الله يَعْلَمُ والأنام شهودُ

الله يَعْلَمُ والأنام شهودُ

أنَّ الَّذي فَقَد الورى لفريدُ

أنَّ الَّذي فَقَد الورى لفريدُ

God knows, and humankind bear witness,

God and all people know

That the man humankind has lost is truly peerless.

That the one who left this world was unique

كانَ الإمام به الأئمة تقتدي

كانَ الإمام به الأئمة تقتدي

فَلَه الهدى ولغيره التقليد

فَلَه الهدى ولغيره التقليد

He was the imam whom the imams followed;

He was the imam whom all imams emulated

Guidance was his, and imitation belonged to others.

So he had guidance while others followed his lead

ظلاًّ على الإسلام كانَ وجوده

ظلاًّ على الإسلام كانَ وجوده

حتَّى تقلّص ظِلُّه الممدود

حتَّى تقلّص ظِلُّه الممدود

His existence was a shade over Islam,

His existence was a shade over Islam

Until his outstretched shade receded.

Until his extended shade shrank

فَلِفَقْده في كلِّ قلب لوعة

فَلِفَقْده في كلِّ قلب لوعة

ولذكره في حمده ترديد

ولذكره في حمده ترديد

So every heart burns with anguish at his loss,

So for his loss every heart grieves

And mention of him recurs in praise of him.

And remembering him, his praise is repeated

فزوال ذاك الطود بعد ثباته

فزوال ذاك الطود بعد ثباته

ينبيك أنَّ الراسيات تبيد

ينبيك أنَّ الراسيات تبيد

So the fall of that mountain, after its steadfastness,

The disappearance of that towering mountain after its firmness

Tells you that firmly rooted mountains perish.

Shows you that even firm things will perish

هَيْهات يُرفَعُ للمدارس بعده

هَيْهات يُرفَعُ للمدارس بعده

عَلَمٌ ويورقُ بالمكارم عود

عَلَمٌ ويورقُ بالمكارم عود

Never again, after him, will there be raised for the schools

Alas, after him no banners will be raised for schools

A banner, nor will a bough grow leafy with noble deeds.

And a tree of virtues will not grow and flourish

سِمْط الفضائل والفواضل كلّها

سِمْط الفضائل والفواضل كلّها

نُثِرَتْ عليه من الدموع عقود

نُثِرَتْ عليه من الدموع عقود

The necklace of all virtues and benefactions—

All the highest virtues and merits

Necklaces of tears were scattered over him.

Were strewn over him, necklaces of tears

أسدٌ من الآساد يصرعه الرّدى

أسدٌ من الآساد يصرعه الرّدى

ومن الرِّجال بهائمٌ وأُسودُ

ومن الرِّجال بهائمٌ وأُسودُ

A lion among lions, whom death strikes down;

A lion among lions whom fate laid low

And among men are brutes and lions.

While among men there are beasts and hyenas

عجباً لمن ضاق الفضاءُ بعلمه

عجباً لمن ضاق الفضاءُ بعلمه

أنّى حَوَتْهُ من القبور لحود

أنّى حَوَتْهُ من القبور لحود

How strange, for one whose knowledge made all space too narrow:

It is strange that the vast universe was too small for his knowledge

How could the burial niches of graves contain him?

Yet how can the narrowness of graves contain him?

وإذا الملائك بُشّرت بقدومه

وإذا الملائك بُشّرت بقدومه

فَعَلام تنتحب الرِّجال الصيد

فَعَلام تنتحب الرِّجال الصيد

And if the angels were given glad tidings of his arrival,

And if angels rejoiced at his coming

Then why do proud, noble men sob?

Why do eminent men weep and wail?

لا جاز قَبرَك صَوبُ غادته الحيا

لا جاز قَبرَك صَوبُ غادته الحيا

تسقي ثراك بصوبها وتزيد

تسقي ثراك بصوبها وتزيد

May the morning cloud's rain never pass your grave by,

No tomb could contain your flow of life

Watering your earth with its downpour, and giving still more.

Watering your grave and increasing it

وجُزيت خيراً بعدها عن أُمَّةٍ

وجُزيت خيراً بعدها عن أُمَّةٍ

علماؤها مما أفَدْتَ تفيد

علماؤها مما أفَدْتَ تفيد

And may you thereafter be rewarded with good on behalf of a community

And you were rewarded well for a nation

Whose scholars benefit from what you imparted.

Whose scholars benefit from what you offered

فمقامك المحمودُ فوقَ مقامهم

فمقامك المحمودُ فوقَ مقامهم

وعلى الجميع لِواؤك المعقود

وعلى الجميع لِواؤك المعقود

So your praised station is above theirs,

So your praised station is above their station

And your mounted banner stands over them all.

And over all, your banner is planted

أظهَرْتَ بالآيات ما بظهورها

أظهَرْتَ بالآيات ما بظهورها

يُخفى النفاق ويُعلن التوحيد

يُخفى النفاق ويُعلن التوحيد

You showed through the signs that, when they appear,

You showed clearly through signs that when apparent

Hypocrisy is hidden and God's oneness proclaimed.

Hypocrisy is hidden and monotheism proclaimed

وكشَفْتَ غامضَ ما تشابه فانجلَتْ

وكشَفْتَ غامضَ ما تشابه فانجلَتْ

شُبَهٌ على وجه الحقيقة سود

شُبَهٌ على وجه الحقيقة سود

And you unraveled what was obscure and ambiguous; so vanished

And you unveiled the ambiguity of what was ambiguous

The black doubts upon the face of truth.

So doubts on the face of truth became dark

يا أيُّها الثاوي بأكرم تُربَةٍ

يا أيُّها الثاوي بأكرم تُربَةٍ

تالله أَنْتَ الصارم المغمود

تالله أَنْتَ الصارم المغمود

O you who rest in the noblest soil,

O you who rest in the most hallowed earth

By God, you are the keen sword, sheathed.

By God, you are resolute and steadfast

يا شدَّ ما دهم العراق بساعة

يا شدَّ ما دهم العراق بساعة

خشناء يُصدعُ عندها الجلمود

خشناء يُصدعُ عندها الجلمود

Oh, how fiercely Iraq was assailed by an hour

Oh how suddenly Iraq was shaken

So harsh that, at its coming, solid rock is split.

At a harsh hour that splits even the stubborn

إذ حان حَينُ أبي الثناء وجاءه

إذ حان حَينُ أبي الثناء وجاءه

بين الأكارم يومُه الموعود

بين الأكارم يومُه الموعود

When Abu al-Thana's hour of death arrived, and there came to him

When the time came for the Father of Praise and he was given

Among the noblest, his appointed day.

Among the generous, his promised day

ونعماه ناعيه وقال مؤَرِّخاً

ونعماه ناعيه وقال مؤَرِّخاً

قد مات ويك أبو الثنا محمود

قد مات ويك أبو الثنا محمود

His death-announcer mourned him [reading uncertain], and said, marking the date:

His elegy was his eulogy, and the historian said

Alas for you! Abu al-Thana Mahmud has indeed died.

Alas, Father of Praise Abu al-Thana' has died