ضاقَ الرِّثاءُ بنا من فرطِ ما اتَّسعا

ضاقَ الرِّثاءُ بنا من فرطِ ما اتَّسعا

كالماءِ طالَ عليهِ الوِرْدُ فانقَطَعا

كالماءِ طالَ عليهِ الوِرْدُ فانقَطَعا

Lament has grown too narrow for us, so greatly has it spread,

Grief for him narrowed as we were overwhelmed

like water drawn upon so long that it ran dry.

Like water, the roses piled up till cut off

الموتُ يَنبُعُ يوماً بعدَ ليلتهِ

الموتُ يَنبُعُ يوماً بعدَ ليلتهِ

وليسَ تَنبُعُ ألفاظٌ كما نَبَعا

وليسَ تَنبُعُ ألفاظٌ كما نَبَعا

Death wells up each day after its night,

Death springs up daily after its night

yet words do not well up as it does.

But words do not spring up as they did

في كلِّ يومٍ يُقالُ الصُّبحَ وا أسفا

في كلِّ يومٍ يُقالُ الصُّبحَ وا أسفا

قد ماتَ زيدٌ وعمروٌ في المسا تَبِعا

قد ماتَ زيدٌ وعمروٌ في المسا تَبِعا

Every day, in the morning, it is said: 'Alas!'

Each day it is said, morning oh what a pity

Zayd has died, and Amr followed in the evening.

Zayd and Amr died in the evening, following

فوقَ التُّراب جِبالٌ من حِجارتهِ

فوقَ التُّراب جِبالٌ من حِجارتهِ

وتحتهُ مثلُها مِنَّا قدِ اجتَمَعا

وتحتهُ مثلُها مِنَّا قدِ اجتَمَعا

Above the soil are mountains of its stones,

Above the soil, mountains of its pebbles

and beneath it, their like has gathered from among us.

And below it the likes of us gathered

النَّاسُ للموتِ صيدٌ ظلَّ يأكلُهُم

النَّاسُ للموتِ صيدٌ ظلَّ يأكلُهُم

نَهْماً ولكنهُ لا يَعرِفُ الشِّبَعا

نَهْماً ولكنهُ لا يَعرِفُ الشِّبَعا

People are prey for death, which keeps devouring them

Mankind are death’s game, it eats them voraciously

ravenously, yet it knows no satiety.

Yet it knows not satiation

والأرضُ تبتلِعُ الأجسامَ قاطِبةً

والأرضُ تبتلِعُ الأجسامَ قاطِبةً

وجوفُها ليسَ يَملاهُ الذي ابتَلَعَا

وجوفُها ليسَ يَملاهُ الذي ابتَلَعَا

And the earth swallows bodies, all of them,

The earth swallows bodies entirely

and its belly is not filled by what it has swallowed.

Its interior is not filled by what it swallowed

هَوِّنْ على القلبِ غمَّا فيهِ أو فَرَحا

هَوِّنْ على القلبِ غمَّا فيهِ أو فَرَحا

كلاهما عن قريبٍ يَذهبانِ مَعَا

كلاهما عن قريبٍ يَذهبانِ مَعَا

Let the heart take lightly the sorrow or joy within it;

Lighten upon the heart a worry or joy in it

both will soon depart together.

Both will soon leave together

مابينَ يومٍ وليلٍ نحنُ بينَهُما

مابينَ يومٍ وليلٍ نحنُ بينَهُما

تمضي ألوفٌ وننسى كلَّ ما وقعا

تمضي ألوفٌ وننسى كلَّ ما وقعا

Between a day and a night, with us in their midst,

Between a day and night we are between them

thousands pass away, and we forget all that has happened.

Thousands pass and we forget all that transpired

قد يزرَعُ الزَّرعَ منا غيرُ حاصدهِ

قد يزرَعُ الزَّرعَ منا غيرُ حاصدهِ

ويحصُدُ الزَّرعَ منَّا غيرُ من زَرعا

ويحصُدُ الزَّرعَ منَّا غيرُ من زَرعا

Among us, the crop may be sown by someone other than its reaper,

One of us may plant crops not to harvest

and among us, someone other than its sower reaps the crop.

And another harvests crops not by him planted

ويَجمعُ المالَ من بالكدِّ حصلَّهُ

ويَجمعُ المالَ من بالكدِّ حصلَّهُ

دهراً ويُنفِقُهُ غيرُ الذي جَمَعا

دهراً ويُنفِقُهُ غيرُ الذي جَمَعا

And one gathers wealth, acquiring it through toil

And gather wealth by his toil and sweat

for a long time, while someone other than its gatherer spends it.

