أحديثُ نَفسي أم سَمَر

أحديثُ نَفسي أم سَمَر

أم بعضُ وسوسَةِ الفِكَر

أم بعضُ وسوسَةِ الفِكَر

Is this my soul's talk, or nighttime conversation?

Is this my soul conversing or night talk

Or some whispering of thoughts?

Or some whisper of thought

أم سوءُ ظنِّ المُشفقين

أم سوءُ ظنِّ المُشفقين

فأين أنتَ أبا عُمَر

فأين أنتَ أبا عُمَر

Or the anxious ones' misgivings?

Or evil suspicion of the anxious

Then where are you, Abu Umar?

So where are you Abu Umar

هيهاتَ لا واللَهِ ما

هيهاتَ لا واللَهِ ما

كذَبَ العيانُ ولا الخَبَر

كذَبَ العيانُ ولا الخَبَر

Far from it! No, by God, neither

Never, by God, neither sight

the witness of the eyes nor the report has lied.

Nor news have lied

ولقد رأيتُ مجالسَ الر

ولقد رأيتُ مجالسَ الر

رُؤساءِ أفنِيةَ الحُفَر

رُؤساءِ أفنِيةَ الحُفَر

And I have indeed seen the assemblies of the

And I saw the councils of benevolence

leaders as the forecourts of grave-pits.

The leaders of dugout courtyards

وعجبتُ إذ جَزِعوا وكا

وعجبتُ إذ جَزِعوا وكا

نَ بهم تصبُّرُ من صَبَر

نَ بهم تصبُّرُ من صَبَر

And I marveled when they grew distraught, though

And I wondered when they panicked and it was

those who endured had drawn their fortitude from them.

As if patience poured into them

وهم جبالُ النائِبا

وهم جبالُ النائِبا

تِ إذا الزمانُ بِها استَمَر

تِ إذا الزمانُ بِها استَمَر

And they are mountains against calamities

And they are mountains of vicissitudes

when time persists in bringing them.

When time persists with them

حَملَت نفوسهمُ الأسى

حَملَت نفوسهمُ الأسى

عنهم وعن قَومٍ أُخَر

عنهم وعن قَومٍ أُخَر

Their souls bore the grief

Their souls carried sorrow

for them and for other folk.

Away from them and from other people

لم تمضِ قبلكَ نكبةٌ

لم تمضِ قبلكَ نكبةٌ

ما أثَّروا فيها أثَر

ما أثَّروا فيها أثَر

Before you, no calamity had passed

No calamity before you

without their leaving a mark upon it.

In which they made an impact

لكنَّه السببُ الذي

لكنَّه السببُ الذي

بينَ المنيَّةِ والبَشَر

بينَ المنيَّةِ والبَشَر

But it is the bond that lies

But it is the cause that

between death and humankind.

Lies between death and mortals

لا يَنقَضي خيرٌ فخَي

لا يَنقَضي خيرٌ فخَي

راً كان أو شرٌّ فَشَر

راً كان أو شرٌّ فَشَر

No good comes to an end—good

No good ends in good

it was; or evil, and so evil.

Or evil in evil

للَهِ قبرُك ما حوى

للَهِ قبرُك ما حوى

وله سَريرُكَ ما أسَر

وله سَريرُكَ ما أسَر

God's is your grave—what it held!

To God is your grave, what it contained

And His is your bier—what it took captive!

And to Him your place of rest, what it concealed

ولقد هَممتُ بأن أقو

ولقد هَممتُ بأن أقو

لَ سُقيتَ يا قَبرُ المَطَر

لَ سُقيتَ يا قَبرُ المَطَر

And I had indeed intended to

And I had intended to say

say: 'May you, O grave, be watered with rain!'

You were watered, O grave, by the rain

ورأيتُ تحتَ ثراكَ ما

ورأيتُ تحتَ ثراكَ ما

يُدعى بِه لك لو ظَهَر

يُدعى بِه لك لو ظَهَر

And I saw beneath your soil what

And I saw beneath your soil what

would be prayed for on your behalf, were it to appear.

Would be invoked for you, had it appeared