَ ال

قَولَ حَتّى تَفَنَّنوا في عِتابي

Oh Shibli, how heavily people blamed you

And grew specific in reproach and rebuke

قيلَ تَرثي ذاكَ الَّذي يُنكِرُ النو

رَ وَلا يَهتَدي بِهَديِ الكِتابِ

It's said you eulogize the one who denies the light

And is not guided by Scripture right

قُلتُ كُفّوا فَإِنَّما قُمتُ أَرثي

مِنهُ خِلّاً أَمسى طَويلَ الغِيابِ

I said, enough! I rose to mourn

A dear friend whose absence grew long

أَنا وَاللَهِ لا أُحابيهِ في القَو

لِ فَقَد كانَ صاحِبي لا يُحابي

By God, I don't agree with what they say

For he was my friend, agreeing in no way

أَنا أَرثى شَمائِلاً مِنهُ عِندي

كُنَّ أَحلى مِنَ الشِهادِ المُذابِ

I mourn the morals that I knew

Sweeter to me than alloyed gold true

كانَ حُرَّ الآراءِ لا يَعرِفُ الخَتـ

ـلَ وَلا يَستَبيحُ غَيبَ الصِحابِ

Free in opinion, guileless and kind

To hardship and ease, of generous mind

مُفضِلاً مُحسِناً عَلى العُسرِ وَاليُسـ

ـرِ جَميعَ الفُؤادِ رَحبَ الجَنابِ

He lived his days, fitting for no blame

Standing tall, unbent by life's aim

عاشَ ما عاشَ لا يُليقُ عَلى الأَيـ

ـامِ لا وَلَم يَلِن لِلصِعابِ

A place for great trust in love, and wonder in knowledge

The peak of all skills within his reach

كانَ في الوُدِّ مَوضِعَ الثِقَةِ الكُب

رى وَفي العِلمِ مَوضِعَ الإِعجابِ

Medicine declined when he turned away

And literature's gems were led astray

نُكِبَ الطِبُّ فيهِ يَومَ تَوَلّى

وَأُصيبَت رَوائِعُ الآدابِ

That brilliant star left humankind

Though he was the haven of every writer and poet

وَخَلا ذَلِكَ النَدِيُّ مِنَ الأُنـ

ـسِ وَقَد كانَ مَرتَعَ الكُتّابِ

Damascus mourned him, so downfallen

Above all the pain it had been given

وَبَكَت فَقدَهُ الشَآمُ وَناءَت

فَوقَ ما نابَها بِهَذا المُصابِ

Each day a pillar falls in Damascus

Truly foretelling its ruin and ravage

كُلَّ يَومٍ يُهَدُّ رُكنٌ مِنَ الشَأ

مِ لَقَد آذَنَت إِذاً بِالخَرابِ

Now with Al-Yaziji, Jurji and Shibli

It is aggrieved by the loss of the three pillars

فَهيَ بِاليازِجي وَجُرجي وَشِبلي

فُجِعَت بِالثَلاثَةِ الأَقطابِ

Farewell noble soul, fare you well

Whenever the ground hides a vanished gazelle

فَعَلى الراحِلِ الكَريمِ سَلامٌ

كُلَّما غَيَّبَ الثَرى لَيثَ غابِ