قوموا بنا نَسأَلُ الأَمواتَ في الرُّجَمِ

قوموا بنا نَسأَلُ الأَمواتَ في الرُّجَمِ

ما يذكُرونَ منَ اللَذاتِ والأَلمِ

ما يذكُرونَ منَ اللَذاتِ والأَلمِ

Rise with us; let us ask the dead beneath the burial cairns

Rise, let us ask the dead in their graves

What they remember of pleasures and pain.

What they remember of pleasures and pain

قد كانَ ما كانَ حُلماً فانقَضى ومضى

قد كانَ ما كانَ حُلماً فانقَضى ومضى

كأَنَّ رائيهِ لم يَحلُمْ ولم يَنَمِ

كأَنَّ رائيهِ لم يَحلُمْ ولم يَنَمِ

What had been was a dream; it ended and passed away,

What has passed was but a dream that faded and went

As though its beholder had neither dreamed nor slept.

As if its seer had not dreamed nor slept

العيشُ في الأرضِ وَهمٌ أَهلُهُ عَدَمٌ

العيشُ في الأرضِ وَهمٌ أَهلُهُ عَدَمٌ

وما الذي يا تُرَى نرجو من العَدَمِ

وما الذي يا تُرَى نرجو من العَدَمِ

Life on earth is an illusion, its people nothingness;

To live on earth while its people are naught

And what, I wonder, do we hope for from nothingness?

What is it that we hope for from naught?

بالأمسِ قد كانَ إبراهيمُ صاحبَنا

بالأمسِ قد كانَ إبراهيمُ صاحبَنا

واليومَ في التُربِ أَضحَى صاحبَ الرِمَمِ

واليومَ في التُربِ أَضحَى صاحبَ الرِمَمِ

Yesterday Ibrahim was our companion,

Yesterday, Ibrahim was our companion

And today, in the dust, he has become a companion to moldering remains.

Today, in dust, he became a friend of worms

كأنَّهُ لم يَكُنْ رُكناً لطائفةٍ

كأنَّهُ لم يَكُنْ رُكناً لطائفةٍ

ولا مَناراً لدارِ العِلمِ والحِكَمِ

ولا مَناراً لدارِ العِلمِ والحِكَمِ

As though he had never been a pillar of a community,

As if he had not been a pillar of his clan

Nor a beacon for the house of learning and wisdom.

Nor a beacon of science and wisdom's house

أجَابَ طَوعاً دُعاءَ اللهِ حينَ دَعا

أجَابَ طَوعاً دُعاءَ اللهِ حينَ دَعا

وتلكَ شيمةُ إِبراهيمَ في القِدَمِ

وتلكَ شيمةُ إِبراهيمَ في القِدَمِ

He willingly answered God's call when He called,

He willingly answered God's call when called

And that was Ibrahim's way of old.

That was Ibrahim's nature since old

كسا الحِدادَ سِوى القِرطاسِ مُصطحِباً

كسا الحِدادَ سِوى القِرطاسِ مُصطحِباً

بَياضَهُ حينَ جَفَّتْ عَبْرَةُ القَلَمِ

بَياضَهُ حينَ جَفَّتْ عَبْرَةُ القَلَمِ

He clothed all but the paper in mourning; it kept

He donned mourning but for paper as his companion

Its whiteness when the pen's tear dried up.

Its whiteness dried when the pen's tears ceased

وعاهَدَ العينَ لا تُجري مَدَامِعَها

وعاهَدَ العينَ لا تُجري مَدَامِعَها

عليهِ ما لم تَكُنْ ممزوجَةً بِدَمِ

عليهِ ما لم تَكُنْ ممزوجَةً بِدَمِ

And he made a pact with the eye not to shed its tears

And he vowed his eyes not to shed tears for him

Over him unless they were mingled with blood.

