عجبا للدار، كيف تدور؟

عجبا للدار، كيف تدور؟

نكب الشعر بها والشعور

نكب الشعر بها والشعور

How strange this world—how it turns!

How strange this house is, how it turns!

How strange is this world, how it turns!

Poetry and feeling were stricken within it.

Poetry has stumbled in it and emotion

Poetry within it has been afflicted, as has feeling.

ذهب الشعر بها حسرات

ذهب الشعر بها حسرات

وعرته وحشة ونفور

وعرته وحشة ونفور

Poetry wasted away in it with grief,

Poetry has left it full of regrets

Poetry has departed from it in deep regret,

and desolation and aversion overtook it.

Bared and full of desolation and aloofness

And desolation and alienation have seized it.

فقد الشعر من الشرق شمسا

فقد الشعر من الشرق شمسا

لم يزل منها على الشرق نور

لم يزل منها على الشرق نور

Poetry has lost a sun of the East,

Poetry has lost from the East a sun

Poetry has lost a sun from the East,

whose light has never ceased to shine upon the East.

That has never ceased to shine its light on the East

Whose light still lingers upon the Orient.

فقد الشعر من الشرق سرحا

فقد الشعر من الشرق سرحا

طالما غنت عليه الطيور

طالما غنت عليه الطيور

Poetry has lost a spreading tree of the East,

Poetry has lost from the East a meadow

Poetry has lost a towering tree from the East,

upon which the birds so often sang.

Where birds have long sung over it

Upon which birds have long sung their songs.

فقد الشعر أبا الشعر (شوقي)

فقد الشعر أبا الشعر (شوقي)

فطغا الويل به والثبور

فطغا الويل به والثبور

Poetry has lost the father of poetry, Shawqi,

Poetry has lost the father of poetry (Shawqi)

Poetry has lost the father of verse, Shawqi,

so woe and ruin surged within it.

So calamity and misfortune prevail in it

So woe and ruin have overwhelmed it.

فمساري الهم منه غواض

فمساري الهم منه غواض

 ومجاري الدمع منه بحور

ومجاري الدمع منه بحور

Thus the channels of grief from it run deep,

So my worries overflow from it

The channels of grief for him run deep,

and the streams of tears from it are seas.

And my tears from it become seas

And the streams of tears for him are oceans.

أي بلوى مضة الوقع فيها

أي بلوى مضة الوقع فيها

وهن الجلد وطاش الصبور

وهن الجلد وطاش الصبور

What a calamity, bitter in its blow, beneath which

What calamities the moment of death contains!

What a calamity, whose impact cuts deep,

fortitude faltered, and the steadfast lost their composure.

When the skin is weak and the patient goes mad

Where endurance weakens and the patient lose their bearings.

أيها الباكي بمأتم (شوقي)

أيها الباكي بمأتم (شوقي)

أرأيت النجم كيف يغور

أرأيت النجم كيف يغور

O you who weep at Shawqi's funeral,

O you who cry in the mourning of (Shawqi)

O you who weep at Shawqi’s funeral,

have you seen how the star sinks out of sight?

Have you seen how a star disappears?

Have you seen how the star sets?

أرأيت الصبح كيف يولى

أرأيت الصبح كيف يولى

أرأيت الأرض كيف تمور

أرأيت الأرض كيف تمور

Have you seen how the dawn turns away?

Have you seen how dawn turns away?

Have you seen how the morning retreats?

Have you seen how the earth heaves?

Have you seen how the earth crumbles?

Have you seen how the earth trembles?

قم فعز الشعر بالشعر فيه

قم فعز الشعر بالشعر فيه

فأيادي الشعر منه وفور

فأيادي الشعر منه وفور

Rise, then console poetry with poetry about him,

Rise, and bring pride to poetry through it

Rise and console poetry with poetry for his sake,

for the gifts poetry received from him are abundant.

For poetry’s hands are full of abundance from it

For his favors upon poetry were abundant.

قف نودع راحلا لم يودع

قف نودع راحلا لم يودع

عذره أن المقام غرور

عذره أن المقام غرور

Pause; let us bid farewell to one who left without bidding farewell;

Stop, we bid farewell to one who did not bid farewell

Stand, let us bid farewell to a traveler who left without goodbye,

his excuse is that abiding here is a delusion.

His excuse is that staying is deceitful

His excuse being that this earthly stay is but a delusion.

لا تخل أنا بظل حياة

لا تخل أنا بظل حياة

نحن موتى والقصور قبور

نحن موتى والقصور قبور

Do not think we are in the shade of life:

Do not leave me in the shadow of life

Do not imagine that we are in the shadow of life;

we are dead, and palaces are tombs.

