يا عين جودي لفقد الألف بالسهر

يا عين جودي لفقد الألف بالسهر

وأذري الدموع ولا تبقي ولا تذر

وأذري الدموع ولا تبقي ولا تذر

O eye, pour freely for the lost companion through sleepless nights;

O eyes, be generous in shedding tears for the loss of friends through sleeplessness.

And scatter tears; spare none and leave none behind.

Shed copious tears, do not hold back or refrain.

ويا جفوني إن لم تسفحين دما

ويا جفوني إن لم تسفحين دما

بكيت من كبد بالحر مستعر

بكيت من كبد بالحر مستعر

And O my eyelids, if you do not shed blood,

O my eyelids, if you do not flow with blood,

I wept from a liver ablaze with heat.

I will weep from a burning liver.

متى تعود ليالينا التي سلفت

متى تعود ليالينا التي سلفت

ويرجع النوم عيناي من السفر

ويرجع النوم عيناي من السفر

When will our bygone nights return,

When will our past nights return,

And sleep return from its travels to my eyes?

And sleep come back to my weary eyes?

كأنما كانت الدنيا هم وبها

كأنما كانت الدنيا هم وبها

مرآهم حيث كانوا مشرح النظر

مرآهم حيث كانوا مشرح النظر

As though they themselves were the world, and within it

It was as if life itself was sorrow,

The sight of them, wherever they were, delighted the gaze.

And their sorrow was everywhere they looked.

تبا لها دار حزن لا تسيغ هنا

تبا لها دار حزن لا تسيغ هنا

لشارب وتشوب الصفو بالكدر

لشارب وتشوب الصفو بالكدر

A curse upon it—a house of sorrow that makes no joy palatable

Woe to this abode of grief, no joy here,

To a drinker, and mingles the clear with the turbid.

That pollutes the pure with bitterness.

ما اضحكت بالهنا يوما اخا طرب

ما اضحكت بالهنا يوما اخا طرب

الا وابكته في ايامه الاخر

الا وابكته في ايامه الاخر

It never made a merry man laugh with joy one day

It never smiled happily, even for a day, O brother of joy,

Without making him weep in his later days.

Except to make him weep on his last day.

وعجلت من ابي بكر منيته

وعجلت من ابي بكر منيته

وما استحت من علي لا ولا عمر

وما استحت من علي لا ولا عمر

And it hastened Abu Bakr's death,

It hastened the death of Abu Bakr,

And felt no shame before Ali—no, nor Umar.

And had no shame before Ali or Omar.

قضى عنه لقد بانت احبته

قضى عنه لقد بانت احبته

وما قضى من لبانات ولا وطر

وما قضى من لبانات ولا وطر

He passed away; his loved ones have indeed been parted from him,

Their loved ones passed away,

And he fulfilled no longing or desire.

Not even the mountain goats or small birds remained.

لله ما كان ابهى حسن طلعته

لله ما كان ابهى حسن طلعته

فقد غنينا بها في الحسن عن قمر

فقد غنينا بها في الحسن عن قمر

God, how splendid was the beauty of his countenance!

By God, his beauty was unparalleled when he rose,

For in beauty his countenance had spared us the need of a moon.

His beauty made the moon unnecessary for us.

قد كان غصنا نضيرا يانعا فذوي

قد كان غصنا نضيرا يانعا فذوي

آها لذاك الشباب اليانع النضر

آها لذاك الشباب اليانع النضر

He was a fresh, flourishing bough, then withered.

He was a delicate, blooming branch, alas for that fresh and elegant youth.

Ah, for that flourishing, radiant youth!

When did I say pearls belong in dirt

ما قلت في الترب ان الدر مسكنه

ما قلت في الترب ان الدر مسكنه

متى رأيت يتيم الدر في الحفر

متى رأيت يتيم الدر في الحفر

I never said that the pearl's dwelling was in the dust;

When I saw that pearl orphaned in a grave?

When have you seen a peerless pearl in pits?

Time saw the days had improved him,

رأى الزمان به الايام قد حسنت

رأى الزمان به الايام قد حسنت

فاغتاله ورماها منه بالقصر

فاغتاله ورماها منه بالقصر

Time saw that through him the days had grown beautiful,

So it betrayed him and threw him from his palace.

