سَلامٌ على العَمل الصالحِ

سَلامٌ على العَمل الصالحِ

وغادٍ من النُّسكِ أو رائحِ

وغادٍ من النُّسكِ أو رائحِ

Peace upon righteous work,

Peace upon righteous deeds,

and one going forth in devotion at dawn or dusk.

And one returning from devotion or going to pray,

سلامٌ على السَّنَنِ المستقيمِ

سلامٌ على السَّنَنِ المستقيمِ

سلامٌ على المَتْجرِ الرّابحِ

سلامٌ على المَتْجرِ الرّابحِ

Peace upon the straight path,

Peace upon straight ways,

peace upon profitable trade.

Peace upon profitable trade,

سلامٌ على صوم يومِ الهجيرِ

سلامٌ على صوم يومِ الهجيرِ

وهبّةِ ذِي مدمَعٍ سافِحِ

وهبّةِ ذِي مدمَعٍ سافِحِ

Peace upon fasting on a day of scorching heat,

Peace upon fasting the day of migration,

and the waking of one with a streaming eye.

And charity of one with overflowing tears,

سلامٌ على عَرصَاتٍ خَلَوْ

سلامٌ على عَرصَاتٍ خَلَوْ

نَ للدّين من غابقٍ صابحِ

نَ للدّين من غابقٍ صابحِ

Peace upon courtyards left empty

Peace upon secluded corners filled

for faith, with no visitor at dusk or dawn.

With faith without any immoral intruder,

وفارقنا يومَ جدّ الرّحي

وفارقنا يومَ جدّ الرّحي

لُ عُريانَ مِن مِيسَمٍ فاضِحِ

لُ عُريانَ مِن مِيسَمٍ فاضِحِ

And when departure grew earnest, there left us,

And we bid farewell when the friend departed,

bare of any disgraceful brand,

Bare of ornaments and finery,

فتىً كان في دارنا هذِه

فتىً كان في دارنا هذِه

بطَرْفٍ إِلى غيرها طامحِ

بطَرْفٍ إِلى غيرها طامحِ

a youth who, in this abode of ours,

A youth who was in this abode of ours,

had his gaze raised longingly toward another.

With glances aspiring to others,

تراهُ إذا غَسَقَ الخابطونَ

تراهُ إذا غَسَقَ الخابطونَ

على منهجٍ للهُدى واضحِ

على منهجٍ للهُدى واضحِ

You would see him, when the groping wanderers entered darkness,

You could see him when the tardy grew dark,

upon a clear path of guidance.

On a path of guidance radiant and clear,

محمّدُ فارقْتنا عَنْوةً

محمّدُ فارقْتنا عَنْوةً

فجرحِي الرّغيبُ بلا جارحِ

فجرحِي الرّغيبُ بلا جارحِ

Muhammad, you left us against our will;

Muhammad you left us forcibly,

so my gaping wound has no one who dealt it.

So my desire is a wound without a causer,

وأوْدعتنِي في صميم الفؤا

وأوْدعتنِي في صميم الفؤا

دِ مِنِّيَ ما ليس بالبارحِ

دِ مِنِّيَ ما ليس بالبارحِ

And you lodged in the innermost core of my heart

And you entrusted me in the midst of separation,

something that will never leave me.

What is not fleeting from me,

وهوّن رُزْءَك أنّي أقولُ

وهوّن رُزْءَك أنّي أقولُ

مضيتَ إلى مُنيةِ الفارحِ

مضيتَ إلى مُنيةِ الفارحِ

And what eased the loss of you was my saying:

Lighten your burden that I say,

you have gone to what the joyful one desires,

You went to the death of the delighted,

إلى نِعَمٍ ليس كالأعْطياتِ

إلى نِعَمٍ ليس كالأعْطياتِ

ونافحُها ليس كالنافحِ

ونافحُها ليس كالنافحِ

to blessings unlike gifts,

To bounties not like grants,

and their giver is unlike any other giver.

And unlike the coaxed it urges the coveter,

كنار العَراءِ بلا مُصطَلٍ

كنار العَراءِ بلا مُصطَلٍ

وسَجْلِ القَليبِ بلا ماتِحِ

وسَجْلِ القَليبِ بلا ماتِحِ

Like a fire in the open, with no one warming himself,

Like the fire of the wilderness without fire-lighter,

and a well's full bucket, with no one to draw it;

And heart of the afflicted without comforter,

ودارُ السّياسةِ مجفُوَّةٌ

ودارُ السّياسةِ مجفُوَّةٌ

وغدرانُهنَّ بلا نَاشِحِ

وغدرانُهنَّ بلا نَاشِحِ

the house of governance stands abandoned,

The abode of politics is arid,

and their pools have no one drawing water.

