رحلْتَ وخلَّفْتَ الرّفاقَ بواكياً
عليك وكانوا بالقوافي شوادِيا!
You left and the friends crying over you
Composing eulogies with rhyming prose
وكانوا وما زالوا إليك صوادِياً
فَمَنْ ذا الذي يَسْقي ويَرْوِي الصَّواديا؟!
They were and still are hunters for you
So who will water and give drink to the hunters?!
ومَن ذا الذي يُرْضِي الحواضِرَ كلَّهم
ومَن ذا الذي من بَعْدُ يُرْضي البواديا؟!
And who will please all the settlers
And after who will please the nomads?!
لقد كنتَ في دُنْيا المَشاعِر صاحياً
وما كنْتَ في دُنْيا المشاعِر غافيا!
You were awake in the world of feelings
And you were not heedless in the world of feelings!
وكنتَ المُجَلِّي في السِّباقِ وإنَنِّي
سأَغْدو والمُصَلِّي أَيْنَما كنْتُ ثاوِيا!
You were the shining one in the race, and I
Will be praying wherever I settle!
كفَرْعَيْنِ كنَّا دوْحُنا مُتَطاوِلٌ
بِرَوْضٍ نضيرٍ لم يَكُنْ قَطُّ ذاوِيا!
Like two ostriches we circled around
In an unprecedented pasture
إلى أن دعا داعي المنية مُرْجِفاً
فَلبَّيْتَ ما أقْسى وأَحْنى المُنادِيا!
Until the caller of death called shaking
So you answered the most painful and sorrowful caller!
وسوف ألَبِّيه قريباً وانْثَنى
إليك كنَجْمَيْنِ الغداةَ تَواريَا!
And soon I will answer it and incline
Towards you like two morning stars setting!
أَرَبَّ القَوافي العُصْمِ. أَصْبَحْتَ خالِداً
فما كنْتَ مِهذاراً ولا كنتَ لاهِياَ
Master of rhymes and self-restraint. You became immortal
You were not frivolous nor heedless
ولكنَّه الجِدُّ الذي شَرُفَتْ به
معانِيكَ حتى نَوَّلتْكَ المعاليا!
But it is the seriousness that ennobled you
Raising your meanings to the heights!
فَجُبْتَ الذُّرَى حتى افْتَرَعْتَ سنامَها
وجابُوا سُفوحاً أَمْحَلَتْ وفيافيا!
You roamed the lands until you climbed its summit
And they roamed the plains that became desolate!
إذا العبقريُّ الحقُّ غاب تطاولتْ
مآثِرُهُ بين الأنام حوالِيا!
When the great genius is gone his
Achievements tower amongst people around!
وغاب أُناسٌ قبله ثم يعده
فكانوا فَقاقيعَ الشَّرابِ الطَّوافِيا!
While people before him are gone and after him
They were but bubbles of fleeting drinks!
وكنْتَ كَمِثْلِ النَّجْم يَسْطَعُ سَرْمَداً
فَيًسْعِدُ أيَّاماً لنا وليالِيا!
And you were like a star shining forever
Making our days and nights happy!
وقد كنتَ فَذّاً في الرجال مُسَوّداً
بِفِكْرٍ إذا جَلَّى أضاء الدواجيا!
You were unmatched among men, pure
With a mind that illuminates when unravelled!
وكان عَصِيُّ الشِّعرِ يُلْقي قِيادَه
إليك ويَدْنو منه ما كان نائيا!
And the stubborn poem yields its lead to you
And comes close to you from afar!
ونَعْجَزُ عن بعض القريض ويَسْتَوِي
لديك مُطِيعاً أحْرُفاً ومعانِيا!
We are incapable of some poetry yet it
Becomes obedient to you, words and meanings!
فَتَخْتارُ منه ما تشاء قصائداً
تَسُرُّ حنايانا وتُذْرِي المآقِيا!
So you choose from it whatever odes you want
That would cheer our worries and reduce disasters!
وها كنتَ مِجداباً وما كنت مُصْفياً
كما زعموا بل كنتَ كالنَّهر جاريا!
And here you were a spring and not a strainer
As they claimed, but you were like a flowing river!
ولكنَّكَ اخْتَرْتَ السَّكوتَ تَرَفُّعاً
عن الهَزْل يُزْجِيه الشَّعارِيرُ هاذِيا!
But you chose silence out of pride
From frivolity brought by prattling poets!
ولَيْتَكَ لم تَسْكُتْ فأنَّى
لِبُلْبُلٍ سكوتٌ فقد يُدْمي السكوتُ الحوانيا!
I wish you had not been silent, for how can
A nightingale be silent when silence kills the beloved!
لقد كان بالشَّدْوِ الرَّخيم مُداوِياً
وكان به نَجْماً إلى الدَّرْبِ هادِيا!
With mellow singing it was healing
And with it a star guiding to the path!
رعاكَ الذي أَسْدَى إليك ولم تكُنْ
جَحُوداً فأسْدَيْتَ الأماني الغواليا!
May He who bestowed upon you bless you, you were not
Ungrateful so you bestowed the most precious wishes!
لَشَتَّانَ ما بَيْنَ الثَّرى مُتَطامِناً
وبَيْنَ الثُّرَيَّا.. حِطَّةً وتعالِيا!
Great is the difference between being settled
In dust and being glorified, exalted!
تَذَكَّرْتُ ما كُنَّا بِه من تآلُفٍ
حَبِيبٍ ولم أَذْكُرْ قِلًى وتَجافِيا!
I remembered the affection we had
Beloved one, and I did not recall any disconnection or indifference!
وكيف وما كنْتَ العَزوفَ عن الهُدى
ولا المَجْد يوماً فَاسْتَبَنْتَ الخوافِيا!
How can I when you were never aloof from righteousness
Nor did the glory one day reveal to you its mysteries!
وما كُنْتُهُ يوماً فَعِشْنا. تآخِياً
كريماً يُمَنِّينا وعِشْنا تَصافيا!
I never lived a day without you, connected
Kind one who wishes us well, and we lived in harmony!
وما كنْتُ أَرجو أَنْ تَرُوحَ وأَسْتَوِي
بِرَبْعي حزيناً دامِعَ العيْنِ راثِيا!
I never hoped that you would leave and I
Would remain lonely, with tearful eyes mourning!
ولكنَّه حُكْمُ القضاءِ.. وما لنا
سوى الصَّبْرِ مِعْواناً. سوى الصَّبْرِ آسِيا!
But such is the decree of fate.. And we have
Nothing but patience to lean on. Only patience comforting!
يُخَبِّرُني أَنَّني. سأَلْقاك في غَدٍ
فيَلْقى كِلانا مِنَّةً وأَياديا!
Informing me that I will meet you tomorrow
And we will both receive blessings and care!
ونَلْقى مِن الله الكريمِ تَجاوُزاً
ونَلْقاهُ رحْماناً.. ونلْقاه راضيا!
And we will receive forgiveness and mercy
From the Benevolent God.. And find Him pleased!
تباركْتَ رَبِّي.. ما أَجَلَّكَ حانِياً
علينا.. وإنْ كُنَّا غُواةً ضوارِيا!
Blessed are You my Lord.. How gentle You are with us
Even when we were straying misguided!
