1. أَمِن بَعدِ أَن حَلَّت نُضَيرة في الرَمسِ

    تَطيبُ حَياتي أَو تَلَذُّ بِها نَفسِي

    Can it be, after Nudayra has come to rest in the grave,

    that my life grows sweet, or my soul delights in it?

  2. فَتاةٌ عَراها نَحوَ سِتَةِ أَشهرٍ

    سُقامٌ غَريبٌ جاءَ مُختَلِف الجِنسِ

    A maiden whom, for some six months,

    a strange sickness beset, appearing in different forms:

  3. فحبنٌ وَحُمّى ثُمَ سُلٌّ وَسَعلَة

    وَسَكبٌ فَمَن يَقوى عَلى عِللٍ خَمسِ

    dropsy and fever, then consumption and a cough,

    and discharge—who can withstand five ailments?

  4. وَكانَت رَأَت رُؤيا مِراراً وَأَنَّها

    تَروح مِن الدُنيا إِلى حَضرَةِ القُدسِ

    And she had repeatedly seen a vision: that she

    would leave this world for the holy presence.

  5. فَقرَّ حَشاها وَاِطمَأَنَّت لما رَأَت

    جِنانا وَكانَت مِن حَياةٍ عَلى يَأسِ

    So her heart grew calm, and she felt reassured when she saw

    gardens of Paradise; she had despaired of life.

  6. فَما ضجِرَت يَوماً وَلا اِشتَكَت الضَنى

    وَلا ذَكَرَت ماذا تُقاسِي مِن اليأسِ

    She never grew impatient, nor complained of wasting sickness,

    nor spoke of the despair she endured.

  7. قَضَت نَحبَها في يَوم الاثنينِ بَعدَما

    تبدّى لَنا قرنُ الغَزالَةِ كَالوَرسِ

    She met her death on Monday, after

    the sun's horn appeared to us, yellow as wars-dye.

  8. فَصَلّى عَلَيها الناسُ يثنونَ وَاِنثَنَوا

    بِها لضريحٍ مُظلمٍ موحشِ الطَمسِ

    So the people prayed over her, praising her, and set off

    with her to a dark tomb, desolate in its obscurity.

  9. يُونِّسها في رَمسِها العمل الَّذي

    تَقدَّمَها أَعظِم بِهِ ثُمَّ من أُنسِ

    Her deeds keep her company in her grave, deeds that

    went before her—what great companionship they are, then!

  10. وَراحَت إلى رَبٍّ كَريمٍ نَظيفَةً

    مبرأةً مِن كُلِّ ذام وَمِن رِجسِ

    And she departed for a generous Lord, pure,

    free from every fault and every defilement.

  11. وَما وَلَد النسوانُ أُنثى شَبيهها

    وَأَنّى يُقاسُ الأَنجمُ الزهرُ بِالشَمسِ

    And women have borne no female like her;

    and how can the bright stars be compared with the sun?

  12. وَكانَت نضارُ نِعمَت الخَودُ لَم تَزَل

    على طاعَةِ الرَحمنِ تُضحي كَما تُمسي

    And Nudar—what an excellent maiden!—was ever

    obedient to the Merciful, in the morning as in the evening.

  13. نَجيةُ قُرآن تُردِّدُ آيَهُ

    مُقسمةً بَينَ التَدَبُّرِ وَالدَرسِ

    An intimate companion of the Qur'an, repeating its verses,

    dividing her time between reflection and study;

  14. وَحامِلَةُ الآثارِ عَن سَيِّدِ الوَرى

    مُحمدٍ المَبعوثِ للجِنِّ وَالإِنسِ

    and a bearer of traditions from the master of creation,

    Muhammad, sent to the jinn and humankind.

  15. رَوَتها بِمصر وَالحِجازِ وَجاوَرَت

    بِمَكةَ تَسخو بِالدَنانيرِ لا الفلسِ

    She transmitted them in Egypt and the Hijaz, and took up residence

    in Mecca, giving generously in dinars, not a mere fils.

  16. وَزارَت رَسولَ اللَهِ أَفضَلَ مَن مَشى

    بِطيبَةَ وَاِحتَلَّت بِأَربُعِها الدرسِ

    And she visited God's Messenger, the best of those who walked,

    in Tayba, and settled in its timeworn dwellings,

  17. مصلِّيَة حيناً عَلَيهِ وَتارَة

    مُسلمةً في الجَهرِ مِنها وَفي الهَمسِ

    sometimes invoking blessings upon him, and at other times

    offering salutations, in her loud utterance and in whispers.

  18. وَحازَت جَمالاً بارِعاً وَفَصاحة

    فَأَوضَحُ مِن شَمس وَأَفصَحُ مِن قسِّ

    And she possessed surpassing beauty and eloquence:

    thus brighter than the sun, and more eloquent than Quss.

  19. وَقَد عنيت بِالنَحو عُظمَ زَمانِها

    وَتَكتُب خَطاً نادِراً ذا بَراعَةٍ

    And she devoted most of her time to grammar,

    and wrote a rare hand of remarkable artistry,

  20. يُريك اِزدِهاءَ الرَوضِ في أَبهَجِ اللَبسِ

    فَما الرَوضُ مَطلولاً تفتَّحَ زَهرُهُ

    showing you a garden's splendor in its most delightful dress.

    For no garden, drenched in dew, its flowers unfolding,

  21. فراقَ لذي عَينٍ وَشاقَ لذي حِسِّ

    بِأَبهَجَ مِما قَد وَشَتهُ أَنامِلٌ

    delighting the eye and stirring the senses,

    is lovelier than what fingertips have embroidered—

  22. لَها بِسَوادِ النَفسِ في أَبيَضِ الطُرسِ

    فَلَو أَبصَرتهُ لابنِ مُقلَةَ مقلَةٌ

    hers, with the soul's blackness upon the white of the page.

    So, had an eye of Ibn Muqla's beheld it,

  23. لأَغضَت حَياءً وَهوَ قَد عَضَّ في الخَمسِ

    وَنَجلُ هِلالٍ لا يُساوي قُلامَةً

    it would have looked down in shame, while he bit his five fingers.

    And Hilal's son is not worth a clipping

  24. لظُفر نُضار

    سَقى رَوضَةً حَلَّت نضار بتربها

    from a fingernail of Nudar's.

    May the garden where Nudar rests in the soil be watered

  25. مِن المُزنِ وَبلٌ دائمُ السحِّ وَالبَجسِ

    وَلا زالَ تَسقيهِ سَحائبُ رَحمَةٍ

    by a downpour from rain clouds, ever pouring and gushing.

    And may clouds of mercy never cease to water it,

  26. تواليهِ في آتٍ وَحالٍ يَلي أَمسِ

    visiting it continually, in the future and the present that follows yesterday.