القلب يخشع والمدامع تهمع — Mahmoud Qabadu

القَلبُ يَخشعُ وَالمدامعُ تهمعُ

وَالقولُ ما يُرضي الإلهَ وينفعُ

The heart grows humble, and tears stream down.

Speech should please God and bring benefit.

وَالدينُ يَمنعُ وَالنهى تنهى الفتى

عَن أَن يُرى مِن مسّ خطب يجزعُ

Religion restrains, and reason forbids a man

to be seen despairing when calamity strikes.

مَن ذا يُنازعُ ربّه في ملكهِ

وَمنِ الّذي لِقضائهِ لا يخضعُ

Who disputes with his Lord over His dominion?

Who does not submit to His decree?

وَبأيّ لبٍّ يُستطاعُ ومقولٍ

أَن ينكرَ المصنوع ما هو يصنعُ

With what intellect or utterance could one

deny, as a creature, what He creates?

سُبحانهُ مِن خالقٍ ومهيمنٍ

منهُ إليه الإِلتجا والمفزعُ

Glory to Him, Creator and Guardian!

From Him, refuge and recourse are to Him.

نَفَذت مَشيئَته بِسابق علمهِ

وَعَنت لِقُدرته الخلائق أجمعُ

His will takes effect through His prior knowledge,

and all creatures bow before His power.

فالعلمُ يُملي للإرادةِ ما بلو

حِ الكونِ أَيدي الإقتدار ترصّعُ

Knowledge dictates to the will what, on the tablet

of the universe, the hands of power inlay.

وَسَلاسلُ الأسبابِ في السبعين مظ

هرُ أمره فتنزّلٌ وترفّعُ

The chains of causes, within the seventy, manifest

His command: a descent and an ascent.

ما بَينَ مركزِ حكمهِ وَمحيطِ قُد

رَتهِ مَجالُ الكائناتِ الأوسعُ

Between His judgment's center and the circumference

of His power lies creation's widest domain.

فَاِنظُر لِهذا الكونِ نظرة سابرٍ

ما حالهُ والمُبتدا والمرجعُ

Examine this universe with a probing gaze:

its condition, its beginning, and its return.

وَأَجِل قداحَ الفكر فيه إجالةً

بِسوى المعلّى ربّها لا يقنعُ

Set thought's gaming arrows revolving within it,

their master content with nothing but the highest arrow.

وَاِقطع علائقَ عادةٍ عُوِّدتها

فهيَ الّتي بك للحضيضِ تكسّعُ

Cut the attachments of habits you were taught:

they are what thrust you into the depths.

وَاِعرُج بِمعراجِ اِعتبار شامخٍ

فالفكر مرقاةٌ إذا يترفّعُ

Ascend upon reflection's lofty ladder,

for thought is a stairway when it rises.

يا ساحباً بالعلمِ ذيل فخارهِ

ما العلمُ إلّا خشية وتخشّعُ

You who trail learning's train of pride,

knowledge is nothing but reverent fear and humility.

إن كنتَ تأملُ في الديانةِ رتبةً

فالدين أخلاقٌ كِرامٌ تتبعُ

If you aspire to rank in religion,

religion is noble conduct to be followed.

أَينَ التجافي عَن مواقعِ غرّة

أَينَ الإِنابةُ للّتي هي مرجعُ

Where is your avoidance of occasions of heedlessness?

Where is your return to that final refuge?

أَهل الإله همُ الّذين إذا رُؤوا

ذُكر الإله بِهم وضاء المجمعُ

God's people are those whose very appearance

recalls God and lights up the gathering.

نورُ الشريعةِ مِن ظَواهِرهم عَلى

نور الحقيقة بالبواطن يسطعِ

The law's light, from their outward selves, shines upon

truth's light within their inward selves.

الزهدُ والإيثارُ مِن أخلاقهم

وَالصدقُ في قولٍ وفعلٍ يشرعُ

Renunciation and selflessness belong to their character,

and truthfulness is practiced in speech and deed.

عَبَدوا الإله كأنّه مرئيّهم

فَتواضعوا لجلالهِ وتخضّعوا

They worshiped God as though they saw Him,

humbling themselves before His majesty in submission.

وَتَفكّروا في أنّهم مرأى له

فَرعوا حياءً أمره وتورّعوا

They reflected that they were in His sight,

and, ashamed to disobey, observed His command scrupulously.

فَمدارُ إِحسانِ العبادةِ منهمُ

رُقبى ورُهبى مِن تجلٍّ يصدعُ

Their excellence in worship revolves around

watchfulness and awe before an overwhelming revelation.

فَاِبرز إِلى مولاك فرداً مثلهم

لا يطّبيه سراب كون يلمعُ

Go forth alone to your Lord, like them,

unlured by the world's glittering mirage.

وَتعرّ عن علقِ الحظوظِ جميعها

فهيَ العوائقُ والحجاب الأمنعُ

Strip yourself of every attachment to personal gains:

these are the obstacles and the strongest veil.

فَهُناكَ تَعلمُ أنّك الكنزُ الّذي

فيهِ خبايا سرّه تستودعُ

Then you will know that you are the treasure

where the hidden things of His mystery are deposited.

وَترى الدقائقَ مِن مناسبةِ الحَقا

ئقِ بِالسّراية فيكَ طرّا تجمعُ

You will see the subtleties of the affinities of realities

all gathered within you through their permeation.

ما ذرّةٌ في الكونِ إلّا أَنت مر

كَزها وَأنت محيطها المترفّعُ

There is no atom in the universe but you are

its center and its exalted circumference.

أَملاكُهُ مُستَغفرون إِليك أو

متسخّرون لِما لرزقك يرجعُ

His angels seek forgiveness for you, or

serve what contributes to your sustenance.

أَنتَ الخليفةُ في الوجودِ جميعه

وَبكَ اِنطوى ما في الوجود موسّعُ

You are the vicegerent throughout existence,

and within you is enfolded all existence's expanse.

خُلِقت لكَ الأشيا وَأَنت لربّها

إِذ في فؤادك مُجتلاه الأجمعُ

Things were created for you, and you for their Lord,

whose fullest manifestation is within your heart.

ما بَعد كونكَ قد خُلقت لأجلهِ

في أحسنِ التقويمِ خلقٌ أبدعُ

After your creation for His sake,

in the finest form, no creation is more wondrous.

أَو مثل نفسكَ وَالبقاء مآلها

لِسفاسفٍ رهن الفناء تضيّعُ

Would a soul like yours, destined for permanence,

be squandered for trifles pledged to perish?

وَتُردّ أَسفل سافلينَ وئيدةً

في قبرِ جسمٍ للبلايا مرتعُ

And be returned, slowly, to the lowest depths,

within a bodily grave where afflictions graze?

فَتجافَ عَن مهدِ البطالةِ إنّ تأ

ويلَ السرورِ لنائميه مفزعُ

Shun idleness's cradle, for the interpretation

of joy terrifies those sleeping there.

وَاِنهض وبادِر أن تردّ نفائسُ ال

أنفاسِ فهيَ ودائعٌ تسترجعُ

Rise and hasten before the precious

breaths are returned: they are deposits reclaimed.

وَاِلحظ بِلحظِ الإعتبارِ محدّقاً

فيما تسرّ بهِ النفوسُ وتبخعُ

Look intently with the gaze of reflection

at what delights souls and exhausts them.

وَترقّ مِن مبدا الأمور لغايةٍ

وَمنَ الجليّ إِلى خفيّ يشسعُ

Ascend from things' beginnings to their end,

and from the evident to the far-hidden.

تَجدِ الحقائقَ في ملابسَ عدّةٍ

تُجلى على حسبِ المواطن تخلعُ

You will find realities wearing many garments,

displayed and shed according to their settings.

تَلونُّ مِن لونِ الإناء فَدركها

متجرّداتٍ بالبديهةِ يمنعُ

They take their vessel's color; apprehending them

unclothed is denied to immediate intuition.

لَكِنّ مَن أَعطى المواطنَ حقّها

يَدري الأمورَ متى تضرّ وتنفعُ

But whoever gives each setting its due

knows when things harm and when they benefit.

وَيرى الشرائعَ كلّها أدباً على

وفقِ التجلّي لِلحقائق يشرعُ

He sees all religious laws as proper conduct,

ordained according to realities' manifestation.

فَبِسائرِ المتجلّياتِ مشيّعاً

في كلِّ وجهٍ والفؤادُ مشيّعُ

Thus he accompanies all manifestations

in every aspect, with a steadfast heart.

وَلِوحدةِ الحقّ الّتي هي مركزٌ

بِسهامِ أغراضِ المظاهر ينزعُ

Toward the unity of Truth, which is the center,

he draws the arrows of appearances' purposes.

