رحم اللَه ذلك المكلوما

رحم اللَه ذلك المكلوما

حيث اضحى من الهَنا مَحروما

حيث اضحى من الهَنا مَحروما

May God have mercy on that wounded man,

May God have mercy on that afflicted one

for he has become bereft of happiness.

Who has been deprived of all joy;

باقيا مهملا كنبت تَباهى

باقيا مهملا كنبت تَباهى

ثم امسى مجندلا محطوما

ثم امسى مجندلا محطوما

Remaining neglected, like a plant that stood proud,

Once a blossoming plant, now broken and withered,

then by evening lay felled and shattered.

Battered down and torn asunder.

خيمت وحشة اللَيالي لديه

خيمت وحشة اللَيالي لديه

واعارته ربعها المذموما

واعارته ربعها المذموما

The desolation of nights encamped beside him,

The bleak nights' loneliness tents around him,

and lent him its reviled abode.

And his old friends all shun him.

امطرته السماء حزنا كَما امطر

امطرته السماء حزنا كَما امطر

ت الأَرض وابلا مَسموما

ت الأَرض وابلا مَسموما

The sky rained sorrow upon him, just as it rained

The heavens rain sorrow down on him

upon the earth a poisoned downpour.

As heavily as they rain poison on the earth.

وَالدَواهي بِقَوسها رجمته

وَالدَواهي بِقَوسها رجمته

فاِغتَدى حائِرا بها مَرجوما

فاِغتَدى حائِرا بها مَرجوما

And calamities pelted him with their bow,

Misfortune assails him with its arrows,

so he became bewildered, pelted by them.

Lost and wandering, a target abandoned.

يَتوالى قدومها ولعل ال

يَتوالى قدومها ولعل ال

موت نادى مجيئها وَالقدوما

موت نادى مجيئها وَالقدوما

Their arrivals follow one another, and perhaps

Blow follows blow, as if death itself

death summoned their arrival and coming.

Had summoned them and bids them come.

ان يعارض تيارها بيديه

ان يعارض تيارها بيديه

صارَعَته وَهاجَمَتهُ هُجوما

صارَعَته وَهاجَمَتهُ هُجوما

If he resists their current with his two hands,

If he would stem their tide with his hands,

they grapple with him and attack him in an onslaught.

They attack and overwhelm him.

يضع الجسم في التراب وَمن جو

يضع الجسم في التراب وَمن جو

ع تَرى الجسم ناقصا مَهدوما

ع تَرى الجسم ناقصا مَهدوما

He lays his body in the dust, and from

He lays his body in the dust, and who

hunger you see his body wasted and broken.

Can see that broken form without weeping?

لا لعشق وَلا لبعد حضبيب

لا لعشق وَلا لبعد حضبيب

لا وَلا رام بالطوى ان يصوما

لا وَلا رام بالطوى ان يصوما

Not from love, nor from a beloved's absence;

Not for love or loss of a beloved

no, nor did he intend to fast through hunger.

Or desire to seek solitude and fast -

لا وَلكن هي الكابة كم اذ

لا وَلكن هي الكابة كم اذ

وت غصونا وَلازمتها لزوما

وت غصونا وَلازمتها لزوما

No, rather it is despondency—how many

Only grief, that severed so many branches

boughs it has withered, clinging to them relentlessly!

And cleaved itself to him, refusing to let go.

يضع الكف حاجِزا بين قلب

يضع الكف حاجِزا بين قلب

وَسهام تصيبه مضكلوما

وَسهام تصيبه مضكلوما

He places his palm as a barrier between his heart

He places a hand, as a shield, between his heart

and arrows that strike him, leaving him wounded.

And the arrows that wound the sorrowing.

فَيلاقي زَفير نار تلظت

فَيلاقي زَفير نار تلظت

وَهيض تضكوي فؤاده المَهموما

وَهيض تضكوي فؤاده المَهموما

So he meets the breath of a blazing fire,

He meets the fiery breath of a blaze

as it sears his careworn heart.

That consumes, the fervent anguish of a despairing heart.

حائِرا كلما اراد اِنتفاضا

حائِرا كلما اراد اِنتفاضا

لَم يَكُن في قواه حَتّى يَقوما

لَم يَكُن في قواه حَتّى يَقوما

Bewildered, whenever he wishes to rouse himself,

Bewildered, whenever he seeks to rise up,

he lacks the strength even to stand.

He finds no strength left to stand.

سجل البؤس في الحَياة بخط

سجل البؤس في الحَياة بخط

كادَ يَبدو بوجهه مَرسوما

كادَ يَبدو بوجهه مَرسوما

Misery was inscribed in life in a script

Misery has etched its record in his life

that seemed almost traced upon his face.

