مَاتَ الْحَفِيظُ فَمَنْ يَحْفَظُ مَنْ عَاشَا

مَاتَ الْحَفِيظُ فَمَنْ يَحْفَظُ مَنْ عَاشَا

مِنَّا إِذَا لُبُّهُ مِنْ الْجَوَى طَاشَا

مِنَّا إِذَا لُبُّهُ مِنْ الْجَوَى طَاشَا

Al-Hafiz has died—who will guard whoever lives on

Al-Hafiz has died, so who will guard those who live on

among us, when grief sends his reason reeling?

Among us, when their minds become unhinged by burning grief?

فَاتَ الْحَفِيظُ امْرَأً قَدْ كَانَ يَطْلُبُهُ

فَاتَ الْحَفِيظُ امْرَأً قَدْ كَانَ يَطْلُبُهُ

لِسَقْيِ رَوْضِ مُنىً مَا زَالَ مِعْطَاشَا

لِسَقْيِ رَوْضِ مُنىً مَا زَالَ مِعْطَاشَا

Al-Hafiz was lost to a man who had sought him

Al-Hafiz has passed away from a man who had sought him,

to water a garden of hopes that remained ever thirsty.

To water a garden of hopes that remained ever thirsty.

مَاتَ الْحَفِيظُ فَظَلَّ الْمَجْدُ مُخْتَبَلاً

مَاتَ الْحَفِيظُ فَظَلَّ الْمَجْدُ مُخْتَبَلاً

وَأُرْعِشَتْ كَبِدُ الْعَلْيَاءِ ِرْعَاشَا

وَأُرْعِشَتْ كَبِدُ الْعَلْيَاءِ ِرْعَاشَا

Al-Hafiz has died, leaving glory deranged,

Al-Hafiz has died, leaving glory hobbled and deranged,

and the liver of eminence was seized with trembling.

And the heart of eminence was struck with a violent trembling.

مَاتَ الْحَفِيظُ وَكَانَ الْعَيْشُ مِنْهُ سَنىً

مَاتَ الْحَفِيظُ وَكَانَ الْعَيْشُ مِنْهُ سَنىً

فَأَغْطَشَتْ عَيْشَنَا الأَنْكَادُ إِغْطَاشَا

فَأَغْطَشَتْ عَيْشَنَا الأَنْكَادُ إِغْطَاشَا

Al-Hafiz has died; through him life was radiant,

Al-Hafiz has died, and through him life was a radiant light;

so misfortunes have utterly darkened our life.

So now miseries have thoroughly plunged our existence into darkness.

وَأَبْطَشَتْ بِالنُّهَى أَيْدِي النَّوَى بُتِكَتْ

وَأَبْطَشَتْ بِالنُّهَى أَيْدِي النَّوَى بُتِكَتْ

إِنَّ النَّوَى كَانَ بِالأَلْبَابِ بَطَّاشَا

إِنَّ النَّوَى كَانَ بِالأَلْبَابِ بَطَّاشَا

And separation's hands struck at reason—may they be severed!

The hands of parting have violently seized our minds—may they be severed!

Truly, separation was a brutal assailant of minds.

For parting has always been a ruthless tyrant to men's intellects.

كَانَتْ بِطَلْعَتِهِ الأَيَّامُ تُؤْنِسُنَا

كَانَتْ بِطَلْعَتِهِ الأَيَّامُ تُؤْنِسُنَا

فَأَبْدَلَتْنَا مِنَ الإِينَاسِ إِيحَاشَا

فَأَبْدَلَتْنَا مِنَ الإِينَاسِ إِيحَاشَا

The days used to comfort us with his countenance,

Through his countenance, the days used to bring us joyful companionship,

then gave us desolation in place of comfort,

But they have replaced our solace with a desolate gloom.

وَأَلْبَسَتْنَا وَكَانَ الزَّهْوَ مَلْبَسُنَا

وَأَلْبَسَتْنَا وَكَانَ الزَّهْوَ مَلْبَسُنَا

حُزْناً يَهِيجُ لَنَا مَبْكىً وَإِجْهَاشَا

حُزْناً يَهِيجُ لَنَا مَبْكىً وَإِجْهَاشَا

and clothed us—though pride had been our garment—

And they have clothed us—when pride used to be our garment—

in sorrow that rouses us to weeping and sobbing.

In a sorrow that provokes within us weeping and sobbing.