حتّى يَكونَ موافقاً لإرادَةِ ال

مولى عَلى علمٍ وفهمٍ يتبعُ

Until he accords with the will of

the Lord, following with knowledge and understanding.

ذاكَ الّذي لَم يُسترقّ وَلم يكن

رَبّاً لشيءٍ فهو عبد طيّعُ

That is the one who was not enslaved, nor was

lord of anything: an obedient servant.

أَفعالهُ مَوجودةٌ معدومةٌ

بِمفازةِ التوحيد آلٌ يلمعُ

His actions exist and do not exist:

a glittering mirage in unity's desert.

تَجري عَلى حكمِ العدالةِ لا ترى

غرضاً يَحوزُ بِها ولا يستتبعُ

They proceed by justice's rule; you see no

purpose he gains through them or pursues.

كلّ الوجودِ له كتابٌ منزلٌ

بِتعرّف وتنزّلات ترفعُ

All existence is for him a revealed book,

through self-disclosure and descents that exalt.

مُتمكّنُ العرفانِ عند تلوّن ال

مَعروفِ يقبله كما يتنوّعُ

Firm in spiritual knowledge, when the known

changes color, he accepts its varying forms.

مُستصبحٌ بِيقينِ علمٍ خائضٍ

فتن المظاهرِ وهيَ ليلٌ أسفعُ

Lit by certain knowledge, he plunges through

the trials of appearances, a pitch-black night.

مُتقيّدٌ أبداً ومطلقُ همّةٍ

وَبصيرةٍ مترفّع متخشّعُ

Ever bound by duty, yet unbounded in aspiration

and insight, exalted yet humble.

حيٌّ تجرّد عَن علاقةِ جسمهِ

كتجرّد الحيّات سلخاً تنزعُ

Alive, he sheds attachment to his body

as snakes shed and cast away their skins.

والٍ على بلدٍ تغرّب فيه ير

تَقبُ المآبَ فهمّه ما يجمعُ

A governor in a land where he lives an exile,

awaiting return, intent upon what he gathers.

أَو تاجرٌ بالعمرِ في سوق من الد

دُنيا لأخراه به مستبضعُ

Or a merchant trading his lifetime in a market

of this world, acquiring goods for his hereafter.

هَذا الّذي هو وارثٌ أو حارثٌ

مُستغبطٌ في حصدهِ ما يزرعُ

This is the heir, or the cultivator,

envied for harvesting what he sows.

وَسِواه مِن كونٍ لكونٍ راحلٌ

بِالموتِ إِن لم يُشقه ما يصنعُ

Another merely travels from one realm to another

through death, unless his deeds make him miserable.

فَاِستفتِ نَفسك وَاِمتَحن كُنه الّذي

حَصَلَت عليهِ بَسعيها هل ينفعُ

Consult your soul and examine the essence of what

its striving has obtained: does it benefit?

وَاِحذَر عراءَ العارِ يوم تغابنٍ

إِذ لا يُواري الجسمُ ما يستبشعُ

Beware shame's nakedness on the day of mutual loss,

when the body cannot conceal what is abhorrent.

إِذ تُحشرُ الأرواحُ طبقَ علومها

وَتُرى الجسومُ بشكلِ فعلٍ تطبعُ

When souls are gathered according to their knowledge,

and bodies appear stamped in their deeds' shapes.

وَترى الفعالُ كأنّها الأشباح والن

نيّات أرواح لها تستتبعُ

Deeds appear like bodies, and

intentions like the souls accompanying them.

كَم ذا ترقّعُ ثوبَ جسمٍ منهجٍ

وَيدُ البلى في خرقه تتوسّعُ

How long will you patch a threadbare bodily garment,

while decay's hand widens its rents?

يوهي الجديدانِ القوى ويقرّبا

نِ العمرَ مِن أجلٍ مباحٍ يقطعُ

Night and day weaken strength and bring

life nearer an unimpeded term that cuts it off.

فَلو اِفتقدت قواك أَنكرتَ الّذي

مِنها عرفتَ وَلَم يلفكَ المضجعُ

If you inspected your strength, you would disown what

you once knew of it; bed would not detain you.

وَعَبرتَ عَن دُنياكَ عبرةَ نازعٍ

عَنها إِلى وطنِ المقامةِ ينزعُ

You would pass beyond your world like one departing,

drawn away toward the homeland of abiding.

وَعَرفتها وَحَذرت من لذّاتها

دَسماً تُرقرقهُ لسمٍّ ينقعُ

You would know it and beware, among its pleasures,

the rich fat it pours over steeping poison.

في الناسِ مَن لو أُمّنوا تبعاتها

لاِستَقذَروها عفّةً وتورّعوا

Some people, even assured against its consequences,

would find it foul through chastity and abstain.

شُحّاً بأنفاسٍ تعزّ وأنفس

أُنفٍ وَمعطس همّة يترفّعِ

Cherishing precious breaths and souls

too proud, with aspiration's nose held high,

عَن ضيعةٍ وإنالةٍ وإهانةٍ

في عيشةٍ بوشيك بين تفجعُ

for waste, handouts, and humiliation

in a life grieved by imminent separation.

وَتفادياً عَن كسفِ نور بصيرةٍ

بهوىً يرين على القلوبِ ويطبعُ

Avoiding the eclipse of insight's light

by desire that encrusts and seals hearts.

وَتفصّياً عَن فتنةٍ إِن سالَمَت

نَقَصَت منَ الحظّ الّذي هو أنفعُ

And escaping a temptation which, even when peaceful,

diminishes the portion that benefits more.

فَالطيّباتُ اليومَ مُذهبةٌ غداً

عمّن بِها لِرعونةٍ يستمتعُ

Today's delights strip tomorrow's blessings

from those who recklessly enjoy them.

كَم عفّرت في التربِ رأسَ متوّجٍ

كَم لَجلَجت أسلاتِ لسنٍ تصقعُ

How many crowned heads it has rubbed in dust!

How many ringing tongues it has made falter!

لا تَركُنن منها لظلٍّ زائلٍ

إنّ الظلالَ إِلى الشواخصِ تبّعُ

Do not rely upon its vanishing shade:

shadows follow the standing forms.

وَاِعلم بأنّك حاسرٌ مستهدفٌ

لِسهامها ولوِ اِزدهاكَ تدرّعُ

Know that you are bare and exposed

to its arrows, though your armor makes you proud.

وَكنِ الأشدّ تحذّراً منها إذا

كُنتَ الأسرّ بها فثمّ المخدعُ

Be most wary of it when

you are happiest with it: there lies deception.

فَالمطمئنّ بِها إِلى مكروهها

أَدنى من الحذرِ الّذي يتوقّعُ

One reassured by it is nearer its harm

than the cautious one who expects it.

لَم تُطبع الدّنيا على شكلِ الوفا

فَعلامَ في قلبِ الحقائق يطمعُ

The world was not fashioned for fidelity:

why hope to overturn realities?

عِش ما تشاءُ بِها فإنّك ميّتٌ

وَاِحبب بِها من شئتَ فهو مودّعُ

Live in it as you please: you will die.

Love whomever you please: you will bid farewell.

وَاِصنَع بِها ما شِئتهُ ترهُ غداً

إِذ لا رَهينَ يفكُّ ممّا يصنعُ

Do whatever you please: tomorrow you will see it,

for no captive is released from his deeds.

لِلأرضِ يرجعُ ما عَليها إنّما

هِيَ مستقرٌّ بعده مستودعُ

All upon the earth returns to it; it is only

a dwelling, followed by a place of deposit.

مِن تُربها كنّا وفيه معادنا

وَكَما بُدِئنا منه قبلُ سنرجعُ

We came from its dust, and there is our return;

as we first began from it, we shall return.

يَقضي النّهى وَالطبع أنّ لنوعنا

رِمماً عَلى الدقعاء منها أوسعُ

Reason and nature decree that our kind

has a wider place as remains upon bare earth.

فَسَلِ الثرى كم من نواصٍ عفّرت

فيهِ وكانَ المسك منها يسطعُ

Ask the soil how many forelocks were rubbed

into it, once radiating musk.

وَبدورُ تمٍّ قَد هوت لرغامها

كانَت منازلها الصياصي المنّعُ

How many full moons have fallen into its dust,

whose dwellings were impregnable fortresses!

وَاِنظر فَكم خدّ أسيلٍ قد ثوى

فيهِ وَرأسِ رئاسةٍ يترنّعُ

Look how many smooth cheeks have lain

within it, and proudly swaying heads of authority.

