غَداً يُريني سناكَ أنّي

غَداً يُريني سناكَ أنّي

لَم أَرَهُ رَبِّيَ اللَطيفُ

لَم أَرَهُ رَبِّيَ اللَطيفُ

Tomorrow He will show me your radiance, for I

Tomorrow your radiance will show me

Tomorrow, Your light will reveal to me that I

Have not seen it—my gracious Lord.

That my Gracious Lord has not forsaken me

Had not truly perceived Him, my Gentle Lord.

فَجائِعي في الزَمانِ تَترى

فَجائِعي في الزَمانِ تَترى

وَهكَذا الماجِدُ الشَريفُ

وَهكَذا الماجِدُ الشَريفُ

My calamities follow one another through time,

So my hunger persists through time

My calamities in this life follow in succession,

And such is the lot of the illustrious and noble.

And so it is for the glorious and noble

And such is the lot of the noble and the honorable.

فِراقُ أَهلٍ وَكَفّ طَرفٍ

فِراقُ أَهلٍ وَكَفّ طَرفٍ

وَغُربَةٌ وَردُها

وَغُربَةٌ وَردُها

Parting from family, and loss of sight,

Parting from family and averting their gaze

Separation from kin and the withholding of sight,

And exile, whose onset...

And estrangement with no way back

And an alienation whose watering-place is [bitter],

فَقدُ الأَحِبّاءِ عيل فيهِ

فَقدُ الأَحِبّاءِ عيل فيهِ

مُصطَبِري إِنَّني أَلوفُ

مُصطَبِري إِنَّني أَلوفُ

The loss of loved ones has exhausted

Losing loved ones burdened me

The loss of loved ones, wherein is exhausted

My endurance; indeed, I am deeply affectionate.

Yet I endure, for I am accustomed

My patience, for I am a man of deep attachments.

فاظَ الَّذي كُنتُ أَرتَجي أَن

فاظَ الَّذي كُنتُ أَرتَجي أَن

يَقوى بِهِ رُكني الضَعيفُ

يَقوى بِهِ رُكني الضَعيفُ

He died, the one I had hoped would

That which I had hoped

He has passed away, the one in whom I hoped

Strengthen my frail pillar.

Would strengthen my frail being

That my weak pillar would find its strength.

فاضَت دُموعي عَلَيهِ وَجداً

فاضَت دُموعي عَلَيهِ وَجداً

وَما لها مُذ جَرَت وُقوفُ

وَما لها مُذ جَرَت وُقوفُ

My tears overflowed for him in grief,

My tears streamed copiously for it

My tears overflowed for him in deep anguish,

And since they began to flow, they have never stopped.

And still flow since that cessation

And since they began to flow, they know no ceasing.

فَقرٌ أَصابَ الغَنِيَّ فيهِ

فَقرٌ أَصابَ الغَنِيَّ فيهِ

فَلا تَليدٌ وَلا طَريفُ

فَلا تَليدٌ وَلا طَريفُ

Poverty struck the rich through his loss,

Poverty befell the wealthy one

A poverty that struck the rich man in his loss,

So no inherited wealth remains, nor any newly acquired.

So no more luxuries or frivolities

Leaving neither inherited wealth nor new gains.

فَرعٌ زَكا في سَماءِ مَجدٍ

فَرعٌ زَكا في سَماءِ مَجدٍ

فَلَم يَنَل طولهُ مُنيفُ

فَلَم يَنَل طولهُ مُنيفُ

A branch that flourished in the sky of glory,

A twig thrived toward the sky’s glory

A branch that flourished in the heaven of glory,

So no lofty one attained his height.

Yet its height never reached the summit

Whose height no exalted one could reach.

فَذٌّ وَلَو عاشَ لِاِنتِصاري

فَذٌّ وَلَو عاشَ لِاِنتِصاري

كانَ هُوَ الجَحفَلُ الكَثيفُ

كانَ هُوَ الجَحفَلُ الكَثيفُ

Peerless—and had he lived to defend me,

A warrior who, had he lived to defend me

A singular figure; had he lived to be my defender,

He alone would have been a mighty, massed host.

Would have been the staunchest of protectors

He alone would have been a vast, dense army.

فِهرُ المَعالي مَعي بَكتهُ

فِهرُ المَعالي مَعي بَكتهُ

وَأسعدَت بِالبُكا ثَقيفُ

وَأسعدَت بِالبُكا ثَقيفُ

Fihr of lofty honors wept for him with me,

The nobility's departure brought me to tears

The Fehr of noble heights wept for him alongside me,

And Thaqif joined in the weeping.

And Sa'd rejoiced at my crying

And the tribe of Thaqif joined in the mourning.

فَدَتهُ مِن مُخوِلٍ مُعِمٍّ

فَدَتهُ مِن مُخوِلٍ مُعِمٍّ

غَطارِفٌ كُلُّها حَنيفُ

غَطارِفٌ كُلُّها حَنيفُ

They offered to ransom him, noble in maternal and paternal kin—

I ransomed him from an ungrateful drunkard

Noble chiefs of pure lineage sought to ransom him,

Great lords, all upright in faith.

With pure and devout hearts

Illustrious masters, all upright in faith.

فقالَ ريبُ المَنونِ كلّا

فقالَ ريبُ المَنونِ كلّا

هَيهاتَ أَن يُؤمن المَخوفُ

هَيهاتَ أَن يُؤمن المَخوفُ

Then death's caprice said, 'No!'

Then the Lord of Death said “Never!

But the vicissitudes of Death replied, "Nay!

Far be it that the dreaded should be trusted!

Far-fetched for the fearful to have faith"

Far be it that the dreaded decree be averted."

فَيا قَتيلاً وَلَم تُصِبهُ

فَيا قَتيلاً وَلَم تُصِبهُ

سُمرُ العَوالي وَلا السُيوفُ

سُمرُ العَوالي وَلا السُيوفُ

So, O slain one, though never struck

O you who died though never struck

O slain one, though you were not struck by

By dark-shafted, long lances or swords—

By blades of swords or tips of spears

The brown shafts of lances nor by swords,

فَلقاً بِلا ضربَةٍ وَلكِن

فَلقاً بِلا ضربَةٍ وَلكِن

تَأتي بِما قُدِّرَ الحُتوفُ

تَأتي بِما قُدِّرَ الحُتوفُ

Cleft without a blow; and yet

A meeting with no blows, rather

Cleft apart without a blow, yet thus

Deaths come bearing what has been decreed.

That which is divinely ordained arrives

Do the fated deaths arrive with what is decreed.