برغمي أنَّ بيتكمُ يضامُ

برغمي أنَّ بيتكمُ يضامُ

ويبعدُ عنكمُ القاضي الإمامُ

ويبعدُ عنكمُ القاضي الإمامُ

It grieves me that your household is wronged,

Though you are wronged, and the judge and imam shun you,

And the judge, the imam, is taken far from you.

A lamp illuminating the ages has set upon the world in his absence is darkness,

سراجٌ في العلومِ أضاءَ دهراً

سراجٌ في العلومِ أضاءَ دهراً

على الدنيا لغيبتِهِ ظلامُ

على الدنيا لغيبتِهِ ظلامُ

A lamp of learning, he shone for an age;

Virtues and glories are forsaken, knowledge has died, and tyrants have risen,

For his absence, darkness lies over the world.

I wonder that my mind composes with a versification

تعطَّلتِ المكارمُ والمعالي

تعطَّلتِ المكارمُ والمعالي

وماتَ العلمُ وارتفعَ الطغامُ

وماتَ العلمُ وارتفعَ الطغامُ

Noble deeds and lofty virtues have fallen idle,

That brings me joy for my sheikh al-Nizam,

And learning has died, while the rabble have risen.

And allows me to elegy him with a proper lament,

عجبتُ لفكرتي سمحَتْ بنظمٍ

عجبتُ لفكرتي سمحَتْ بنظمٍ

أَيُسْعدني على شيخي نظامُ

أَيُسْعدني على شيخي نظامُ

I marveled that my mind could yield verse:

And rhymes and words aid me,

Can poetry help me mourn my teacher?

And had I been just, I'd have fulfilled my duty,

وأرثيه رثاءً مستقيماً

وأرثيه رثاءً مستقيماً

ويمكنني القوافي والكلامُ

ويمكنني القوافي والكلامُ

And can I elegize him with a fitting lament,

For upon my neck, his favors tower,

And can rhymes and words lend me their aid?

My ears ring with the pearls that fell from my eyes the day he was attacked by enemies,

ولَوْ أنصفتُهُ لقضيْتُ نحبي

ولَوْ أنصفتُهُ لقضيْتُ نحبي

ففي عنقي لهُ نعمٌ جسامُ

ففي عنقي لهُ نعمٌ جسامُ

And had I done him justice, I would have met my death,

The enemies have erred, so if we accept what fate decrees, we would be the unjust ones,

For his immense favors are a debt upon my neck.

Oh our year, though you were no year,

حشا أذنِي بِدُرٍّ ساقَطَتْهُ

حشا أذنِي بِدُرٍّ ساقَطَتْهُ

عيوني يومَ حُمَّ لهُ الحمامُ

عيوني يومَ حُمَّ لهُ الحمامُ

He filled my ear with pearls that were shed

For the like of you has not passed in time,

By my eyes on the day death was decreed for him.

You have grieved us with the loss of an inhabitant of Egypt, our stronghold,

لقد لَؤُمَ الحمامُ فإن رضينا

لقد لَؤُمَ الحمامُ فإن رضينا

بما يجني فنحنُ إذنْ لئامُ

بما يجني فنحنُ إذنْ لئامُ

Death has indeed been vile; if we accept

And the death in Damascus of the son of Jamila, for whom darkness crept,

What it perpetrates, then we are vile ourselves.

When the son of Muhallil wept, out of fear of God, Syria frowned,

أيا عامَنا لا كنتَ عاماً

أيا عامَنا لا كنتَ عاماً

فمثلُكَ ما مضى في الدهر عامُ

فمثلُكَ ما مضى في الدهر عامُ

O year of ours, would that you had never been a year!

And the scholar of Hama who you made a seal, melted our hearts with this seal,

For no year like you has passed in all time.

He was the caliph's successor in every science, an ever-wakeful eye,

أتفجعُنا بكتانيَّ مصرٍ

أتفجعُنا بكتانيَّ مصرٍ

وكان بها لساكنها اعتصامُ

وكان بها لساكنها اعتصامُ

Do you bereave us of Egypt's Kattani,

When his obituary stood, minds were confounded and people troubled,

Who was a refuge there for its inhabitants,

Had he survived, we'd have asked who else, for with his death died all noblemen.