لِتَرى ذوي التيجانِ والعرفان في

أَثنائهِ كَالخاملينَ تودّعوا

You will see the crowned and the learned

deposited within it like the obscure.

إِنّ الأنامَ فرائسٌ وَالسبعةُ ال

أيّام فيهم بالرزايا أسبعُ

Humankind are prey, and the seven

days are beasts preying upon them with calamities.

جرّ الزمانُ على الألى ذيلَ البلى

قدماً فكلٌّ تحته متبرقعُ

Time trailed decay's train over those

of old, and all are veiled beneath it.

وَأَناخ كلكلهُ عَلى ما شيّدوا

فَتدكدكت أطمٌ وَأقوت أربعُ

It settled its breast upon what they built:

fortresses crumbled, and dwellings stood deserted.

هَذي سبيلُ الغابرينَ وَأنت في

آثارهِم فَاِنظر لماذا المرجعُ

This is the path of those departed; you follow

their footsteps, so consider where the return leads.

ما أَنتَ فيه كان غيرك أهلهُ

وَيعودُ بعدكَ أهله المتوقّعُ

What you possess belonged to someone else,

and after you its awaited occupant will possess it.

إنّ الورى سفرٌ يسيرُ بهم إلى

دارِ البقا دولابُ دهرٍ مسرعُ

People are travelers borne toward

the abiding home by time's swift wheel.

وَمَسافةٌ ما قَبلها أزلٌ وما

مِن بعدها أبدٌ سريعاً تقطعُ

A distance preceded by eternity, and

followed by eternity, you traverse swiftly.

فَعَلامَ ثمّ علامَ ثمّ إلى متى

يا اِبن السبيلِ بمهده تتولّعُ

Why, then why, and until when,

wayfarer, will you be enamored of its cradle?

أَيضيع مجتازٌ بدار ضيافةٍ

زاداً وما يبقيه فيها يجمعُ

Does a traveler passing through a guesthouse squander

provisions, gathering what would keep him there?

بَين المَنايا والمنى عُمُرٌ به

نعمٌ تَزولُ وَنقمة تتوقّعُ

Between death and desire lies a life containing

blessings that vanish and adversity anticipated.

تَتجدّدُ الآمالُ مع إِبلائهِ

فَالموتُ يَدنو والأماني تشسعُ

Hopes renew themselves as life wears away:

death draws near, while wishes stretch afar.

لا تبرحُ الآمالُ تُرخي للفتى

طولاً فَيرتعُ ريثما يسترجعُ

Hopes keep letting out a long tether

for a man to graze until he is reclaimed.

هلّا يُريح جوارحاً وجوانحاً

مرءٌ وَبالميسورِ عيشاً يقنعُ

Why does a man not rest his limbs and heart,

content to live upon what is available?

فَالحرصُ والتدبيرُ في رزقٍ كفي

جهل يضلّ وغلّة لا تنقعُ

Craving and scheming over sustenance already assured

are misleading ignorance and unquenched thirst.

لا يَمتَطي الدنيا إِلى الأخرى سوى

ثقفٍ بملك عنانها يستضلعُ

None rides this world toward the next except

a skillful rider strong enough to master its reins.

لا يَزدهيهِ وَلا يطيش بلبّهِ

مَرحٌ عَلى أعطافها يتدفّعُ

He is neither dazzled nor driven out of his mind

by exuberance surging upon its flanks.

فَهيَ العثورُ وَلا يقال عثارها

وَهي الجموحُ وإن غدت تتطوّعُ

It stumbles, and its stumble admits no recovery;

it is unbridled, even when it seems obedient.

تَنأى حراناً كلّما أكرَمتها

وَإِذا أُهينَت أَصبحت تتخضّعُ

It stubbornly withdraws whenever you honor it,

and becomes submissive when it is humbled.

تَجلو عَلى الخطّابِ حسناً رائعاً

وَعَلى مخازي جمّةٍ تتبرقعُ

It displays ravishing beauty to its suitors,

while veiling countless disgraces.

كَم ذا تغرُّ وتلدغُ الإنسان من

جحرٍ مراراٍ وهو لا يتمنّعُ

How often it deceives and bites a person from

one hole repeatedly, while he offers no resistance!

ما ذاكَ إلّا أنّ أَنفسنا لها

أَبداً بحبّ العاجلاتِ تولّعِ

That happens only because our souls

are ever enamored of immediate pleasures.

أَلِفَت مُعانقةَ الحظوظِ وما درت

أنَّ الحظوظَ هيَ الإسارُ المدقعُ

They grew accustomed to embracing personal gains, unaware

that gains are the bondage that impoverishes.

عنيَت لَها بالرغمِ إِذ عنيت بها

وَبلا فداءٍ أسرُ من لا يقنعُ

They bowed unwillingly to them through caring for them;

the captivity of the discontented has no ransom.

إنّ الوجودَ سجلُّ رمزٍ ضمنهُ

سرّ الكيانَ وما إليهِ المرجعُ

Existence is a scroll of symbols containing

being's mystery and the destination of return.

تَطوي يدُ الإبطان منه كلّ ما

نَشرت يدُ الإبدا وكلٌّ مشرعُ

Concealment's hand folds away from it all that

manifestation's hand unfolded; all is laid open.

فَأَخو الحِجى متدبّرٌ لِرموزهِ

وَسِواه تلهيهِ النقوشُ اللمّعُ

The rational man ponders its symbols;

another is distracted by glittering inscriptions.

حَتّى إِذا جلَتِ الحقائقُ بان حك

مُ القَبضتَينِ فغانمٌ ومضيّعُ

Until, when realities become clear, the judgment

of the two handfuls appears: winners and squanderers.

سُبحانَ مَن حَجَبَ الأنامَ ليع

مروا الدنيا بآمالٍ لهم تتوسّعُ

Glory to Him who veiled humanity so they might

inhabit the world with ever-expanding hopes!

تَرنو بَصائرهم إِلى الأسبابِ في

لبسٍ وَمِن حسرٍ خواسئ ترجعُ

Their inner eyes gaze toward causes in

confusion, returning rebuffed and exhausted.

تَعزو إِلى المرآةِ ما يجلى بها

عزوَ الشرابِ إِلى سرابٍ يلمعُ

They attribute to the mirror what appears within it,

as drink is attributed to a shining mirage.

تَحجو حقيقَتُها الوجودَ وَلَو دَرَت

مَعنى الوجودِ لكانَ فيه المقنعُ

Their inner nature conjectures about existence; if it knew

existence's meaning, it would find satisfaction there.

كَم تلبسُ الأوهامُ كنهَ حقائقٍ

لُبسَ السروجيّ الّذي يتنوّعُ

How often illusions disguise realities' essence

with al-Saruji's ever-changing disguises!

وَتلوّن الدّنيا لأهليها كَما

تَتلوّنُ الحرباءُ كيما تخدعُ

The world changes color for its people

as the chameleon changes color to deceive.

لا تُمسكَ الأيدي بِها إلّا على

حَبل يدلّى بِالغرور ويقطعُ

Hands grasp nothing in it but

a rope lowered deceitfully, then severed.

يَبني الفتى فيها الرجاءَ عَلى شَفا

وَيقرّ منهُ مقرّ من لا يفزعُ

A man builds his hopes upon a brink,

settling there like one who fears nothing.

يَبني بناءَ الخالدينَ سفاهةً

وَالدهرُ يهدمُ عمرهُ ويضعضعُ

Foolishly he builds as though immortal,

while time demolishes and shakes his life.

يُلهيه حظٌّ هالكٌ مستنزرٌ

عَن حظّهِ الباقي الَّذي هو أرفعُ

A scant, perishing portion distracts him

from his enduring, loftier portion.

وَلو اِنّه يَصفو له أو غبّه

رأساً بِرأسٍ في نجاة مطمعُ

If only it remained pure for him, or its sequel

were an even exchange, there would be hope of safety.

لكنّه حشفٌ وَأَسوأ كيلةٍ

وَغراقةٌ وتباعةٌ وتفزُّعُ

But it is shriveled dates and the worst measure:

drowning, consequences, and terror.

أَولى له يبزى ويوفكُ لبّه

عَن منذرٍ عريانَ لا يتبرقعُ

Woe to him! Overpowered, his mind is turned away

from a naked warner who wears no veil.

أَبِمَسمعيهِ صمامُ وقرٍ أم على

بَصرِ الفؤادِ غشاوةٌ لا ترفعُ

Are his ears plugged with deafness, or is

his heart's sight veiled beyond removal?

أَم كانَ في شكٍّ مريبٍ فليعد

نَظراً فداعيهِ المبينُ المسمعُ

If he harbors troubling doubt, let him look

again: the summons is clear and audible.

