عمر قطعت مداه قبل أوان — Khalil Gibran

عُمْرٌ قَطَعْتَ مَدَاهُ قَبْلَ أَوَانِ

خُذْ بِالمُخْلَّدِ وَاعْدُ مَا هُوَ فَانِ

A life—you cut its span short before its time.

Hold fast to the immortal, and pass over what perishes.

مَا زِلْتَ فِي جِدٍّ وَجَدٍّ عَاثِرٍ

حَتَّى سَمَوْتَ وَدُونَكَ القَمَرَانِ

You persevered in earnest toil and stumbling fortune,

Until you soared, with sun and moon beneath you.

عَجَّلْتَ بَيْنَكَ فِي جِهَادِكَ فَاحْتَوَى

مَعْنَى الشَّهَادَة وَهْيَ ذَاتُ مَعانِ

You hastened your departure in your struggle; it embraced

The meaning of martyrdom, itself rich in meanings.

أَعْزِزْ عَلَى أَهْلِ النُّهَى أَلاَّ تُرَى

فِي الشَّوْطِ حِينَ تَسَابُقِ الأَقْرَانِ

How grievous to the wise that you are not seen

In the race when peers compete.

وَعَلَى النَّديِّ مَكَانُكَ الخَالِي إِذَا

رَنَتِ العُيُونُ إِلَى أَعَزِّ مَكَانِ

And to the assembly, your vacant place, when

Eyes turn toward the most honored seat.

مِنْ آلِ عَقْلٍ لا يَخِرُّ مُكَافِحٌ

حَتَّى يَلُوحَ مِنَ الصُّفُوفِ الثَّانِي

No fighter from the house of Aql falls

Until another appears from the ranks.

غُرٌّ مِنَ الفِتْيَانِ مَا بَرِحْتَ لَهُمْ

فِي الصَّالِحَاتِ البَاقِيَاتِ يَدَانِ

Radiant young men, for whom you have always had

Two helping hands in good deeds that endure.

لِي فِيهِمُ الأَصْفَى مِنَ الأَحْبَابِ لا

أَعْدَمْهُ وَالأَوْفَى مِنَ الخُلاَّنِ

Among them I have the sincerest of dear friends—may I never

Lose him—and the most loyal of companions.

وَهَبُوا النَّفَائِسَ وَالنُّفُوسَ كَأَنَّهَا

فَضَلاتُ زَادٍ فِي هَوَى لُبْنَانِ

They gave precious treasures and their lives as though they were

Leftover provisions, for love of Lebanon.

وَإِذَا ذَكَرْتَ فِدَى سَعِيدٍ مِنْهُمُ

وَضَحَتْ صَحِيفَتُهُمْ مِن العُنْوَانِ

And if you mention Sa'id's sacrifice among them,

Their record becomes clear from its heading.

مَاذَا دَهَى الأَفْرَاخَ فِي ظِلٍّ ضَحَا

عَنْ أَيْكَةٍ فِي نَعْمَةٍ وَأَمَانِ

What befell the fledglings beneath a shade that vanished

From a grove amid comfort and safety?

كَشَفَتْ مُفَاجَأَةُ الرَّزِيئَة سِتْرَهَا

وَانْتِيبَ مَأَلَفُ عِزِّهَا بِهَوَانِ

The sudden calamity stripped away its covering,

And its abode of honor was assailed by humiliation.

لا لاَ وَيَأْبَى العَدْلُ ذَاكَ مَثُوبَةً

لِمُخَلِّفٍ ذِمَماً عَلَى الأَوْطَانِ

No, no! Justice rejects that as recompense

For one who leaves obligations upon the homelands.

أَبْكِيكَ يَا خِدْنِي وَكَمْ مُتَقَدِّمٍ

أَمْسَيْتُ أبكِيه مِنَ الأَخْدَانِ

I weep for you, my close friend; how many who went before

Have I come to mourn among my companions!

كَثرَتْ جِرَاحَاتِي وَأَحْدَثُ مَا أَتَى

مُتَلاحِقاً وَأَمَضُّهُ جُرْحَانِ

My wounds have multiplied; the newest of those that came

In succession—and the most painful—are two wounds.

أَخَوَانِ فِي عَامٍ رُزِئْتُهُمَا وَمَنْ

كَانَا لَعَمْرِي ذَانِكَ الأَخْوَانِ

Two brothers I lost in one year—and what

Brothers those two were, by my life!

بِالأَمْسِ كُنْتَ عَزَاءَ قَلْبِي عَنْهُمَا

وَاليَوْمَ قَلْبِي فَاقِدُ السُّلْوَانِ

Yesterday you were my heart's consolation for their loss;

Today my heart is bereft of solace.

يَا شَاعِرَ العَرَبِ الَّذِي آثَارُهُ

جَمَعَتْ عُيونَ الشِّعْرِ فِي دِيوَانِ

O poet of the Arabs, whose works

Gathered the gems of poetry into a collection.

صُغْتُ القَرِيضَ فَرَاحَ يَبْهَى فِي الحِلَى

مَا صِيغَ مِنْ دُرٍّ وَمِنْ عِقْيَانِ

I fashioned verse, and among ornaments it began to outshine

Whatever was wrought of pearls and pure gold.

أَللُّطْفُ فِي تَأْلِيفِه وَالظَّرْفُ فِي

تَصْرِيفه صِفَتَانِ بَيِّنَتَانِ

Grace in its composition, and elegance in

Its handling, are two unmistakable qualities.

تَتَبَارَيَانِ جَزَالَةً وَسُهُولَةً

وَإِلَى اسْتِلابِ اللُّبِّ تَسْتَبِقَانِ

They vie in vigor and ease,

And race to captivate the mind.

