تذكّرتُ فانهلّت الأدمعُ

تذكّرتُ فانهلّت الأدمعُ

وما كنت من حادث أجزع

وما كنت من حادث أجزع

I remembered, and the tears poured forth.

I recalled, so the tears flowed,

And I was not one to quail at calamity.

Though no tragic event made me sad.

ذكرت الخدين وعهد الصفا

ذكرت الخدين وعهد الصفا

وقد شاقني سمر ممتع

وقد شاقني سمر ممتع

I recalled my close friend and our days of pure friendship,

I remembered the cheeks and days of innocence,

And delightful evening talk had filled me with longing.

When a sleepless dark-eyed one charmed me.

فألفيت صحبي قد شتتوا

فألفيت صحبي قد شتتوا

وقد راح بعض وما ودعوا

وقد راح بعض وما ودعوا

Then I found my companions scattered,

I found my friends had scattered,

And some had departed without saying farewell.

Some had left without bidding farewell.

فوالهف نفسي على صاحب

فوالهف نفسي على صاحب

كريم الطباع فما يخدع

كريم الطباع فما يخدع

And oh, how my soul grieves for a friend,

My soul lamented for a companion

Noble in nature, who never deceives.

Of noble nature, never deceitful.

طوته المنون طرير الشباب

طوته المنون طرير الشباب

وليس لموتورتها مفزع

وليس لموتورتها مفزع

Death folded him away in the bloom of youth,

Death, the ender of youth’s joy, took him

And the one it bereaves has no refuge.

And there was no refuge from his death.

سعيت إلى القبر دامي الفؤاد

سعيت إلى القبر دامي الفؤاد

اسائل عمن به أودعوا

اسائل عمن به أودعوا

I hastened to the grave, my heart bleeding,

My heart grieving, I went to his grave

Asking about the one they had laid within it.

To ask about the one laid to rest there.

فسلمت لما لمست الصفيح

فسلمت لما لمست الصفيح

وناديت أين الفتى الأروع

وناديت أين الفتى الأروع

Then I greeted him when I touched the stone slab,

I surrendered when I touched the slab

And called: Where is the splendid youth?

And called, “Where is that ideal youth?”

أحقاً ثوى بين هذي الرموس

أحقاً ثوى بين هذي الرموس

وصار له بينها مضجع

وصار له بينها مضجع

Is it true he rests among these graves,

“Is he really buried amidst these sands?

And now has a bed among them?

Has he become a resident of this grave?”

توسد بعد الفراش الصفاة

توسد بعد الفراش الصفاة

وقد كان في الخز لا يهجع

وقد كان في الخز لا يهجع

After his bed, he took a rock for his pillow,

After luxury, he pillowed his head on the ground,

Though he had not slept even in silk.

Though once he could not rest on fine linen.

وكان الجواب صموت القبور

وكان الجواب صموت القبور

وكان جوابي له الأدمع

وكان جوابي له الأدمع

And the answer was the silence of the graves;

The answer was the silence of tombs,

And my answer to it was tears.

And my answer was tears.

يذكرني القبر خدن الصفا

يذكرني القبر خدن الصفا

فيشكو الأسى قلبي المولع

فيشكو الأسى قلبي المولع

The grave reminds me of my true friend,

The grave reminds me of the cheeks of innocence,

So my devoted heart laments its sorrow.

Making my amorous heart complain.

ولم أنس يوما فجعنا به

ولم أنس يوما فجعنا به

وفقد الشبيبة كم يفجع

وفقد الشبيبة كم يفجع

Nor have I forgotten the day we were bereaved of him;

Never can I forget the day of our bereavement,

And how grievous is the loss of the young!

When the youths lost one whose death agonized.

شباب يطوفون حول السرير

شباب يطوفون حول السرير

وكلهم جازع موجع

وكلهم جازع موجع

Young men circle around the bed,

Youth circled his bier,

And all of them distraught and in pain.