أَوَ ليسَ يذكرُ خلقهُ من نطفةٍ

فَإِذا هوَ الخصمُ الألدّ المصقعُ

Does he not remember his creation from a drop?

Yet suddenly he is the fiercest, most eloquent disputant!

وَإِذا لهُ عقلٌ يحكِّمهُ عَلى

ما عن تصوّره بوجهٍ يضلعُ

He has an intellect which he appoints judge over

what it cannot adequately conceive.

فَالجهلُ وَالتقليدُ ضربةُ لازبٍ

أَبداً عليه فأيّ حكمٍ يقطعُ

Ignorance and imitation inevitably cling

to him forever: what judgment can he pronounce?

لَوحٌ وَأَيدي الفيض ناقشةٌ بهِ

مثلَ الحقائقِ قدر ما يتوسّعُ

A tablet, upon which the hands of emanation inscribe

representations of realities, as far as it can expand.

فَإِذا تَعاكستِ النقوشُ تولّدت

نِسبٌ بِها أَفكاره تتوزّعُ

When its impressions reflect one another,

relations arise through which his thoughts diverge.

فَنقوشهُ علمٌ ضروريٌّ وما

تستنبطَ الأفكار عنها يتبعُ

Its impressions are necessary knowledge; what

thoughts deduce from them follows.

وَالوهمُ منهُ وَالمجازُ مكدّرٌ

لِصفائهِ بِلوازم لا تُدفعُ

Imagination arises from it, and figurative conception clouds

its clarity with inseparable consequences.

فَليدّكر إِذ كانَ طفلاً ناشئاً

وَالعقلُ في مهدِ المزاجِ مضجّعُ

Let him remember when he was a growing child,

intellect laid asleep in temperament's cradle.

عَيناهُ تُبصر وَهو لا يدري ولل

عاداتِ في جلّ المدارك يرجعُ

His eyes saw while he knew nothing, and to

habits he resorts in most perceptions.

مُترقّباً طَوراً فطوراً لا يرى

مَرمى ورا ما فيه أضحى يزمعُ

Advancing stage by stage, he sees no

goal beyond what he presently intends.

فَالظنّ والحسبان جلّ علومهِ

وَالحقّ ما في الظنِّ منه مقنعُ

Conjecture and supposition constitute most of his knowledge;

truth finds no satisfaction in conjecture.

أَنّى يرى الأشيا كَما هي ناظرٌ

مِن خلفِ حجبِ عوائدٍ لا ترفعُ

How can an observer see things as they are

from behind irremovable veils of habit?

وَلِقصرهِ لِقصوره قد كلّف ال

إيمان بالغيبِ الّذي هو أجمعُ

Confined by its shortcomings, it was charged with

faith in the unseen, which is more comprehensive.

فَإِذا تَجاوز مُستقلّاً حدّه اِس

توهتهُ ظلمةُ حيرةٍ لا تقشعُ

When it independently exceeds its limit,

unlifting darkness of bewilderment leads it astray.

ما أَحيرَ الإنسانَ لولا شرعةٌ

مِن ربّه تهدي السبيلَ وتردعُ

How bewildered humanity would be without a law

from its Lord, guiding the way and restraining!

إِيهٍ وَلَولا فُلكُها لم ينجهِ

سبحٌ وَطوفانُ البلايا يذرعُ

Indeed, without its ark, swimming would not save him

while the flood of afflictions spreads.

مثل الأنامِ مَعَ الشرائِعِ إذ دعوا

مثل الّذين بمهمهٍ قد ضُيِّعوا

Humanity's likeness when summoned by religious laws

is that of people lost in a wilderness.

بَينا هُمُ في حيرةٍ إِذ جاءَهم

رَجلٌ مخائلُ رُشدهِ تتوقّعُ

While they were bewildered, there came to them

a man whose signs promised sound guidance.

فَتَبادروا وَفضا له فَهداهم

لِمراتعٍ ومشارعٍ تستنشعُ

They hurried eagerly to him, and he guided them

to pastures and watering places whose waters refresh.

حتّى إِذا أَنِسوا بِها قال اِعلموا

إِنّي نصيحٌ فَاِحفظوا أو ضيّعوا

When they became familiar with them, he said: 'Know

that I advise sincerely: heed me or disregard me.

ماذا بِمَنزِلكم وَسوف تَذودكم

عنهُ النوى وَلَكم منازل أمرعُ

What is there in your dwelling? Separation will drive you

from it, and you have more fertile dwellings.

فَهلمَّ أَهديكم إِليها وَاِحملوا

مِن هذهِ زاداً لَها وتسرّعوا

Come, let me guide you there, and carry

provisions from this place for them; make haste.'

فَتفرّقوا شيعاً لكلٍّ وجهةٌ

فيه وَأمرهمُ الجميع تقطّعُ

They divided into factions, each with its own attitude

toward him, and their common cause was torn apart.

بَعضٌ يَقولُ هو النصيحُ وَحسبُنا

في أَمرهِ أنّا نطيعُ ونسمعُ

Some said: 'He is the sincere adviser; enough for us

in this matter to listen and obey.

فَلَقد بَلَونا صدقهُ مِن قَبلها

وَالحزمُ أَدنى لِلرّشادِ وأنجعُ

We have already tested his truthfulness;

prudence is nearer right guidance and more effective.'

وَالبعضُ أَخلد لِلبطالة قائلاً

إنّي بحاضرِ ما تأتّى أقنعُ

Others settled into idleness, saying:

'I am content with whatever is presently available.'

وَالبعض رانَ عَلى بصيرة لبّه

ريبٌ فَقالَ مَقالةً تُستبشعُ

Others found their mind's insight encrusted

with doubt, and uttered an abhorrent claim:

إنّا لمثلِ النبتِ هذا مغرسٌ

ننمى بهِ فَعلامَ عنه نُقلِعُ

'We are like plants; this is our planting ground.

We grow here: why should we uproot ourselves?

وَإِذا غصبناهُ فَلا مُستنبتٌ

فيما نظنُّ لَنا إِليه مرجعُ

If we wrest it away, there is no

other planting ground, we think, to which we return.'

وَتفرّقَ الحزبانِ كلٌّ مِنهما

شِيعاً عَلى آراءَ لا تتجمّعُ

The two parties divided, each of them

into factions holding irreconcilable opinions.

فَمن الّذين لَه اِستجابوا سابقٌ

جَلى وَمقتصدٌ وآخر يظلعُ

Among those who responded to him was a forerunner

who took the lead, a moderate one, and another limping.

كلّ يولّي الوجهَ وجهاً زاعماً

أنّ الّذي يَنحو لنجح مهيعُ

Each turned his face one way, claiming

his chosen direction was the open road to success.

هَذا تحفّل للدروسِ مقلّباً

ظهراً لبطن ما الصحائفُ تجمعُ

One devoted himself to study, turning over

every side of what the pages contain.

يَتصفّحُ الآراءَ مُنتخباً لما

هو في نفسِ ذوي النباهة أوقعُ

He surveyed opinions, selecting what

most impresses those of distinction.

مُتكلّفاً حفظاً وترتيباً لما

يُلقى على طرزٍ يروق ويمتعُ

Laboring to memorize and arrange what

is delivered in an attractive, delightful manner.

وَموشّحاً أَعطافه بمباحثٍ

حللُ العلومِ بوشيهنّ توشّعُ

Adorning his shoulders with investigations,

the robes of learning embroidered with their brocade.

كَيما يقالُ له اِطّلاعٌ واسعٌ

وَذكاءُ فكر مشرق متشعشعُ

So people might say: 'His learning is extensive,

his intelligence bright and radiant.'

هَذا وآخرُ وهو أندر نادرٍ

مَغزاهُ إخلاصٌ بِها وتطوّعُ

Such is one; another, the rarest of the rare,

seeks sincerity and willing devotion through learning.

فَتراهُ يَدأبُ ليله ونهارهُ

في حلِّ ما يعتاصُ أو يتمنّعُ

You see him laboring night and day

to solve what proves difficult or resistant.

كَلفاً بتحريرِ المسائلِ جهدهُ

يَفتنُّ في طرقِ الجدال ويمرعُ

Passionately striving to clarify questions,

he varies and enriches the methods of debate.

وَيَرى السعادة أَن يبثّ علومهُ

بِالدرسِ وَالتأليفِ أو ما ينفعُ

He sees happiness in disseminating his knowledge

through teaching, writing, or whatever benefits.

وَلَهم على حسبِ الفنونِ تباينٌ

كلٌّ بفنّ مغرم متولّعُ

They differ according to their disciplines:

each enamored and passionately devoted to a field.

