اسألِ الفوعةَ الشديدةَ حزْناً
عنْ مُهنَّا هيهاتَ أينَ مُهَنَّا
Ask the intense grief, so sad,
About our glory - alas, where is our glory?
أينَ زينُ البلادِ عينُ البرايا
شيخُ أهلِ الزمانِ لفظاً ومعنى
Where is the beauty of the country, the eye of the wilderness,
The elder of the people of the age in word and meaning?
أينَ مَنْ كانَ أبهجَ الناسِ وجهاً
فَهْوَ أسمى منَ البدورِ وأسنى
Where is the one whose face delighted people,
He is loftier than the full moons and more radiant?
أينَ حلفُ الصلاةِ والصومِ زهداً
مَنْ على مثلِهِ الخناصرُ تُثنى
Where is the oath of prayers and fasting in devotion
For whom loins were bent?
أين شيخي وقدوتي وصديقي
وحبيبي وكلُّ ما أتمنى
Where is my sheikh, my role model, my friend
And my beloved, and all I wish for?
وأشدُّ الصحابِ عوناً وأوفا
هم وقاراً وأضحكُ الناسِ سنَّا
The strongest of companions in support and loyalty
Solemn yet making people laugh with his teeth.
يا لها مِنْ رزيَّةٍ ووفاةٍ
طبقَتْ بالمصابِ سهلاً وحزنا
Oh what a calamity and bereavement!
It made the plain and the mountain equal in grief.
كيفَ لا يعظمُ المصابُ لصدر
نحنُ منهُ مودة وَهْوَ منَّا
How could the heart not greatly grieve
When we had affection for him and he for us?
جعفريُّ السلوكِ والوضعِ حتى
قالَ عَبْسٌ عنهُ مُهنَّا مهنا
Ja’fari in conduct and disposition until
Abs said: Our glory brought us glory.
أيُّ قلبٍ بهِ ولوْ كان صخراً
ما يحاكي الخنساءَ نوحاً وحزنا
What heart, even if it were rock,
Would not resemble Al-Khansa’ in weeping and grief?
أذكرَتْنا وفاته بأبيه
وأخيه أيامَ كانوا وكنَّا
His death reminded us of his father
And his brother in the days when they and we were.
مِنْ عظيمِ البلاءِ فقدُ عظيمٍ
كان للسالكين ذخراً وركنا
From the enormity of the affliction, for we lost
One who was a treasure and pillar for the adherents.
أصبحَ القلبُ بعدَهُ في جحيم
وَهْوَ حَبْرٌ في جنةٍ يتثنى
The heart after him is now in hellfire
While he is a sea serpent in Paradise twisting.
يا عيوني لم تنظري كمهنا
أسعديني بمدمعٍ ليس يفنى
Oh my eyes that have not seen our glory,
Please me with a tear that will not vanish.
أظلمَتْ بعدَهُ البلاد وقالتْ
ما بَقِيْ مَنْ يقيم للزهدِ وزنا
After him, the country darkened and said:
No one remains who will weigh piety and glory.
يا مهنَّا أنا المنغَّصُ وحدي
لا بل العالمونَ إنساً وجنَّا
Oh Mahanna, I alone am distressed,
No - all mankind, jinn and humans!
فسأبكيكَ ما حييتُ وحقي
أنني لا أقرُّ بعدَكَ جَفْنَا
So I will weep for you as long as I live, by my right,
My eyelids will not settle after you.
كم حسبنا مِنَ الأمورِ ولكنْ
ما حسبنا سريعَ بُعْدِكَ عنَّا
How much we assumed about matters, but
We never assumed you would quickly leave us.
يا دفيناً قبلي ولو كان هذا
باختياري لكنْتُ قبلَكَ دَفْنَا
Oh buried before me, if only this were
By my choice, I would have been buried before you.
ليتني متُّ قبلَ هذا فإني
حاملٌ فيكَ ما شجاني وأضنى
Would that I had died before this, for I
Carry in you that which saddened and grieved me.
سيدي أنتَ كنتَ تُؤْثِرُ هذا
زالَ ذاكَ الأذى وفارقْتَ سجنا
My master, you would have preferred this -
That harm is gone and you left the prison,
ولقيتَ الكريمَ والمرتجى مِنْ
فضلِه أنْ تنالَ ما تتمنى
And met the Benevolent, Desired One through
His grace, to attain what you wish.
فاذكرِ العهدَ واحتفلْ بصديقٍ
حسَّنَ الظنَّ فيكَ لا خابَ ظنا
So remember the covenant and celebrate a friend
Who thought well of you - his assumption did not fail.
قدَّسَ اللهُ سرَّ قبرِ مهنا
فَهْوَ مِنْ أطيبِ البقاعِ وأهنا
God sanctified the secret of Mahanna's grave -
It is of the most pleasant spots and comforting.
وسقى قبرَ جدِّهِ وأبيهِ
وأخيهِ غيثاً تبسَّمَ مزنا
And watered the grave of his grandfather, father,
And brother with a downpour that smiled gently.
ورعانا بجاههم وحمانا
بحماهُمْ وبدَّل الخوفَ أمنا
And protected us through their status and sheltered us
With their protection, changing fear into safety.
