بَكَيتُ دَماً لَو كانَ سَكبُ الدِما يُغني

وَضاعَفتُ حُزني لَو شَفى كَمَداً حُزني

I wept blood, as if shedding tears could avail,

And redoubled my sorrow, as if grief could heal.

وَأَعرَضتُ عَن طيبِ الهَناءِ لِأَنَّني

نَقِمتُ الرِضى حَتّى عَلى ضاحِكِ المُزنِ

I turned away from joy’s delight, for I

Resented contentment, even in one who laughed through sorrow.

أَرى العَيشَ في الدُنيا كَأَحلامِ نائِمٍ

فَلَذّاتُها تَفنى وَأَحداثُها تُفني

I see life in this world like a dreamer’s dreams—

Its pleasures fade and its events pass away.

فَمِن حادِثٍ جَمٍّ صَفَقتُ لَهُ يَدي

وَمِن فادِحٍ صَعبٍ قَرَعتُ لَهُ سِنّي

So for an awful disaster I clapped my hands,

And for great adversity I gnashed my teeth.

أَفي السِتِّ وَالعِشرِينَ أَفقُدُ سِتَّةً

جِبالاً غَدَت مِن عاصِفِ المَوتِ كَالعِهنِ

In my twenty-sixth year, did I lose six

Mountains that, from the storm of death, became like carded wool?

فَقَدتُ اِبنَ عَمّي وَاِبنِ عَمّي وَصاحِبي

وَأَكبَرَ غِلماني بِها وَأَخي وَاِبني

I lost my cousin’s son, my cousin, my friend,

My finest youths thereby, my brother, and my son.

مَتى تُخلِفُ الأَيّامُ كَاِبنِ مُحَمَّدٍ

وَنَجلِ سَرايا بَعدَهُ وَفَتى الرُكنِ

When will the days replace—like Muhammad’s son

And, after him, Saraya’s boy and the pillar’s pride—

رِجالاً لَوَ اَنَّ الشامِخاتِ تَساقَطَت

عَلَيهِم لَكانَ القَلبُ مِن ذاكَ في أَمنِ

Men, that if the lofty peaks collapsed on them,

The heart would rest assured with them against that?

فُجِعتُ بِنَدبٍ كانَ يَملَأُ ناظِري

فَأَصبَحَ ناعي نَدبِهِ مالِئاً أُذني

I was anguished by a wailing that filled my eyes,

But now its crier fills my ears at dawn.

عَفيفُ نَواحي الصَدرِ مِن طَيِّ ريبَةٍ

سَليمُ ضَميرِ القَلبِ مِن دَنَسِ الضَغنِ

Chaste of spirit, free of any speck of doubt,

Pure of heart, untouched by any stain of hatred,

قَريبٌ إِلى المَعروفِ وَالخَيرِ وَالتُقى

بَعيدٌ عَنِ الفَحشاءِ وَالإِفكِ وَالأَفنِ

Close to benevolence, rectitude, and piety,

Far from lewdness, slander, and disgrace.

جَبانٌ عَنِ الفَحشا شَحيحٌ بِعِرضِهِ

إِذا عَيبَ بَعضُ الناسِ بِالشُحِّ وَالجُبنِ

Timid of vileness, stingy with his honor,

When some blamed him for stinginess and cowardice.

وَمَن أَتعَبَ اللُوّامَ في بَذلِ بِرِّهِ

فَلائِمُهُ يَثني وَآمِلُهُ يُثني

He wearied the blamer with his benevolence,

So the critic praised him and the hopeful loved him.

مَضى طاهِرَ الأَثوابِ وَالنَفسِ وَالخُطى

عَفيفَ مَناطِ الذَيلِ وَالجَيبِ وَالرَدنِ

He passed—pure of garb, soul, and step—

Chaste of skirt’s hem, pocket, and neckline.

وَلَم يَبقَ مِن تَذكارِهِ غَيرُ زَفرَةٍ

تُفَرِّقُ بَينَ النَومِ في اللَيلِ وَالجَفنِ

And naught remains of his mementos but a moan

That separates between sleep and eyelid in the night.

وَلَو سَلَبَتهُ الحَربُ مِنّي لَشاهَدَت

كَما شاهَدَت في ثارِ أَخوالِهِ مِنّي

And had war bereft me of him, it would have seen—

As it saw in avenging his uncles—from me,

وَأَبكَيتُ أَجفانَ الصَوارِمِ وَالقَنا

نَجيعاً غَداةَ الكَرِّ في الضَربِ وَالطَعنِ

And I would have wept over the eyelids of swords and spears

Yelping at sunrise during striking and stabbing.