وَلَهم وسائلُ جمّةٌ ومقاصدٌ

شتّى وآراءٌ شعاع شرّعُ

They have many means and purposes,

diverse and widely scattered opinions.

وَسِواهمُ دنياهُ أكبرُ همّهِ

يَسعى لَها سعيَ الكدودِ ويجمعُ

Others make their world their greatest concern,

striving tirelessly for it and accumulating.

فَالناكِبونُ غَدوا وَأكبر همّهم

دُنيا على غَمَراتها قَد أَزمعوا

Those who strayed made their greatest concern

a world whose engulfing depths they resolved to enter.

وَالمهتدونَ إِلى الصراط تتبّعوا

سُبلاً بنيّاتٍ لهم فتوزّعوا

Those guided to the straight path pursued

roads according to their intentions, and dispersed.

أضعف بِمن يهوي هواهُ بهِ إلى

مَهوى غرورٍ وهوَ لا يتمنّعُ

How weak is one whose desire plunges him into

deception's abyss, while he offers no resistance!

وَاِعجَب لَه ما شئتَ في حسبانهِ

دَركَ الهَوى فخراً به يترفّعُ

Marvel as much as you please at his supposing

the attainment of desire a pride that elevates him.

هَذي سبيلُ الغابرينَ وَأَنتَ في

آثارهِم فَاِنظر إذاً ما تصنعُ

This is the path of those departed; you follow

their footsteps, so consider what you do.

فتوقَّ حتفاً لا يقالُ بمرتعٍ

وَخمٍ يغرُّ بينعهِ من يرتعُ

Guard against irretrievable death in a pasture

unwholesome, its ripeness deceiving those who graze.

يا سامياً نحوَ المحيطِ بجسمهِ

إنّ الجسومَ إلى المراكز ترجعُ

You who aspire bodily toward the circumference,

bodies return to their centers.

الجسمُ للإِنسانِ شبه مطيّةٍ

عاريةٍ كيما المنازل يقطعُ

The body is for a person like a borrowed

mount, for traversing the stages of a journey.

أَخسر بهِ أَن تُستردّ وقصرهُ

مِنها رعايتُهُ لها إِذ ترتعُ

What a loss if it is reclaimed, while his sole concern

has been tending it as it grazes!

فَاِعبُر إِلى دنياكَ عبرةَ تاجرٍ

عَجلانَ يلتقطُ الّذي يستبضعُ

Pass into your world like a merchant,

hurrying to gather what he will trade.

وَاِعلَم بأنّ نعيمَها وَبلاءها

مُتوالِجان فذا لذا مستودعُ

Know that its comfort and affliction

interpenetrate: each is deposited within the other.

كالحيّةِ الرقطاءِ لانَ مجسّها

وَاِخشوشَنت حمةٌ لها تستنقعُ

Like a speckled snake, soft to the touch,

while its pooled venom is harsh.

في الناسِ من لو أُمّنوا تَبعاتها

لاستَقذَروها عفّة وتورّعوا

Some people, even assured against its consequences,

would find it foul through chastity and abstain.

كَم لَجلَجت من ألسُنٍ لسنٍ وكم

ضَرَبت على أيدٍ تطولُ وتصدعُ

How many eloquent tongues it has made falter, how often

it has struck down powerful, commanding hands!

بَرحَ الخفاءُ وإنّما رانَ الهوى

بحجابِ عادٍ كم نرى لو يرفعُ

Concealment has departed; desire alone has encrusted

a habitual veil—how much we would see if lifted!

كَم راتعٍ في أَرضها أو كارعٍ

مِن حوضِها ذي غلّةٍ لا تنقعُ

How many graze upon its land, or drink

from its basin with an unquenchable thirst!

فَتَكت بِه حبطاً فأصبحَ عبرةً

تَبكيهِ مَنها الباغمات السجّعُ

It slew him through surfeit, making him a lesson,

mourned by its murmuring, cooing creatures.

قَد أَنزلته مِن صياصي عزّهِ

أيدٍ وَأيدٍ بالنواصي تسفعُ

Hands brought him down from his fortresses

of glory, and hands drag him by his forelock.

فَليدعُ ناديهُ فتىً في بَطنها

دُعيت زبانيةٌ إليه ومقمعُ

Let the young man within it summon his assembly:

tormenting guards and a bludgeon are summoned to him.

كَم ذا تغرّ وتلدغُ الإنسان من

جحرٍ مِراراً وهو لايتمنّعُ

How often it deceives and bites a person from

one hole repeatedly, while he offers no resistance!

تَجلو على الخطّابِ حسناً رائعاً

وَعلى مخازٍ جمّة تتبرقعُ

It displays ravishing beauty to its suitors,

while veiling countless disgraces.

يُسليهِ لينُ مجسّها ويروقهُ

تَرقيشها عن سمِّ نابٍ ينقعُ

Its soft touch distracts him, and its markings

delight him, away from a fang's steeping poison.

فَاِربأ بِنفسك أَن تكون كداجنٍ

في صفوِ عيشٍ عن مآل يخدعُ

Hold yourself above becoming a tame creature,

deceived in life's sweetness about its final outcome.

سفرٌ بمدرجةٍ يسيرُ بِهِم إلى

دارِ البقا دولاب دهرٍ مسرعُ

Travelers upon a road are borne toward

the abiding home by time's swift wheel.

وَمسافةٌ ما قَبلها أجلٌ وما

مِن بعدها أبدٌ سريعاً تقطعُ

A distance preceded by an appointed term, and

followed by eternity, you traverse swiftly.

فَلينزعنّ ثيابَ جسمك نازعٌ

وَليفزعنّكَ من مقرّك مفزعُ

A taker will surely strip your bodily garments,

and an alarm will drive you from your dwelling.

الأمرُ ويحكَ فَاِدّرع جدّاً له

جدٌّ وإلّا أيّ سنٍّ تقرعُ

The matter—alas for you!—requires earnest preparation:

it is grave; otherwise, what tooth will you gnash?

إيهٍ وشمّر فهوَ أعجلُ واِغتنم

مِن فرصةِ الإمكانِ فوتاً يسرعُ

Indeed, gird yourself: it is more urgent; seize

what swiftly escapes the opportunity now available.

وَدعِ الأماني فهي مجثمُ عاجزٍ

ذاوٍ وَحوصلةُ المحصّل بلقعُ

Leave wishes: they are a helpless man's roost,

withered, while the harvest's pouch lies empty.

لا يُلهينّكَ زينةٌ وتكاثرٌ

فَإِلى الهشيمِ يؤولُ ما هو ممرعُ

Let finery and rivalry not distract you:

what now flourishes will become dry stubble.

تَستعبدُ الدنيا القلوبَ بحبّها

وَتُسخّر الدنيا الجسومَ فتخضعُ

The world enslaves hearts through love of it,

and presses bodies into service until they submit.

فَنتائجُ الحبّ التزاحُمُ في الهبا

وَالإفتخار به وما يستتبعُ

Love's results are competition over dust,

boasting of it, and all that follows.

وَنَتيجةُ الآمالِ إِفراغُ القوى

لِصنائعٍ ومهائنٍ تستبدعُ

Hopes result in pouring out one's strength

on newly devised crafts and occupations.

فَترى مَهاوي بعضِها يلقي إلى

بعضٍ وَليسَ لخرقِها ما يرتعُ

You see the pitfalls of some lead into

others; their breaches offer nothing to graze upon.

في نقصِ هذي الأرضِ مِن أَطرافها

عبرٌ تعبّرُ حلمَ عيشٍ يطمعُ

In this earth's diminution at its edges

are lessons interpreting the dream of coveted life.

فَاِغضُض قُواكَ عَنِ الفضولِ تجد بها

فَضلَ اِلتفاتٍ للّذي هو أنفعُ

Withhold your strength from excess, and find therein

more attention for what benefits more.

هَيهاتَ ما للمرءِ إلّا ما سَعى

وَالسعي سوفَ يرى ويُجزى أجمعُ

Far from it! A person has only what he strives for;

all striving will be seen and recompensed.

إِنّ الرزايا لِلبصيرِ مواعظٌ

تُثنيهِ عَن ذاك القرارِ وتردعُ

Calamities are admonitions to the discerning,

turning him from that abode and restraining him.

لا مفزع في كلّ خطبٍ فادحٍ

إلّا لِمن منه إليه المفزعُ

In every crushing calamity there is no refuge

except with Him from whom refuge is to Him.

لا يستردُّ المرءُ مردوداً مَضى

كلّا وَلا مكروهَ آتٍ يدفعُ

A person cannot reclaim what has passed away,

nor, indeed, avert approaching harm.

