شَرَفُ الورى يا دَهْرُ كيف هَدَمْتَهُ

شَرَفُ الورى يا دَهْرُ كيف هَدَمْتَهُ

وقصدتَ عَمْداً للهُدَى فردمتَه

وقصدتَ عَمْداً للهُدَى فردمتَه

The glory of humankind, O Time—how have you torn him down?

O Time! How you've destroyed the glory of the world,

And deliberately assailed guidance, then buried it.

And intentionally demolished the path to guidance.

يا لَيْتَ أنك والمُنى ممنوعةٌ

يا لَيْتَ أنك والمُنى ممنوعةٌ

تَلْوِي على نَقْضِ الذي أبرمتَه

تَلْوِي على نَقْضِ الذي أبرمتَه

If only you—though wishes are denied—

If only you and death were forbidden,

Would turn to undo what you have bound fast!

From violating what you have affirmed.

لم تَأْلُ في سَوْقِ الخِيَار إلى الرّدى

لم تَأْلُ في سَوْقِ الخِيَار إلى الرّدى

يا ليت شعري هل بذا أكرمتَه

يا ليت شعري هل بذا أكرمتَه

You spared no effort in driving the finest to death.

You did not refrain in the market of the virtuous from deceit,

Would that I knew: is this how you honored him?

If only I knew, is this how you honored him?

أَفَلَمْ يَغِبْ بغروب شمسِ محمّدٍ

أَفَلَمْ يَغِبْ بغروب شمسِ محمّدٍ

فَضلٌ سما عن أن تكونَ علمتَه

فَضلٌ سما عن أن تكونَ علمتَه

Did there not vanish, with the setting of Muhammad's sun,

Did the setting of Muhammad's sun of glory not disappear?

An excellence too lofty for you ever to have known?

Overflowing in knowledge you have taught him.

والعلم لو كانت لقلبك رقّة

والعلم لو كانت لقلبك رقّة

لبكيتَه من بعده ورحمتَه

لبكيتَه من بعده ورحمتَه

And learning—had your heart any tenderness—

If your heart had any tenderness,

You would have wept for it after his passing, and pitied it.

You would have wept for him after him and had mercy on him.

لاَ غَرْوَ إنْ تُنْثَرْ لآلِي أَدْمُعٍ

لاَ غَرْوَ إنْ تُنْثَرْ لآلِي أَدْمُعٍ

وبِفَقْدِهِ عَقْدُ العلوم فصمتَه

وبِفَقْدِهِ عَقْدُ العلوم فصمتَه

No wonder if pearls of tears are scattered,

It is no wonder if tears of sorrow are shed,

When, through his loss, you have snapped the necklace of the sciences.

And by his absence, the chain of knowledge is muted.

يا مَنْ الى نور الكتابِ وسرِّه

يا مَنْ الى نور الكتابِ وسرِّه

يسعى لقد أَخْفَقْتَ فيما رُمْتَه

يسعى لقد أَخْفَقْتَ فيما رُمْتَه

O you who, toward the Book's light and its secret,

O you who aspires to the light of the Scripture and its secret,

Strive—you have indeed failed in what you sought.

You have failed in what you have aimed for.

كشّافُ أسرار البلاغة قد مضى

كشّافُ أسرار البلاغة قد مضى

ولسانُ تلخيص البيان عدمتَه

ولسانُ تلخيص البيان عدمتَه

The revealer of eloquence's secrets has passed away;

The unveiler of the secrets of rhetoric has passed away,

And you have lost the tongue of rhetoric's epitome.

And the eloquent tongue is silenced.

مَنْ للكلام إذا بَدَتْ يا فخرَه

مَنْ للكلام إذا بَدَتْ يا فخرَه

مِن مُبْطِلٍ شُبُهٌ به كلَّمتَه

مِن مُبْطِلٍ شُبُهٌ به كلَّمتَه

Who will defend theology when there arise—O its pride—

When false controversies about his words appear,

Doubts from an advocate of falsehood, whom you wounded with it?

Who will refute them and speak to its speaker?

ومتى أتى بوساوسٍ متفلسفٌ

ومتى أتى بوساوسٍ متفلسفٌ

أَرْهَقْتَهُ وهُدَى الإله أَقَمْتَهُ

أَرْهَقْتَهُ وهُدَى الإله أَقَمْتَهُ

And whenever a would-be philosopher came with insinuations,

And when a pretentious philosopher comes up with suspicions,

You overwhelmed him and upheld God's guidance.

