دَجَى نهارُ الروضِ في فجرِهِ

دَجَى نهارُ الروضِ في فجرِهِ

هلاّ سألتَ الزهرَ عن عمرِهِ

هلاّ سألتَ الزهرَ عن عمرِهِ

The garden’s day grew dark at its dawn;

The garden's day grew dark at its dawn.

Why not ask the blossoms how long their lives endure?

Why did you not ask the blossoms about their lifespan?

لْهفي على الوردِ أنيقَ الصبى

لْهفي على الوردِ أنيقَ الصبى

عاش نهاراً ماتَ في عصرِهِ

عاش نهاراً ماتَ في عصرِهِ

Alas for the rose, so lovely in its youth—

My sorrow for the rose, graceful in youth!

It lived one day and died that afternoon.

It lived a day and died in its afternoon.

الروضُ ولهانُ على فَقْدِهِ

الروضُ ولهانُ على فَقْدِهِ

أَلا تَرَى الصُفرةَ في زهرِهِ

أَلا تَرَى الصُفرةَ في زهرِهِ

The garden is distraught at losing it;

The garden is distraught at its loss.

Do you not see the yellow pallor in its flowers?

Do you not see the yellow pallor in its blossoms?

باكرتُهُ أبكي أَنا والندى

باكرتُهُ أبكي أَنا والندى

فدلَّنا الطّيبُ على قبرِهِ

فدلَّنا الطّيبُ على قبرِهِ

At dawn I came to it weeping—I and the dew—

I visited it at dawn, weeping—I and the dew.

And fragrance showed us the way to its grave.

So the fragrance led us to its grave.

الله في عهد طَغى شره

الله في عهد طَغى شره

وطاشت الأحلام في شرّه

وطاشت الأحلام في شرّه

God help us in an age whose evil has overflowed,

O God, in an age whose evil ran rampant,

Where dreams have lost their way amid its wickedness,

and minds reeled amid its wickedness,

بين شذوذِ الحكم في بأسه

بين شذوذِ الحكم في بأسه

وعند حقّ المرء في دهره

وعند حقّ المرء في دهره

Between the aberrance of rule in all its might

amid the perversity of rule in its might,

And a person’s rightful claim within his age.

and in the face of man's rights in his time—

من مبلغُ القوّة في عنفها

من مبلغُ القوّة في عنفها

أن أسيراً فُكّ من أسره

أن أسيراً فُكّ من أسره

Who will tell brute force, in all its violence,

who will tell power, in its violence,

That a captive has broken free of his bonds?

that a captive has been freed from his captivity?

إنطلَقَ الفكر بعيدَ المدى

إنطلَقَ الفكر بعيدَ المدى

كالصَّقر لمّا فرَّ من وَكره

كالصَّقر لمّا فرَّ من وَكره

Thought broke loose toward a distant horizon,

Thought broke free, far-reaching,

Like a falcon when it fled its nest.

like the falcon when it fled its nest.

الثورةُ الغضبى مَدَى عينه

الثورةُ الغضبى مَدَى عينه

وجُثَّةُ السلطةِ في ظِفْرِهِ

وجُثَّةُ السلطةِ في ظِفْرِهِ

Wrathful revolt filled the reach of its vision,

The wrathful revolution fills its sight,

And authority’s corpse lay within its talons.

and authority's corpse is in its talon.

يا فاتحَ الجوّ اتَّئدْ برهةً

يا فاتحَ الجوّ اتَّئدْ برهةً

فالجوُّ قد ضاق على صَقره

فالجوُّ قد ضاق على صَقره

O conqueror of the air, pause for a while—

O conqueror of the sky, slow down a moment,

For the sky has grown too narrow for its falcon.

for the sky has grown too narrow for its falcon.

ويحَ أديبٍ ثائراً لا يني

ويحَ أديبٍ ثائراً لا يني

والموتُ عدَّاءٌ على قَهره

والموتُ عدَّاءٌ على قَهره

Woe for a man of letters, a tireless rebel,

Alas for Adib, a rebel who never flags,

While death races onward to overpower him.

while death races to conquer him.

رُبَّ مُنىً غرّارةٍ في الصبى

رُبَّ مُنىً غرّارةٍ في الصبى

كالوردِ فوّاحاً مدى شهره

كالوردِ فوّاحاً مدى شهره

How many beguiling hopes arise in youth,

Many are the beguiling hopes of youth,

Fragrant as a rose throughout its month.

like a rose, fragrant throughout its month.

تاالله لا تسكنُ نفس امرئٍ

تاالله لا تسكنُ نفس امرئٍ

قد شبّت الثورةُ في صدره

قد شبّت الثورةُ في صدره

By God, no human soul can rest

By God, no man's soul can be still

Once revolt has flared within its breast.

once revolution has blazed in his breast.

قِف بأديبٍ خاشعاً فالردى

قِف بأديبٍ خاشعاً فالردى

أصاب منه القلبَ في كِبره

أصاب منه القلبَ في كِبره

Stand reverently beside the man of letters, for death

Pause beside Adib in reverence, for death

Struck his heart in his old age.

has struck his heart in its pride,

وأسكَنَ الثورةَ في نفسه

وأسكَنَ الثورةَ في نفسه

وأطفأ الشُّعلة في فِكرِه

وأطفأ الشُّعلة في فِكرِه

It stilled the revolt within his soul

and stilled the revolution in his soul,

And quenched the torch within his thought.

and quenched the flame within his thought.

