لا تَبكِ إن جَدَّ بعضُ القومِ في السَفَرِ
إذا تَيقَّنتَ أنَّ الكلَّ في الأثَرِ
Do not weep if some of the people hurry on a journey,
When you are certain that all will follow in their tracks.
واعجَلْ إذا قُمتَ للتوديعِ في غَلَسٍ
فرُبما فاتَكَ التوديعُ في السَحَرِ
And make haste when you rise to bid farewell slyly,
Lest you miss the chance for farewell in the morning light.
تَعدوُُ المنايا على الأرواحِ خاطفةً
منَ الأجِنَّةِ حتى الشيخِ في الكِبَرِ
Death snatches souls as they fly,
From embryos to elders bent with age.
تُرَى أيَذهبُ يَومٌ لا يُقالُ بهِ
قد ماتَ زيدٌ وماتتْ هِنْدُ في الخَبَرِ
Days go by when it is not said,
“Zaid died, Hind died”, in the news.
يا يومَ يوسُفَ في الأيامِ نَحسَبهُ
نَظيرَ صاحِبهِ المشهورِ في البَشَرِ
O day of Joseph among days we deem it,
The peer of its renowned owner among mortals!
يومٌ بهِ الناسُ قد شَحَّتْ قُلوبُهمُ
بالصَبرِ إذْ جادتِ الأجفانُ بالدُرَرِ
A day when people's hearts were straitened
With patience though their eyes overflowed with tears,
يومٌ تزَعزَعَ رُكنُ المَكرُماتِ بهِ
واكمَدَّتِ الشمسُ من حُزنٍ على القَمرِ
A day when the pillar of glorious deeds was shaken,
And the sun darkened in grief for the moon.
يومٌ بهِ العُجْمُ قبلَ العُرْبِ نادِبةٌ
تقولُ أينَ كريمُ البَدْوِ والحَضَرِ
A day when the non-Arabs before the Arabs were mourning,
Saying, “Where is the generous one of the desert and the towns?”
أينَ الذي كانَ يُستَسقَى الغمامُ بهِ
يوماً إذا ضَنَّتِ الأنواءُ بالمَطَرِ
Where is he for whom the clouds were summoned,
Whenever the skies were niggardly with rain?
أينَ الذي كانَ يَقضِي حَقَّ خالقِهِ
في حالةِ الصفوِ أو في حالةِ الكَدَرِ
Where is he who fulfilled his Creator's right,
In ease or adversity, vigour or distress?
أينَ الذي كانَ غَوْثَ العائِذينَ بهِ
وعِصمةَ الجارِ عِندَ الضَنْكِ والضَرَرِ
Where is he who was the refuge of those seeking refuge,
And the protection of a neighbour against want and harm?
أمسى وليسَ لهُ سَمْعٌ ولا بَصَرٌ
مَنْ كانَ في الناسِ ملءَ السَمْعِ والبَصَرِ
He has fallen silent, hearing and seeing nothing.
He whose hearing and sight filled the people!
مَنْ لم تَسَعْهُ القُصورُ الشُمُّ باذخةً
قد باتَ منحصِراً في أضيقِ الحُفَرِ
He whom the lofty, splendid palaces could not contain,
Is now enclosed in the narrowest tomb!
قد كانَ يَصدَعُ ريحُ الطِّيبِ مَفرِقهُ
وكانَ يُؤْذي يديهِ ناعمُ الحِبَرِ
The scent of musk used to spread from his perfumes,
And his soft skin was hurt by the ink of letters.
مُبارَكُ الوَجهِ محمودُ الخِصالِ لهُ
قلبٌ سليمٌ من الأدرانِ والوَضرِ
Blessed of face, of praiseworthy traits,
His heart pure of rancour and spite.
قد عاشَ فينا سعيداً بالغاً وَطراً
وماتَ عنَّا سعيداً بالغَ الوَطَرِ
He lived among us happily attaining his wish,
And died leaving us at the height of contentment.
سارَتْ لَدَى نَعشِهِ الأشرَافُ ماشيةً
تحتَ السَناجقِ ذاتَ الوَشْيِ والصُوَرِ
The nobility walked by his bier,
Beneath canopies with rods and images.
يبكي عليهِ بدَمعٍ فاضَ مُنسجماً
من ليسَ يبكي لوَقْعِ الصارِم الذَكرِ
All wept for him with tears that flowed together,
Even those who do not weep at the fall of a noble soul.
ويلاهُ من فَتْكِ دُنيانا الغَرُورِ بنا
وَهيَ الحبيبةُ نَهواها من الصِغَرِ
Woe for the deceitful glamour of our life beguiling us!
We were warned against it since we were small.
شِبْنا وشابَتْ وما شابَتْ صبَابَتُنا
بِها ولا انتَبهَتْ عينٌ إلى السَهرِ
We grew old but our youthfulness was not renewed
By it, nor did an eye awake to vigilance.
هذا الطَريقُ إلى دارِ البَقاءِ لنا
فلا تَفاوُتَ بينَ الطُولِ والقِصَرِ
This is the path to the abode of eternity for us.
No difference between long and short here.
وهو السَقامُ الذي عزَّ الدَواءُ لهُ
وليسَ تَنفَعُ منهُ شِدَّةُ الحَذَرِ
It is the sickness which medicine was powerless to cure,
And against which stern caution is of no avail.
يا غافلينَ استفيقوا اليومَ واعتَبِروا
بما تلاقونَ في الدُنيا منَ العِبَرِ
O heedless ones, awake today and take heed
Of the lessons you encounter in life!
الموتُ أعظَمُ شيءٍ عندَنا خَطَراً
والموتُ أيسرُ من عُقباهُ في الخَطَرِ
Death is the greatest matter confronting us,
Yet death is easier than its aftermath of perils.
