عَزَاءِ الحِجَى وَالألْمَعِيَّةِ وَالنُّبْلِ
فَفِي كُلِّهَا امْرَءًا فَاقِدَ المِثل
Consolation to reason, brilliance, and nobility—
for in them all a peerless man is lost.
تَوَلَّيْتَ يَا عَلاَّمَةَ الشَّرْقِ فَالأَسَى
إِلى الغَرْبِ مُمْتَدُّ السَّحَابَةِ وَالظلِّ
You have departed, O savant of the East, and sorrow
stretches westward, heavy with clouds and shade.
سَلاَمٌ عَلَى الفَرْدِ الَّذِي فِي خِصَالِهِ
تَلاَقَتْ خِلاَلُ مَجْمُوعَةَ الشَّمْل
Peace upon that singular man, within whose character
virtues gathered in one complete constellation.
سَلاَم عَلَى ذَاكَ الذَّكَاءِ الَّذِي خَبَا
وَذَاكَ المُحَيَّا السَّمْحِ غُيِّبَ فِي الرَّمْل
Peace upon that intellect whose radiance has gone out,
and upon that gracious conversationalist, hidden in the earth.
سَلاَمٌ عَلَى ذاكَ الْفُؤادِ الَّذِي سلا
وَمَا كَانَ إِلاِّ بِالمَحَامِدِ فِي شُغْلِ
Peace upon that heart, serene and untroubled,
occupied with nothing but praiseworthy deeds.
سَلاَمٌ عَلَى الآدَابِ أَجْمَلَ مَا بَدَتْ
لَنَا فِي الفَتَى غَضِّ الإِهَابِ وَفِي الكَهْل
Peace upon the human form, fairest whenever it appeared—
fresh-skinned in youth and dignified in age.
سَلاَمٌ عَلَى الأخْلاَقِ رِيضَتْ وَهُذِّبَتْ
فَلَمْ يَعْتَوِرْهَا النَّقْشُ بِالقَوْلِ وَالْفِعْل
Peace upon those morals, fragrant and refined,
untouched by any fault in word or deed.
سَلاَمٌ عَلَى أَصْفَى الرِّجَالِ مَوَدَّةً
وَأَبْرَئِهِمْ نَفْساً مِنَ الحِقْدِ وَالغِلِّ
Peace upon the purest of men in affection,
and the one whose soul was freest of rancor and spite.
إِذَا مَا قَضَى يَعْقُوبُ صَرُّوفَ نَحْبَهُ
فَمَهْمَا تَجِلِّي يَا صُرُوفَ النَّوى جِلِّي
When Yaqub Sarruf met his appointed death,
then loom as greatly as you will, O turns of fate—loom great!
تَدَاعَى بِنَاءُ المَجْدِ فِي عَالَمِ النُّهَى
وَنُكِّبَتِ الأعْلاَمُ فِي دَوْلَةِ الفَضْلِ
The edifice of glory tottered in the realm of reason,
and the banners of excellence were struck down.
فَفِي مِصرَ جُرْحٌ مِنْ مُفَاجَأَةِ النَّوَى
ثَخِينٌ وَفِي لُبْنَانَ بَرْحٌ مِنَ الثُكْلِ
Egypt bore a grievous share of fate’s sudden blow,
and Lebanon an anguish of bereavement.
وَفِي كُلِّ أُفْقٍ يَنْطِقُ الضَّادَ أَهْلُهُ
غَمَائِمُ أَجْفَانٍ مُرَددَةُ الهَطْلِ
In every land where its people speak the tongue of Ḍād,
eyelid-clouds repeatedly poured down torrents of rain.
وَمِنْ عَجَبٍ أَنَّ الأُولَى فَازَ دُونَهُمْ
بِخَصِلِ الْعُلَى يَبْكُونَ مَنْ فَازَ بِالخَصْل
Strange that those whom he surpassed upon the heights
should weep over the rich distinction he had won.
فَوَا حَرَبَا أَنْ تُخْتَمَ اليَوْمَ حِقْبَةٌ
فَكَكْتَ بِهَا الأعْنَاقَ مِنْ رِبْقَةِ الجَهْلِ
Alas that an era should end today—an era
in which you freed necks from ignorance’s yoke.