يَا بَدْرَ مَجْدٍ لَوْ أَنَّ اللهَ أَنْسَأَهُ

يَا بَدْرَ مَجْدٍ لَوْ أَنَّ اللهَ أَنْسَأَهُ

مَا أَدْهَشَتْنَا صُرُوفُ الدَّهْرِ إِدْهَاشَا

مَا أَدْهَشَتْنَا صُرُوفُ الدَّهْرِ إِدْهَاشَا

O full moon of glory, had God prolonged his life,

O full moon of glory! If only God had delayed his end,

the turns of time would not have so bewildered us

The changing fortunes of time would not have so bewildered us.

حَتَّى جَهِلْنَا مُصَاباً لاَ نَظِيرَ لَهُ

حَتَّى جَهِلْنَا مُصَاباً لاَ نَظِيرَ لَهُ

جَاشَ عَلَيْنَا شُرُودَ الْوَحْدِ فَانْحَاشَا

جَاشَ عَلَيْنَا شُرُودَ الْوَحْدِ فَانْحَاشَا

that we could not fathom a calamity without equal,

Until we were rendered senseless by an unparalleled tragedy,

that surged upon us like a bolting lone beast, then fled.

As the wildness of solitude surged upon us and corralled us.

قَدْ جَلَّ فَقْدُكَ أَنْ يُبْقِيَ مِنْ خَلَدٍ

قَدْ جَلَّ فَقْدُكَ أَنْ يُبْقِيَ مِنْ خَلَدٍ

إِذْ جَلَّ قَدْرُكَ أَنْ تَرْضَى بِمَنْ عَاشَا

إِذْ جَلَّ قَدْرُكَ أَنْ تَرْضَى بِمَنْ عَاشَا

Truly, your loss is too great to leave a shred of reason,

Your loss is too magnificent to leave any mind intact,

since your stature was too high for you to be content with those still alive.

Just as your worth was too great to be content with those who remained alive.

وَجَلَّ فَخْرُكَ أَنْ يُدْرَِى فَنُحْصِيَهُ

وَجَلَّ فَخْرُكَ أَنْ يُدْرَِى فَنُحْصِيَهُ

حَاشَا لِفَخْرِكَ مِنْ إِحْصَائِنَا حَاشَا

حَاشَا لِفَخْرِكَ مِنْ إِحْصَائِنَا حَاشَا

And your glory is too great to be fathomed and then counted by us;

And your pride is too exalted to be fully known and counted;

far be your glory from our reckoning—far be it!

Far be it for your glory to be reduced to our tallying, far be it!

فَمَا عَرَفْنَاكَ إِلاَّ بِالذِي شَهِدَتْ

فَمَا عَرَفْنَاكَ إِلاَّ بِالذِي شَهِدَتْ

بِهِ الْمَزَايَا وَفَضْلٌ كَانَ جَيَّاشَا

بِهِ الْمَزَايَا وَفَضْلٌ كَانَ جَيَّاشَا

For we knew you only through what was attested

For we knew you only through what was witnessed

by your merits and excellence that brimmed over.

By your virtues, and a bounty that was endlessly overflowing.

وَمَا رَأَيْنَاكَ إِلاَّ مِثْلَ رُؤْيَتِنَا

وَمَا رَأَيْنَاكَ إِلاَّ مِثْلَ رُؤْيَتِنَا

شَمْسَ الظَّهِيرَةِ إِذْ مَا نُورُهَا جَاشَا

شَمْسَ الظَّهِيرَةِ إِذْ مَا نُورُهَا جَاشَا

And we saw you only as we see

And we saw you as nothing less than our vision

the midday sun, when its light surges forth.

Of the midday sun, when its light violently bursts forth.

وَمَا شَهِدْنَاكَ إِلاَّ بِالْبَصَائِرِ لاَ

وَمَا شَهِدْنَاكَ إِلاَّ بِالْبَصَائِرِ لاَ

بِبَصَرٍ يُدْرِكُ الأَخْيَارَ أَوْبَاشَا

بِبَصَرٍ يُدْرِكُ الأَخْيَارَ أَوْبَاشَا

And we beheld you only with insight, not

And we witnessed you only with our inner sights, not

with eyesight that sees the virtuous as rabble.

With ordinary eyes that perceive the noble as common rabble.

خَمَّشْتُ بَعْدَكَ وَجْهَ الْمَنْعِ مِن جَزَعٍ

خَمَّشْتُ بَعْدَكَ وَجْهَ الْمَنْعِ مِن جَزَعٍ

إِذْ كَانَ مَوْتُكَ وَجْهَ الصَّبْرِ خَمَّاشَا

إِذْ كَانَ مَوْتُكَ وَجْهَ الصَّبْرِ خَمَّاشَا

After you, I scratched the face of restraint in anguish,

After you, out of anguish, I clawed at the face of my restraint,

for your death had savagely scratched the face of patience.