Each one grieving and pained.

فمن باذلٍ دمعَهُ مشفقٌ

فمن باذلٍ دمعَهُ مشفقٌ

ومن ذاهلٍ طرفُه يدمع

ومن ذاهلٍ طرفُه يدمع

Some pour out their tears in anxious concern,

Some shed tears in sympathy,

And some are dazed, their eyes weeping.

While others had eyes that welled up.

يحومون حولك والحتف دان

يحومون حولك والحتف دان

تقضقض من هوله الأضلع

تقضقض من هوله الأضلع

They hover around you, while death is near;

They hovered around you as death drew near

The ribs crack from its terror.

And hacked at your ribs mercilessly.

يفديك صحبك والأقربون

يفديك صحبك والأقربون

ولكنه الموت لا يدفع

ولكنه الموت لا يدفع

Your companions and close kin would ransom you,

Your friends and kin tried to ransom you,

But it is death, which cannot be repelled.

But death will not be driven away.

علت بسمة شفتيك العذاب

علت بسمة شفتيك العذاب

وقد هجم الموت لا يردع

وقد هجم الموت لا يردع

A smile rose upon your sweet lips,

The pangs of death contorted your smiling lips

And death had charged in, unrestrained.

As death attacked and would not be deterred.

وثار العراك وكان الردى

وثار العراك وكان الردى

شديد المراس فما يرجع

شديد المراس فما يرجع

And the struggle flared, and death was

The struggle was fierce and the havoc great,

Fierce in combat, and would not retreat.

The deadly blow would not be deflected.

فأنشب أظفاره في الحشى

فأنشب أظفاره في الحشى

وكان بأظفاره المصرع

وكان بأظفاره المصرع

Then it sank its claws into the vitals,

Death sank its claws into your breast

And by its claws came the fatal end.

And its claws were the means of your death.

ومتّ كريماً وكل امرء

ومتّ كريماً وكل امرء

سيمضي وغايته البلقع

سيمضي وغايته البلقع

And you died nobly; and every person

You died nobly, as all men will do,

Will pass away, his destination a barren waste.

For their final garment is the shroud.

فهذا الوجود قبور الأنام

فهذا الوجود قبور الأنام

فلم يخل من جدث موضع

فلم يخل من جدث موضع

For this world is humankind's graveyard;

This existence is but the graves of mankind,

And no place has been free of a grave.

No place remains devoid of burial mounds.

تولى الأولى ولحقنا بهم

تولى الأولى ولحقنا بهم

فهذا بطيء وذا مسرع

فهذا بطيء وذا مسرع

Those before us passed away, and we followed them;

The first died and we will join them,

So this one is slow, and that one swift.

One slowly and another hurriedly.

سنفنى ولم نبق من بعدنا

سنفنى ولم نبق من بعدنا

سوى الذكر والذكر قد ينفع

سوى الذكر والذكر قد ينفع

We shall perish and leave nothing behind us

We will perish and leave none after us

But remembrance—and remembrance may do good.

Save memory, and memory can be of use.

من الناس من مات موت السوام

من الناس من مات موت السوام

وليس له خبر يسمَع

وليس له خبر يسمَع

Some people have died the death of grazing beasts,

Some died the death of commoners,

And no account of them is heard.

With no famous tale to be heard.

ومنهم يعيش بأخباره

ومنهم يعيش بأخباره

فذكراه كالمسك يضوّع

فذكراه كالمسك يضوّع

And some live on through the stories told of them;

While others live on through their fame,

So their memory spreads fragrance like musk.

So their memory is like musk - it lingers.

وقد يخلد المرء بالذكريات

وقد يخلد المرء بالذكريات

وذكراك كالشمس إذ تطلع

وذكراك كالشمس إذ تطلع

And a person may live forever through memories,

Man can live forever through memories,

And your memory is like the sun as it rises.

And yours is like the rising sun.