Until it shows, engraved, on his face.

كانَ لَغوا كَلامه كلما نا

كانَ لَغوا كَلامه كلما نا

دى معينا أَو منقذا أَو رَحيما

دى معينا أَو منقذا أَو رَحيما

His speech was futile whenever he called

His words are in vain, whenever he calls

for a helper, a rescuer, or someone merciful.

On a helper, savior, friend.

لَهفي انما مشاهدة المسكي

لَهفي انما مشاهدة المسكي

ن تفني عظامنا وَاللحوما

ن تفني عظامنا وَاللحوما

Alas for me! The mere sight of the poor man

I only wish to see the suffering ended,

wastes away our bones and flesh.

Our bones and flesh consumed, annihilated.

أي نفس اذا الجَنادِل جنت

أي نفس اذا الجَنادِل جنت

لَم يجرعها حنظلا وَسموما

لَم يجرعها حنظلا وَسموما

What soul, when the rocks go mad,

What soul, when disasters strike,

has not been made to swallow colocynth and poisons?

Is spared agony and poison?

رب حاشاك ان تضكون بذا الرا

رب حاشاك ان تضكون بذا الرا

ضي وَحاشا أَن لا تَكون الكَريما

ضي وَحاشا أَن لا تَكون الكَريما

Lord, far be it from You to be pleased with this,

God forbid you should abandon this miserable one!

and far be it from You not to be the Generous One.

God forbid you should fail to show mercy!

يا سَماء ارفعيه ايتها الأَر

يا سَماء ارفعيه ايتها الأَر

ض ابلعيه عَسى يَكون السَليما

ض ابلعيه عَسى يَكون السَليما

O sky, lift him up! O

O heaven, lift him up! O earth, swallow him!

earth, swallow him; perhaps he will be safe.

Perhaps he will find peace.

نار كوني عَلى خَليلنا بردا

نار كوني عَلى خَليلنا بردا

وَسَلاما تمتما وَنَعيما

وَسَلاما تمتما وَنَعيما

Fire, be coolness for our friend,

O fire, be coolness and peace for our friend,

and peace—they both murmured—and bliss.

Whispering solace and comfort and bliss.

ايُّها الشعب كاد يطفىء نورا

ايُّها الشعب كاد يطفىء نورا

وَبدورا تضيئه وَنجوما

وَبدورا تضيئه وَنجوما

O people, it nearly quenched a light,

O people, a light has nearly gone out,

and full moons that illumine you, and stars.

A star that shone on us with its beams.

هَل عَرَفنا مالنا بعد ما لا

هَل عَرَفنا مالنا بعد ما لا

ح الينا مالنا مَشؤوما

ح الينا مالنا مَشؤوما

Have we understood our fate, after it has appeared

What do we own, now that misfortune

to us—our fate, ill-omened?

Has taken everything, only leaving gloom?

ها يدي تحمل اليضتيم لتبدي

ها يدي تحمل اليضتيم لتبدي

ه اسيفا وَبائسا وَيَتيما

ه اسيفا وَبائسا وَيَتيما

Here is my hand, carrying the orphan to show

See, my hands carry aid to the orphan,

him sorrowful, wretched, and orphaned.

To clothe him, wretched and naked and deprived.

انلاقي سرورنا بسرور

انلاقي سرورنا بسرور

وَيلاقي ببؤسه التَحطيما

وَيلاقي ببؤسه التَحطيما

Do we greet our joy with joy,

Let him find, in our gladness, gladness,

while he, in his misery, meets destruction?

And, in his misery, find only devastation.

انذوق الزلال في كاس بلو

انذوق الزلال في كاس بلو

ر وَذاكَ الفَتى يَذوق حَميما

ر وَذاكَ الفَتى يَذوق حَميما

Do we drink clear water from a crystal cup,

Let us taste the pure water in a goblet of crystal,

while that youth drinks scalding water?

While that lad tastes only bitter drought.

اننادي الى العلوم وَنبقي

اننادي الى العلوم وَنبقي

ه جَهولا يعاف تلك العلوما

ه جَهولا يعاف تلك العلوما

Do we call people to the sciences, yet leave

Let us seek knowledge and leave him ignorant,

him ignorant, shunning those sciences?

Lost in the darkness of unknowing.

فَمَتى يا تُرى التفتنا اليه

فَمَتى يا تُرى التفتنا اليه

وازلنا مصابه وَالهموما

وازلنا مصابه وَالهموما

When, then, I wonder, have we turned toward him

When, O when, will we look toward him,

and removed his affliction and sorrows?

Dispelling his sorrows and griefs?