We are dead and the palaces are graves

We are the dead, and these palaces are tombs.

حاطنا دون الحياة محيط

حاطنا دون الحياة محيط

وعلى جسر الممات العبور

وعلى جسر الممات العبور

An ocean encircles us, barring us from life,

We have surrounded life with an ocean

A barrier surrounds us, keeping us from true life,

and the crossing lies over the bridge of death.

And on the bridge of death is the crossing

And the crossing lies upon the bridge of death.

يا أمير الشعر عفوا فإنا

يا أمير الشعر عفوا فإنا

قعد العي بنا والقصور

قعد العي بنا والقصور

O Prince of Poetry, pardon us, for we

O prince of poetry, sorry, for blindness has sat on us

O Prince of Poets, forgive us, for indeed,

have been held back by inarticulacy and inadequacy.

And sadness has crept into the palaces

We are paralyzed by speechlessness and inadequacy.

إن خلف البحر دور ائتناس

إن خلف البحر دور ائتناس

دب فيها الحزن فهي ديور

دب فيها الحزن فهي ديور

Indeed, beyond the sea lie homes of companionship;

If beyond the sea there are homes, come to us

Indeed, beyond the sea are homes of fellowship,

sorrow crept into them, and now they are cloisters.

Grief has crept into them, so they are monsters

Into which grief has crept, turning them into solemn cloisters.

رددت وقع الأنين الزوايا

رددت وقع الأنين الزوايا

وتحلت بالسواد الستور

وتحلت بالسواد الستور

The corners echoed the sound of moaning,

The corners echoed the sound of moaning

The corners echoed the sound of moaning,

and the curtains clothed themselves in black.

And they wore black curtains

And the curtains draped themselves in black.

فلأهليها خشوع طويل

فلأهليها خشوع طويل

ونفوس غيب وحضور

ونفوس غيب وحضور

So their people have long, reverent stillness,

So their people have long devotion

Their inhabitants are held in long, reverent silence,

and souls both absent and present,

And absent souls and presence

With souls that are both absent and present.

وقلوب قلبت وأكف

وقلوب قلبت وأكف

وخدود خددت ونحور

وخدود خددت ونحور

and hearts and palms turned over,

And hearts that have flipped, and palms

Hearts are overturned, and hands are wrung in grief,

and cheeks and chests scored with furrows.

And cheeks that have been slapped, and throats

And cheeks and throats are furrowed by lamentation.

يا أمير الشعر حسبك ذكر

يا أمير الشعر حسبك ذكر

قدسي في الحياة طهور

قدسي في الحياة طهور

O Prince of Poetry, enough for you is remembrance,

O prince of poetry, enough mention

O Prince of Poets, suffice it that your remembrance

sacred and pure in life,

You are sanctified in life as purity

Is holy and pure within this life.

علم الهاوين في الدرك منا

علم الهاوين في الدرك منا

كيف تعلو في السماء الصقور

كيف تعلو في السماء الصقور

that taught those among us fallen in the depths

The abyss has taught us in darkness

Teach those of us falling into the depths,

how falcons soar in the sky.

How eagles rise high in the sky

How falcons soar high into the sky.

لا تأذى بالبلى لك لحد

لا تأذى بالبلى لك لحد

دفن الحذق به والبرور

دفن الحذق به والبرور

May your tomb be untouched by decay,

Do not be bothered by erosion, for you a tomb

May your grave never be harmed by decay,

where mastery and righteousness were buried.

That has buried in it wisdom and piety

Within which mastery and piety are buried.

يا أمير الشعر أين غوان

يا أمير الشعر أين غوان

ما لها الا حجاك خدور

ما لها الا حجاك خدور

O Prince of Poetry, where are the beauties

O prince of poetry, where are melodies?

O Prince of Poets, where are the muse-maidens,

whose only bowers were in your mind?

They have nothing but your singing maidens

Who found no sanctuary but your intellect?

أين رصف محكم عبقري

أين رصف محكم عبقري

رفع المعنى به فهو سور

رفع المعنى به فهو سور

Where is that firm, ingenious arrangement of words,

Where is the paved, ingenious rhyme?

Where is the masterful, genius construction,

by which meaning was raised, so it stood as a rampart?

With it meaning rose, so it is a wall

That elevated meaning until it became a fortress?

وروايات سرت كهرباء

وروايات سرت كهرباء

دنت البيد بها والعصور

دنت البيد بها والعصور

And dramas that coursed like electricity,

And tales that crept like lightning

And plays that coursed like electricity,

through which deserts and ages drew near?

Bringing wonder to generations and eras

Bridging distant deserts and epochs?