فَيا اِبنَ أَبي وَالأُمِّ قَد كُنتَ لي أَباً

حُنوّاً وَلَكِن في الإِطاعَةِ لي كَاِبني

O son of my father and mother! You were like a father to me—

Tenderly—but obedient toward me as my son.

لِيَهنِكَ إِنَّ الدَمعَ بَعدَكَ مُطلَقٌ

لَفَرطِ الأَسى وَالقَلبَ بِالهَمِّ في سِجنِ

May it bring you tranquility! After you, tears flow

Unchecked for agony and the heart imprisoned by sorrow.

جَعَلتُ جِبالَ الصَبرِ بِالحُزنِ صَفصَفاً

وَصَيَّرتُ أَطوادَ التَجَلُّدِ كَالعِهنِ

With grief, I made the mountains of patience like carded wool

And turned the hillocks of fortitude to fleece.

وَحاوَلتُ نَظمَ الشِعرِ فيكَ مَراثِياً

فَأُرتِجَ هَتّى كِدتُ أُخطىءُ في الوَزنِ

I then tried composing poetry in your elegy,

But was shaken until I almost erred in meter.

بَنَيتُ عَلى أَن أَتَّقِ بِكَ شِدَّتي

وَلَم أَدرِ أَنَّ الدَهرَ يَنقَضُ ما أَبني

I built my firmness on fearing you,

Unaware that fate destroys what I erect.

وَبُلَّغتُ ما أَمَّلتُ فيكَ سِوى البَقا

وَما رُمتُهُ إِلّا الوُقوفَ عَلى الدَفنِ

I accomplished, regarding you, what I hoped

Save for continuance, aiming only at burial.

سَبَقتَ إِلى الزُلفى وَما مِن مَزيَّةٍ

مِنَ المَجدِ حَتّى كِدتَ عَنهِ لَنا تُغني

You attained proximity while no advantage

Of glory remained that you had not provided for us.

خَلَفتَ أَباكَ النَدبَ في كُلِّ خِلَّةٍ

مِنَ المَجدِ حَتّى كِدتَ عَنهُ لَنا تُغني

You left your father moaning in every empty spot

Of glory until you sufficed for us.

سَرايا خِصالٍ مِن سَرايا وَرِثتَها

عَلى أَنَّ هَذا الوَردَ مِن ذَلِكَ الغُصنِ

Saraya, qualities of Saraya you inherited—

As if this blossom were from that branch.

جَزاكَ الَّذي يَمَّمتَ سَعياً لِبَيتِهِ

وَلَبَّيتَ فيهِ مُحرِماً جَنَّتَي عَدنِ

May He who you strove to obey and for whose House

You cried “At your service,” being sacred to Him, reward you—

وَوَفّاكَ مَن لَم تَنسَ في الدَهرِ ذِكرَه

شَفاعَتَهُ وَالناسُ في الحَشرِ كَاللُكنِ

And may He who you never forgot in life

Reward you with intercession, mankind gathered on the Day of Assembly.

فَقَد كُنتَ تُحيي اللَيلَ بِالذِكرِ ضارِعاً

إِلى اللَهِ حَتّى صِرتَ بِالنُسكِ كَالشَنِّ

You would enliven the night by invoking God humbly

Until you became, through worship, like the rugged mountains.

فَيُؤنِسُني تَرتيبُ نَفلِكَ في الضُحى

وَيُطرِبُني تَرتيلُ وِردِكَ في الوَهنِ

So it gladdened me to regulate your supererogations at dawn

And delighted me to chant your litanies at dusk.

أَمِنتُ صُروفَ الدَهرِ بَعدَكَ وَالأَذى

فَمَن ذا رَأى مِن صارَ بِالخوفِ في أَمنٍ

I felt safe from fate’s caprices after you—

Who ever felt secure yet frightened?

سَأَبكيكَ بِالعِزِّ الَّذي كُنتَ مُلبِسي

لَديكَ وَثِقلٍ كُنتَ تَحمِلُهُ عَنّي

I will weep for you by the honor with which you clothed me,

The heavy burden you shouldered from me.

وَأَعلَمُ أَنَّ الحُزنَ وَالمَوتَ واحِدٌ

عَلَيَّ فَذا يُضني القُلوبَ وَذا يُفني

I know that grief and death are one—

This saddens hearts while that terminates life.

فَإِن كانَ عُمرُ البَينِ قَد طالَ بَينَنا

كَما طالَ في آناءِ مُدَّتِهِ حُزني

If the life of separation has grown long between us

As my sorrow has dragged on through its appointed time,

فَحُبُّكَ في قَلبي وَذِكرُكَ في فَمي

وَشَخصُكَ في عَيني وَلَفظُكَ في أُذني

Your love is in my heart, your memory on my tongue,

Your form before my eye, your name within my ear.