نَأْسَى إِذَا وَدَّعَتْنَا الشَّمْسُ فِي الطَّفَلِ
فَكَيْفَ مَنْ لاَ نُلاَقِيهِ إِلى الأَزَلِ
We grieve when the sun bids us farewell at dusk,
So what of one we'll never meet till eternity?
تَطْوِي بِنَا الْعَيْشَ أَفْرَاسٌ بِلاَ حَكَمٍ
وَلاَ نُخَيَّرُ فِي الأَوقَاتِ وَالنَّقَلِ
With unchecked steeds life hastens us along,
Nor may we choose times or places at our will.
أَلأَمرُ لِلهِ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَغَايَتِهَا
أَكُنْتَ مُمْتَثِلاً أَمْ غَيْرَ مُمتَثِلِ
Is not God's will in this world and its end
Whether you have obeyed or disobeyed that will?
عَلامَ يَأْسُكَ وَالأيَّامُ دَائِلَةٌ
أَخَالِدٌ أَنْتَ أَمْ بَاقٍ إِلَى أَجَلِ
Why despair when the days go on forever?
Are you immortal or destined to an appointed time?
أَخٌ لَنَا كَانَ سَمْحَ الْقَلْبِ وَافِيَهُ
طَلْقَ اللِّسانِ سَلِيلَ الْوُدِّ مِنْ عِلَلِ
A brother we had, kind of heart, eloquent,
Free from all fault, affectionate and gentle.
نُسَائِلُ اليَوْمَ عَنْهُ فِي مَعَاهِدِهِ
فَلاَ نُصَادِفُ إِلاَّ خَيْبَةَ الأَمَلِ
Today we ask of him in his haunts and get
Nothing but disappointment and hopes destroyed.
أَيْنَ الفُكَاهَةُ فِي فَنٍّ وَفِي أَدَبٍ
أَيْنَ الخُصُومَاتُ وَالتَّقْلِيبُ فِي الدُّوَلِ
Where is the humor in composition and in literature?
Where are the disputes and changes in governments?
مَضَى الأَدِيبُ الصَّحَافِيُّ الَّذِي عَمَرَتْ
آثَارُهُ الشْرْق بَيْنَ السَّهْلِ وَالْجَبَل
The writer, journalist, whose works made the East,
From plain to mountain, flourish has departed.
عَفَتْ خَلاَئِقُهُ الغَرَّاءُ وَانْطَفَأَتْ
بِهَا مصَابِيحُ كَانَتْ قُرَّةَ المُقَلِ
His brilliant qualities are extinct and with them
The lamps he lit, once solace to the distressed.
سرِيرَةٌ طَهُرَتْ مِنْ كُلِّ شَائِبَةٍ
ونُزِّهَتْ عَنْ مُدَاجَاةٍ وَعَنْ دَخَلِ
A secret heart, purged of all dross, remote
From hypocrisy and fraud and far from guile;
وهِمَّةٌ فِي مَضَاءٍ فِي مُثَابَرَةٍ
زَانَتْ عَلَى الدَّهرِ جِيدَ الْعصر منْ عَطَلِ
A will resolved on highest aims, persistent
In effort, shirking neither work nor weariness;
نَاهِيكَ مِنْ رجُلٍ فَرْدٍ بِهِ اجْتَمَعتْ
كُلُّ الصِّفَاتِ الَّتِي تُرْضِيكَ فِي الرَّجُل
A peerless man endowed with qualities
To satisfy you whatsoe'er you wished in man;
يَسْعَى فَيَدْأَب لا يَثْنِي عَزِيمَتَهُ
عَادً مِن الْخَوْفِ أَو غَاشِ مِنَ المَلَل
He strove and labored, never bent his purpose
Thwarted by fear or turned by weariness;
مَا كَانَ أَلْيَنَهُ فِي حلِّ مُعْضِلَةٍ
وكَانَ أَصْلَبَهُ فِي الْحَادِثِ الجَلَلِ
Gentlest solving the most stubborn problem,
Firmest when faced with event most dire;
وَكَانَ أَبْرَعَهُ وَصْفاً وَأَمْلأَهُ
لِلْعَيْنِ وَالسَّمْعِ إِنْ يَكْتُبْ وَإِنْ يَقُلِ
Most eloquent describing, most prolific
For eye and ear, writing and speaking;
كَانَّ أَيَّامَهُ دِيباجَةٌ نُسِجَتْ
مِنَ المَفَاخِرِ فِي حَلٍّ وَمُرْتَحَلِ
His days were woven of the finest deeds
In settled life and wanderings to and fro;
قَدْ آلَ سامٍ إِلى النُّعمَى وَأَحسبُهُ
يشْكُو القَرارَ بِلاَ كَدٍّ وَلاَ شُغُلِ
Now safe in comfort's lap, methinks he suffers
The grave's confinement, toilsome and obscure;
تَقَاصرَ العُمْرُ عَنْ أَدْنَى مَطَامِعِهِ
فَيَا أَسًى أَنَّ ذَاكَ العُمْرَ لَمْ يَطُلِ
Life was too short for least of his ambitions,
Alas, that life was not more prolonged!