For your death was a fierce claw upon the face of patience.

أَفْرَخْتُ مَا بَاضَ مِنْ غَمِّي وَقَدْ مَلَأَتْ

أَفْرَخْتُ مَا بَاضَ مِنْ غَمِّي وَقَدْ مَلَأَتْ

عِقْبَانُهُ مِنْ ذُرَى الأَحْشَاءِ إِعْشَاشَا

عِقْبَانُهُ مِنْ ذُرَى الأَحْشَاءِ إِعْشَاشَا

I hatched what my sorrow had laid—already

I hatched the eggs that my sorrow had laid, whose eagles

its eagles had filled the heights of my entrails with nests—

Have thoroughly built their nests in the summits of my core.

بِالْبَوْحِ بِالنَّوْحِ تَرْوِيحاً عَلَى شَجَنٍ

بِالْبَوْحِ بِالنَّوْحِ تَرْوِيحاً عَلَى شَجَنٍ

قَدْ أَفْحَشَتْ نَارُهُ فِي الْقَلْبِ إِفْحَاشَا

قَدْ أَفْحَشَتْ نَارُهُ فِي الْقَلْبِ إِفْحَاشَا

by giving voice to lament, to ease a grief

By revealing my wailing, seeking relief for an anguish

whose fire had grown terribly fierce in the heart,

Whose fire has wreaked devastating havoc within my heart,

مُعْتَصِماً بِبَقَايَا الصَّبْرِ مِنْ كَمَدٍ

مُعْتَصِماً بِبَقَايَا الصَّبْرِ مِنْ كَمَدٍ

أَوْدَى بِمُعْظَمِهِ إِذِ الْحَشَا حَاشَا

أَوْدَى بِمُعْظَمِهِ إِذِ الْحَشَا حَاشَا

seeking refuge in patience's remnants from anguish

Clinging fast to the remnants of patience against a grief

that had destroyed most of it as it hemmed in my entrails.

That ruined most of it, as my heart recoiled in defense.

فَالْمَرْءُ سَهْمٌ وَذَاكَ السَّهْمُ حِلْيَتُهُ

فَالْمَرْءُ سَهْمٌ وَذَاكَ السَّهْمُ حِلْيَتُهُ

بِأَنْ يُرَى بِخَوَافِي الصَّبْرِ مُرْتَاشَا

بِأَنْ يُرَى بِخَوَافِي الصَّبْرِ مُرْتَاشَا

For a man is an arrow, and that arrow's adornment

For man is but an arrow, and that arrow's true adornment

is to be seen fletched with patience's secondary feathers.

Is to be seen fletched with the hidden feathers of endurance.

فَإِنْ رَمَتْهُ اللَّيَالِي وَهْيَ رَامِيَةٌ

فَإِنْ رَمَتْهُ اللَّيَالِي وَهْيَ رَامِيَةٌ

لَمْ يُلْفَ عَنْ هَدَفِ التَّأْيِيدِ طَيَّاشَا

لَمْ يُلْفَ عَنْ هَدَفِ التَّأْيِيدِ طَيَّاشَا

So if the nights loose it—and they are archers—

So if the nights shoot him—and they are always shooting—

it will not be found straying from the target of succor.

He will not be found veering wildly from the target of divine support.

أَمَّا الذِي سَوْفَ أُهْدِيهِ إِلَى جَدَثٍ

أَمَّا الذِي سَوْفَ أُهْدِيهِ إِلَى جَدَثٍ

حَلَلْتَهُ تُنْعِشُ الأَمْوَاتَ إِنْعَاشَا

حَلَلْتَهُ تُنْعِشُ الأَمْوَاتَ إِنْعَاشَا

As for what I shall offer to the grave

As for that which I shall gift to the tomb

where you have settled, bringing new life to the dead,

You now inhabit, reviving the dead with sweet restoration:

فَنَسَمَاتُ تَحِيَّاتٍ يَغَارُ لَهَا

فَنَسَمَاتُ تَحِيَّاتٍ يَغَارُ لَهَا

رَوْضُ الرُّبَى بَاتَ فِيهِ الطَّلُّ رَشَّاشَا

رَوْضُ الرُّبَى بَاتَ فِيهِ الطَّلُّ رَشَّاشَا

it is breezes of greetings, envied by

It is the gentle breezes of greetings, evoking the envy

the garden of the hills, where dew sprinkled through the night.

Of the hill's gardens where the morning dew falls in a steady drizzle.