حُكْمُ المنيّةِ نافذُ الأحكامِ

حُكْمُ المنيّةِ نافذُ الأحكامِ

والدّار ما جُعِلَتْ بدار مُقَامِ

والدّار ما جُعِلَتْ بدار مُقَامِ

Death's decree is binding in its judgments.

The decree of mortality stands firm in its judgments,

And this abode was not made a lasting dwelling.

And this abode was not made for an eternal dwelling.

كَمْ فتّتَتْ كَبِداً وكم أبكت دماً

كَمْ فتّتَتْ كَبِداً وكم أبكت دماً

ورفيع عرش ثُلَّ بعد نظام

ورفيع عرش ثُلَّ بعد نظام

How many a liver it has shattered, how often made one weep blood!

How many a liver did it break and how many tears did it shed,

And a lofty throne was toppled after being set in order.

And a lofty throne crumbled after its system.

وَلَرُبّما هان المصاب وأنتَ يا

وَلَرُبّما هان المصاب وأنتَ يا

حمّودة جلل على الأيّام

حمّودة جلل على الأيّام

And a calamity may sometimes grow bearable, but you, O

And oftentimes calamity was made light, while you, O Hammuda,

Hammouda, are a grievous loss for the ages.

Were a majestic mantle over the days.

يفنى الزّمان ورُزءُ فقدِك حادثٌ

يفنى الزّمان ورُزءُ فقدِك حادثٌ

يُتْلَى على الأفواه والأقلام

يُتْلَى على الأفواه والأقلام

Time will perish, yet the calamity of losing you stays fresh,

Time passes away but the pain of your loss remains

Recounted by mouths and pens.

Recited upon mouths and pens.

إنْ تَسْخُ جامدةُ العيون بِدرِّها

إنْ تَسْخُ جامدةُ العيون بِدرِّها

فلطالما رَوِيَتْ بكأس منام

فلطالما رَوِيَتْ بكأس منام

If tearless eyes pour forth their pearls,

If your still eyes would weep with their light,

For they have so often drunk their fill from a cup of sleep.

For long have they been satiated with a cup of sleep.

أَوْ تَلْبَسِ الدّنيا عليك حِدَادها

أَوْ تَلْبَسِ الدّنيا عليك حِدَادها

فَغُرُوبُ شمسِك مُؤْذِنٌ بظلام

فَغُرُوبُ شمسِك مُؤْذِنٌ بظلام

Or if the world dons its mourning garb for you,

Or if the world would don its mourning clothes for you,

For the setting of your sun heralds darkness.

Then the setting of your sun is a harbinger of darkness.

لكم مَآثرُكَ التي خَلَّدْتَهَا

لكم مَآثرُكَ التي خَلَّدْتَهَا

أَبْقَتْ سَنَاك وأنت تحت رُجَامِ

أَبْقَتْ سَنَاك وأنت تحت رُجَامِ

How many of your glorious deeds, which you immortalized,

For how many are your celebrated deeds which have

Have kept your radiance alive, though you lie beneath heaped stones!

Preserved your brilliance while you lie under soil.

السُّورُ ما سَوَّاهُ إلاّ عَزْمُه

السُّورُ ما سَوَّاهُ إلاّ عَزْمُه

ومُشَيِّدُ الأبراج تحت ضِرَامِ

ومُشَيِّدُ الأبراج تحت ضِرَامِ

The wall was fashioned by his resolve alone,

The wall which he built up was done but by his resolve,

And he raised the towers under blazing fire.

And the builder of towers lies now under clay.

أمّا الثّغور فإنّها غُصّصُ آلْعِدَا

أمّا الثّغور فإنّها غُصّصُ آلْعِدَا

وشِفَا الصّدورِ لأمّة الإسلام

وشِفَا الصّدورِ لأمّة الإسلام

As for the frontier strongholds, they are choking anguish for the foes,

As for the marches, they are the wounds of enemies

And healing for the bosoms of Islam's community.

And a healing for the breasts of the nation of Islam.

ولكم سَقَيْتَ الرُّعبَ من شقَّ العصا

ولكم سَقَيْتَ الرُّعبَ من شقَّ العصا

ومَزَجْتَ كأسَ سرورِه بحمام

ومَزَجْتَ كأسَ سرورِه بحمام

And how often you made the one who split the staff drink terror,

And how much fear did you instill when you wielded the rod,

And mixed the cup of his joy with death,

And mixed for them a cup of gladness with worry.

