أَيَعْقِلُ حُزْني عَنْ وَدَاعِكَ مَنْطِقِي
وَأَعْلَمُ أَنَّا عَنْ قَرِيبٍ سَنَلْتَقِي
Does my reason restrain my grief over your farewell?
Yet I know that before long we shall meet.
صَدِيقِي لاَ تَبْعَدْ فَمَا أَنَا مُبْتَغٍ
مِنَ الْعَيْشِ إِنْ تَبْعَدْ وَمَا أَنا مُتَّقِ
My friend, do not go far, for I desire nothing—
nothing from life if you go far, nor would I care to preserve it.
سَبَقْتَ وَفِي قَلْبِي أَسىً لِتَخَلُّفِي
وَمَنْ يَجْرِ فِي المضْمارِ جِرْيَكَ يَسْبَقِ
You have gone before me, and my heart grieves that I remain behind;
whoever runs the course as you ran it will outstrip all others.
فَوَا حَرَبَا مَا لَوْعَةُ الشَّوْقِ فِي غَدٍ
وَبِي قَبْلَ أَنْ تَنْأَى لَظى مِنْ تَشَوُّقِي
Alas, what will become tomorrow of longing’s burning pangs,
when already, before you go far, my yearning is a blaze within me!
وَيَا شَجْوَ أَطْفَالٍ ضِعَافُ تَرَكْتَهُمْ
وَكُنْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ مُشْفِقاً أَيَّ مُشْفِقِ
O my sorrow for your frail children, whom you left behind—
you were compassionate toward them—how compassionate!
أَفِي الْحَقِّ أَنْ تُلْفَى مَدَى الدَّهْرِ هَاجِعاً
تَمُرُّ بِكَ الأَحْدَاثُ غَيْرَ مُؤَرَّقِ
Can it truly be that you will lie asleep forever,
while events pass you by without ever disturbing your sleep?
وَلَنْ تَنْظِمَ الآرَاءَ نَظْمَ مُوَفِّقٍ
وَلَنْ تَنْثُرَ الآلاَءَ نَثْرَ مُفَرِّقِ
No longer will you marshal ideas with the order of one rightly guided,
nor scatter blessings as a generous giver scatters them;
وَلَنْ تُعْمِلَ الأَقْلاَمَ وَهْيَ أَسِنَّةٌ
فَتَطْعَنَ أَهْلَ الْبَغْي فِي كُلِّ مَفْرِقِ
no longer will you wield pens, though they are spearheads,
to pierce the people of oppression at every joint.
إِذَا بَانَ سَرْكِيسُ الأَدِيبُ فَمَنْ لَهُ
بَرَاعَةُ مُفْتَنٍّ وَعِلْمُ مُحَقِّقِ
Now that Sarkis the man of letters is gone, who possesses
the artistry of a versatile creator and the learning of a meticulous scholar?
وَمَنْ يُبْتَغَى لِلأُنْسِ فِي كُلِّ مَحْفِلٍ
وَمَنْ يُرْتَجَى لِلْغَوْثٍ فِي كُلِّ مَأْزِقِ
Whom shall we seek for genial company at every gathering,
and whom may we trust to plunge into every crisis?
ذَكَاءٌ لَهُ لَمْعُ الْوَمِيضِ إِذَا وَرَى
فَأَشْرَقَ فِي جَوْنٍ مِنَ السُّحبِ مُطْبِقِ
His intelligence had the gleam of lightning when it blazed,
shining through the blackness of massed clouds;
وَمَعْنىً كَتَفْتِيحِ الأَزَاهِرِ بَهْجَةً
وَلَفْظٌ كَمَاءِ الْجَدْوَلِ المُتَرَقْرِقِ
his thought was as delightful as blossoms opening,
and his diction like the rippling water of a brook;
وَلُطْفُ حَدِيثٍ يُطْرِبُ السَّمعَ آخِذٌ
لِكُلِّ طَرِيفٍ يَشْرَحُ الصَّدْرَ مُونِقِ
his gracious conversation delighted the ear, embracing
every fresh and charming theme that gladdened the heart.
وَمُبْتَكَرَاتٌ كُلَّ آنٍ جَدِيدَةٌ
لَهَا مِنْ أَفَانِينِ الحِلَى كُلُّ رَوْنَقِ
And original creations, forever new at every moment,
adorned with every splendor from the varied arts of ornament;
إِلى خُلُقٍ مَهْمَا يَقُلْ فِيهِ مَادِحٌ
ثَنَاءً عَلَيْهِ قَالَتِ النَّاسُ أَخْلِقِ
together with a character of which, whatever a eulogist said
in praise, the people answered, “How well deserved!”
وَعَزْمٌ كَأَنَّ الدَّهْرَ نَاطَ بِبَعْضِهِ
هُمُومَ الْوَرَى مَا بَيْنَ غَرْبٍ وَمَشْرِقِ
And resolve—as though Fate had hung upon a part of it
all humankind’s cares between west and east.
لَقَدْ شَغَلَتْهُ بِالْعُلَى عَنْ حُطَامِهَا
حَيَاةٌ بِهَا إِنْ تُعْنَ بِالرِّزْقِ تُرْزَقِ
His lofty pursuits kept him from life’s paltry goods—
a life in which, if you attend to livelihood, you are provided for.
فَإِنْ لَمْ يُعْنِ أَهْلُ الحِطَامِ أَدِيبَهُمْ
فَهَلْ ذَنْبُهُ أَنْ كَانَ غَيْرَ مُوَفَّقِ
So if the people of worldly goods did not support their man of letters,
is it his fault that fortune did not favor him?
فَدَيْتُكَ لَوْ فِي الأَرْضِ حَيٌّ مُخَلَّدٌ
بِفَضْلٍ لَكُنْتَ المَرْءَ مَا بَقَيْتَ بَقِي
I would ransom you! If merit could make any living soul on earth immortal,
you would be that man, destined to endure forever.
وَفَيْتَ لَهَا بِالقِسْطِ لَكِنْ تَنُكَّرَتْ
مَنَازِلُهَا فَابْغِ السَّماوَاتِ وَارْتَقِ
You gave life its full and rightful due, but its dwellings
turned hostile; so seek the heavens, and ascend.
Sol 5.6