هَلْ مَنْ يعينُ عَلَى التجلدِ ساعةً

هَلْ مَنْ يعينُ عَلَى التجلدِ ساعةً

فمع الدموعِ تجلُّدي قد سالا

فمع الدموعِ تجلُّدي قد سالا

Is there anyone to help me hold firm for a while?

Is there one who can help me show endurance for an hour?

For my fortitude has flowed away with my tears.

With tears, my endurance has flowed away.

طفلٌ بجوفِ الليلِ يبكي عارياً

طفلٌ بجوفِ الليلِ يبكي عارياً

نال الضنى من جسمه ما نالا

نال الضنى من جسمه ما نالا

A child was weeping naked in the heart of night,

A naked child cries in the belly of the night.

wasting sickness having taken its toll on his body.

Affliction has seized his body, seizing without cease.

ما راعه إلاّ دنوّي نحوه

ما راعه إلاّ دنوّي نحوه

كالفرْخِ ريع لكاسرٍ قَدْ صالا

كالفرْخِ ريع لكاسرٍ قَدْ صالا

Nothing frightened him but my approach toward him,

I approached him compassionately like

like a fledgling startled by a bird of prey that had swooped.

A feeble chick to a vicious fowler fully armed.

ساءَلته ما خطبُه فتدفَّقتْ

ساءَلته ما خطبُه فتدفَّقتْ

منه الدموعُ فما استطاع مقالا

منه الدموعُ فما استطاع مقالا

I asked him what was wrong, and out poured

I asked him what was his problem, whereupon

his tears; he could not utter a word.

Tears streamed from him, he was unable to speak.

فمسحتُها حتى اطمأْنَّ فؤادُهُ

فمسحتُها حتى اطمأْنَّ فؤادُهُ

وأَعدتُ بعدئذ عليه سؤالا

وأَعدتُ بعدئذ عليه سؤالا

So I wiped them away until his heart grew calm,

I wiped them until his heart was calmed,

and afterward I put the question to him again.

And after that I asked him some more questions.

ماذا أقول وقد رميت بكلِّ فا

ماذا أقول وقد رميت بكلِّ فا

دحةٍ تدكُّ بهولِها الأَجبالا

دحةٍ تدكُّ بهولِها الأَجبالا

“What can I say, when I have been struck by every grievous

What can I say? I was struck down

calamity whose horror crushes mountains?

By every horrible misfortune that can move mountains.

ذهب الزمانُ بوالديَّ ولم يدعْ

ذهب الزمانُ بوالديَّ ولم يدعْ

حتى طوى عماً وأَودى خالا

حتى طوى عماً وأَودى خالا

Time carried off my parents and spared no one,

Time has taken my parents and left me no

even sweeping away a paternal uncle and claiming a maternal uncle,

Uncles or aunts that it did not destroy.

وشقيقة كالغصنِ في غلْوائه

وشقيقة كالغصنِ في غلْوائه

عصفتْ به ريحُ المنونِ فمالا

عصفتْ به ريحُ المنونِ فمالا

and a sister, like a branch in its full vigor—

And a sister, like a bough in her flourishing,

death’s wind swept over it, and it bent.

Was swept away by the wind of death and leaned over.

وأَعضَّ نابُ الجوعِ طاويَ مهجتي

وأَعضَّ نابُ الجوعِ طاويَ مهجتي

وأَثابني داءً عليه عضالا

وأَثابني داءً عليه عضالا

And hunger’s fang bit into my famished heart,

And the fangs of hunger tore my entrails

and rewarded me, besides, with an incurable disease.

And rewarded my body with an incurable disease.

فسعيتُ نحو الموتِ أَعلم أَنه

فسعيتُ نحو الموتِ أَعلم أَنه

من ضنْكِ هذا العيش أحسن حالا

من ضنْكِ هذا العيش أحسن حالا

So I sought death, knowing it

So I sought death, knowing that it

to be a better lot than the misery of this life.”

Was a better state than the woe of this life.

وإلى هنا انقطعَ الحديثُ لعارضٍ

وإلى هنا انقطعَ الحديثُ لعارضٍ

بين الكلام وبينه قد حالا

بين الكلام وبينه قد حالا

And here his tale broke off, for an impediment

And here, speech was cut off by some obstacle

had come between him and his words.

That came between speech and him.

لله إِذْ أَلقى عليَّ بنفسه

لله إِذْ أَلقى عليَّ بنفسه

والموتُ جدَّ بجسمه إِيغالا

والموتُ جدَّ بجسمه إِيغالا

O God! When he flung himself upon me,

By God, when he threw himself upon me,

while death pressed ever deeper into his body,

And death earnestly penetrated his body,

لَفَظَ الحياةَ عَلَى يديَّ فشمتها

لَفَظَ الحياةَ عَلَى يديَّ فشمتها

نوراً إِلى الملإِ العليِّ تعالى

نوراً إِلى الملإِ العليِّ تعالى

he breathed out his life in my hands, and I beheld it

He breathed his last in my hands, so I smelled

as a light that rose to the host on high.

A light rising to the Most High God.

وسمعتُ هينمةَ الملائِكِ حوله

وسمعتُ هينمةَ الملائِكِ حوله

ورأيتُ رحمةَ رَبِّنا تتوالى

ورأيتُ رحمةَ رَبِّنا تتوالى

And I heard the angels’ murmuring around him,

And I heard the humming of angels around him

and I saw our Lord’s mercy come in succession.

And saw the mercy of our Lord unfolding continuously.

فهناك أُسقط في يديَّ وعقَّني

فهناك أُسقط في يديَّ وعقَّني

جلدٌ تملَّك مدمعاً هطّالا

جلدٌ تملَّك مدمعاً هطّالا

Then I was overwhelmed with dismay, and betrayed

There my endurance, which had abandoned me, fell into my hands

by the fortitude that had governed my tear-streaming eye.

And disciplined my weeping eyes pouring down tears.