مَكَانُكَ لاَ يَخْلُو إِذَا غَيْرُهُ خَلاَ

مَكَانُكَ لاَ يَخْلُو إِذَا غَيْرُهُ خَلاَ

وَما أَنْت مَنْ يُسْلَى إِذَا صَاحِبٌ سَلاَ

وَما أَنْت مَنْ يُسْلَى إِذَا صَاحِبٌ سَلاَ

Your place does not fall vacant when another does,

Your place is not empty when others are absent,

nor are you one to be forgotten when a friend forgets.

And you are not one who is consoled when a companion departs.

جَفَاءٍ لِدَارٍ لَم تُبَلَّغْكَ مأْرَباً

جَفَاءٍ لِدَارٍ لَم تُبَلَّغْكَ مأْرَباً

وقرْباً لِدَارٍ بِلَّغَتْكَ ذرى العُلَى

وقرْباً لِدَارٍ بِلَّغَتْكَ ذرى العُلَى

Shun an abode that never fulfilled your wish,

Harshness to a house that you were not brought up in,

and draw near an abode that brought you to glory's heights.

And closeness to a house that the lofty stars brought you up in.

تَمتَّع بِنَوْمٍ لَمْ تُمَتَّعْ بِمِثْلِهِ

تَمتَّع بِنَوْمٍ لَمْ تُمَتَّعْ بِمِثْلِهِ

وَأَخْلِ فُؤَاداً طَالَمَا بَاتَ مُشْغَلاَ

وَأَخْلِ فُؤَاداً طَالَمَا بَاتَ مُشْغَلاَ

Enjoy a sleep whose like you were never granted,

Enjoy a sleep that you have never enjoyed the like of,

and free a heart that spent so many nights preoccupied.

And relieve a heart that has long been preoccupied.

لَقَدْ نُهِكَتْ تِلْكَ القُوَى فَتَحَلَّلَتْ

لَقَدْ نُهِكَتْ تِلْكَ القُوَى فَتَحَلَّلَتْ

وَكُلُّ جَمِيعٍ بَائِدٌ إِنْ تَحَلَّلاَ

وَكُلُّ جَمِيعٍ بَائِدٌ إِنْ تَحَلَّلاَ

Those powers were indeed exhausted, and so fell apart,

Indeed those powers have been exhausted and weakened,

and every whole perishes if it falls apart.

And everything combined grows feeble when it weakens.

فَلاَ الحِلْمُ فَيَّاضٌ كَمَا كَانَ آخِراً

فَلاَ الحِلْمُ فَيَّاضٌ كَمَا كَانَ آخِراً

وَلاَ العَزْمُ نَهَّاضٌ كَمَا كَانَ أَوَّلاَ

وَلاَ العَزْمُ نَهَّاضٌ كَمَا كَانَ أَوَّلاَ

So forbearance no longer overflows as it did of late,

So neither is forbearance exuberant as it was before,

nor does resolve rise up as it did at first.

Nor is determination invigorating as it was at first.

وَلاَ شِعْرَ بَعْدَ اليَوْمِ صَافٍ بَيَانُهُ

وَلاَ شِعْرَ بَعْدَ اليَوْمِ صَافٍ بَيَانُهُ

يُعِيدُ لَنَا أَخْفَى المَعَانِي مُمَثَّلاَ

يُعِيدُ لَنَا أَخْفَى المَعَانِي مُمَثَّلاَ

Nor, after today, will there be poetry of lucid expression,

And no poetry after today has eloquent expression,

that renders for us the most hidden meanings in embodied form;

That can convey to us the most subtle meanings through imagery.

وَلاَ نَثْرَ بَعْدَ اليَوْمِ عَذْبٌ مَساغُهُ

وَلاَ نَثْرَ بَعْدَ اليَوْمِ عَذْبٌ مَساغُهُ

سَلِيمٌ مِنَ العِلاَّتِ غَانٍ عَنِ الحِلَى

سَلِيمٌ مِنَ العِلاَّتِ غَانٍ عَنِ الحِلَى

nor, after today, prose that is sweet to savor,

And no prose after today has a sweet taste,

free of flaws and needing no adornment;

Free from defects, flowing with charm.

ولاَ فِكْرةٌ نَقَّادة وَمَهَارَةٌ

ولاَ فِكْرةٌ نَقَّادة وَمَهَارَةٌ

حِسَابِيَّةٌ تعْتَدٌّ فِي الرَّيْبِ فَيْصلاَ

حِسَابِيَّةٌ تعْتَدٌّ فِي الرَّيْبِ فَيْصلاَ

nor discerning thought, nor skill

No critical thought or skillful calculation,

in calculation, deemed a decisive arbiter amid doubt;

That judges precisely and makes a clear distinction.

ولاَ خُلُقٌ رَاضٍ نَقِيٌّ كَأَنَّهُ

ولاَ خُلُقٌ رَاضٍ نَقِيٌّ كَأَنَّهُ

عَلَى كُلِّ حَالٍ طَاهِرُ الماءِ سلسَلاَ

عَلَى كُلِّ حَالٍ طَاهِرُ الماءِ سلسَلاَ

nor a contented, pure character, as though it were

No pleasing manners, pure as if

in every circumstance, pure water flowing sweetly.

They were under all conditions as clear as flowing water.

هِيَ القِصةُ الكُبْرى شَجانَا خِتَامُهَا

هِيَ القِصةُ الكُبْرى شَجانَا خِتَامُهَا

وَلَمْ يَكنِ المَوْضوعُ فِيها تخَيلاَ

وَلَمْ يَكنِ المَوْضوعُ فِيها تخَيلاَ

It is the great story whose ending saddened us,

This is the great story that saddened us with its ending,

and its subject was no fiction.

