إِنّي لَأَعلَمُ وَاللَبيبُ خَبيرُ

إِنّي لَأَعلَمُ وَاللَبيبُ خَبيرُ

أَنَّ الحَياةَ وَإِن حَرَصتَ غُرورُ

أَنَّ الحَياةَ وَإِن حَرَصتَ غُرورُ

I know full well—and the discerning are well aware—

Indeed I know, and the wise one is aware,

I surely know—and the wise man is well aware—that life, however much you crave it, is a mere deception.

that life, however eagerly you cling to it, is deception.

That life, though you are deluded by it,

I see how each man seeks to soothe his soul with fleeting trifles, while all the while he journeys toward the void.

وَرَأَيتُ كُلّاً ما يُعَلِّلُ نَفسَهُ

وَرَأَيتُ كُلّاً ما يُعَلِّلُ نَفسَهُ

بِتَعِلَّةٍ وَإِلى الفَناءِ يَصيرُ

بِتَعِلَّةٍ وَإِلى الفَناءِ يَصيرُ

And I have seen everyone soothe himself

And I saw everyone justifying himself

O neighbor of the dark dungeon, held hostage in the depths, where the only light and brilliance shine from your own face:

with some solace, yet pass into extinction.

With an excuse, yet to annihilation he goes.

Before they laid you in the earth, I never thought that I would see the shining stars descend to set within the dust.

أَمُجاوِرَ الديماسِ رَهنَ قَرارَةٍ

أَمُجاوِرَ الديماسِ رَهنَ قَرارَةٍ

فيها الضِياءُ بِوَجهِهِ وَالنورُ

فيها الضِياءُ بِوَجهِهِ وَالنورُ

O neighbor of al-Dimas, captive in a hollow

Inhabitant of Damascus, a pledge detained

Before I saw your funeral bier, I never dreamed that I would watch Mount Radwa borne aloft upon the hands of men.

whose radiance and light come from his face.

In it the light with its face and the radiance.

They went forth with him, and every weeper in his wake was thunderstruck like Moses the day the Mount was crushed.

ما كُنتُ أَحسَبُ قَبلَ دَفنِكَ في الثَرى

ما كُنتُ أَحسَبُ قَبلَ دَفنِكَ في الثَرى

أَنَّ الكَواكِبَ في التُرابِ تَغورُ

أَنَّ الكَواكِبَ في التُرابِ تَغورُ

Before your burial in the earth, I had never thought

I did not think before your burial in the soil

The sun hangs sickly in the very center of the sky, and the earth is trembling, shuddering as if to sway.

that stars could sink into the dust.

That the stars in the dust would sink.

The rustle of the angels' wings surrounds him, while the eyes of Latakia's people reflect the trumpets of the End.

ما كُنتُ آمُلُ قَبلَ نَعشِكَ أَن أَرى

ما كُنتُ آمُلُ قَبلَ نَعشِكَ أَن أَرى

رَضوى عَلى أَيدي الرِجالِ تَسيرُ

رَضوى عَلى أَيدي الرِجالِ تَسيرُ

Before you lay on your bier, I had never expected to see

I did not hope before your bier to see

Until they reached a sepulcher that seemed as if its trench were carved within the heart of every faithful soul.

Mount Radwa moving upon men's hands.

Complacency in the hands of men walking.

Provisioned from his kingdom with nothing but a shroud, he sleeps, with camphor dust applied as kohl upon his eyes.

خَرَجوا بِهِ وَلِكُلِّ باكٍ خَلفَهُ

خَرَجوا بِهِ وَلِكُلِّ باكٍ خَلفَهُ

صَعَقاتُ موسى يَومَ دُكَّ الطورُ

صَعَقاتُ موسى يَومَ دُكَّ الطورُ

They went out with him, and every weeper behind him suffered

They went out with it and for every weeping mourner behind it

Buried within are eloquence, and grace, and piety, and valor in its fullness, and wisdom, and all good.