فَالحزنُ تَضعيفٌ لما هو واقعٌ

وَالغمُّ تعجيلٌ لِما يتوقّعُ

Grief doubles what has already happened;

anxiety hastens what is anticipated.

عَظمَ المصابُ فَما به مِن مفزعٍ

إلّا لِمَن منه إِليه المرجعُ

The calamity is immense; there is no refuge

except with Him from whom the return is to Him.

إنّ الخطوبَ تهولُ عندَ عُمومها

إِذ ليسَ من يُسلي ولا يتوجّعُ

Calamities terrify when they encompass everyone,

when none can console or share another's grief.

يومٌ كيومِ الدينِ لا وَزَرٌ بهِ

وَلكلّ مرءٍ منهُ شأنٌ مقنعُ

A day like Judgment Day, with no shelter,

each person absorbed in his own sufficient concern.

ما خصّ قطر لا ولا أفقٌ بهِ

بَل عمّ ما شملَ المحيط الأوسعُ

It singled out no region, no horizon;

it encompassed all within the widest circumference.

قذفَت عَلى الأدباءِ منه صواعقٌ

لِقلوبِها فمصقّع ومصدّعُ

From it thunderbolts were hurled upon the learned,

striking their hearts: some stunned, some shattered.

لا يقرعُ الأسماعَ تعزية به

إلّا وَزاد تحسّرٌ وتوجّعُ

No condolence reaches the ears concerning it

without increasing regret and pain.

فَكأنّها الكيرانُ مهما أُبلغت

بَرد التأسّي للأسى به تلذعُ

They are like bellows: whenever brought

the coolness of consolation, they scorch grief anew.

فالقلبُ بينَ تلهّفٍ وتلهّبٍ

وَتحسّرٍ وتأسّفٍ متوزّعُ

The heart is divided between longing and burning,

regret and sorrow.

وَالعينُ بين تأرّقٍ وتدفّقٍ

وَتقلّب وتشوّف تترجّعُ

The eye moves between sleeplessness and streaming,

restless turning and yearning, again and again.

والجسمُ في رحضائِه مستغرقٌ

فَكأنّ سائرهُ عيونٌ تدمعُ

The body is immersed in its sweat,

as though all of it were weeping eyes.

تَبكي لِمصباحٍ طَوَت مِشكاته

نوراً به تُجلى القلوب السفّحُ

They weep for a lamp whose niche has enclosed

a light that illuminated overflowing hearts.

المُنشئ السهلَ المرام الشاعر ال

قاضي المرامي والخطيب المصقعُ

The prose-writer easy of approach, the poet,

the fulfiller of aims and resounding orator.

قَد كانَ طوداً للأنامِ ومروداً

وَاليومَ عادَ ذَخيرة تستودعُ

He was a mountain and a kohl-stick for humanity;

today he has become a treasure deposited away.

كانَ الضليع بكلِّ عبءٍ مُثقلٍ

هَيهاتَ يَحمل عبأه من يظلعُ

He was strong enough for every heavy burden;

how could a limping man carry his load?

ما بينَ إفتاءٍ وفصل نوازلٍ

وَإِفادةٍ وخطابةٍ تستبدعُ

Between issuing rulings and deciding difficult cases,

instruction and wondrous oratory,

شَمل الورى فيهنّ عدلاً باهراً

وَفضائلاً وَفواضلاً لا ترفعُ

he embraced people with brilliant justice,

virtues and favors never withheld.

يُدنيه حسنُ الخلقِ من ربّ الورى

لُطفا ويبعدهُ المقام الأرفعُ

Good character brings him near the Lord of humanity

in gentleness, while loftiest rank sets him far apart.

فَتراهُ بينَ جزالةٍ ودماثةٍ

كالشمسِ تقربُ للعيان وتشسعُ

You see him between dignity and affability,

like the sun, near to sight yet far away.

مَع هيبةٍ وسكينةٍ وصرامةٍ

وَسياسةٍ يعطي بها يمنعُ

With awe, serenity, firmness,

and governance by which he grants and withholds.

وَوفورُ خبرٍ في مداراة الورى

وَبصيرةٌ بِزمانهِ وتضلّعُ

Abundant experience in dealing gently with people,

insight into his age, and thorough mastery.

وَفصاحةٌ علميّةٌ وفراسةٌ

حكميّةٌ ونفوذُ رأي يقطعُ

Scholarly eloquence and discerning intuition,

wisdom and penetrating, decisive judgment.

وجَمالُ سمتٍ في جلالِ رئاسةٍ

مَع أنّه أنسُ المجالس ممتعُ

Beautiful bearing amid leadership's majesty,

yet delightful company in gatherings.

وَكمالُ إنصافٍ وحسنُ رعايةٍ

لِعهودهِ وصيانة وتورّعُ

Perfect fairness and careful observance

of his promises, safeguarding them with scrupulousness.

وَتضلّعٌ بمواردِ الآراء بل

وَتشوّفٌ لِتصوّفٍ يتطلّعُ

Thorough mastery of the sources of opinions, indeed,

and an aspiring longing toward Sufism.

يَرتاثُ حيث الريثُ يحمد غبُّهُ

وَيسارعُ الأمرَ الّذي هو يسرعُ

He delays where delay's outcome deserves praise,

and hastens what calls for haste.

يُغضي عنِ العوراتِ غير مكافحٍ

وَيراها رؤيةَ ناصح يتوجّعُ

He overlooks faults without confronting them,

regarding them like a pained, sincere adviser.

أَعزز عليّ بأن أرى أبوابهُ

لا مشتكٍ فيها ولا مستنزعُ

How grievous for me to see his doors

without complainant or claimant!

أَعزز عليّ بِأن أرى مستبهماً

يَعرو ورأيه مغمدٌ لا يقطعُ

How grievous to see a perplexing matter

arise while his judgment is sheathed, unable to cut!

واهاً على الدنيا فقد طلّقتها

بتّاً وَبالأخرى هناك المرجعُ

Alas for the world! You divorced it

irrevocably; the other world is the destination.

واهاً على الدُّنيا تكونُ كَمَن لها

درٌّ غَدا في الصيف وهو مضيّعُ

Alas for the world, like one whose

milk has reached summer only to be wasted!

وَاهاً على الدنيا ستفقدهُ إذا

أَشنانُ من عقدوا الحباء تقعقعُ

Alas for the world! It will miss him when

the worn waterskins of men in sitting-wraps rattle.

جَهلتهُ جهلَ الدرّ في يد خارزٍ

حيناً وبادرهُ النقودُ المسرعُ

It failed to know him, like pearls in a bead-stringer's hand,

for a time; the swift assayer hastened to him.

واحَسرتاه لروضِ فضلٍ قد ذوى

وَلمشرعٍ صفوٍ يغورُ وينشعُ

Alas for a garden of virtue now withered,

and a clear watering place sinking and draining away!

فكأنّ روضَ الفضلِ لم يك غانياً

عَن أيّ ما رزءٍ ودمعٍ يهمعُ

As though virtue's garden had never been free

of any calamity or streaming tears.

وَكأنّ شمسَ الفضلِ لم تكُ أشرقت

إذ عمّ للأحزانِ ليلٌ أسفعُ

As though virtue's sun had never risen,

when sorrow's pitch-black night encompassed all.

كَيفَ العزاءُ وَذي موارد فضلهِ

قَد غاضَ دفقُ فيوضِها المتدفّعُ

How can we be consoled, when these springs of his virtue

have lost their surging, abundant flow?

كيفَ العزاءُ وذي مَراتع جودهِ

قَد صوّحَت وَاِجتحّ منها الممرعُ

How can we be consoled, when these pastures of his generosity

have dried, their lush growth uprooted?

كَيفَ العزاءُ لأمّةٍ كانت بِه

تَأوي لطودٍ عاصمٍ لا يفرعُ

How can a community be consoled that through him

sheltered at a protecting, unscalable mountain?

كَيفَ العزاءُ وما له من خالفٍ

وَمصابُ مِن عدم الخليفة أفجعُ

How can we be consoled when he has no successor?

The loss of one without a successor is more grievous.

هَيهات يدركُ شأوَ بيرم لاحقٌ

أَو يَهتدي لصنيعه متصنّعُ

No follower can attain Bayram's reach,

nor any pretender find the way to his accomplishments.

يا قبرُ قَد أُودِعت منه طيّباً

حيّاً وميتاً فاِدر من تستودعُ

O grave, you have been entrusted with one pure

in life and death: know whom you receive.

هَذا الّذي بك نشره متضوّعٌ

ركنُ العلى من فقده متضعضعُ

He whose fragrance spreads within you

leaves nobility's pillar shaken by his loss.