And their betrayal is without a mourner,

وكنتَ وقد طَرَحَتْها بَنان

وكنتَ وقد طَرَحَتْها بَنان

كَ مُحتقِراً خيرَ ما طارحِ

كَ مُحتقِراً خيرَ ما طارحِ

And when your fingers had cast it aside,

You discarded them like refuse,

in contempt, you were the finest ever to cast it off.

Scornful of the best that is discarded,

فلو سُئِلَتْ عنك لاِستَعجلتْ

فلو سُئِلَتْ عنك لاِستَعجلتْ

إلى منطقِ الشّاكر المادحِ

إلى منطقِ الشّاكر المادحِ

So, had it been asked about you, it would have hastened

If asked about you she would hasten,

to the words of one grateful and praising.

To the speech of the grateful praiser,

وكم لك في المجدِ من ثورةٍ

وكم لك في المجدِ من ثورةٍ

إلى البلد الشّاحط النازحِ

إلى البلد الشّاحط النازحِ

And how many a charge for glory was yours

And how much glory you have in the land,

toward the far-off, distant land,

That migrated to the barren valley,

على كلّ منفرجِ الكاذَتَين

على كلّ منفرجِ الكاذَتَين

كَتُومٍ لأنفاسهِ سابحِ

كَتُومٍ لأنفاسهِ سابحِ

on every steed with wide-set haunches,

At every pass between the two

quiet of breath, swimming in its stride.

Like folded breath swimming,

تَراهُ إِذا اِسوَدّ ليلُ العَجاجِ

تَراهُ إِذا اِسوَدّ ليلُ العَجاجِ

من الرَّوْعِ كالكوكبِ اللائحِ

من الرَّوْعِ كالكوكبِ اللائحِ

You would see him, when the night of dust turned black,

You can see him when the night of commotion darkened,

amid terror, like a gleaming star.

Radiant like a shining planet,

وَقَد عَلِموا حينَ شبّوا الأُوارَ

وَقَد عَلِموا حينَ شبّوا الأُوارَ

مَجَسَّكَ من لاذِعٍ لافِحِ

مَجَسَّكَ من لاذِعٍ لافِحِ

And when they kindled the blaze, they learned

And they knew when the calamities grew,

from testing your stinging, scorching mettle

Your forbearance from intense or feeble,

بِأَنّك أَضربُ من حامِلٍ

بِأَنّك أَضربُ من حامِلٍ

لسيفٍ وأطعنُ من رامحِ

لسيفٍ وأطعنُ من رامحِ

that you struck harder than any bearer

That you are above the sword bearer,

of a sword, and thrust harder than any lancer;

And more spearing than the lancer,

وَأَكتَم للسِّرِّ حين اِكتَوَتْ

وَأَكتَم للسِّرِّ حين اِكتَوَتْ

خطوبٌ على النّاشر البائِحِ

خطوبٌ على النّاشر البائِحِ

and guarded secrets better when

The most secretive of the secret,

calamities burned against the spreader and divulger.

When discords spread through the circulator,

وأنّك منتقماً إذ تكون

وأنّك منتقماً إذ تكون

لِذُحْلِكَ خيرٌ من الصّافِحِ

لِذُحْلِكَ خيرٌ من الصّافِحِ

And that, when you take vengeance

And you avenge when you are wronged,

for your grievance, you are better than one who pardons.

Better than the hand-shaker,

تفِيءُ إلى الأبْلجِ المستنيرِ

تفِيءُ إلى الأبْلجِ المستنيرِ

من الرأْيِ في المُعضِلِ الفادِحِ

من الرأْيِ في المُعضِلِ الفادِحِ

You turn to what is bright and luminous

You incline to the shining wit,

in judgment, in grave, intractable trouble.

In the intricate and appalling situation,

وإن عَنَّ يومُ حِباءٍ هَطَلْتَ

وإن عَنَّ يومُ حِباءٍ هَطَلْتَ

وفي النّاسِ مَنْ ليس بالرّاشحِ

وفي النّاسِ مَنْ ليس بالرّاشحِ

And if a day of giving arose, you poured like rain,

And if the day of affection poured,

while some among the people did not even trickle.