وَهَيَّأتَ فِتْياناً يُدِيلُونَ لِلْحِمَى
إِبَاءً وَعِزَّاً مِنْ هَوَانٍ وَمِنْ ذُلِّ
You prepared young men who would restore to the homeland
its awe and dignity after abasement and humiliation.
تَجَشَّمْتَ مَا تَنْبُو بِأَيْسَرِهِ القَوَى
وَلَمْ يَكُ مَا تَبْغِيهِ بِالمَطْلَبِ السَّهْل
You undertook what would exhaust even the slightest strength,
and what you sought was no easy prize.
فَأطْلَقْتَ فِي خَمْسٍ وَخَمْسِينَ حِجَّةً
مَنَائِرَ لِلْعِرْفَانِ هَادِيَةً السُّبْلِ
For fifty-five years you sent forth
beacons of learning to guide the roads.
أَرَتْنَا وُجُوه الحَقِّ فِي كُلِّ مُعْضِلٍ
وَمِنْ دُوِنهَا الاسْتَارُ مُحْكَمَةُ السَّبْلِ
You showed us the face of truth in every difficulty,
though tightly drawn curtains veiled it.
فَلَمْ يَخْفَ سِرُّ النَّجْمِ فِي حُبُكِ الدُّجَى
ولَمْ يَخْفَ كُنْهُ النَّجْمِ يَكْتَنُّ فِي الحَقْل
The star’s secret was not hidden in the deepest dark,
nor the essence of what grows and shines within the field.
إِذا الشَّهْرُ ولَّى أَقْبَلَ الشَّهْرُ بَعْدَهُ
بِسِفْرٍ جَدِيدِ البَحثِ فِي الفَصْلِ فَالفَضْل
Whenever one month passed, another followed it,
with a volume renewing inquiry, chapter after chapter.
كِتَابٌ يَلِيهِ صِنْوُهُ وَيُتمُّهُ
كَعِقْدٍ نَظِيمٍ مِنْ فَرَائِدَ تَسْتَتْلِي
One book followed another, its companion completing it,
like a well-strung necklace of successive gems.
وَفِي كُلِّ جُزْءٍ مِنْهُ يُدْرِكُ ذُو النُّهَى
مَدَارِكَ لَمْ تَخْطُرْ عَلَى الْقَلْب مِنْ قبلِ
In every part, the discerning mind perceived
realms that had never before occurred to the heart.
صَحَائِفُ أَوْعَتْ مِنْ بَيَانٍ وَحِكْمَةٍ
جَنَى العقْلِ فِي أَطْوَارِهِ وَجَنَى النَّقْلِ
Pages entrusted with eloquence and wisdom—
the fruits of reason in its courses, and the fruits of transmitted learning.
تَدَفَّقَ مِنْهَا العِلْمُ فِي كلِّ مَطْلَبٍ
بِأَبْلَغِ مَا يُوحِي وَأَفْصَحِ مَا يُمْلِي
From them knowledge poured forth on every subject,
in the clearest exposition and most eloquent dictation.
أَنَرْتَ بِهَا الأَذْهَانَ أَيَّ إِنَارَةٍ
مُفَرِّقَةٍ بَيْنَ الحَقِيقةِ وَالبُطْلِ
Through them you illuminated minds—what illumination!—
along the stair between truth and falsehood.
فَيَا لَلْمَعَانِي مِنْ بَدِيعٍ وَرَائِعٍ
وَيَا لَلْمَبَانِي مِنْ رَفِيقٍ وَمِن جَزْلِ
What meanings they held, wondrous and splendid!
What words, at once delicate and strong!
وَيَا لَمَعِينِ الفِكْرِ لَيْسَ بِنَاضِبٍ
وَيَا لَصَحِيحِ اللَّفْظِ لَيْسَ بِمُعْتَلِّ
What intellectual riches, never running dry!
What sound expression, untouched by defect!
كَمَا كُنْتَ يَا يَعْقوبُ فَلْيَكُنِ الَّذِي
يَجِدُّ فَلاَ يُلْوِي بِلَهْوٍ وَلا هَزْلِ
For you, O Yaqub, were a man who
labored earnestly, turning neither to diversion nor jest.