وتفتكُ بابن جملة في دمشقٍ

وتفتكُ بابن جملة في دمشقٍ

ويعلوها لمصرعِهِ القتامُ

ويعلوها لمصرعِهِ القتامُ

And slay Ibn Jumla in Damascus,

Is it lawful, after them, to find pleasure in vanity, what was forbidden became licit?

While dark dust rises over it at his death?

O judge of judges, my compelled poem, though you disdain it,

وكانَ ابنُ المرحَّلِ حينَ يبكي

وكانَ ابنُ المرحَّلِ حينَ يبكي

لخوفِ اللهِ تبستمُ الشآمُ

لخوفِ اللهِ تبستمُ الشآمُ

And when Ibn al-Murahhal used to weep

And honor of jurists, upon your absence, peace be upon the world,

For fear of God, the Levant would smile.

And son of Barizi, whenever we don in your name the garb of sorrow, we cannot be blamed,

وحَبرُ حماةَ تجعلُهُ ختاماً

وحَبرُ حماةَ تجعلُهُ ختاماً

أذابَ قلوبَنا هذا الختامُ

أذابَ قلوبَنا هذا الختامُ

And you make Hama's scholar the last of them;

A cloud, if the clouds are stingy, will rain on the grave you sanctified with tears from the eyelids,

This ending has melted our hearts.

To whom will students turn to one day, can the incomplete hope for perfection?

وكان خليفةً في كلِّ علمٍ

وكان خليفةً في كلِّ علمٍ

وعيناً للخليفة لا تنامُ

وعيناً للخليفة لا تنامُ

And he was a caliph in every branch of learning,

Who will arbitrate disputes and issue fatwas, when disagreements loom large?

And an eye for the caliph that never slept.

Still, O heir, you remain the portal for spreading knowledge, overflowing with seekers,

ولما قام ناعيه استطارَتْ

ولما قام ناعيه استطارَتْ

عقولُ الناسِ واضطربَ الأنامُ

عقولُ الناسِ واضطربَ الأنامُ

And when the herald of his death arose, away flew

For the son of the sheikh of the age remains, through him complaints about time diminish,

The people's wits, and humankind was shaken.

Star of the faith, who can be consoled like you, when pillars crumble down?

ولو يبقى سَلَوْنا مَنْ سواهُ

ولو يبقى سَلَوْنا مَنْ سواهُ

فإنَّ بموته ماتَ الكرامُ

فإنَّ بموته ماتَ الكرامُ

And had he lived on, we would have ceased grieving for all others;

In your survival, solace for a bygone era, your legacy a great one,

For with his death, the noble have died.

When an imam leaves your house, peerless, an imam succeeds him.

أألهوَ بعدهمْ وأقرُّ عيناً

أألهوَ بعدهمْ وأقرُّ عيناً

حلالُ اللهوِ بعدهمُ حرامُ

حلالُ اللهوِ بعدهمُ حرامُ

Shall I make merry after them, with contented eyes?

In the best of all people, you find solace, no dweller of this world lasts,

Lawful merriment, after them, is forbidden.

I am a longtime disciple of your house, through you my pride when people take pride,

فيا قاضي القضاةِ دعاءَ صبٍّ

فيا قاضي القضاةِ دعاءَ صبٍّ

برغمي أن يغيّركَ الرغامُ

برغمي أن يغيّركَ الرغامُ

So, O judge of judges, hear a yearning lover's prayer:

In every land my prayers are for you, and spreading your memory as long as turtles moan,

It grieves me that the dust should change you.

If you are well, so am I, your satisfaction and peace please me.

ويا شرفَ الفتاوىْ والدعاوى

ويا شرفَ الفتاوىْ والدعاوى

على الدنيا لغيبَتِكَ السلامُ

على الدنيا لغيبَتِكَ السلامُ

And O glory of legal rulings and lawsuits,

With you gone, farewell to the world!