So it slew him treacherously, and through his loss cut those days short.

As if he had never been the world's beloved,

كأنه لم يكن عين الزمان ولا

كأنه لم يكن عين الزمان ولا

في جبهة الدره يوما غرة الغرر

في جبهة الدره يوما غرة الغرر

As though he had never been the eye of Time, nor

Nor a polished pearl upon his noble brow.

Ever the fairest of blazes on the brow of [Time?].

No, he did not drag his robes playfully about,

كلا ولا جر اذيال اصبا مرحا

كلا ولا جر اذيال اصبا مرحا

ولا تردى ثياب الدل والخفر

ولا تردى ثياب الدل والخفر

No—nor had he trailed the hems of youth in merriment,

Nor did the clothes of humility and poverty fall.

Nor draped himself in the garments of charm and bashfulness,

His dwellings never shone brightly,

ولا به اشرقت يوما منازله

ولا به اشرقت يوما منازله

ولا بها فاح ربا نشره العطر

ولا بها فاح ربا نشره العطر

Nor had his dwellings ever shone with his presence,

Nor did their fragrance waft with scattering perfume.

Nor had his sweet fragrance wafted there over the hills.

O separation that left me with sorrow and burning yearning,

يا فرقة اورثتني عبرة وجوى

يا فرقة اورثتني عبرة وجوى

رفقا لقد عز يوم البين مصطبري

رفقا لقد عز يوم البين مصطبري

O separation, you bequeathed me tears and burning grief;

Gently, for the day of parting was bitter.

Be gentle: on the day of parting, my endurance was hard to find.

I shed tears of sorrow on the day we parted,

نزحت دمعا اسى يوم الفراق وما

نزحت دمعا اسى يوم الفراق وما

ابقيت للصب من عين ولا اثر

ابقيت للصب من عين ولا اثر

You drained tears of grief on the day of farewell, and

But left no tears for morning.

Left the lovesick one neither an eye nor a trace.

Oh burning of my heart, my grief, my anguish,

يا لهف قلبي ويا حزني ويا اسفي

يا لهف قلبي ويا حزني ويا اسفي

ويا بكائي ويا نحوي ويا سهري

ويا بكائي ويا نحوي ويا سهري

O my heart's anguish, and O my sorrow, and O my regret!

My weeping, my sighing, my sleeplessness!

And O my weeping, and O my [wailing?], and O my sleeplessness!

I entrust to God beloved friends,

استودع الله أحباباً رزئت بهم

استودع الله أحباباً رزئت بهم

بانوا وكانوا مكان السمع والبصر

بانوا وكانوا مكان السمع والبصر

I entrust to God loved ones whose loss has stricken me;

They are gone, they were my hearing and sight.

They departed, though they were as hearing and sight to me.

Patience in this, O reader, for your patience

صبرا لهذا بني القارىء ان لكم

صبرا لهذا بني القارىء ان لكم

بالصبر أجرا عظيما غير منتظر

بالصبر أجرا عظيما غير منتظر

Patience in this, sons of al-Qari: indeed, you have

Will gain you immense reward beyond expectation.

Through patience a great, unlooked-for reward.

Death is the inevitable command of the Lord of Worshippers,

فالموت حتم به رب العباد قضى

فالموت حتم به رب العباد قضى

ولا مفر لمحذور من ا

ولا مفر لمحذور من ا

For death is inevitable; the Lord of His servants has decreed it.

There is no escape from what is destined.

And there is no escape from what is dreaded, from ...

It quenched their thirst with the water of His mercy,

سقاك يا قبره منهل رحمته

سقاك يا قبره منهل رحمته

وجادك الغيث بالآصال و

وجادك الغيث بالآصال و

May the outpouring of His mercy water you, O his grave,

And poured down rain upon them.

And may rain drench you generously in the evenings and ...

The leaves did not lament their departure,

ما ناحت الورق في أفنانها شجنا

ما ناحت الورق في أفنانها شجنا

وما تباكت عيون السحب ب

وما تباكت عيون السحب ب

As long as grey doves lament in sorrow among their boughs,

Nor did the cloud's eyes rain tears.

And as long as the clouds' eyes seem to weep with ...