فلا اتّقادُ العزمِ في عينه

فلا اتّقادُ العزمِ في عينه

ولا جَمالُ الحبّ في ثَغرِه

ولا جَمالُ الحبّ في ثَغرِه

No blaze of resolve remains within his eye,

So no blaze of resolve is in his eye,

Nor love’s beauty upon his lips.

nor love's beauty upon his lips.

بلى عَلَتْه كُدْرةٌ كالَّتي

بلى عَلَتْه كُدْرةٌ كالَّتي

يَلبِسُها الأفق على بدره

يَلبِسُها الأفق على بدره

Instead, a murk has shrouded him, like that

Indeed, a gloom has settled over him, like that

The horizon wears across its full moon.

the horizon wears over its full moon.

ذكَرتُه في بلد يزدهي

ذكَرتُه في بلد يزدهي

بالأدَب الغضّ على فقره

بالأدَب الغضّ على فقره

I remembered him in a land that takes pride

I recalled him in a land that takes pride

In tender, budding literature despite its poverty,

in fresh literature, despite its poverty,

في الجولة الهوجاءِ ذات اللَّظى

في الجولة الهوجاءِ ذات اللَّظى

بين قديمِ الفنّ معْ عصره

بين قديمِ الفنّ معْ عصره

Amid the wild, flame-filled contest,

in the raging contest, full of flame,

Among the seasoned masters of art in his age.

between the art of old and its present age.

ثارتْ وقاد الشعر في إثرها

ثارتْ وقاد الشعر في إثرها

وسارت الفرسانُ في إثره

وسارت الفرسانُ في إثره

The struggle flared; he led poetry in its wake,

It erupted, and he led poetry in its wake,

And the horsemen rode behind him.

and the horsemen rode in his wake.

وَيْلُمّها فاجعة في الوغى

وَيْلُمّها فاجعة في الوغى

أن يسقُطَ الفارسُ عن مُهره

أن يسقُطَ الفارسُ عن مُهره

Ah, what a calamity amid battle’s clash:

What a dreadful calamity in battle—

That the horseman should fall from his young steed.

that the horseman should fall from his colt!

قمْ ناجِ هذا الكونَ مستطلعاً

قمْ ناجِ هذا الكونَ مستطلعاً

أسرارَهُ والموت في سِرّهِ

أسرارَهُ والموت في سِرّهِ

Rise and commune with this universe, seeking

Rise; commune with this universe, seeking

Its secrets—and death within its mystery.

its secrets, while death lies within its mystery.

ما عِظَةٌ الدين بآياتِهِ

ما عِظَةٌ الدين بآياتِهِ

ولا هُدَى العلم عَلى كُفرهِ

ولا هُدَى العلم عَلى كُفرهِ

Neither religion’s admonition, with all its signs,

Neither religion's admonition, through its verses,

Nor science’s guidance, for all its skepticism,

nor knowledge's guidance, despite its unbelief,

أبْلَغُ من قول الثَّرى للفتى

أبْلَغُ من قول الثَّرى للفتى

هنا ثوى زيدٌ على عمرِوهِ

هنا ثوى زيدٌ على عمرِوهِ

Is more eloquent than the earth saying to the youth:

is more eloquent than the earth's words to a youth:

“Here Zayd lies; his lifetime has run its course.”

Here Zayd lies buried atop his Amr.

الموتُ في الدنيا مِلاكُ القوى

الموتُ في الدنيا مِلاكُ القوى

لا يُغلَبُ الموت على أمره

لا يُغلَبُ الموت على أمره

Death in this world is the principle governing every power;

Death is the governing principle of worldly powers;

Death cannot be overcome in what it decrees.

death cannot be overruled in its decree.

الشعر جانٍ لا تلُمْ شاعراً

الشعر جانٍ لا تلُمْ شاعراً

قد جعل الموتَ مدى فخرهِ

قد جعل الموتَ مدى فخرهِ

Poetry is guilty—do not blame me, a poet,

Poetry is the culprit; do not blame a poet

Who has made death the horizon of his poetry.

who has made death the furthest reach of his pride.

تُغرِقُهُ اللُّجَّةُ إمّا طغت

تُغرِقُهُ اللُّجَّةُ إمّا طغت

ولا يَني يسبَحُ في بَحْرهِ

ولا يَني يسبَحُ في بَحْرهِ

The deep will drown him whenever it surges,

The deep drowns him whenever it surges,

Yet he never ceases swimming in its sea.

yet he never tires of swimming in his sea.

عاشَ أديبٌ شاعراً ليتَهُ

عاشَ أديبٌ شاعراً ليتَهُ

لم يحسُبِ الموت مدى شعرهِ

لم يحسُبِ الموت مدى شعرهِ

The man of letters lived a poet—if only he

Adib lived as a poet; if only he

Had not reckoned death the bound of his poetry.

had not reckoned death the furthest reach of his verse.

راد المُنَى في جوّها هازئاً

راد المُنَى في جوّها هازئاً

بالقدَر الراصدِ في خِدرهِ

بالقدَر الراصدِ في خِدرهِ

He sought hopes in their open sky, scoffing

He sought hopes in their sky, scoffing

At fate lying in wait behind its curtain.

at fate, lying in wait in its secluded chamber.

فحطَّهُ عادي الرَّدى من علٍ

فحطَّهُ عادي الرَّدى من علٍ

والهَفةَ الجوّ على نَسْرِهِ

والهَفةَ الجوّ على نَسْرِهِ

But death’s onslaught shattered him from his heights—

Then death's onslaught cast him down from on high.

Oh, the sky’s anguish for its eagle!

Oh, the sky's anguish over its eagle!