كنّا نُناجي من ذكاهُ عطارداً

في شمسِ علمٍ مرتد متلفّعُ

In his brilliance we conversed with a Mercury,

robed and wrapped in a sun of knowledge.

حتّى أتاهُ يومهُ فدنا لها

وَزواهُ عنها نورها المتلمّعُ

Until his day came, and he drew near to it;

its glittering light drew him away from it.

وَسَما لها متجرّداً بل ممسكاً

عَن غايةِ الدنيا وما تستتبعُ

He rose toward it, stripped bare, indeed abstaining

from the world's goal and all it entails.

حتّى توهّمنا لِظلمة فقدهِ

شمسَ الظهيرةِ قَد تلته تشيّعُ

Until, in the darkness of his loss, we imagined

the noonday sun following to escort him.

حَصدت جُمادى عمره بهلالها

بل إنّما حَصدته إذ هو ممرعُ

Jumada reaped his life with its crescent;

rather, it reaped him while he flourished.

لَم يَكتمل ستّين حتّى يبلغ ال

أعذارَ مِن مَولى إليه المرجعُ

He had not completed sixty, to reach

the limit of excuse from the Lord to whom all return.

للّه أفئدةٌ هنالكَ أُضرمت

وجداً وأكبادٌ هناك تقطّعُ

To God belong hearts set aflame there

with anguish, and livers torn apart.

لَم يبقَ معتبرٌ ولا مستعبرٌ

غَرُبت مِن الروع النهى والأدمعُ

No reflective or tearful person remained:

reason and tears vanished through terror.

يا راحلاً لم يبق إلّا رسمهُ

صُحفاً لتيجانِ العلوم ترصّعُ

Departed one, only your traces remain:

pages inlaid into learning's crowns.

لكَ في الصدورِ منازلٌ مأهولةٌ

لَكن مقامكَ في المحافل بلقعُ

You have inhabited dwellings within our breasts,

but your place in assemblies lies deserted.

واهاً لرايةِ مذهبِ النعمان إذ

أسلَمتها إِذ لا زعيم يرفعُ

Alas for the banner of al-Nu'man's school, when

you relinquished it with no leader to raise it!

واهاً عَلى الآدابِ أصبحَ سوقها

لا ناقدٌ فيه ولا مستبضعُ

Alas for letters: their marketplace now has

neither assayer nor purchaser.

واهاً لديوانِ الشريعةِ عطّلت

فيهِ الحقوق فما لها من يقطعُ

Alas for the court of religious law: rights are suspended

within it, with none to adjudicate them.

قَد كانَ فيه للظلومِ صوارم

بترٌ وِللمظلومِ منه أدرعُ

There were sharp swords there for the oppressor,

severing, and shields for the oppressed.

فَاِرتجّ إيوانُ العلومِ وأُرتجت

أَبوابه واِخيبّ من يستقرعُ

Learning's great hall shook, and its doors

were shut: how disappointed whoever knocks!

قسماً بمَن لا يستردّ قضاؤهُ

وَلحكمهِ كلّ البريّة مهطعُ

I swear by Him whose decree cannot be reversed,

to whose judgment all creation hastens:

مَن كان رزؤكَ في صحيفة وزنهِ

رَجحت وليس يهمُّه ما يصنعُ

whoever records the loss of you upon his weighing-sheet

finds it weightier, untroubled by what he does.

إِذ ليسَ يقدرُ رزء مثلك قدرهُ

إلّا اِمرؤٌ للدين منه موضعُ

For none appreciates the loss of your like

except one whose heart has room for religion.

فَتشابَه الداهي وَمأمون الحجى

وَالجامدُ العبرات والمتروّعُ

The shrewd and those of sound judgment became alike,

the dry-eyed and the terror-stricken.

وَلو اِنّ رُزءك كان يحتملُ الفدا

لَفداك ما تَحوي الجوامع أجمعُ

If your loss could admit a ransom,

all the congregational mosques contain would ransom you.

يا خطّة الإفتاءِ حسبك خطّةً

ولّاك ظهراً من منارك يرفعُ

O office of issuing rulings, enough for you as an office:

he who raises your beacon has turned his back.

يا أوحَدَ العلماءِ غير مدافعٍ

في صدرِ شانيك المكارم تدفعُ

O unrivaled foremost scholar,

your noble qualities repel your hater within his breast.

وَمودّعاً شانيه منه مودّع

وَمشيّعاً كلٌّ له متشيّعُ

O one bade farewell, whose foe is likewise forsaken,

and one escorted, whom everyone follows devotedly.

أمّا مآثرك الكرام فإنّها

فقدت بِفقدك فقد ما لا يرجعُ

As for your noble accomplishments, they

were lost with you, like what never returns.

وَنودُّ لو أبقيتَ منها عندنا

صبراً جميلاً ريثما نسترجعُ

We wish you had left us some of them:

beautiful patience until we utter our return to God.

عَجباً لعلمك وهوَ بحر زاخرٌ

أنّى تحيطُ به الثلاث الأذرعُ

How wondrous your knowledge, a surging sea:

how can three cubits encompass it?

طابَت نفوسُهم بِوضعك في الثرى

علماً بأنّك لست شيئا يوضعُ

They willingly laid you in the earth,

knowing you are not a thing to be laid away.

إنّ الّذي قَد أودعوه بلحدهِ

جَسد تراب وهو ثوب ينزعُ

What they deposited in his grave

is a body of dust, a garment cast off.

ممّا يسلّي أهلَ ودّك علمُهم

أنّ المماتَ سبيل دار تجمعُ

Your loved ones are consoled by knowing

that death is the path to a home of reunion.

وَيقينهُم أنّ المماتِ ولادةٌ

وَجميعُ مَن في الأرض حملٌ يوضعُ

And their certainty that death is birth,

and everyone on earth a burden to be delivered.

لا يشمتُ الحسّاد موتك إنّه

كَأسٌ له كلّ الورى متجرّعُ

Let the envious not rejoice at your death:

it is a cup all humanity must drink.

إن أضمَأتك مدامع مكفوفةٌ

روعاً فَمن رضوانِ ربّك تكرعُ

If tears held back leave you thirsty

through terror, drink from your Lord's pleasure.

أَو قصّر التأبينُ عنك فللدّعا

برد بِأعلامِ القبول موشّحُ

If the eulogy falls short of you, prayer has

a mantle embroidered with acceptance's emblems.

وَإِذا عصى فيكَ التصبّر رَيثما

تُرثى فإنّ الحزنَ فيك لطيّعُ

If patience resists while you

are mourned, grief for you is readily obedient.

الآنَ شمسكُ قد تقلّص نورها

عَن عينِ جسم قَد عراه تقشّعُ

Now your sun's light has withdrawn

from bodily eyes overtaken by dissolution.

لكنّ أبصارَ البصائرِ حسّرٌ

لا تَستطيع شهودها أو تسطعُ

But the eyes of insight are exhausted,

unable to behold it or rise toward it.

إِن ضاعَ ذِكرك بيننا عن سلوةٍ

فَله بِأرجاءِ السماء تضوّعُ

If your remembrance fades among us through consolation,

its fragrance spreads throughout heaven.

أُفٍّ ليومكَ ليتَ يومي دونه

فالعيشُ بعدك حسرة وتوقّعُ

Fie upon your day! Would mine had preceded it:

life after you is regret and apprehension.

لَم أقضِ حقّ الودّ إِن أقوى بقل

بي أَو لِساني من خيالك موضعُ

I have not fulfilled love's due if, in my heart

or tongue, any place is empty of your image.

رسمَ الفراقُ مثال فضلك فيهما

رَسماً يحدّده اِفتقاد موجعُ

Separation drew the likeness of your virtue in both,

an image sharpened by painful absence.

وَالفقدُ يبدي فضلَ مفتقدٍ وشأ

ن النفسِ زهدٌ في الّذي لا يمنعُ

Loss reveals the worth of one departed; the soul's

habit is to undervalue what is not withheld.

وَأودُّ لو أعطيت نوماً سرمداً

إِذ فيه ما نفسي ونفسك تجمعُ

I wish I were granted everlasting sleep,

for there my soul and yours can meet.

علّ التناسبَ أَن تكونَ وسيلة الل

لُقيا فَتنزل لي إذن أو أرفعُ

Perhaps affinity may become the means of

meeting: you would descend to me, or I ascend.

كُنتَ الشجا في حلقِ مَن هو حاسدي

فاليوم ساغَ له الّذي يتجرّعُ

You were the obstruction in my envier's throat;

today what he swallowed bitterly passes easily.

دبّت إِليّ عقاربُ البغيِ الّتي

كانَت بِنعلك كلّ يومٍ تصفعُ

The scorpions of injustice crept toward me,

those your sandal struck every day.

