دهتك الخطوب فهل تبصر

دهتك الخطوب فهل تبصر

بما حل في الكون أو تصبر

بما حل في الكون أو تصبر

Calamities have struck you—do you perceive

Calamities have overtaken you—do you perceive

what has befallen the universe, or can you endure?

what has befallen the universe, or can you endure?

فسل إن جهلت نظام الوجود

فسل إن جهلت نظام الوجود

فقلت الوجود به أخبر

فقلت الوجود به أخبر

Ask, if you do not know, the order of existence;

So ask, if you do not know the order of existence;

I answered: existence itself knows best.

then I said, “Existence knows it better.”

فتلك شعائر دين الاله

فتلك شعائر دين الاله

هدمن فهد لها المشعر

هدمن فهد لها المشعر

Those were the sacred rites of God’s religion;

Those sacred emblems of God's religion

they were razed, and with them the Sacred Monument fell.

were demolished, and with them the sacred shrine fell.

وهذي النجوم وأفلاكها

وهذي النجوم وأفلاكها

هوت مذ هوى القطب والمحور

هوت مذ هوى القطب والمحور

These stars, together with their spheres,

And these stars and their celestial spheres

have fallen since the pole and axis fell—

have fallen since the pole and axis fell,

لرزء أطل على الكائنات

لرزء أطل على الكائنات

وكسر إلى الحشر لا يجبر

وكسر إلى الحشر لا يجبر

for a calamity looming over all creation,

at a calamity that loomed over all creation,

a breach that will not be mended before Resurrection.

and a fracture unhealed until the Resurrection.

فذا ناصر الدين حل الثرى

فذا ناصر الدين حل الثرى

وذا علم الحق لا ينشر

وذا علم الحق لا ينشر

Here Nāsir al-Dīn lies in the dust,

This champion of the faith has settled in the dust,

and here the standard of truth is unfurled no more.

and this banner of truth is no longer unfurled.

فقيد بكته عيون السما

فقيد بكته عيون السما

بدمع ولكنه أحمر

بدمع ولكنه أحمر

One lost, for whom the eyes of heaven wept

A departed one whom the eyes of heaven wept for,

with tears—but tears of crimson.

with tears—yet they are red.

وبحر محيط أمد البحار

وبحر محيط أمد البحار

فنض فغاضت له الأبحر

فنض فغاضت له الأبحر

An all-encompassing ocean that sustained the seas

And an all-encompassing ocean that replenished the seas

has ebbed, and at its loss the seas ran dry.

ran dry, and for him the seas receded.

فما بعد بعدك عنا لنا

فما بعد بعدك عنا لنا

مدى الدهر فخر ولا مفخر

مدى الدهر فخر ولا مفخر

After you have gone so far from us,

So, after your departure from us, we have,

throughout all time we have no pride, nor cause for pride.

for all time, neither pride nor cause for pride.

فلم أدر يومك أدهى شجي

فلم أدر يومك أدهى شجي

على العالمين أم المحشر

على العالمين أم المحشر

I cannot tell whether the day of your death brought grief more dire

I know not: is your day the crueler grief

upon all worlds, or whether Resurrection will.

for all the worlds, or the Day of Gathering?

فقد ودت الأرض من فوقها

فقد ودت الأرض من فوقها

وأنك تحيي بها يقبر

وأنك تحيي بها يقبر

The earth wished that whoever stood upon her

The earth has wished that whoever is above it

might be buried, and that you might live within her.

be buried, and that you be brought to life within it.

فحق لأعراضها أن تزول

فحق لأعراضها أن تزول

غداة يفارقها الجوهر

غداة يفارقها الجوهر

It is fitting that all her accidents should vanish

Thus its accidental attributes rightly vanish

when the substance departs from her.

on the morning its substance departs from it.

ولو لم تمت قبلك الأنبياء

ولو لم تمت قبلك الأنبياء

فمن لم يمت فيك لا يعذر

فمن لم يمت فيك لا يعذر

Had the prophets not died before you,

Had the prophets not died before you,

whoever did not die for you would be without excuse.

none who failed to die of grief for you could be excused.

فيا حافرين ضريحا له

فيا حافرين ضريحا له

ففي غير قلبي لا تحفروا

ففي غير قلبي لا تحفروا

O you who are digging a grave for him,

O you who dig a tomb for him,

dig nowhere but within my heart.

then dig nowhere but in my heart.

