أَدارَ البَلى أَما عَمَرتِ بِمَعشَري
فَأَنتِ الَّذي تُدعَينَ قَفراً وَبَلقَعا
Time has turned against me, though once you lived here,
You whom they now call a wasteland, desolate and bare,
عَلى كَثرَةِ الأَهلَينَ أَو حَشتِ زائِراً
وَأَلهَبتِ أَكباداً وَأَجرَيتِ مَدمَعا
Whether thronged with family or lonely and unvisited,
You who inflamed hearts and caused tears to flow.
إِليكِ مَآبُ الكُلِّ مِنهُم مُلَبِّثٌ
قَليلاً وَمِنهُم مَن تَوَلّى وَوَدَّعا
Others to bid farewell and depart.
Oh, if only I knew how death could touch it!
أَلا لَيتَ شِعري كَيفَ مَسَّ الثَوى بِها
فَإِنّي أَرى فيها مِهاداً وَمَضجَعا
For I see in it a resting place, a tomb.
No restful sleep within this tomb,
مَضاجِعُ لَيسَ لَيستَ النَومُ فيها بِلِذَّةٍ
وَلا النَومُ فيها أَن تَهُبَّ وَتَهجَعا
No calm repose beneath its cover.
All meet at the Resurrection, true to its name,
إِلى الحَشرِ وَاِسمُ الحَشرِ وَفقٌ لِشَكلِهِ
جِماعُ أُمورِ ما أَهَمَّ وَأَشنَعا
A gathering of momentous, dreadful matters,
A standing where humankind and jinn stand in awe,
مَقامٌ يَعُمُّ الإِنسَ وَالجِنَّ هَولُهُ
وَيُحشَرُ فيهِ الوَحشُ شِرباً مُفَزَّعا
And beasts are driven together, terrified.
The earth is changed to other than our earth
تُبَدَّلُ فيهِ أَرضُهُ غَيرَ أَرضِنا
وَتَطوي السَمَواتُ العُلى طَيَّةً مَعا
And heaven folded up and fused together.
Oh for that day when mankind's striving is little use!
فَيالَكَ يَوماً قَلَّ سَعيُ الوَرى لَهُ
وَما فيهِ لِلإِنسانِ إِلّا الَّذي سَعى
Man has only what effort he has made.
You lust for a world that leaves no dear home
تَغَرُّ بِدُنيا لَيسَ تَترُكُ مَنزِلاً
أَنيساً وَلا شَملاً لِقَومٍ مُجَمَّعا
Or gathered people you can cling to.
Fate cast me down, so I set my course
رَماني الرُدى قَصداً فَأَقصَدُ مُهجَتي
وَأَخطَأَ جُثماني فَأَخفى وَأَوجَعا
And my body missed its mark and suffered pain.
I was struck in that which I was once a branch,
أُصِبتُ بِأَصلٍ كُنتُ فَرعاً لِفَرعِهِ
وَشَأنُ الرَدى أَن يَهصِرَ العودَ أَجمَعا
Such is fate, that it destroys the tree entire.
My soul, for which I weep, though weeping for it,
فَنَفسي الَّتي أَبكي وَإِن كُنتُ باكِياً
عَلَيها فَدَمعي قَد تَقَسَّمَ أَدمُعا
My tears are parceled out in streams of tears.
Death called it, and it quickly answered death's call,
دَعَتها المَنايا فَاِستَجابَت دُعاءَها
سَريعاً وَداعي المَوتِ أَسرَعُ مَن دَعا
Death's summons are swifter than any call.
The earth deserted me, as if forbidden
فَخَلَّت عَلَيَّ الأَرضُ حَتّى كَأَنَّما
حَرامٌ عَلى الأَجفانِ أَن تَتَطَلَّعا
For eyelids to look up, compelled to stare down
At no place, but it becomes desolate at dawn.
وَحَتمٌ عَليها أَن تَصوبَ فَما هَمَت
عَلى مُمحِلٍ إِلّا أَصبَحَ مُهرَعا
The ruins weep in longing for her nearness
And the earth she left yields lush greenery.
بَكى بَعدَها المِرابُ شَوقاً لِقُربِها
وَرَوَّضَ مِنها التُربُ خِصباً فَأَينَعا
I pray for her with what is fitting for her -
My praise was fair and heard.
وَصَلّى عَلَيها بِالَّذي هِيَ أَهلُهُ
فَإِنَّ ثَنائي طابَ قيلاً وَمَسمَعا
Eulogy and elegy return her not,
Though they are lamentation and anguish.
وَما المَدحُ وَالتَأبينُ مِمّا يَرُدُّها
وَلَكِنَّهُ قَد صارَ مَبكىً وَمَجزَعا
Peace be upon you, our meeting brings peace -
The peace of one made desolate by your loss.
عَلَيكَ سَلامٌ تَلاقي بَينَنا
سَلامُ اِمرِئٍ أَمسى بِفَقدِكَ موجَعا