And the subject was not imagined in it.

فَتًى لَقِيَ الدُّنيا عبُوساً بِوجْهِهِ

فَتًى لَقِيَ الدُّنيا عبُوساً بِوجْهِهِ

فَأضحَكَ مِنها عزمَهُ وَتَوَكَّلاَ

فَأضحَكَ مِنها عزمَهُ وَتَوَكَّلاَ

A young man met the world as it frowned in his face;

A young man met the world frowning,

so he made his resolve laugh at it, and placed his trust.

But his determination and trust made him laugh at it.

إِذَا أَحرَجَتْهُ فِي الشَّآمِ فَإِنَّهُ

إِذَا أَحرَجَتْهُ فِي الشَّآمِ فَإِنَّهُ

لَيعتَاضُ مِنها بِالكِنَانَةٍ موثِلاَ

لَيعتَاضُ مِنها بِالكِنَانَةٍ موثِلاَ

If it hemmed him in in al-Sham, then he would

When it embarrassed him in Syria,

surely exchange it for a refuge in al-Kinanah.

He would console himself with seclusion.

يُصَرِّفُ فِي شَتَّى الأمُورِ ذَكاءَهُ

يُصَرِّفُ فِي شَتَّى الأمُورِ ذَكاءَهُ

وَيستَنْزِلُ الرزقَ العَصِيَّ مُذَلَّلاَ

وَيستَنْزِلُ الرزقَ العَصِيَّ مُذَلَّلاَ

He puts his intelligence to use in all manner of affairs,

He directed his intelligence in various matters,

and draws down defiant sustenance, subdued.

And brought down sustenance that was difficult to obtain.

وَيَبْنِي لهُ مجْداً ويُضْحِي بِجِدِّهِ

وَيَبْنِي لهُ مجْداً ويُضْحِي بِجِدِّهِ

مِنَ النفر الأَعِلينِ في الشَّرْقِ منزِلاَ

مِنَ النفر الأَعِلينِ في الشَّرْقِ منزِلاَ

And he builds glory for himself and, through his diligence, becomes

He built for himself glory and sacrificed with his effort,

one of the men of highest station in the East.

A high position among the eminent in the East.

فَتَأْخذُهُ الدُّنْيَا بِأَسْبابِ فَضْلِهِ

فَتَأْخذُهُ الدُّنْيَا بِأَسْبابِ فَضْلِهِ

وترْمِيهِ مِنْ حَيْثُ اتَّقَاهَا لِتَقْتُلا

وترْمِيهِ مِنْ حَيْثُ اتَّقَاهَا لِتَقْتُلا

Then the world seizes him through the very things that made him excel,

But the world took him by means of his virtuous causes,

and strikes him from where he guarded against it, to kill him.

And threw him from where he feared it in order to kill him.

فَمَا هُوَ إِلاَّ وَالمُنَى قَدْ غَدتْ لَهُ

فَمَا هُوَ إِلاَّ وَالمُنَى قَدْ غَدتْ لَهُ

ضَنىً وَخلُودُ الصِّيْتِ موْتاً مُعجَّلاَ

ضَنىً وَخلُودُ الصِّيْتِ موْتاً مُعجَّلاَ

So in no time, his hopes had become for him

So it was nothing but death that had become a source of grief for him,

wasting sickness, and undying fame a premature death.

And the eternity of fame became accelerated death.

بِوَشْك كَهذَا الوشْكِ مَرَّتْ حَياتُهُ

بِوَشْك كَهذَا الوشْكِ مَرَّتْ حَياتُهُ

وَما ينْقَضِي عُمرٌ بِأَنْكَى وأَجمَلاَ

وَما ينْقَضِي عُمرٌ بِأَنْكَى وأَجمَلاَ

With swiftness like this, his life passed by,

In the blink of an eye his life passed,

and no life ends more grievously or more beautifully.

And no lifetime ends with more sorrow and beauty.

أَلاَ يَا أَخِي إِني لأَرثِيكَ باكِياً

أَلاَ يَا أَخِي إِني لأَرثِيكَ باكِياً

حزِيناُ عَلَى العَهدِ الكَرِيمِ الَّذِي خَلاَ

حزِيناُ عَلَى العَهدِ الكَرِيمِ الَّذِي خَلاَ

Ah, my brother, I do lament you, weeping,

Oh my brother! I lament you crying,

sorrowing for the noble days that have passed,

Grieving over the noble era that has passed.

بِصَوْتٍ إِذَا بَحَّتْهُ غَاشِيَةُ الأَسى

بِصَوْتٍ إِذَا بَحَّتْهُ غَاشِيَةُ الأَسى

فَذِكْراكَ تَجْلوهُ عَلَى مَسْمَعِ المَلاَ

فَذِكْراكَ تَجْلوهُ عَلَى مَسْمَعِ المَلاَ

with a voice that, when grief's pall makes it hoarse,

With a voice, that when the overwhelmings of sorrow roar it,

your memory then clears for the gathering to hear.

The mention of you makes it gentle to the ears of the assembly.

تَوَاطَنْ قرِيراً حيْثُ بِت مُنَعَّماً

تَوَاطَنْ قرِيراً حيْثُ بِت مُنَعَّماً

وَدعْ مُبْتَلىً فِي النَّاسِ يَرثِيِ لِمُبتَلَى

وَدعْ مُبْتَلىً فِي النَّاسِ يَرثِيِ لِمُبتَلَى

Dwell at peace where you lie in bliss,

Sleep comfortably where you lived in luxury,

and leave a sufferer among people to grieve for a sufferer.

And leave the afflicted among the people lamenting the afflicted.