1. يا نورَ عَيني فَقَدتُهُ

    وَفي الفُؤادِ وَجَدتُه

    O light of my eye, whom I have lost

    and found within my heart!

  2. يا كَوكَباً لَقَّبوني

    بِالبَدرِ يَومَ وَلَدتُه

    O star! They named me

    "the full moon" the day I begot him.

  3. لَم يَهدِ رَكبي سَناهُ

    حَتّى خَبا فَلحدتُه

    His radiance had scarcely guided my caravan

    when it died out, and I laid him in the grave.

  4. يا طَيِّباً زافَ عِندي

    سِواهُ لَمّا نَقَدتُه

    O pure one, counterfeit to me was

    all else, when I assayed it.

  5. إِنَّ الحَبيبَ الَّذي قَد

    بَغى عَلَيَّ جَحدتُه

    Indeed, the beloved who has

    wronged me—I have disowned him.

  6. لَم أَحتَمل أَن أَراهُ

    بِمَنزِلي فَطَرَدتُه

    I could not bear to see him

    in my home, so I drove him out.

  7. أَتهَمتُهُ فَوَرَبّي

    لَولا التُقى لَأَقَدتُه

    I suspected him; and, by my Lord,

    but for piety, I would have slain him in requital.

  8. وَكَيفَ أَورِثُ مالي

    مَن حَلّ مَجداً عَقَدتُه

    And how could I bequeath my wealth

    to one who undid the glory I had bound fast?

  9. وَلَيسَ بِاِبني مَن لا

    يَوَدُّني إِن وَدَدتُه

    And no son of mine is one who does not

    love me if I love him.

  10. أَنتَ النَجيبُ وَلكِن

    أَبى الرَدى ما أَرَدتُه

    You are the noble one, but

    death refused what I desired.

  11. حَلَّت يَدُ الدَهرِ عِقداً

    قَد كُنتُ قَبلُ شَدَدتُه

    The hand of time untied a knot

    I had once fastened tight.

  12. أَعارَني مِنكَ عِلقاً

    ثُمَّ اِقتَضى فَرَدَدتُه

    It lent me, in you, a treasure,

    then claimed it back, and I returned it.

  13. بَل سَرَّني فيكَ رَبّي

    وَساءَني فَحَمِدتُه

    Rather, my Lord gladdened me through you

    and grieved me, so I praised Him.

  14. تَقاصَرَ اليَومَ باعٌ

    لِلفَخرِ فيكَ مَدَدتُهُ

    Today an arm-span has shrunk

    that I had stretched in pride in you.

  15. سَهِرت بَعدَكَ لَيلي

    وَطالَما قَد رَقَدتُه

    Since you departed, I have lain awake all night,

    though so often I had slept it through.

  16. وَكَم نَضَحتُ بِدَمعي

    حرَّ الحَشا لَو برَدتُه

    And how often I have sprinkled with my tears

    my heart's burning—if only I could cool it!

  17. العَذبُ أَنتَ وَلكِن

    صَدَرتَ حينَ وَرَدتُه

    You are the sweet water, but

    you departed just as I came to it.

  18. عَلَّ البُنَيَّ يُنادي

    غَداً إِذا ما قَصَدتُه

    Perhaps my little son will call

    tomorrow, when I come to him:

  19. يا ربّ وَفِّ المرَزّا

    بِوُلدِهِ ما وَعَدتُه

    "O Lord, fulfill for the man bereaved

    of his child what You promised him."

  20. فَيَغفِرُ اللَهَ ذَنباً

    أَبدَأتُهُ وَأَعَدتُه

    Then God will forgive a sin

    I first committed and then repeated.

  21. لا ضَيَّعَ اللَهُ أَجري

    فَأَيُّ وَجدٍ وَجَدتُه

    May God not let my reward be lost—

    for what anguish I have felt!

  22. أَيَومَ مَصرَعِهِ أَم

    يَومَ الحِساب شَهِدتُه

    Was it the day of his death, or

    the Day of Reckoning that I witnessed?

  23. كانَ اِبنَ تِسع وَلكِن

    في الأَكثَرينَ عَدَدتُه

    He was nine years old, but

    I counted him among those much older.

  24. وَلَو رَجمتُ ثبيراً

    بِعَقلِهِ لَهَدَدتُه

    And had I pelted Thabir

    with his intellect, I would have brought it down.

  25. فتحتُ فِيَّ اِفتِخاراً

    بِهِ فَما لي سَدَدتُه

    I opened my mouth in pride

    in him—why have I shut it?

  26. هُوَ الحُسامُ فَوَيلي

    أَفي الضَريحِ غَمَدتُه

    He is the keen sword—woe to me!

    Have I sheathed him in the grave?

  27. لا حَبَّذا العَيشُ إِنّي

    عَلى المَماتِ حَسَدتُه

    How unwelcome life is! Indeed, I

    have envied him his death.

  28. رَغِبتُ حَتّى تَوَلّى

    فَأَيُّ زُهدٍ زَهَدتُه

    I longed for life until he departed;

    then how utterly I renounced it!

  29. لَم يُغنِ عَنّي اِجتِهادي

    لَهُ فَكَيفَ اِجتَهَدتُه

    My striving availed me nothing

    for him—and how I had striven!

  30. حَسبي اِنفِرادي لَوَ اِنّي

    في الصالِحاتِ اِنفَرَدتُه

    My solitude suffices—if only I

    had stood alone in righteous deeds!

  31. هانَ الأَحِبّاءُ عِندي

    فَمَن وَصَلتُ صَدَدتُه

    Loved ones have lost their worth to me;

    whoever I once befriended, I have shunned.

  32. عَبدُ الغنيّ مُفيدي

    مِنَ الغِنى ما أَفَدتُه

    Abd al-Ghani bestowed on me

    all the wealth I ever gained.

  33. بِيُمنِهِ كُنتُ مَهما

    نَصَبتُ لِلَّيثِ صِدتُه

    Through his good fortune, whenever I

    set a snare for the lion, I caught it.

  34. وَما زَرَعتُ رَجائي

    في الصَلدِ إِلّا حَصَدتُه

    And never did I sow my hope

    in barren rock without reaping it.

  35. يا اِبني الَّذي كانَ يَبني

    مَجداً وَإِن كُنتُ شِدتُه

    O my son, who used to build

    glory, though I had already raised it!

  36. حَطَطتَني يَومَ أَودَي

    تَ مِن مُنيفٍ صَعَدته

    You cast me down the day you perished

    from a lofty height I had climbed.

  37. قَميصُ مُصطَبِري مِن

    قبل عَلَيكَ قَدَدتُه

    The shirt of my endurance—

    I had already torn it in grief for you.

  38. وَفي جِوارِكَ أَحبَب

    تُ مَضجَعي لَو مَهَدتُه

    And beside you I would love

    my resting place—if only I could prepare it.

  39. لَعَلَّ قُربَكَ يَشفي

    كَربي كَما قَد عَهِدتُه

    Perhaps being near you will heal

    my anguish, as I have known it to do.

  40. إِنّي وَرَبٍّ هَداني

    لِنورِهِ فَعَبَدتُه

    Truly, by the Lord who guided me

    to His light, and whom I then worshipped—

  41. ما غاضَ بَعدَكَ ثُكلي

    إِلّا بَكَيتُ فَزِدتُه

    my bereavement has never ebbed since your loss

    without my weeping and swelling it again.