نفخ الصور بها في القوافي

نفخ الصور بها في القوافي

فعلتها هبة ونشور

فعلتها هبة ونشور

The trumpet was blown through them into the rhymes,

You breathed life into rhymes

The trumpet was blown into their rhymes,

so awakening and resurrection swept over them.

Making them a gift and awakening

Giving them a sudden awakening and resurrection.

أتت الفصحى فرفت وزفت

أتت الفصحى فرفت وزفت

مثلما يأتي الطيور البكور

مثلما يأتي الطيور البكور

Classical Arabic came, fluttered, and took wing,

Proper Arabic came so it fluttered and marched

The Arabic tongue came, fluttering and parading,

just as early-rising birds arrive.

As birds come early at dawn

Just as the early birds arrive at dawn.

وأضاءت حولها فهي نار

وأضاءت حولها فهي نار

والورى موسى وشخصك طور

والورى موسى وشخصك طور

And it illuminated its surroundings, for it is fire,

And lit up around it, so it is fire

It illuminated its surroundings like fire,

and humankind is Moses, and you yourself are Mount Sinai.

And people are Moses and you are the Mount

Where mankind is Moses, and you are the Mount.

سار في الدنيا قريضك جيشا

سار في الدنيا قريضك جيشا

فله زحف بها وكرور

فله زحف بها وكرور

Your verse marched through the world as an army,

Your poetry marched in life an army

Your verse marched through the world like an army,

so it advances there and charges again and again.

So it has a crawl in it and pride

Advancing and wheeling in attack.

وصفا في الذوق فهو لباب

وصفا في الذوق فهو لباب

ما عليه كاللباب قشور

ما عليه كاللباب قشور

And it grew pure in taste, becoming a kernel,

Pure in taste, so it is the essence

Pure in taste, it is the very essence,

with none of the husks that kernels bear.

With no rinds on it like essences

A kernel without husk or shell.

وعلا فاشتد في الشعر سروا

وعلا فاشتد في الشعر سروا

فغصون لدنة وجذور

فغصون لدنة وجذور

And it rose, growing strong in poetry as a cypress,

And it rose high, a tall cypress in poetry

It rose and grew mighty in poetic stature,

with supple branches and roots.

With soft branches and roots

With supple branches and deep roots.

وجلا الأبعاد من كل أفق

وجلا الأبعاد من كل أفق

بصرا لا يعتريه حسور

بصرا لا يعتريه حسور

And it revealed the far reaches of every horizon,

And the horizons were wide in every direction

It unveiled the distances of every horizon,

a gaze that no weariness assails.

A vision unrestrained by barriers

With a vision that never dims nor tires.

فترا آي الشرق والغرب فيه

فترا آي الشرق والغرب فيه

وتلاقت بالسهول الوعور

وتلاقت بالسهول الوعور

So in it you see the wonders of East and West,

So the signs of East and West in it were seen

In it, you see the signs of both East and West,

and rugged lands met the plains.

And met in rough plains

Where rugged peaks meet the open plains.

يا فؤادي لا ترعك العوادي

يا فؤادي لا ترعك العوادي

خلق الدنيا أسى وسرور

خلق الدنيا أسى وسرور

O my heart, let not misfortunes frighten you;

O my heart, do not be disturbed by misfortunes

O my heart, let not misfortunes terrify you;

the world's nature is sorrow and joy.

Creation made of grief and joy

The nature of this world is sorrow and joy.

عرف العشاق منها بغيا

عرف العشاق منها بغيا

فحضاة عندها ودحور

فحضاة عندها ودحور

Lovers have known her as a harlot:

Lovers are known through it for yearning

Lovers have known its inherent injustice:

so some are favored by her, and some cast out.

So they have love and hatred in it

Some are favored by it, while others are cast out.

لا أرى الأجسام الا كسفن

لا أرى الأجسام الا كسفن

ماخرات والقبور ثغور

ماخرات والقبور ثغور

I see bodies only as ships,

I do not see bodies but as ships

I see our bodies only as ships,

cleaving the waters, and graves are harbors.

Sinking, and graves are breaches

Plowing the waves, with graves as their ports.

وأرى الأرواح فيها كركب

وأرى الأرواح فيها كركب

فإناث منهم وذكور

فإناث منهم وذكور

And I see souls within them as passengers,

And I see souls in them like a caravan

And I see the souls within as passengers,

some of them female, and some male.

Some female, some male

Both women and men alike.

فرفاق في الذيول ذيول

فرفاق في الذيول ذيول

ورفاق في الصدور صدور

ورفاق في الصدور صدور

So fellow travelers in the rear are followers,

Some companions with tails, with tails

Some are followers, trailing in the rear,

and fellow travelers at the front are leaders.

And some companions in chests, in chests

While others are leaders, marching at the fore.