وإن كانت الناس كلا مصاب

وإن كانت الناس كلا مصاب

فإن المصاب بك الأكبر

فإن المصاب بك الأكبر

Though all people, every one, are stricken,

And though all people are stricken,

the affliction of losing you is the greatest.

the calamity of losing you is the greatest.

تركت العلوم وتدوينها

تركت العلوم وتدوينها

كأن لا وجود لها يذكر

كأن لا وجود لها يذكر

You left the sciences and their recording

You left the sciences and their recording

as though no existence of them remained to be recalled.

as though they had no existence worth mentioning.

فيا طالب الهدي لا مرشد

فيا طالب الهدي لا مرشد

لكي ترتجيه ولا مظهر

لكي ترتجيه ولا مظهر

O seeker of guidance, there is no guide

O seeker of guidance, there is no guide

in whom to place your hope, nor anyone to reveal the way.

to place your hope in, nor one to reveal it.

ويا سالكين سواء الطريق

ويا سالكين سواء الطريق

لقد سد بابكم فاقصروا

لقد سد بابكم فاقصروا

O travelers upon the straight road,

And you who tread the straight path,

your gateway has been barred, so go no farther.

your door has indeed been closed, so desist.

ويا طالبي الجود كفوا السؤال

ويا طالبي الجود كفوا السؤال

فلم يبق بالجود من يؤثر

فلم يبق بالجود من يؤثر

O seekers of generosity, cease your asking;

And seekers of generosity, cease your asking,

no one remains who gives from generosity before himself.

for none remains who gives selflessly.

فبالعدل قاسمتني منصفا

فبالعدل قاسمتني منصفا

ولكنما حظك الأوفر

ولكنما حظك الأوفر

In justice you divided fairly between us,

You divided with me justly and fairly,

yet yours is the richer portion.

yet yours is the greater share.

سكنت الجنان وأسكنت في

سكنت الجنان وأسكنت في

سويد الجنان لظى تسعر

سويد الجنان لظى تسعر

You have dwelt in gardens and have lodged

You dwelt in Paradise's gardens, and lodged within

a raging blaze in the heart’s darkest core.

the dark core of my heart a blazing fire.

شربت الرحيق وقلت الحريق

شربت الرحيق وقلت الحريق

لقلبي هل ذاك والكوثر

لقلبي هل ذاك والكوثر

You drank the nectar, while I said: “The burning

You drank pure wine and declared fire

is in my heart—is that the same as al-Kawthar?”

for my heart—can that compare with al-Kawthar?

لك السندس الخضر في خلدها

لك السندس الخضر في خلدها

ولي المدمع الحمر والمحجر

ولي المدمع الحمر والمحجر

Yours is the green silk in everlasting Paradise;

Yours is green, fine silk in everlasting Paradise,

mine are crimson tears and grieving eyes.

and mine are reddened tear ducts and eye sockets.

فيا أهل هجر على هجره

فيا أهل هجر على هجره

لذيذ الرقاد ألا فاهجروا

لذيذ الرقاد ألا فاهجروا

O people of Hajar, because he has left you,

O people of Hajar, because of his departure,

forsake all sleep—yes, forsake it.

sweet sleep—take heed, forsake it!

ألا إنّ عيدا أصبتم به

ألا إنّ عيدا أصبتم به

فيوم الوعيد بكم أجدر

فيوم الوعيد بكم أجدر

Behold, through him you have met a feast day;

Behold, a feast day on which you were stricken—

yet the Day of Threat is fitter for you.

the Day of Doom is more fitting for you.

وعزّوا به سيدا قد رجوت

وعزّوا به سيدا قد رجوت

سيحيى به العلم والمنبر

سيحيى به العلم والمنبر

Mourn in him a lord through whom I had hoped

And console for his loss a master; I have hoped

that learning and the pulpit would be revived—

that learning and the pulpit will live again through him:

حسينا أبا هاشم من غدت

حسينا أبا هاشم من غدت

فضائله قط لا تنكر

فضائله قط لا تنكر

Ḥusayn, Abū Hāshim, whose

Husayn, Abu Hashim, whose

virtues have never once been denied.

virtues have become forever beyond denial.