You overwhelmed him, and guided him to God’s guidance.

وَلَوَ أنّ أفلاطونَ ساعده اللّقا

وَلَوَ أنّ أفلاطونَ ساعده اللّقا

لدرى بأنّ العِلْمَ ما عَلَّمتَه

لدرى بأنّ العِلْمَ ما عَلَّمتَه

And had Plato been granted a meeting with you,

If Plato were aided by inspiration,

He would have known that knowledge is what you taught.

He would know that the knowledge you taught cannot be learnt.

يا مُحْيِيَ الإِحيا لِيَهْنَكَ مَغنماً

يا مُحْيِيَ الإِحيا لِيَهْنَكَ مَغنماً

عُمُرٌ بإحياء العلوم ختمتَه

عُمُرٌ بإحياء العلوم ختمتَه

O reviver of the Ihya, may this be a blessed gain for you:

O reviver of revival, may you be rewarded,

A lifetime you concluded by reviving the sciences.

A life spent in reviving knowledge has ended.

لهَفي عليك ولستُ فيه بمُفْرَدٍ

لهَفي عليك ولستُ فيه بمُفْرَدٍ

يا مُفْرَداً جَمْعُ الكلام نَظَمْتَه

يا مُفْرَداً جَمْعُ الكلام نَظَمْتَه

My anguish for you—and I am not alone in it—

I long for you, and in this I am not alone,

O peerless one, you put the whole of theology in order.

O unique one, the prose and poetry composed by you.

شمسٌ بفاسٍ أشرقت وبتونسٍ

شمسٌ بفاسٍ أشرقت وبتونسٍ

غَرَبَتْ فيا أسفاً عليك ضرمتَه

غَرَبَتْ فيا أسفاً عليك ضرمتَه

A sun rose in Fez, and in Tunis

A sun rose in Fez and set in Tunis,

Set—ah, how you have kindled grief at your loss!

Alas for you, whose light has faded.

قَسَماً بمن أعطاك خلقاً كاملا

قَسَماً بمن أعطاك خلقاً كاملا

وثباتَ حِلم في الأنام عزمتَه

وثباتَ حِلم في الأنام عزمتَه

I swear by Him who gave you perfect character

I swear by the One who gave you perfect wisdom,

And steadfast forbearance among mankind, which you resolved to uphold:

And the firmness of patience among people you determined.

لو تُفْتَدَى لَفَدَاكَ مَنْ تحت السما

لو تُفْتَدَى لَفَدَاكَ مَنْ تحت السما

وبَقِيتَ حيّاً ما تشاءُ أقمتَه

وبَقِيتَ حيّاً ما تشاءُ أقمتَه

Were you redeemable, everyone beneath the sky would ransom you,

If you could be ransomed, whoever is under the sky would pay it,

And you would stay alive, living out whatever span you wished.

And you would remain alive as long as you desire.

لكنّ ما تلقاه من حُسنِ القِرى

لكنّ ما تلقاه من حُسنِ القِرى

خَيْرٌ وأَبْقَى والذي قدّمتَه

خَيْرٌ وأَبْقَى والذي قدّمتَه

But the gracious hospitality you receive

But what you have attained is better and everlasting,

Is better and more enduring; and what you sent ahead—

And what you have put forward is what you have gained.

فله دَعَا داعي الورى فأجبتَه

فله دَعَا داعي الورى فأجبتَه

وجميل ظنّك بالرّجا أحكمته

وجميل ظنّك بالرّجا أحكمته

To that the summoner of humankind called, and you answered him.

For it, the Caller of mankind called you, and you answered Him,

And through hope you made your good expectation firm.

And your good expectation in hope has proven sound.

واللّهَ أرجو أن ينيلك كلّ ما

واللّهَ أرجو أن ينيلك كلّ ما

بجميل ظنّك في الضمير كتمتَه

بجميل ظنّك في الضمير كتمتَه

And I hope that God will grant you all that

I hope in God that you attain all that,

You kept hidden in your heart, in your good expectation.

In your conscience, you have concealed of good expectation.

وَحَرٍ لمجدك أن يناديَ زائرٌ

وَحَرٍ لمجدك أن يناديَ زائرٌ

ومؤرّخ وَارَمْسُ كيف ضَمَمْتَه

ومؤرّخ وَارَمْسُ كيف ضَمَمْتَه

And it befits your glory that a visitor should cry,

If only a visitor would call out your glory,

And a chronicler: 'O grave, how have you enfolded him?'

And a biographer, how you have brought it together.