ما لِلْيَراعِ خَواضِعُ الأعْناقِ
طرَقَ النّعِيُّ فهُنّ في إطْراقِ
What ails the meadows, their necks bowed in submission,
As the elegy passes by, and they are immersed in sorrow -
وكأنّما صبَغَ الشّحوبُ وجوهَها
والسُقْمُ منْ جزَعٍ ومنْ إشْفاقِ
As if pallor has dyed their faces,
And sickness of grief and anxiety has overtaken them.
ما للصّحائِفِ صوّحَتْ رَوْضاتُها
أسَفاً وكُنّ نَظيرَةَ الأوْراقِ
What ails the pages - their gardens have withered away in lament,
Though they were like leaves green.
ما للبَيانِ كُؤوسُه مهْجورَةٌ
غفَلَ المُديرُ لَها ونامَ السّاقِي
What ails the goblets - abandoned and neglected -
The butler forgot them and the cupbearer slept.
ما لِي عدِمْتُ تجلُّدِي وتصبُّري
والصّبْرُ في الأزَماتِ منْ أخْلاقِ
What ails me - I lost my patience and fortitude,
Yet patience in tribulations is a trait of the virtuous.
خطْبٌ أصابَ بَني البَلاغَةِ والحِجا
شَبَّ الزّفيرُ بهِ عنِ الأطْواقِ
A calamity has befallen the people of eloquence and rhetoric,
It makes the breath run short and the sighs overflow.
أمّا وقدْ أوْدَى أبو الحسَنِ الرِّضا
فالفضْلُ قدْ أوْدَى علَى الإطْلاقِ
Now that Abu al-Hasan al-Ridha has passed away,
Excellence itself has completely passed away.
كنْزُ المَعارِفِ لا تَبيدُ نُقودُه
يوْماً ولا تَفْنَى علَى الإنْفاقِ
The treasure of knowledge - its coins will never perish,
Nor diminish no matter how much is spent.
مَنْ للبَدائِعِ أصْبَحَتْ سمَرَ السُّرَى
ما بيْنَ شامٍ في الوَرَى وعِراقِ
Who will host the finest gatherings,
Between Syria and Iraq?
مَنْ لليَراعِ يُجيلُ منْ خطّيِّها
سُمَّ العِدَى ومَفاتِحَ الأرْزاقِ
Who will spare the meadows from his malice,
The poison of enmity and the keys of sustenance?
قُضْبٌ ذَوابِلُ مُثْمِراتٌ بالمُنَى
وأراقِمٌ ينْفُثْنَ بالتّرْياقِ
Branches laden with fruit, symbols of prosperity,
And palms bearing the nectar of healing.
مَنْ للرِّقاعِ الحُمْرِ يجْمَعُ حُسْنُها
خَجَل الخُدودِ وصِبْغةَ الأحْداقِ
Who will gather together the beauty of the red parchments -
The shyness of the cheeks and the dye of the eyelids -
تغْتالُ أحْشاءَ العَدوِّ كأنّها
صَفَحاتُ دامِيَةِ الغِرارِ رِقاقِ
That plunder the enemy's entrails as if they were
The fatal pages of polished swords.
وتَهُزُّ أعْطافَ الوَليِّ كأنّها
راحٌ مُشَعْشَعَةٌ براحَةِ ساقِي
And shake the bosoms of the loyalist as if they were
The gently blowing breeze gladdening the cupbearer.
مَنْ للفُنونِ يُجيلُ في مَيْدانِها
خيْلَ البَيانِ كريمَةَ الأعْراقِ
Who will lead in the battlefields of knowledge
The steeds of rhetoric, noble Arab horses.
مَنْ للحقائِقِ أبْهمَتْ أبْوابُها
للنّاسِ يفْتَحُها علَى استِغْلاقِ
Who will elucidate the doors of truth that were ambiguous
And open them to the people though they had been shut.
مَنْ للمَساعي الغُرِّ تقصِدُ جاهَهُ
حرَماً فينْصُرُها علَى الإخْفاقِ
Who will seek his glory through noble deeds
And support them though they fail.
كمْ شدّ منْ عقدٍ وَثيقٍ حُكْمُهُ
في اللهِ أو أفْتى بحلِّ وِثاقِ
How many firm covenants did he uphold
In Allah, and untie what bonds had been tied!
رحْبُ الذِّراعِ لكُلِّ خطْبٍ فادِحٍ
أعْيَتْ رِياضَتُهُ علَى الحُذّاقِ
Open-armed he was to every towering misfortune,
Exhausting those skilled in asylum and refuge.
صعْبُ المَقادَةِ في الهَوادةِ والهَوى
سهْلٌ علَى العافِينَ والطُّرّاقِ
Hard to handle in amity and love,
Yet easy for the chaste and wise.
ركِبَ الطّريقَ الى الجِنانِ وحورُه
يَلْقَيْنَهُ بتَصافُحٍ وعِناقِ
He rode the path to gardens and fair maidens,
Who welcomed him with embraces and hugs.
فأعْجَبْ لأنْسٍ في مظنّةِ وحْشَةٍ
ومَقام وصْلٍ في مَقامِ فِراقِ
Wondrous is the intimacy found in dreaded solitude,
And the visitation at the abode of separation!
أمُطَيَّباً بمَحامِدِ العَمَلِ الرِّضا
ومُكَفّناً بمَكارِمِ الأخْلاقِ
Sweetened with praise for deeds well done,
And shrouded in the virtues of noble character.