Unless mingled with blood

مَضى سريعاً فلم تَثبُتْ لهُ قَدَمٌ

مَضى سريعاً فلم تَثبُتْ لهُ قَدَمٌ

مَن كانَ في كلِّ فَنٍّ ثابتَ القَدَمِ

مَن كانَ في كلِّ فَنٍّ ثابتَ القَدَمِ

He departed swiftly, and his foot could not stand firm—

He went swiftly, no foot established for him

He who had stood firm in every art.

Who was firmly rooted in every art

وراحَ كَهلاً كأنَّ اللهَ عاجَلَهُ

وراحَ كَهلاً كأنَّ اللهَ عاجَلَهُ

شَوقاً إليهِ فلم يلبَثْ إلى الهَرَمِ

شَوقاً إليهِ فلم يلبَثْ إلى الهَرَمِ

And he departed in middle age, as though God had hastened him

And he went as an old man, as if God hastened him

Out of longing for him, so he did not linger into decrepitude.

Yearning for him, he did not linger to old age

بَكَى عليهِ ذَوُو الحاجاتِ من أسَفٍ

بَكَى عليهِ ذَوُو الحاجاتِ من أسَفٍ

ومَن بَكَى قاضيَ الحاجاتِ لم يُلَمِ

ومَن بَكَى قاضيَ الحاجاتِ لم يُلَمِ

Those in need wept for him out of sorrow;

Those needy of him wept in sorrow

And whoever wept for the fulfiller of needs was not to blame.

And he who weeps the fulfiller of needs is not blamed

وكادتِ الصُّحْفُ تبكي بَعدَ مَصرَعِهِ

وكادتِ الصُّحْفُ تبكي بَعدَ مَصرَعِهِ

لو لا مَخَافَةُ مَحْوِ الدَّمعِ للكَلِمِ

لو لا مَخَافَةُ مَحْوِ الدَّمعِ للكَلِمِ

And the pages nearly wept after his death,

The pages almost cried after his death

Were it not for fear that tears would erase the words.

Had they not feared wiping the words with tears

بني مُشاقةَ إِنَّ الصَّبرَ حاجتُهُ

بني مُشاقةَ إِنَّ الصَّبرَ حاجتُهُ

عندَ البَلا كاحتياجِ الطِبِّ للسَّقَمِ

عندَ البَلا كاحتياجِ الطِبِّ للسَّقَمِ

O sons of Mushaqa, the need for patience

O people of hardship, patience is needed

In affliction is like the need for medicine in sickness.

In afflictions as medicine is needed for illness

هذا الذي كلُّ مَولودٍ يُصابُ بهِ

هذا الذي كلُّ مَولودٍ يُصابُ بهِ

فلا حِمَى عِندَنا منهُ سِوى العُقُمِ

فلا حِمَى عِندَنا منهُ سِوى العُقُمِ

This is what every person born is stricken with;

This is what every newborn is destined for

So we have no refuge from it save barrenness.

We have no refuge but sterility

لا يَشتَكِ المَرْءُ غَدرَ البينِ مُتَّهِماً

لا يَشتَكِ المَرْءُ غَدرَ البينِ مُتَّهِماً

إذ ليسَ بَينَهُما شيءٌ من الذِمَمِ

إذ ليسَ بَينَهُما شيءٌ من الذِمَمِ

Let no one accuse parting of treachery,

One does not complain of the treachery of separation

For no pledges bind the two.

For between them is nothing of blame

هذا الذي خُلِقَتْ كلُّ النُفوسِ لهُ

هذا الذي خُلِقَتْ كلُّ النُفوسِ لهُ

فتُحسَبُ النَّاسُ مَوتى قَبلَ موتِهِمِ

فتُحسَبُ النَّاسُ مَوتى قَبلَ موتِهِمِ

This is what all souls were created for,

This for which all souls were created

So people are reckoned dead before their death.

