وا كَبدا قدْ تَقَطَّعَتْ كَبِدي
وحَرَّقَتْهَا لواعِجُ الْكَمَدِ
My liver is torn to pieces,
And its coals are stoked by inner pain.
ما ماتَ حَيٌّ لِمَيِّتٍ أَسَفاً
أَعْذَرُ مِنْ والِدٍ على وَلَدِ
No living soul dies of grief for a dead one -
I'm more grieved than a parent for a child.
يا رَحمَةَ اللَّهِ جاوِري جَدَثاً
دَفَنْتُ فِيهِ حُشاشَتي بِيَدِي
O God's mercy, be my grave-mate
In which I've buried my madness by my hand.
وَنَوِّري ظُلْمَةَ الْقُبُورِ على
مَن لَمْ يَصِلْ ظُلْمُهُ إِلى أَحَدِ
And light up the gloom of graves for one
Whose darkness hasn't reached anyone.
مَنْ كانَ خِلْواً مِنْ كُلِّ بائِقَةٍ
وَطَيِّبَ الرُّوحِ طاهِرَ الجَسَدِ
One devoid of all lastingness,
Of fine spirit and pure body.
يا مَوت يحيى لَقَدْ ذَهَبْتَ بِهِ
لَيْسَ بِزُمَّيْلةٍ ولا نَكِدِ
O Death, you took away Yahya,
Neither peevish nor morose.
يا مَوْتَهُ لو أَقَلْتَ عَثْرَتَهُ
يا يَوْمَهُ لو تَرَكْتَهُ لِغَدِ
O his death, if only you'd spared his stumbling,
O his day, if only you'd left him for tomorrow!
يا مَوْتُ لو لم تَكُنْ تُعَاجِلُهُ
لَكانَ لا شَكَّ بَيْضةَ البَلَدِ
O Death, if only you hadn't been so quick to take him -
No doubt he'd have been the paragon of the country.
أو كُنْتَ رَاخَيْتَ في العنانِ لَهُ
حَازَ العُلا واحْتَوى على الأَمدِ
Or had you slackened the rein for him,
He'd have attained the heights and commanded the future.
أَيَّ حُسَامٍ سَلبْتَ رَوْنَقَهُ
وَأَيَّ رُوحٍ سَلَلْتَ منْ جَسَدِ
What sword have you deprived of its edge?
What soul have you drained from what body?
وَأَيَّ سَاقٍ قَطَعْتَ مِنْ قَدَمٍ
وأيَّ كفٍّ أَزَلتَ مِنْ عَضُدِ
What leg have you lopped from what foot?
What palm have you removed from what arm?
يا قَمَراً أَجْحَفَ الخُسُوفُ بِهِ
قَبْلَ بُلوغِ السَّواءِ في الْعَدَدِ
O a moon eclipsed before reaching its fullness in number!
What grief for which you haven't moaned?
أَيُّ حَشاً لَمْ تَذُبْ لَهُ أَسَفاً
وَأَيُّ عَينٍ عَليْهِ لَمْ تَجُدِ
What eye for him hasn't overflowed?
I've no composure or endurance left after him -
لا صَبْرَ لي بَعْدَهُ ولا جَلَدٌ
فُجعْتُ بالصَّبْرِ فِيهِ وَالجَلَدِ
I'm dispossessed of endurance and fortitude through him.
If I hadn't died inwardly when he died,
لو لَمْ أَمُتْ عِنْدَ مَوْتِه كَمداً
لحُقَّ لي أَنْ أَمُوتَ مِنْ كمدِي
I'd have deserved to die of my inner pain.
What intense pain won't stop stoking
يَا لَوْعَةً مَا يَزَالُ لاعجُها
يَقْدحُ نَارَ الأَسَى على كبِدِي
The fire of anguish upon my liver!