ويا بنَ البارزيِّ إذا برزنا

ويا بنَ البارزيِّ إذا برزنا

بثوبِ الحزنِ فيك فلا نُلامُ

بثوبِ الحزنِ فيك فلا نُلامُ

And O Ibn al-Barizi, when we come forth

In a robe of grief for you, we cannot be blamed.

سقى قبراً حلَلْتَ به غمامٌ

سقى قبراً حلَلْتَ به غمامٌ

منَ الأجفانِ إنْ بخلَ الغمامُ

منَ الأجفانِ إنْ بخلَ الغمامُ

May the grave where you have settled be watered by a cloud

From eyelids, if the clouds prove miserly.

إلى مَنْ ترحلُ الطلابُ يوماً

إلى مَنْ ترحلُ الطلابُ يوماً

وهل يُرجى لذي نقصٍ تمامُ

وهل يُرجى لذي نقصٍ تمامُ

To whom will the students journey one day?

And can one who is lacking hope for completeness?

ومَنْ للمشكلاتِ والفتاوى

ومَنْ للمشكلاتِ والفتاوى

وفصلُ الأمرِ إنْ عَظُمَ الخصامُ

وفصلُ الأمرِ إنْ عَظُمَ الخصامُ

And who is there for difficult questions and legal rulings,

And for settling matters when disputes grow grave?

ألا يا بابَهُ لا زلتَ باباً

ألا يا بابَهُ لا زلتَ باباً

لنشرِ العلمِ يغشاكَ الزحامُ

لنشرِ العلمِ يغشاكَ الزحامُ

Ah, O door of his, may you ever remain a door

For spreading knowledge, with crowds thronging you.

فإن ابنَ ابنِ شيخِ العصرِ باقٍ

فإن ابنَ ابنِ شيخِ العصرِ باقٍ

يقلُّ بهِ على الدهرِ الملامُ

يقلُّ بهِ على الدهرِ الملامُ

For the grandson of the master of this age lives on;

Through him, the blame laid upon time grows less.

أنجمَ الدينِ مثلُكَ مَنْ تسلَّى

أنجمَ الدينِ مثلُكَ مَنْ تسلَّى

إذا قُدحت منَ النوبِ العظامُ

إذا قُدحت منَ النوبِ العظامُ

O Najm al-Din, one such as you finds solace

When bones are eaten away by calamities.

وفي بقياكَ عنْ ماضٍ عزاءٌ

وفي بقياكَ عنْ ماضٍ عزاءٌ

قيامُكَ بعدَهُ نِعْمَ القيامُ

قيامُكَ بعدَهُ نِعْمَ القيامُ

And in your survival is solace for one departed;

Your standing in his stead—what an excellent stand!

إذا ولّى لبيتكمُ إمامٌ

إذا ولّى لبيتكمُ إمامٌ

عديمُ المثلِ يخلفُه إمامُ

عديمُ المثلِ يخلفُه إمامُ

When an imam of your household departs—

One without equal—another imam succeeds him.

وفي خيرِ الأنامِ لكمْ عزاءٌ

وفي خيرِ الأنامِ لكمْ عزاءٌ

وليس لساكن الدنيا دوامُ

وليس لساكن الدنيا دوامُ

And in the best of humankind you have consolation;

And no dweller in this world endures forever.

أنا تلميذُ بيتكمُ قديماً

أنا تلميذُ بيتكمُ قديماً

بكمْ فخري إذا افتخرَ الأنامُ

بكمْ فخري إذا افتخرَ الأنامُ

I have long been a disciple of your household;

My pride is in you when humankind boasts.

لكمْ مني الدعاءُ بكلِّ أرضٍ

لكمْ مني الدعاءُ بكلِّ أرضٍ

ونشرُ الذكرِ ما ناحَ الحمامُ

ونشرُ الذكرِ ما ناحَ الحمامُ

You have my prayers in every land,

And the spreading of your renown as long as doves lament.

وإنْ كنتمْ بخيرٍ كنتُ فيه

وإنْ كنتمْ بخيرٍ كنتُ فيه

ويرضيني رضاكمْ والسلام

ويرضيني رضاكمْ والسلام

And if you are well, I share that well-being;

And your contentment pleases me. Farewell.