And people deemed dead before their death

هذا هو المَلِكُ الجَبَّارُ مُقتَدِراً

هذا هو المَلِكُ الجَبَّارُ مُقتَدِراً

على المَمالِكِ من عُرْبٍ ومن عَجَمِ

على المَمالِكِ من عُرْبٍ ومن عَجَمِ

This is the all-conquering king, wielding power

This is the Almighty King

Over the kingdoms of Arabs and non-Arabs.

Powerful over Arab and non-Arab kingdoms

والعادلُ الحُكمِ لا يُرشَى على عَمَلٍ

والعادلُ الحُكمِ لا يُرشَى على عَمَلٍ

وليسَ يَفرُقُ مخدوماً عن الخَدَمِ

وليسَ يَفرُقُ مخدوماً عن الخَدَمِ

And just in judgment, he takes no bribe for any deed,

The Just Judge not bribed for any deed

Nor does he distinguish a master from the servants.

Who does not differentiate servant from master

مِنَّا السَّلامُ على مَن لا سَلامَ لَنا

مِنَّا السَّلامُ على مَن لا سَلامَ لَنا

منهُ ولا بَرْدَ يُطفي غُلَّةَ الضَرَمِ

منهُ ولا بَرْدَ يُطفي غُلَّةَ الضَرَمِ

From us, peace upon one; no peace is ours

Peace from us to Him from Whom we have no peace

From him, nor coolness to quench the blaze's heat.

Nor freshness to cool the heat of ailment

وَلّى وقد سارَ عَنّا غَيرَ مُلتَفِتٍ

وَلّى وقد سارَ عَنّا غَيرَ مُلتَفِتٍ

نبكي فيَضحَكُ مِنَّا غيرَ مُبتَسِمِ

نبكي فيَضحَكُ مِنَّا غيرَ مُبتَسِمِ

He turned away and departed from us without looking back;

He turned away and left us not glancing back

We weep, and he laughs at us without a smile.

We cry while He laughs at us, unsmiling

ضاعَ النُّواحُ كما ضاعتْ مَدامِعُنا

ضاعَ النُّواحُ كما ضاعتْ مَدامِعُنا

عندَ الذي قد رَماهُ البينُ بالصَّمَمِ

عندَ الذي قد رَماهُ البينُ بالصَّمَمِ

Our wailing was wasted, just as our tears were wasted,

Condolences were lost like our tears

On one whom parting had struck with deafness.

To Him whom separation has deafened

قد أدركَ الحَقَّ يَمشي في الضِّياءِ بهِ

قد أدركَ الحَقَّ يَمشي في الضِّياءِ بهِ

والقومُ في باطلٍ يَمشُونَ في الظُّلَمِ

والقومُ في باطلٍ يَمشُونَ في الظُّلَمِ

He has attained the truth and, through it, walks in the light,

He attained the truth walking in its light

While the people, in falsehood, walk in darkness.

While people walk in falsehood, in darkness

يا أَيُّها النَّاسُ هَيُّوا الزادَ وانتَبِهوا

يا أَيُّها النَّاسُ هَيُّوا الزادَ وانتَبِهوا

فالموتُ للنَّاسِ كالجَزَّارِ للغَنَمِ

فالموتُ للنَّاسِ كالجَزَّارِ للغَنَمِ

O people, ready your provisions and awaken!

O people, prepare provisions and take heed

For death is to people as the butcher is to sheep.

For death to people is like the butcher to sheep

من رَامَ أنْ لا يَرَى فَقْداً لصاحِبِهِ

من رَامَ أنْ لا يَرَى فَقْداً لصاحِبِهِ

يَسبُقْ إلى المَوتِ كي ينجو كمُنهَزِمِ

يَسبُقْ إلى المَوتِ كي ينجو كمُنهَزِمِ

Whoever seeks not to witness the loss of his companion,

Whoever desires not to see a friend lost

Let him go first to death, to escape like one routed.

Will precede him in death to escape like one defeated