أَجملَ اللَهُ في فؤادِكَ صَبرا

أَجملَ اللَهُ في فؤادِكَ صَبرا

وَجزى مِنَّةً وَأَعظمَ أَجرا

وَجزى مِنَّةً وَأَعظمَ أَجرا

May God make patience beautiful in your heart,

May God grant you patience in your heart

and repay kindness, and increase the reward.

And reward you with benevolence and great reward

وَسَقى تُرْبَ مَن فَقَدتَ سَحابا

وَسَقى تُرْبَ مَن فَقَدتَ سَحابا

لا دُموعاً فَذاكَ أَندى وَأَطرى

لا دُموعاً فَذاكَ أَندى وَأَطرى

And water the soil of the one you lost with clouds,

And rain upon the soil of those you have lost with clouds

not tears, for that is moister and fresher.

Not with tears, for that is more dewy and fertile

انَّ أَمراً دَهاكَ أعظمُ أَمرٍ

انَّ أَمراً دَهاكَ أعظمُ أَمرٍ

مَن تَلقَّاهُ لا يُعظِّمُ أَمرا

مَن تَلقَّاهُ لا يُعظِّمُ أَمرا

Indeed, what has befallen you is the greatest calamity;

Surely, something has shocked you, greater than anything

whoever has faced it deems no other calamity great.

That who encounters it does not magnify anything

غَيرَ أَنَّ المَريضَ يَرجو دَواءً

غَيرَ أَنَّ المَريضَ يَرجو دَواءً

فَإِذا لَم يَنلْهُ فَالصَّبرُ أَحرى

فَإِذا لَم يَنلْهُ فَالصَّبرُ أَحرى

Yet the sick man hopes for a cure,

Except that the sick hopes for a cure

and if he cannot obtain it, patience is more fitting.

So if he does not attain it, then patience is best

إِنَّ حَقّاً عَلى الطَبيعةِ إِن تَحْ

إِنَّ حَقّاً عَلى الطَبيعةِ إِن تَحْ

زَنَ وَالعَقلُ بِالنَتيجةِ أَدرى

زَنَ وَالعَقلُ بِالنَتيجةِ أَدرى

Indeed, it is right for human nature to

It is truly the nature's right to grieve

grieve, while reason knows the outcome better.

And reason knows the conclusion best

لَو يفيدُ البُكاءُ وَالنَّوحُ شَيئاً

لَو يفيدُ البُكاءُ وَالنَّوحُ شَيئاً

لَأَقامَتْ خَنساءُ قَبلَكَ صَخرا

لَأَقامَتْ خَنساءُ قَبلَكَ صَخرا

If weeping and lamentation did any good,

If crying and wailing would avail anything

Khansa would have raised Sakhr to life before you.

Khanssa would have erected a rock before you

كُلُّ ما في الوُجودِ وَهمٌ فَلا نر

كُلُّ ما في الوُجودِ وَهمٌ فَلا نر

حَمُ زَيداً وَلا نُغبِّطُ عَمرا

حَمُ زَيداً وَلا نُغبِّطُ عَمرا

Everything in existence is illusion; so let us not

All that exists is illusion so we do not pity

pity Zayd, nor envy Amr.

Zaid nor congratulate Amr

يَطمَعُ المَرءُ في الحياةِ طَويلاً

يَطمَعُ المَرءُ في الحياةِ طَويلاً

وَهْوَ في المَوتِ أَو عَنِ المَوتِ فِتْرا

وَهْوَ في المَوتِ أَو عَنِ المَوتِ فِتْرا

A man hopes for a long life,

One aspires for long life in this world

while he is in death, or a finger-span from death.

While he is towards death or from death slack

وَحياةُ الدُّنيا تُسمَّى حَياةً

وَحياةُ الدُّنيا تُسمَّى حَياةً

مِثلَما تُحسَبُ المَجَرَّةُ نَهرا

مِثلَما تُحسَبُ المَجَرَّةُ نَهرا

And the life of this world is called life,

And the life of this world is called life

just as the Milky Way is taken for a river.