أَفردتَني إذ لا أنيسَ قطعتني

إِذ لا وصولَ تركتني أتضعضعُ

You left me alone, with no companion; severed me,

with no connection; left me staggering.

غادَرتني رهنَ الفجائعِ والأسى

حتّى أكادُ بغير شيء أفجعُ

You left me captive to disasters and sorrow,

until almost nothing can bring me fresh grief.

إنّي لأذكرُ قَولتي لك ما بقى

لي اليومَ غيرك من صديقٍ ينفعُ

I remember saying to you: 'Today I have

no helpful friend left but you.'

فَأَجبتني هل كانَ يوجد قبل ذا

رَمزٌ إِلى التحذير ممّن يخدعُ

You answered: 'Was there one before this?'

A hint warning against those who deceive.

ما متّ أنتَ وإنّما أنا ميّت

فَهل أنت ترثي لي وهل تتوجّعُ

You have not died; it is I who am dead:

will you mourn me and feel my pain?

حزني لأن غادَرتني مُتوحّشاً

في دارِ بلوى بِالمصائب تفجعُ

I grieve because you left me desolate

in an abode of trial, stricken by calamities.

لكن نَجاتك سالماً من سجنها

ممّا يسرّ فذا بهذا يدفعُ

Yet your safe escape from its prison

brings joy: this offsets that.

مَهما يَكُن في الموتِ حظّك وافراً

ما ضرّني نَقصٌ لحظّي يرجعُ

So long as your portion in death is abundant,

no diminution of my own portion harms me.

عِشرينَ عاماً في المودّة لم يكد

بَيني وبينك كفّ واش يقطعُ

For twenty years of affection, scarcely could

a slanderer's hand sever what lay between us.

لَولا يَقيني أنّني بك لاحقٌ

لطِفقت أسباب الحياة أقطّعُ

Were I not certain I would join you,

I would begin cutting life's bonds.

في اللّه منك وَمِن جميع قرابتي

خَلفٌ وللّه اللجا والمرجعُ

In God I have a replacement for you and all my kin;

to God belong refuge and return.

اللّه يَعلم أنّ فقدك فاجعي

لِمكان ودّك لا لحظّ يطمعُ

God knows your loss afflicts me

for your affection, not some coveted advantage.

اللّه يعلمُ أنّ فَقدك مُوحشي

لِنوازل فيها إليك المرجعُ

God knows your loss leaves me desolate

before calamities for which I turned to you.

اللّه يعلمُ أنّ فقدك مشعري

أسفاً وإنّي الدهر منه مروّعُ

God knows your loss clothes me

in sorrow, and forever I am terrified by it.

كذبَ الحسودُ وكلّ من هو زاعمٌ

أنّي لِعهدك ناكثٌ ومضيّعُ

The envier lies, and everyone who claims

I break and neglect my pledge to you.

كلّ النفوسِ تحنّ نَحو خليلها

وَلفقدهِ ولبعده تتوجّعُ

Every soul yearns toward its intimate friend,

pained by his loss and distance.

لَو كنت لَم أفقد بفقدك صادقاً

خِلّاً وَفيّاً كنت لا أتضعضعُ

Had your loss not deprived me of a true,

faithful friend, I would not stagger.

لَكنّ حَسبي أَن أزوّدك الدعا

نوعاً مِنَ العمل الّذي لا يقطعُ

But enough for me to provision you with prayer,

a kind of work that is not severed.

وَإِطالَتي ذيلَ المقالةِ شاهدٌ

أنّي بِميسورٍ لكم لا أقنعُ

My trailing this discourse at length bears witness

that I am not content with little for you.

وَأقولُ عذراً آلَ بيرَم إنّني

لِمُصابكم ذو عبرة لا تقلعُ

I say: 'Forgive me, family of Bayram: I

have tears for your calamity that never cease.'

قَد كانَ لي ممّن فقدتم جانبٌ

رحبٌ إِذا بالعذرِ ضاق الأوسعُ

From the one you lost I had a welcoming

refuge, when excuses narrowed the widest space.

وَأظنُّكم لا تفقدوني بعده

ما مِن شمائله لبرٍّ يرجعُ

I trust you will not find me lacking, after him,

in any kindness belonging to his character.

قَد كنتُ أُكثِر قبل هذا مزاره

عددَ الليالي وهو عندي مهيعُ

Before this I used to visit him often,

as often as the nights, his path open to me.

مع أنّه لَو قال إنّ الهجر عن

وان التصافي لم يكن لي مدفعُ

Though, had he said that absence is the sign

of pure affection, I could not have refuted him.

لكن حجاهُ اِستصحب الحال الّتي

عُهدت وَلم يعرض لها ما يقطعُ

But his wisdom preserved the state

long known, with nothing arising to sever it.

وَرَأى الودادَ دوامه في الرفق فالت

تكليفُ ينصلُ والتغاضي ينصعُ

He saw affection enduring through gentleness:

imposing burdens tarnishes it; overlooking faults makes it shine.

يا آلَ بيرم لَيس يثوي بيتُكم

وَمشائخُ الإسلامِ فيه تربّعُ

Family of Bayram, your house does not lie forsaken,

while Islam's elders remain settled within it.

فَمحمّدٌ ومحمّدٌ ومحمّدٌ

وَمحمّد والخامس المتوقّعُ

Muhammad, and Muhammad, and Muhammad,

and Muhammad, and the awaited fifth.

نُظمت على نسقِ التناسل فيكم

تلكَ الرئاسة لا عراها منزعُ

In the succession of your descendants was arranged

that leadership—may no dispossession ever befall it.

قَد زُحزِحت عنكم قليلاً ريثما

يَشدو الفتيُّ ويحلم المترعرعُ

It has been moved from you briefly, until

the young man learns and the growing child matures.

لا يَشمتنَّ بموتِ ذا من بعدهِ

فَالموتُ منهُ بالنواصي يسفعُ

Let no survivor rejoice at this one's death:

death drags him too by the forelock.

فَالعمر ميدانٌ وآجال الورى

تهفو وتَهبط خشيةً وتصدّعُ

Life is an arena, and humanity's allotted spans

flutter and fall in fear, splitting apart.

اللّه أكبرُ كلّ شيءٍ هالكٌ

ما لاِمرئٍ بدوامِ حالٍ مطمعُ

God is greatest! Everything perishes;

no one can hope for an unchanging condition.

يا ويحَ من غرّته دنياه فأن

سيَ هول مطّلعٍ وما هو أفضعُ

Alas for him whom his world deceived, making him forget

the terror of what awaits, and what is more dreadful!

يا ربّ آجِرني به واِخلف فإن

نَ مُصيبتي اِتّسعت ولطفك أوسعُ

Lord, reward me for this loss and replace it, for

my calamity has widened, but Your kindness is wider.

أَبدلنيَ اللّهمّ مِن أنسي به

أنساً بِذكرك إنّ ذكرك أنفعُ

O God, replace my companionship with him

with companionship in Your remembrance, which benefits more.

يا نائماً طردَ الكرى عن مُقلتي

نَم في الهنا نوم العروس يودّعُ

Sleeper who drove sleep from my eyes,

sleep in bliss like a bridegroom bade farewell.

جادَت عليكَ سحائبٌ من رحمةٍ

تَروي ثراكَ بديمة لا تقلعُ

May clouds of mercy pour upon you,

watering your soil with uninterrupted rain.

وَتَعطّرت بِنَسائم التسليم من

مَولاك أفنيةٌ حَوتك وأربعُ

May breezes of greeting from

your Lord perfume the courts and dwellings containing you.

وَسَرت لِروحك نفحةٌ تهدي لها

بردَ الرضا حيثُ الرفيق الأرفعُ

May a breath reach your soul, conveying

the coolness of contentment beside the Highest Companion.

وَلَقيتَ أُنسا بالّذي قدّمته

مِن صالحٍ يُنميه فضل أوسعُ

May you find companionship in what you sent ahead

of righteous deeds, increased by boundless grace.

وَرأيتَ مِن عفوِ الإله ولطفهِ

ما لَم يكن لكَ في حسابٍ يجمعُ

May you see of God's pardon and kindness

what never entered your reckoning.

وَرفلت في خلعِ السعادة خالعاً

وَغَدوت في روض التنعّم ترتعُ

May you trail robes of happiness, casting off,

and graze in the garden of delight.

وَإِذا يُشفّعُ في القيامة عالمٌ

وَيفوز بِالتأريخ فاز مشفّعُ

When a scholar is granted intercession at the Resurrection

and triumphs, the chronogram reads: 'An accepted intercessor triumphed.'