عجنتكَ في صَحْنِ الأسى البَلْواءُ

عجنتكَ في صَحْنِ الأسى البَلْواءُ

خَبَزَتْكَ في تنّورِها الأنْواءُ

خَبَزَتْكَ في تنّورِها الأنْواءُ

Affliction kneaded you in the bowl of sorrow;

Sorrow kneaded you in her dark bowl,

the storms baked you in their oven.

And misfortune baked you in her fiery ovens.

وسعيرُ لا جَدوى سَقاكَ أوارَهُ

وسعيرُ لا جَدوى سَقاكَ أوارَهُ

وتمنَّعَتْ عَنْ وَصْلِكَ التأساءُ

وتمنَّعَتْ عَنْ وَصْلِكَ التأساءُ

And the blaze of futility made you drink its searing heat,

The flames availed you nothing, their burning was in vain,

and consolation refused to join you.

And grief refused your company.

تمشي غُفاريا،أليلا، مُجْهدا

تمشي غُفاريا،أليلا، مُجْهدا

مُتصارِمًا يغتالُكَ الإعْياءُ

مُتصارِمًا يغتالُكَ الإعْياءُ

You walk like a Ghifari, ailing and exhausted,

You walk as one lost, night-blinded, exhausted,

estranged, while exhaustion slays you.

Battling relentlessly, worn down by fatigue.

سين السُّؤالِ قَدِ اصطفتْكَ مُبكِّرًا

سين السُّؤالِ قَدِ اصطفتْكَ مُبكِّرًا

فتغوَّلَت في روحِكَ البرداءُ

فتغوَّلَت في روحِكَ البرداءُ

The sīn of the question singled you out early,

The sighing question chose you early on,

so the ague grew monstrous in your soul.

And sadness draped itself about your soul.

جيمُ الجوابِ تضرّمَتْ لَمْ تنطفئْ

جيمُ الجوابِ تضرّمَتْ لَمْ تنطفئْ

نارُ السَّموم تؤُرّها الرَّمْضاءُ

نارُ السَّموم تؤُرّها الرَّمْضاءُ

The jīm of the answer blazed and did not go out—

The groaning answer smoldered, its flames unquenched,

a fire of the scorching wind, stoked by the burning ground.

Fueled by bitterness’s glowing embers.

وأسى المنافي قد سَقاكَ مِنَ النوى

وأسى المنافي قد سَقاكَ مِنَ النوى

وتعثّرَتْ في ظلّكَ الأضْواءُ

وتعثّرَتْ في ظلّكَ الأضْواءُ

And exile’s sorrow made you drink of separation,

And the grief of exile gave you poison to drink

and the lights stumbled in your shadow.

While shadows stumbled over your fading light.

قَدْ شابَ قَلبُكَ قَبْلَ رأسِكَ يا فَتى

قَدْ شابَ قَلبُكَ قَبْلَ رأسِكَ يا فَتى

مُذْ أثقلتْكَ بِعِبْئِها الأعْباءُ

مُذْ أثقلتْكَ بِعِبْئِها الأعْباءُ

Your heart grew gray before your head, O youth,

Your heart grew old before your head, o youth,

since burdens weighed you down with their load.

Ever since burdens weighed heavily upon you.

أنت الطّريدُ عليْكَ قد جَثَمَ العنا

أنت الطّريدُ عليْكَ قد جَثَمَ العنا

واسْتَفْحَلَتْ في دَرْبِكَ البأساءُ

واسْتَفْحَلَتْ في دَرْبِكَ البأساءُ

You are the outcast; suffering has crouched upon you,

You are the outcast, doom crouches over you,

and adversity has grown rampant along your path.

And sorrows have taken root along your path.

غَيَّضْتَ دمعكَ في غَرابيبِ الونى

غَيَّضْتَ دمعكَ في غَرابيبِ الونى

حتى اشْتكَتْ من كأدِكَ الكأداءُ

حتى اشْتكَتْ من كأدِكَ الكأداءُ

You dried up your tears in the pitch-black depths of lassitude,

You hid your tears in the gloaming of woe

until even the arduous ascent complained of your hardship.

Until, constrained, they complained of your restraint.

موتًا كثيرًا قد سُقيتَ مِنَ الرّدى

موتًا كثيرًا قد سُقيتَ مِنَ الرّدى

ومحت ظِلالَ كيانِكَ الظّلماءُ

ومحت ظِلالَ كيانِكَ الظّلماءُ

You have been made to drink death in abundance from doom,

Much death you drank from the cups of havoc

and darkness erased the shadows of your being.

While shadows erased the marks of your being.

قد أهْلَكْتْكَ لواعجٌ لا تنتهي

قد أهْلَكْتْكَ لواعجٌ لا تنتهي

وتمنَّعَتْ عَنْ لحدِكَ البَطْحاءُ

وتمنَّعَتْ عَنْ لحدِكَ البَطْحاءُ

Burning pangs that never end have destroyed you,

Endless disasters have destroyed you,

and the gravelly plain denied you a grave.

And the open plains denied you a grave.

ما كنت إبْنًا للحياةِ لأنّها

ما كنت إبْنًا للحياةِ لأنّها

قد غيّبتكَ بجُبِّها الأرْزاءُ

قد غيّبتكَ بجُبِّها الأرْزاءُ

You were no son of life, for

You were no child of life, for it

calamities had hidden you in its well.

Had hid you away in its barren bosom.

قُم مُتْ فمَوْتكَ مُذْ وُلِدْتَ مؤجَّلٌ

قُم مُتْ فمَوْتكَ مُذْ وُلِدْتَ مؤجَّلٌ

فَلعلَّ مَوْتكَ يَشْتهيهِ رِثاءُ

فَلعلَّ مَوْتكَ يَشْتهيهِ رِثاءُ

Rise, die—for your death has been deferred since you were born;

Arise, your death was appointed at birth,

so perhaps an elegy longs for your death.

Perhaps your demise is what the elegy desires.