أباO Abu بكرٍBakr تعرَّضَتِlay in wait المناياthe fates of death
أبا بكرٍ تعرَّضَتِ المنايا
لحتفكَfor your death حينwhen لاnot أحدٌanyone مَنوعُimmune
لحتفكَ حين لا أحدٌ مَنوعُ
O Abu Bakr, the fates lay in wait
Abu Bakr, death has befallen you
to claim your life, when no one is immune.
When no one can prevent your demise
وأوجعنِيand pained me فراقُكyour parting منfrom قريبٍnear in time
وأوجعنِي فراقُك من قريبٍ
وداءٌand an illness لاno دواءَremedy لهfor it وجيعُpainful
وداءٌ لا دواءَ له وجيعُ
And your recent parting has wounded me;
And your loss grieves me, being so near
and an illness with no remedy is grievous.
An illness with no cure, agonizing indeed
بكىwept قلبيmy heart عليكfor you مكانَin place of دمعيmy tears
بكى قلبي عليك مكانَ دمعي
وكمand many a باكٍweeper وليسyet there are not لهfor him دموعُtears
وكم باكٍ وليس له دموعُ
My heart wept for you in place of my tears;
My heart wept for you instead of my tears
and many a weeper has no tears.
Many weep yet have no tears
كأنّكas though you ماnot حللتَhad dwelt بدارin the abode of قومٍa people
كأنّك ما حللتَ بدار قومٍ
وأنتَwhile you لودّهمْfor their love مرعىًa pasture مَريعُlush
وأنتَ لودّهمْ مرعىً مَريعُ
It is as though you had never dwelt among a people,
As if you never settled with a people
though you were a lush pasture for their love.
Though you were their lush, ripe pasture
وسَفْرٌand travelers لاnot يحينcomes due لهمْfor them إيابٌa return
وسَفْرٌ لا يحين لهمْ إيابٌ
ولاnor يُرجىis hoped for لغاربهمْfor their setting star طلوعُa rising
ولا يُرجى لغاربهمْ طلوعُ
And they are travelers whose return never comes,
A journey with no return for them
nor is their setting star expected to rise.
Nor hope the sun will rise for their vanished
وِسادُهُمُtheir pillow وإنْeven though كَرُمواthey were noble رَغامٌdust
وِسادُهُمُ وإنْ كَرُموا رَغامٌ
وأجداثُand grave-pits القبورِof the graves لهمْfor them رُبوعُdwelling places
وأجداثُ القبورِ لهمْ رُبوعُ
Their pillow, though they were noble, is dust,
Their chieftains, though honorable, are haughty
and the pits of graves are their dwelling places.
And the ribs of graves are their dwellings
نُصابُwe are stricken بكلّwith every مُقتَبِلٍyouth وهِمٍّand decrepit elder
نُصابُ بكلّ مُقتَبِلٍ وهِمٍّ
فَلاyet neither هذاthis ولاnor هذاthis يروعُalarms
فَلا هذا ولا هذا يروعُ
We suffer the loss of every youth and decrepit elder,
Struck by every impending doom and anxiety
yet neither this nor that alarms us.
Yet neither this nor that makes them worry
وَتَخدعناand deceive us ظنونٌexpectations كاذباتٌfalse
وَتَخدعنا ظنونٌ كاذباتٌ
فَياللّهِso, O God! ماhow far بلغhas reached الخَدوعُthe great deceiver
فَياللّهِ ما بلغ الخَدوعُ
And false expectations deceive us—
Vain hopes delude us
O God, how far the deceiver has gone!
By Allah! Deceit has reached its peak
وسُبْلُand the paths of اليأسِdespair واضحةٌclear لديناbefore us
وسُبْلُ اليأسِ واضحةٌ لدينا
ولكنْyet ربّماsometimes طمعhopes الطَّموعُthe ever-hopeful
ولكنْ ربّما طمع الطَّموعُ
The paths to despair are clear before us,
The ways of despair are clear to us
yet sometimes the ever-hopeful still hope.
Yet perhaps the hopes of the ambitious hold promise
فإنْso if تَبْعَدْyou grow distant فقدthen indeed نَأَتِhave receded الثُّريّاthe Pleiades
فإنْ تَبْعَدْ فقد نَأَتِ الثُّريّا
وإنْand if تذهبْyou depart فقدthen indeed ذهبَhas departed الرّبيعُspring
وإنْ تذهبْ فقد ذهبَ الرّبيعُ
So if you grow distant, the Pleiades too have receded;
If you go away, the wealthy may come
and if you depart, spring too has departed.
If you leave, spring itself may leave
وإنْand though تفقِدْكlose you حائرةًbewildered عيونٌeyes
وإنْ تفقِدْك حائرةً عيونٌ
فلمyet not تَفقِدْكَhave lost you حانيةًtenderly enfolding ضلوعُribs
فلم تَفقِدْكَ حانيةً ضلوعُ
And though bewildered eyes may lose you,
If bereft eyes seek you in vain
yet the ribs that tenderly enfold you have not lost you.
No grieving chests will seek you in vain
وإنْand though يَحْرَجْbe cramped مكانُكyour place منof تُرابٍdust
وإنْ يَحْرَجْ مكانُك من تُرابٍ
فإنّكyet indeed you ذلكthat same one الرَّحْبُthe broad الوسيعُthe spacious
فإنّك ذلك الرَّحْبُ الوسيعُ
And though your place in the dust be cramped,
If your place seems narrow with dust
yet you remain as broad and spacious as ever.
You are that expansive, spacious expanse
وماnor يبقىsurvives بَطيءٌone slow to depart أخَّرَتْهُhas delayed him
وما يبقى بَطيءٌ أخَّرَتْهُ
منيّتُهُhis appointed death فيُجزِعَناso as to distress us السَّريعُthe swiftly departing one
منيّتُهُ فيُجزِعَنا السَّريعُ
Nor does the slow-departing live forever, held back
What lingers, its demise delayed
by his appointed death, that the swift-departing should grieve us.
Startles us with its haste
وماnor أبقىhas left الزّمانُtime لناfor us أُصولاًroots
وما أبقى الزّمانُ لنا أُصولاً
فنطمعَthat we might hope أنْthat تدومwould endure بهin it الفروعُthe branches
فنطمعَ أنْ تدوم به الفروعُ
Nor has time left us any roots,
What time has left us no lineage
that we might hope the branches would endure in it.
That we hope its branches will endure
وَماand not الأيّامُthe days إلّاanything but حاصداتٌreapers
وَما الأيّامُ إلّا حاصداتٌ
لماof what زرعواthey sowed ونحنand we لهاfor them زُروعُcrops
لما زرعوا ونحن لها زُروعُ
The days are nothing but reapers
Days are but reapers
of what they sowed, and we are their crops.
Of what they planted while we are their crops
وَلَولاand were it not أنّهthat it is أجَلٌan appointed end مُتاحٌallotted
وَلَولا أنّه أجَلٌ مُتاحٌ
لَقلتُI would have said أسِيءَwas ill-done منكby you بناto us الصَّنِيعُthe treatment
لَقلتُ أسِيءَ منك بنا الصَّنِيعُ
Were it not an allotted end,
Were it not destined, ordained
I would have said, "You have dealt ill with us."
I'd say you wronged us by your early departure
Sol 6.1