Then spend it not the one who gathered

اليومَ قد فاتَ إبراهيمَ منزِلَهُ

اليومَ قد فاتَ إبراهيمَ منزِلَهُ

وضاعَ ما قد بَنى فيهِ وما صَنَعا

وضاعَ ما قد بَنى فيهِ وما صَنَعا

Today, Ibrahim's home has passed beyond his reach,

Today, Ibrahim's house has evaded him

and what he built there, and what he made, is lost.

Lost is what he built in it and manufactured

وخَلَّفَ الدَّارَ تشكو فَقْدَ صاحِبِها

وخَلَّفَ الدَّارَ تشكو فَقْدَ صاحِبِها

والمالَ والأهلَ والأصحابَ والتَّبَعا

والمالَ والأهلَ والأصحابَ والتَّبَعا

He left the house lamenting the loss of its master,

Leaving the house lamenting its owner’s absence

and his wealth, his family, his friends, and his followers.

And money, family, friends and followers

كانت لياليهِ كالأعيادِ حافلةً

كانت لياليهِ كالأعيادِ حافلةً

بأوجُهِ الناس مُصطافاً ومُرتَبَعا

بأوجُهِ الناس مُصطافاً ومُرتَبَعا

His nights were like feast days, thronged

His nights were like festivals, bustling

with people's faces—a summer haven and a spring retreat.

With people's faces, socializing and sitting

تَعشُو الوُفودُ إلى بابٍ لمنزلهِ

تَعشُو الوُفودُ إلى بابٍ لمنزلهِ

لا يَطلُعُ الفجرُ إلاّ وَهْوَ قد قُرِعا

لا يَطلُعُ الفجرُ إلاّ وَهْوَ قد قُرِعا

Visiting parties sought the door of his house by night;

Delegations would stay up at his door

dawn never rose without that door having already been knocked upon.

Dawn would not rise but it was knocked

قد كان في طِبِّهِ للنَّاسِ منفعةٌ

قد كان في طِبِّهِ للنَّاسِ منفعةٌ

فإذا أتى الموتُ ذاك الطِّبُّ ما نَفَعا

فإذا أتى الموتُ ذاك الطِّبُّ ما نَفَعا

His medicine had indeed brought benefit to people;

He was beneficial to people when well

but when death came, that medicine availed nothing.

But when death came, that healing was of no use

وكان يُبرِي مِن النَّاسِ الجِراحَ فهل

وكان يُبرِي مِن النَّاسِ الجِراحَ فهل

يُبري جِراحَ فُؤَادٍ بعدهُ انصَدَعا

يُبري جِراحَ فُؤَادٍ بعدهُ انصَدَعا

He used to heal people's wounds; but can he

He would heal people’s wounds, so will he

heal the wounds of a heart shattered after his passing?

Heal the wounds of a heart after him split?

مَضَى إلى ربِّهِ الغفَّارِ مُعتمِداً

مَضَى إلى ربِّهِ الغفَّارِ مُعتمِداً

قُربَ الطريقِ التي فيها إليهِ سَعَى

قُربَ الطريقِ التي فيها إليهِ سَعَى

He went to his Lord, the All-Forgiving, trusting

He went to his Lord the Forgiver, trusting

in the shortness of the path along which he strove toward Him.

The path he strove on, nearing to Him

ما زال سَبَّاقَ غاياتٍ بهمَّتِهِ

ما زال سَبَّاقَ غاياتٍ بهمَّتِهِ

حتَّى لقد سبقَ الوقتَ الذي وُضعا

حتَّى لقد سبقَ الوقتَ الذي وُضعا

Through his resolve, he was ever first to reach his goals,

He kept racing to goals with his resolve

until he even outstripped the appointed time.

Until he surpassed the time allotted

سارت إلى الله تلكَ النَّفسُ تاركةً

سارت إلى الله تلكَ النَّفسُ تاركةً

جسماً ثَوى في تراب الأرض مُضطَجِعا

جسماً ثَوى في تراب الأرض مُضطَجِعا

That soul journeyed to God, leaving behind

That soul travelled to God, leaving

a body that lay at rest in the earth's dust.

A body lying in the earth’s dust

كلٌّ إلى أصلهِ قد عاد مُنقلباً

كلٌّ إلى أصلهِ قد عاد مُنقلباً

فانحطَّ هذا وهذا طارَ مُرتفِعا

فانحطَّ هذا وهذا طارَ مُرتفِعا

Each has gone back, returning to its origin:

All returned to their origin transformed

so this one sank, and that one soared aloft.

So this descended and that ascended