لَئِنْ بَكَتْ لِنَوَاهُ مِصْرُ مِنْ ثَكَلٍ
مَا حَالُ لُبْنَانَ بيْنَ اليُتْمِ وَالثَّكَلِ
If Egypt mourns him with a weight of sorrow,
How must Lebanon feel, orphaned and bereft!
تَبَدَّلَتْ بِمَنَاحَاتٍ بِلاَبِلُهُ
مِنَ الأغَارِيدِ فِي صَفْوٍ وَفِي جَذَلِ
Songs of joy are turned to shrill lament
On a youth of free opinion, safe from error,
عَلَى فَتًى كَانَ حُرَّ الرَّأْيِ يَعْصِمُهُ
مَا اسْطَاعَ بَحْثاً وَتَمْحِيصاً مِنْ الزَّلَل
Who served the nations with complete devotion
In word and deed, as leaders serve and do.
وَقَام فِي خِدْمَةِ الأوْطَانِ مُضْطَلِعاً
بِهَا اضْطِلاَعَ فُحُولِ القَوْلِ وَالعَمَلِ
In his last nights he labored as he had
In early days, unsparing of his pains.
فِي أُخْرَيَاتِ لَيالِيهِ يَجِدُّ بِهَا
سَعْياً كَمَا جَدَّ فِي أَيَّامِهِ الأُوَلِ
O father of nobilities, he served them all,
Not favoring race or sect or family.
أَبَا المُرُوءَاتِ يُسْدِيَهَا وَلَيْسَ بِهَا
يُرَى التَّبايُنُ فِي الأجْنَاسِ وَالمِلَلِ
Such prayers as you ever Spread go with you now,
Each severance knit, each tie more tightly bound.
تِلْكَ الصَّلاَتُ الَّتِي مَا زِلْتَ تَبْذُلُهَا
لِكُلِّ مُنْقَطِعٍ أَوْ كُلِّ مُتَصِلِ
Your benefits live in men's memories
And grow, example that you set for all.
دَيْنٌ ستَرْبُو عَلَى الذِّكْرَى فَوَائِدُهُ
بِمَا ضَرَبْت بِهِ لِلنَّاسِ مِنْ مَثَلِ
Farewell, may God's peace go with you, translated
In body only, you in spirit stay!
فَاذْهَبْ عَلَيْكَ سَلاَمُ اللهِ مُنْتَقِلاً
جِسْماً وَرَسْمُكَ حَيٌّ غَيْرُ مُنْتَقِلِ
I say, "Condolences to you!" yet they
Are for companions mourning, and for me.
آلَ القُصَيْريِّ إِنْ قُلْتُ الْعزَاءُ لَكُمْ
فَإِنَّهُ لِلرِّفَاقِ الجَازِعِين وَلِي
We wept for him while crowds in the sublime procession
Bore him forth, tears of pity streaming down.
لَقَدْ بَكَيْنَاهُ وَالْعَلْيَاءُ مُسْعِدَةٌ
مُشَيِّعِيهِ بِدَمْعِ العَارِضِ الهَطِلِ