ما كُنْتُ أحسَبُ قبْلَ نعْشِكَ أنْ أرَى
رَضْوَى نَسيرُ بهِ على الأعْناقِ
Never did I think, before your funeral procession,
That I would one day walk proudly with your bier upon my shoulders
ما كُنْتُ أحسَبُ قبْلَ دَفْنِكَ في الثّرَى
أنّ اللّحودَ خَزائِنُ الأعْلاقِ
Never did I think before your burial in the earth
That hidden within it were the depths of minds.
يا كوْكَبَ الهُدَى الذي منْ بعْدِه
ركَدَ الظّلامُ بهذِهِ الآفاقِ
O star of guidance! Now that you have gone
Darkness lingers in these horizons
يا واحِداً مهْما جرَى في حلْبَةٍ
جَلّى بغُرّةِ سابِقِ السّبّاقِ
O peerless one! No matter what transpires in the arena
You were first, surpassing the racers.
يا ثاوِياً بطْنَ الضّريحِ وذكْرُهُ
أبَداً رَفيقُ رَكائِبٍ ورِفاقِ
O resident of the tomb! Yet your remembrance
Will forever accompany travelers and friends.
يا غوْثَ مَنْ وصَلَ الصّريخَ فلمْ يجِدْ
في الأرْضِ منْ وزَرٍ ولا مِنْ واقِي
O refuge for those whose cries reached you, finding
No room on earth for a helper or protector!
ما كُنتَ إلا دِيمَة مَنْشورَةً
منْ غيْرِ إرْعادٍ ولا إبْراقِ
You were but a cloud pouring forth without thunder and lightning.
You were but a well-watered garden,
ما كُنتَ إلا روْضَةً ممْطورَةً
ما شِئْتَ منْ ثمَرٍ ومِنْ أوْراقِ
Bearing whatever fruits and leaves you desired.
O you who has turned away from us and saddled your mount!
يا مُزْمِعاً عنّا العَشيَّ رِكابَهُ
هَلاّ لبِثْتَ ولوْ بقَدْرِ فُواقِ
Why not stay, even for a moment?
Gently, dear father! Do not overburden us.
رِفْقاً أبانَا جَلّ ما حمّلْتَنا
لا تنْسَ فينَا عادَةَ الإشْفاقِ
Do not forget your customary tenderness.
Permit us, even if briefly, to visit your tomb,
واسْمَح ولوْ بمَزارِ لُقْيا في الكَرَى
تُبْقِي بِها منّا علَى الأرْماقِ
That we may continue to draw life from you.
If the means to meet are blocked,
وإذا اللّقاءُ تصرّمَتْ أسْبابُهُ
كانَ الخَيالُ تَعِلّةَ المُشْتاقِ
Imagination will make up for the longing of the yearner.
Wondrous is the soul that bid you farewell, fully convinced
عَجَباً لنَفْسٍ ودّعَتْكَ وأيْقَنَتْ
أنْ ليسَ بعْدَ نَواكَ يوْمَ تَلاقِي
That, after you, there will be no day of reunion!
If she did not share your grave - which you drank to the dregs -
ما عُذْرُها إنْ لمْ تُقاسِمْكَ الرّدَى
في فضْلِ كأسٍ قدْ شرِبْتَ دِهاقِ
What excuse has she, despite your merit?
If our eyes failed to weep
إنْ قصّرَتْ أجْفانُنا عنْ أنْ تُرَى
تَبْكي النّجيعَ علَيْكَ باستِحْقاقِ
Crying copiously over you, as was deserved,
If they were frozen in shock - surely our hearts
واستُوقِفَتْ دَهَشاً فإنّ قُلوبَنا
نهَضَتْ بكُلّ وظيفَةِ الآماقِ
Were roused to every duty of the deeply aware!
Trust in lasting loyalty from the youth
ثِقْ بالوَفاءِ علَى المَدى في فِتْيَةٍ
بكَ تقْتَدي في العَهْدِ والمِيثاقِ
Who emulate your covenant and pact.
They have adorned themselves with the blessings you bestowed,
سجَعَتْ بِما طوّقْتَها منْ مِنّةٍ
حتّى زَرَتْ بحَمائِمِ الأطْواقِ
Until they were collared with your favors.
They cry over your loss in private - a sanctuary
تَبْكي فراقَكَ خَلْوَةً عمّرْتَها
بالذِّكْرِ في طَفَلٍ وفي إشْراقِ
You filled with remembrance, in childhood and prime.
As for praise of your sublimity, it is widely diffused,
أمّا الثّناءُ علَى عُلاكَ فذائِعٌ
قدْ صحّ بالإجْماعِ والإصْفاقِ
Proclaimed by consensus and unanimous agreement.
And Allah has coupled praise to His land
واللهُ قدْ قرَنَ الثّناءَ بأرْضِهِ
بثَنائِهِ منْ فوْقِ سَبْعِ طِباقِ
By praising it from above the seven layers of heaven.
Your tomb pours forth a perpetual rain,
جادَتْ ضريحَكَ ديمَةٌ هطّالَةٌ
تبْكي علَيْكَ بواكِفٍ رَقْراقِ
Weeping over you with constant pouring.
And you have been clothed by the Divine in bliss
وتغَمّدَتْكَ منَ الإلاهِ سَعادَةٌ
تسْمو بروحِكَ للمَحَلِّ الرّاقي
That lifts your spirit to the Most Exalted Station.
Have patience, oh kinsmen of al-Jabbaab, your departed one
صبْراً بنِي الجَبّابِ إنّ فَقيدكُمْ
سيُسَرُّ مَقْدَمُهُ بِما هوَ لاقِي
Will soon delight in what he is destined to attain.
When the darkness of grief casts shadows on hearts,
وإذا الأسَى لفَحَ القُلوبَ أُوارُهُ
فالصّبْرُ والتّسْليمُ أيّ رِواقِ
Patience and acquiescence are the best havens.