مِنْ بَعْدِ ما بَالَغْتَ في إرشاده

مِنْ بَعْدِ ما بَالَغْتَ في إرشاده

وغَضَضَتَ جفنَ الحلم غَضَّ كِرَام

وغَضَضَتَ جفنَ الحلم غَضَّ كِرَام

After you had gone to great lengths to guide him,

After you had striven in guiding them

And lowered the eyelid of forbearance as the noble do,

And lowered the eyelid of forbearance with honor.

حتى أطاعَكَ فيهُمُ النّصر الذي

حتى أطاعَكَ فيهُمُ النّصر الذي

خضعوا به قَسْراً خضوعَ لِئَام

خضعوا به قَسْراً خضوعَ لِئَام

Until victory over them obeyed you—the victory that

Until victory obeyed you regarding them,

Made them submit by force, with the submission of the ignoble.

To which they had reluctantly succumbed like the base.

وبلغتَ أنّك إن رَأَوْا لك عسكراً

وبلغتَ أنّك إن رَأَوْا لك عسكراً

هُزِموا بلا طَعْنٍ وسلِّ حُسَام

هُزِموا بلا طَعْنٍ وسلِّ حُسَام

And you reached the point where, if they saw an army of yours,

And you had achieved that if they saw an army of yours,

They were routed without a thrust or the drawing of a sword.

They would be routed without a stab or unsheathing of swords.

وغَدَتْ بذلك تونسٌ تَفْتَرُّ في

وغَدَتْ بذلك تونسٌ تَفْتَرُّ في

حُلَلِ الهنا عن ثغرها البسّام

حُلَلِ الهنا عن ثغرها البسّام

And thus Tunis came to smile, arrayed in

Thus Tunisia began to exult

Robes of bliss, revealing her smiling mouth,

In the garments of tranquility, from her undaunted citadel.

محسودةً كَعُقابِ جوٍّ مَنْعَةً

محسودةً كَعُقابِ جوٍّ مَنْعَةً

بشموخها وكَمِيِّها الضّرغام

بشموخها وكَمِيِّها الضّرغام

Envied, as unassailable as an eagle in the sky,

Envied like an eagle in the air, lofty in her

Through her lofty stature and her armored warrior, the lion.

Pride and all her young eaglets.

والآن فهي لفقده محزونةٌ

والآن فهي لفقده محزونةٌ

تبكي عليه بِكُلِّ طَرْفٍ دامي

تبكي عليه بِكُلِّ طَرْفٍ دامي

And now she is sorrowful at his loss,

And now since losing him she grieves,

Weeping over him with every bleeding eye.

Weeping for him with every flowing tear.

فكأنّما عَيْنُ الحَوَاسِدِ فَوَّقَتْ

فكأنّما عَيْنُ الحَوَاسِدِ فَوَّقَتْ

لِجَمَالِها عن قَوْسِها بِسِهَام

لِجَمَالِها عن قَوْسِها بِسِهَام

So it is as though the eye of the envious had taken aim

It is as though the eye of the envious

At her beauty with arrows from its bow,

Has surpassed her beauty with its arrows.

لمّا دعا داعي الرّضى فأجابه

لمّا دعا داعي الرّضى فأجابه

مستسلماً للّه في الأحكام

مستسلماً للّه في الأحكام

When the herald of divine favor called and he answered him,

When the caller to satisfaction called him, and he responded

Surrendering to God in His decrees.

Surrendering to God in His decrees.

فَافْسَحْ له اللّهُمَّ عندك منزلا

فَافْسَحْ له اللّهُمَّ عندك منزلا

واسْمَحْ له بزيادة الإِنعام

واسْمَحْ له بزيادة الإِنعام

So grant him, O God, a spacious dwelling with You,

So expand, O God, his abode with you,

And grant him an increase of Your bounty.

And allow him an increase in bounty.

ولقولتي حَقِّق بفضلك فيه إذْ

ولقولتي حَقِّق بفضلك فيه إذْ

أَرَّخْت قيل ادخل لنا بسلام

أَرَّخْت قيل ادخل لنا بسلام

And by Your grace make my saying true for him, when

And fulfill through Your grace the words I stated

I marked the date: 'It was said: Enter unto Us in peace.'

When I dated "Enter unto us in peace."