Just as a galaxy is deemed a river

هَكَذا النَّاسُ عاثِرٌ إِثرَ كابٍ

هَكَذا النَّاسُ عاثِرٌ إِثرَ كابٍ

كلُّ عَينٍ بِدَمعةِ البينِ شَكرَى

كلُّ عَينٍ بِدَمعةِ البينِ شَكرَى

Such are people: one stumbling after another falls;

Thus people stumble after stumblers

every eye brims with the tear of parting.

Every eye with the tear of separation grateful

رُبَّ باكٍ لِضَربةٍ صادَفتَني

رُبَّ باكٍ لِضَربةٍ صادَفتَني

وَهْوَ قَد شَكَّ أَن تُفاجيهِ أُخرى

وَهْوَ قَد شَكَّ أَن تُفاجيهِ أُخرى

Many a man weeps for a blow that struck me,

Many weep for a blow that befell me

while doubting that another may take him unawares.

While it may strike him unexpectedly another

كُلُّ مُستضحِكٍ سَيُبكيكَ وَالبا

كُلُّ مُستضحِكٍ سَيُبكيكَ وَالبا

كي سيُبكَى فَالكُلُّ قَتلى وَأَسرى

كي سيُبكَى فَالكُلُّ قَتلى وَأَسرى

Everyone who makes you laugh will make you weep; and the one who

All who laugh at you will make you weep and the

weeps will be wept for, for all are slain and captive.

Weeping will be wept, so all are slain and captive

نحنُ وَالدَّاءُ وَالدَّواءُ مِن الأَر

نحنُ وَالدَّاءُ وَالدَّواءُ مِن الأَر

ضِ تُراباً وَالكُلُّ لِلأَرضِ طُرّا

ضِ تُراباً وَالكُلُّ لِلأَرضِ طُرّا

We, disease, and remedy come from the

We and disease and medicine are from the

earth as dust; and all belong to the earth, one and all.

Earth, dust, and all to earth incline

وَحياةُ الدُّنيا طَريقٌ إِلى الأُخْ

وَحياةُ الدُّنيا طَريقٌ إِلى الأُخْ

رَى فَخُذْ زادَها الَّذي هُوَ أَمرى

رَى فَخُذْ زادَها الَّذي هُوَ أَمرى

And the life of this world is a road to the

And the life of this world is a path to the

hereafter; so take its most wholesome provisions.

Other, so take its provision which is best

يا طَريقَ البَقا إِذا كُنتَ خَيراً

يا طَريقَ البَقا إِذا كُنتَ خَيراً

فَلَكَ الفَضلُ كُلَّما زِدتَ قِصْرا

فَلَكَ الفَضلُ كُلَّما زِدتَ قِصْرا

O road to eternity, if you are good,

O path of eternity, if you are good

your merit grows the shorter you become.

Then you have virtue whenever you are shorter

طالَما عالَجَ الزَّمانَ رِجالٌ

طالَما عالَجَ الزَّمانَ رِجالٌ

فَاِبتَلاهم بِأَحرُفٍ لَيسَ تُقرا

فَاِبتَلاهم بِأَحرُفٍ لَيسَ تُقرا

Often have men grappled with time,

Often men have treated time

and it has tried them with letters that cannot be read.

So it afflicted them with letters that do not settle

حيلَةٌ تَركُها سَبيلٌ إِلَيها

حيلَةٌ تَركُها سَبيلٌ إِلَيها

وَسقامٌ برَفضنا الطِبَّ يَبرا

وَسقامٌ برَفضنا الطِبَّ يَبرا

A stratagem—abandoning it is the way to it;

A trick leaves it a way to it

and an illness cured by our rejection of medicine.

