جَلَّيْتَ فِي حَلْبَةِ السِّبَاقِ
وَجَدِّ مَنْ جَدّ فِي اللَّحَاقِ
You excelled in the racecourse
And strove hard to catch up
مَوْعِدُنَا صَاقِبٌ وَلَكَنْ
وَاحَرَّ قَلْبَاً مِنَ الْفِرَاقِ
Our tryst is imminent but
A heart is tormented by separation
لاَ تَعْجَبُوا مِنْ بُكَاءِ كَهْلٍ
إِنَّ النَّوَى مُرَّةُ المَذَاقِ
Marvel not at an old man's tears
For sorrow's taste is bitter
يَبْكِي عَلَى عَلْمِهِ بِأَلاَّ
يَطُولُ عَهْدٌ دُونَ التَّلاَقِي
He weeps knowing that never
Will a long estrangement end
أَلْفَرْغَلِيُّ الأَرِيبُ وَلَّى
وَكَانَ مِنْ خِيرَةِ الرِّفَاقِ
Alfrghani the eloquent bid adieu
He was the best of friends
رَاعَتْ حُلِيُّ الْبَدِيعِ فِيهِ
بَيْنَ المُنَابَاةِ وَالطِّبَاقِ
The ornaments of rhetoric in him
Mingled metaplasm and antithesis
أَلْقَلْبُ عَفٌّ وَالقَوْلُ عَفٌّ
وَالفِكْرُ رَاقٍ وَالحِسُّ رَاقِ
A gentle heart, gentle words
Keen wit and refined senses
جَلاَئِلُ الرَّأْيِ كَامِناتٌ
بَيْنَ أَسَالِيبِهِ الدَّقَاقِ
Deep thoughts lay hidden
In his subtle idioms
وَكُلُّ حُسْنِ الْبَيَانِ بَادٍ
فِي صَوْغِ أَلْفَاظِهِ الرَّقَاقِ
All beauty of diction fades
In its delicate wording
مِنْ عِظَمِ الْخُلْقِ لَمْ يَفُتْهُ
فِي كُلِّ حَالٍ أَوْفَى خَلاَقِ
For his noble character never
Missed what best conduct requires
قَدْ أَطْعَمَ السُّهْدَ مُقْلَتَيْهِ
وَأَقْلَقَ المَهْدَ بِالصِّفَاقِ
He fed the hungry from his hands
And startled the cradle with bounty
وَعِبْئُهُ فِي هَوَى حِمَاهُ
لَمْ يَلْقَهُ فِي الْحُمَاةِ لاَقِ
The burden of his passionate love
Met no embarrassment in intimacy
عَلاَمَ ضَاقَتْ بِهِ حَيَاةٌ
مَجَالُهَا وَاسِعُ النِّطَاقِ
Why did life whose scope is wide
Feel straitened by him?
جِدُّ المَسَاكِينِ هَؤُلاَء
الَّذِينَ عَاشُوا بِلاَ نِفَاقِ
He was serious about the poor
Who lived without hypocrisy
إِذْ جَوْهَرُ الصَّدْقِ فِي كَسَادٍ
وَسِلْعَةُ الإِفْكِ فِي نَفَاقِ
For truthfulness is now devalued
While falsehood fetches a price
يَا شَارِباً كَأْسَهُ دِهَاقاً
وَالْهَمُّ فِي كَأْسِهِ الدِّهَاقِ
O cup companion, your brimming cup
And the sorrow within the cup overflow
أَلموْتُ فِيمَا عَلِمْتَ حَقاً
أَهْنَأُ رَاحٍ يَسْقِيهِ سَاقِ
Death, know for certain
Is the most comfortable rest that gives drink
يَا وَيْحَ لِلشَّرْقِ كَيْفَ يُفْنِي
قُوَاهُ فِي بُؤْرَةِ الشِّقَاقِ
Oh Orient, how can it waste
Its strength in the womb of discord
إِنْ لَمْ يَرِدْ وِرْدَهُ مَرِيراً
مَاتَ مِنَ الغَمِّ فِي احْتِرَاقِ
If it fails to get back its pasture
It will die burnt in flames
وَلَمْ يُرَفَّهْ عَنْهُ عَنَاءٌ
بَيْنَ اصْطِبَاحٍ أَوِ اغْتِبَاقِ
No toil made it ignore
Mornings or evenings
دَعُوا الشُّعَاعَ المُضِيءَ يُزْهِرْ
بِلاَ حِجَابٍ وَلاَ اعْتِيَاقِ
Let the shining ray blossom
Without a veil or habit
هَلْ تَسْتَنِيرُ الْعُقُولُ وَالْبَدْ
رُ لَيْلَةَ التِّمِّ فِي مِحَاقِ
Can minds and vision penetrate
The night of obscurity?
يَا مَنْ قَضَى عَنْ عَظِيمِ شَأْنٍ
فُزْ بِجَزَاءٍ لَهُ وِفَاقِ
O you who fulfilled great deeds
Excel in matching reward
إِنْ أَخْلَدَ المَرْءَ حُسْنُ فِعْلٍ
فَأَنْتَ بِالْخَالِدَات بَاقِ
If a man lives by good acts
You live by the eternal
هَذَا رَثَاءٌ أَطْلَقْتُ فِيهِ
وَهْيَ شُجُونِي بِلاَ سِيَاقِ
This is an elegy I poured out
Letting my passions loose, unchecked
جَرَى بِهِ الحُزْنُ مِنْ فُؤَادِي
جَرْيَ دُمُوعِي مِنَ المَآقي
Sorrow flowed from my heart
Like my tears from their springs