And among the people are those who don’t sprinkle,

مضيتَ خفيفاً من الموبقاتِ

مضيتَ خفيفاً من الموبقاتِ

وأين الخفيفُ من الدالِحِ

وأين الخفيفُ من الدالِحِ

You departed unburdened by ruinous sins;

You passed lightly over sins,

how far the light-laden is from the heavily burdened!

Where is the light over the investigator?

ولو أنصف النّاسُ تُرباً أُهيلَ

ولو أنصف النّاسُ تُرباً أُهيلَ

على جَسَدٍ ناصعٍ ناصحِ

على جَسَدٍ ناصعٍ ناصحِ

And had people dealt justly with the dust heaped

If people were just to a plot of dust,

upon a body pure and sincere,

Pure and advising,

لَزاروهُ وَاِستَنزلوا عندهُ

لَزاروهُ وَاِستَنزلوا عندهُ

عطاءً من المانع المائحِ

عطاءً من المانع المائحِ

they would visit it and call down beside it

They would visit it and seek from it,

a gift from the Withholder, the Bestower.

Gifts from the witheld and preventing,

فإمّا نزحتَ وراءَ الصَّفيحِ

فإمّا نزحتَ وراءَ الصَّفيحِ

فلستَ عن الخير بالنَّازحِ

فلستَ عن الخير بالنَّازحِ

Even if you have gone far behind the stone slabs,

Whether you moved behind the barrier,

yet you are not far removed from goodness.

You are not far from good,

فَللّهِ قبرٌ أراقوا بهِ

فَللّهِ قبرٌ أراقوا بهِ

ذَنوباً من الذُّخُر الصّالحِ

ذَنوباً من الذُّخُر الصّالحِ

By God, what a grave! Into it they poured

To Allah a grave they perfumed,

a bucketful of righteous treasure.

With sins like good stock,

تمرُّ به أرِجَ الخافقين

تمرُّ به أرِجَ الخافقين

ملآنَ من عَبَقٍ فائِحِ

ملآنَ من عَبَقٍ فائِحِ

You pass by it, fragrant to east and west,

The scents of the devout pass by it,

filled with perfume wafting forth.

Filled with fragrant redolence,

فإنْ نحن قِسنا إليه القبورَ

فإنْ نحن قِسنا إليه القبورَ

أَبَرَّ بميزانِهِ الرّاجحِ

أَبَرَّ بميزانِهِ الرّاجحِ

If we measure other graves against it,

If we compared graves to it,

it prevails, its scale outweighing theirs.

More just in its measure and heavier,

ولا زالَ منهمرُ الطُّرَّتين

ولا زالَ منهمرُ الطُّرَّتين

يَسُحُّ بماءٍ له سائحِ

يَسُحُّ بماءٍ له سائحِ

And may a cloud pouring from both edges never cease

The two spouts haven’t stopped,

to pour down its flowing water

Flowing with water that has a drawer,

عليه وإنْ كان مستغنياً

عليه وإنْ كان مستغنياً

بما فيه من كرمٍ طافِحِ

بما فيه من كرمٍ طافِحِ

upon it, though it has no need,

To it even if it was self-sufficient,

because of the overflowing nobility within it.

With its generosity overflowing,

تساوى الأنامُ بهذا الحِمام

تساوى الأنامُ بهذا الحِمام

فسهلُ المعاطِفِ كالجامِح

فسهلُ المعاطِفِ كالجامِح

This death makes all humankind equal;

The people are equal in this ritual,

the pliant of limb is like the headstrong.

So the owner of the cloak is like the bare,

وقامتْ به حجّةُ الزّاهدين

وقامتْ به حجّةُ الزّاهدين

وضاق له عُذُرُ الكادحِ

وضاق له عُذُرُ الكادحِ

And through it the ascetics' argument is proved,

By it the proof of ascetics stood,

and it leaves the toiler little excuse.

And the excuse of the worker was invalid,

وكلٌّ مُصيخٌ وإنْ كان لا

وكلٌّ مُصيخٌ وإنْ كان لا

يَحسُّ إلى هَتفةِ الصّائِحِ

يَحسُّ إلى هَتفةِ الصّائِحِ

And all listen attentively—even if they do not

And all are submissive even if,

perceive—to the shout of the crier.

They don’t feel the scream of the screamer,