And an illness by our rejecting medicine is cured

لَستَ أَهلاً لَأَن تُعزّى بِما جِئْ

لَستَ أَهلاً لَأَن تُعزّى بِما جِئْ

نَا بِهِ أَنتَ فَوقَ ذَلِكَ قَدرا

نَا بِهِ أَنتَ فَوقَ ذَلِكَ قَدرا

You are not one to be consoled by what we have

You are not worthy to be consoled with what

brought; your stature is above that.

We came with, you are above that in worth

عِندَنا ما لَديكَ فَالبَعضُ مِمَّا

عِندَنا ما لَديكَ فَالبَعضُ مِمَّا

بِكَ وَالبَعضُ مِن دَمٍ راحَ هَدرا

بِكَ وَالبَعضُ مِن دَمٍ راحَ هَدرا

We bear what you bear; part comes from what

What is with you is partly from you

afflicts you, and part from blood shed in vain.

And partly from blood that flowed neglected

لَو أَطَعنا الدُّموعَ مُبتَدِراتٍ

لَو أَطَعنا الدُّموعَ مُبتَدِراتٍ

ما وَقَفنا عَليكَ نُنشِدُ شِعرا

ما وَقَفنا عَليكَ نُنشِدُ شِعرا

Had we obeyed our tears as they rushed forth,

If we had obeyed tears hastening

we would not have stood before you reciting verse.

We would not have stood reciting poetry to you

قَد عَهِدناكَ تُوسِعُ النَّاس حِلماً

قَد عَهِدناكَ تُوسِعُ النَّاس حِلماً

وَعَهِدناكَ تُوسِعُ النَّاس زَجرا

وَعَهِدناكَ تُوسِعُ النَّاس زَجرا

We have known you to lavish forbearance on people,

We knew you to be lenient with people

and known you to lavish rebuke on people.

And we knew you to deter people

وَعَهِدناكَ كُلَّما اتَّسَعَ الخَطْ

وَعَهِدناكَ كُلَّما اتَّسَعَ الخَطْ

بُ حَوالَيكَ كُنتَ أَوسَعَ صَدرا

بُ حَوالَيكَ كُنتَ أَوسَعَ صَدرا

And we have known you: whenever calamity grew

And we knew you, whenever the discourse

around you, your breast was broader still.

Around you expanded, were of broader chest

أَنتَ بَحرٌ وَالحُزنُ جَمرةُ نارٍ

أَنتَ بَحرٌ وَالحُزنُ جَمرةُ نارٍ

مِن رَأى جَمرَةً تُسخِّنُ بَحرا

مِن رَأى جَمرَةً تُسخِّنُ بَحرا

You are a sea, and grief an ember of fire;

You are an ocean and grief is an ember

who has seen an ember warm a sea?

Whoever saw an ember warming an ocean

قَد عَركتَ الخطوبَ شَفعاً وَوَترا

قَد عَركتَ الخطوبَ شَفعاً وَوَترا

وَعَرَفتَ الأَيَّامَ بَطناً وظَهرا

وَعَرَفتَ الأَيَّامَ بَطناً وظَهرا

You have grappled with calamities in pairs and singly,

You have paired life's woes as even and odd

and known the days, both belly and back.

And known days as belly and back

وَلِمثلي عَلَيكَ نُصحٌ وَقَد كا

وَلِمثلي عَلَيكَ نُصحٌ وَقَد كا

نَ فَهَذا مِمَّا تَخيَّرتُ ذُخرا

نَ فَهَذا مِمَّا تَخيَّرتُ ذُخرا

And one like me has counsel for you; it has

And for the likes of me is advice to you

been offered—this is among what I chose to keep in store.

And that is what you have chosen as treasure

وَإِذا ما سَلِمتَ هانَ فَقد أَغْ

وَإِذا ما سَلِمتَ هانَ فَقد أَغْ

نَيْتَ عَمَّن يَكونُ عَبراً وغَبرا

نَيْتَ عَمَّن يَكونُ عَبراً وغَبرا

And if you remain safe, loss is slight; you have

And when you are safe, loss becomes slight

made up for the departed and those who remain.

You have sufficed from one who is moral and dust