مَنْ يَنْظِمُ المَعْنَى الدَّقِيقَ وَيُحْكِمُ المَبْ

نَى الرَّقِيقَ بِذَلِكَ الإِتْقَانِ

Who versifies subtle meaning and perfects the struc-

ture, so delicate, with such mastery?

قَوْلٌ أَعَارَتْهُ الطَّبِيعَةُ زِينَةً

خَلاَّبَةً مِنْ حُسْنِهَا الفَتَّانِ

Speech to which nature lent an adornment

Enchanting, drawn from her captivating beauty.

مَا أَجْمَلَ الصُّوَرَ الَّتِي تُجْلَى بِهِ

فِي أَبْهَجِ الأَنْوَارِ وَالأَلْوَانِ

How beautiful the images revealed through it

In the brightest lights and colors!

لَمْ يَنْصُرِ الفُصْحَى كَنَصْرِكَ جِهْبَذُ

مُتَضَلِّعٌ مُتَوَسِّعٌ فِي آنِ

No master scholar has championed classical Arabic as you did,

Deeply and broadly learned at once.

قَوَّى مَعَاقِلَهَا وَدَرَّبَ نَشْأَهَا

فَبَنَى لَهَا جُدُراً مِنَ الأَرْكَانِ

He strengthened its strongholds and trained its rising youth,

And built for it walls of pillars.

وَأَقَرَّهُ فِي الصَّدْرِ مِنْ دِيَوانِهِمْ

أَشْيَاخُهَا بِالطَّوْعِ وَالإِذْعَانِ

And they seated him at the head of their council—

Its elders, willingly and with deference.

وَاحَسْرَتَا إِنَّ الكِنَانَةَ لَمْ تَفُزْ

بِأَثَارَةٍ مِنْ ذَلِكَ العِرْفَانِ

Alas! Kinana did not gain

Even a remnant of that knowledge.

أُدَبَاءَ لُبْنَانَ الكِرَامَ عَزَاءَكُمْ

إِنَّا لَمُشْتَرِكُونَ فِي الأَحْزَانِ

Noble writers of Lebanon, my condolences to you:

We surely share in the sorrows.

هَلْ حَلَّ خَطْبٌ بِالشَّآمِ وَأَهْلِهِ

إِلاَّ تَقَاسَمَ شَجْوَخُ القُطْرَانِ

Has any calamity befallen al-Sham and its people

Without the two lands sharing its grief?

إِنْ لَمْ تَرَوْنِي فِي الجَمَاعَة حَاضِراً

جِسْماً فَإِنِّي حَاضِرٌ بِجَنَانِي

If you do not see me present in the gathering

In body, I am nevertheless present in my heart.

مَا بِي وَنىً عَمَّنْ دَعَانِي مِنْكُمُ

لَكِنَّ حُكْماً لا يُرَدُّ عَدَانِي

No indolence keeps me from those of you who invited me;

But an irrevocable decree held me back.

شَأْنُ الصِّحَافَة أَنْ تُشَرِّفَ مَنْ بِهِ

شَرُفَتْ وَمَنْ أَوْلَى بِذَاكَ الشَّانِ

It is the press's duty to honor the one through whom

It gained honor—and who is more worthy of that distinction?

أَدُّوا حُقُوقَ نَقِيبِهَا وَخَطِيبِهَا

فَأَدِيبِهَا المُتفَوِّقِ الفَنَّانِ

Render what is owed to its leader and orator,

And its outstanding man of letters, the artist:

أَلكَاتِبِ الحُرِّ المُجِيد النَّائِبِ ال

بَرِّ الشَّديد العَزْمِ وَالإِيمَانِ

The free, accomplished writer, the representative,

Righteous, steadfast in resolve and faith.

رَجُلٌ قُصَارَى جُهْدهِ فِي قَوْمِهِ

نَصْرُ المَضِيمِ أَوِ افْتِكَاكُ العَانِي

A man whose utmost effort among his people

Was to champion the wronged or free the captive.

يَحْمِي حَقِيقَتَهُمْ وَحُرِّيَّاتِهِمْ

بِشَجَاعَةِ المُسْتَبْسِلِ المُتَفَانِي

He protects their rightful interests and their freedoms

With the courage of the fearless, self-sacrificing fighter.

وَيَرُدُّ كَيْدَ خُصُومِهِمْ فِي نَحْرِهِمْ

بِلِسَانِ صِدْقٍ دَامِغِ البُرْهَانِ

And turns their enemies' schemes back upon their throats,

With a truthful tongue, conclusive in its proof.

وَيُنَزِّهُ الأَخْلاقَ مِنْ شُبَهٍ بِهَا

وَيُطَهِّرُ الآدَابَ مِنْ أَدْرَانِ

And frees morals from the suspicions that cling to them,

And purifies literature of stains.

أَوَدِيعُ نَقْضِيكَ الوَدَاعَ وَكُلُّنَا

ذَاكِي الحَشَى مُسْتَعْبِرُ الأَجْفَانِ

O Wadi', we bid you farewell, and all of us

Are aflame at heart, with eyelids wet with tears.

سَتُعِيدُ طَيْرُ الأَرْزِ مَا عَلَّمْتَهَا

مِنْ شَدْوِكَ المُشْجِي عَلَى الأَزْمَانِ

The birds of the cedars will repeat what you taught them

Of your plaintive song throughout the ages.

وَسَتَذْكُرُ الضَّادُ اعْتِزَازَ بَيَانِهَا

بِكَ مَا جَرَتْ ذِكْرَى أَمِيرِ بَيَانِ

And the language of ḍād will recall the pride its eloquence took

In you, as long as a prince of eloquence is remembered.