ويُؤْثِرُ مِنْ دُونِ المَسَالِكِ مَسْلَكاً
يُجانِبُ أَسْبَابَ المَلاَمَةِ وَالعذْلِ
Among all roads, you chose a road of your own,
keeping far from every kind of blame and reproach.
وَيَنْشُد غَايَاتِ الكَمَالِ مُثَابِراً
عَلَى مَا تُمِر الحَادِثَاتُ وَمَا تُحلِي
You sought the utmost reaches of perfection, climbing onward
through whatever trials might embitter or make sweet.
صَبُوراً عَلَى مَا يَسْتَفِزُّ مِنَ الأَذى
يَرَى الحَزْمَ فِي عُقْبَاهُ أَشْفى مِنَ الجَهلِ
Patient beneath whatever harm provoked you,
you found resolve in the end sweeter than folly.
عَلِيماً بِأَنَّ المَرْءَ فِي الدهْرِ ظَاعِنٌ
يُقِيمُ إِلى حِينٍ وَفِي عَقْبِهِ يُجْلِي
Knowing that a man is but a traveler through time,
he advances for a while, then leaves what follows him.
وَفِيّاً لِمَنْ وَاَلَى وَشَارَكَ ثَابِتاً
عَلَى العَهْدِ فِي خِصْبِ الحَياةِ وَفِي المحل
Faithful to those who befriended and shared with him, steadfast
in his pledge through life’s afflictions and its barren seasons.
أَرَى اليَوْمَ فِي ذِكْرَاهُ آخِرَ صُورَةٍ
لِفانٍ قَوِيمِ العِطْفِ مُزْدَهِرِ الشَّكْل
Today, in remembering him, I see the final image
of an ancient gracious art, splendid in form.
عَلاَ تِبْرُ فَوْدَيهِ لُجَيْنُ مَشِيبهِ
سِوى لَمَعَاتٍ مُومِئَاتٍ إِلى الأصْل
Above it shone his heart’s devotion to his faith,
with flashes of light returning toward the source.
بِمَسْمَعِهِ عَنْ قَالَةِ السُّوءِ نَبْوَةٌ
وَيُرْهِفُهُ مَا شَاءَ لِلحَقِّ وَالعَدْل
His hearing held nobly aloof from malicious talk,
while his force was sharpened for truth and justice.
وَفِي نفسِهِ لِلأَرِيحِيَّةِ هِزَّةٌ
تَرَى إِثْرَهَا فِي وَجْهِهِ حِينَ تَسْتَجْلي
Within his soul, magnanimity would stir,
and you could see its trace upon his face when it shone forth.
وَفِي طَيِّبِ الرِّزْقِ الَّذِي هُوَ كَاسِبٌ
زَكَاتَانِ مِنْ لُطْفِ الإِشارَةِ وَالبَذْلِ
Of the wholesome livelihood he earned,
its due was paid through unstinting generosity.
تَقسَّمَ بيْنَ النَّفعِ للنَّاسِ قلبُه
وَبَيْنَ جَمِيلِ البِرِّ بِالصَّحْبِ وَالأهْل
His heart divided its care between benefiting humankind
and beautiful kindness to companions and family.
وَأُوتِيَ حَظّاً فِي بَنِيهِ وَزَوْجِهِ
كَرِيماً عَلَى قَدْرِ المُرُوءَةِ وَالعَقْلِ
He was richly blessed in children and in a spouse,
noble in proportion to his honor and reason.
فَما مِثْلهُ بَيْنَ الأُبُوَّةِ مِنْ أَبٍ
وَمَا مِثْلُهُ بَيْن البُعُولَةِ مِنْ بَعْلِ
Among fathers, there was no father like him.
Among husbands, there was none like him as a husband.
وَمَا فِي النَّسَاءِ الفُضْلَيَاتِ كَزَوْجِهِ
وَلاَ كَبَنِيهِ الغُرِّ فِي صالِحِ النَّسْل
Among virtuous women, none was like his wife,
nor among worthy offspring were there any like his sons.
جزَاهُ بِمَا أَهْدى مِنَ الخَيْرِ رَبُّهُ
وَعوَّضَنَا مِنْ ذَلِكَ اللَّيثِ بِالشِّبْلِ
May his Lord reward them for the good he bestowed,
and compensate us for that lion with his cubs.