Moses' swoons on the day the Mount was shattered.

Were the swoons of Moses the day Mount Tur was shaken.

His praise has guaranteed the restoration of his life; though he is folded in the earth, his name is spread unfurled.

وَالشَمسُ في كَبِدِ السَماءِ مَريضَةٌ

وَالشَمسُ في كَبِدِ السَماءِ مَريضَةٌ

وَالأَرضُ واجِفَةٌ تَكادُ تَمورُ

وَالأَرضُ واجِفَةٌ تَكادُ تَمورُ

And the sun, in the heart of the sky, was sick,

And the sun in the middle of the sky is sick

It is as if his living memory were Jesus, Mary's son, and as if his buried body were Lazarus in the tomb.

and the earth was trembling, nearly heaving.

And the earth quivering about to crumble.

وَحَفيفُ أَجنِحَةِ المَلائِكِ حَولُهُ

وَحَفيفُ أَجنِحَةِ المَلائِكِ حَولُهُ

وَعُيونُ أَهلِ اللاذِقِيَّةِ صورُ

وَعُيونُ أَهلِ اللاذِقِيَّةِ صورُ

And around him rustled the wings of angels,

And the fluttering of angels' wings around it

and the eyes of Latakia's people were turned toward him,

And the eyes of the people of Latakia like images.

حَتّى أَتَوا جَدَثاً كَأَنَّ ضَريحَهُ

حَتّى أَتَوا جَدَثاً كَأَنَّ ضَريحَهُ

في قَلبِ كُلِّ مُوَحِّدٍ مَحفورُ

في قَلبِ كُلِّ مُوَحِّدٍ مَحفورُ

until they reached a grave, as though his tomb

Until they came to a grave as though its tomb

were dug into the heart of every believer in one God,

In the heart of every monotheist engraved.

بِمُزَوَّدٍ كَفَنَ البِلى مِن مُلكِهِ

بِمُزَوَّدٍ كَفَنَ البِلى مِن مُلكِهِ

مُغفٍ وَإِثمِدُ عَينِهِ الكافورُ

مُغفٍ وَإِثمِدُ عَينِهِ الكافورُ

bringing one provisioned from his possessions with a shroud for decay,

With a shrouded one clothed in decay from his kingdom,

slumbering, with camphor as the kohl of his eye.

Forgiving while his kohl-lined eye flows.

فيهِ الفَصاحَةُ وَالسَماحَةُ وَالتُقى

فيهِ الفَصاحَةُ وَالسَماحَةُ وَالتُقى

وَالبَأسُ أَجمَعُ وَالحِجى وَالخَيرُ

وَالبَأسُ أَجمَعُ وَالحِجى وَالخَيرُ

Within it lie eloquence, generosity, and piety,

In it eloquence, magnanimity, piety,

and all valor, and wisdom, and goodness.

Ferocity altogether, protection and good.

كَفَلَ الثَناءُ لَهُ بِرَدِّ حَياتِهِ

كَفَلَ الثَناءُ لَهُ بِرَدِّ حَياتِهِ

لَمّا اِنطَوى فَكَأَنَّهُ مَنشورُ

لَمّا اِنطَوى فَكَأَنَّهُ مَنشورُ

Praise pledged to restore his life

Sufficed him praise in compensation for his life

when he was folded away; thus he seems raised again.

When it was folded as though published.

وَكَأَنَّما عيسى اِبنُ مَريَمَ ذِكرُهُ

وَكَأَنَّما عيسى اِبنُ مَريَمَ ذِكرُهُ

وَكَأَنَّ عازَرَ شَخصُهُ المَقبورُ

وَكَأَنَّ عازَرَ شَخصُهُ المَقبورُ

And his memory is like Jesus, son of Mary,

And as though Jesus son of Mary his mention

and his buried body is like Lazarus.

And as though Lazarus his buried form.