كَيفَ السَبيل إِلى دَفع المَنيّاتِ

كَيفَ السَبيل إِلى دَفع المَنيّاتِ

عَن أَنفُس الناس مِن ماضٍ وَمِن آت

عَن أَنفُس الناس مِن ماضٍ وَمِن آت

What way is there to ward off death

How can one ward off adversities

From people's souls, those gone and those yet to come?

From people, past and future?

رَفاعةٌ عالم الدُنيا وواحدها

رَفاعةٌ عالم الدُنيا وواحدها

وَخَير مَن كانَ يُرجى للملمات

وَخَير مَن كانَ يُرجى للملمات

Rifa‘a, the world's scholar and its peerless one,

Rifa'a, scholar of the world and its sole one,

And the best man to turn to in calamities;

And the best from whom hope was expected for adversities,

وَبَحرُها الزاخر الجاري بِأَودية

وَبَحرُها الزاخر الجاري بِأَودية

فيها دَوامُ اِنتِفاع للبريات

فيها دَوامُ اِنتِفاع للبريات

And its brimming sea, flowing through valleys

Whose abundant sea flows in valleys

Where all creatures find lasting benefit;

Wherein is lasting benefit for people,

وَبرُّها في فُنون لا نَظير لَه

وَبرُّها في فُنون لا نَظير لَه

في نَشر مطويها بَينَ السجلات

في نَشر مطويها بَينَ السجلات

And its land in the arts, with no equal

And whose land has arts that have no equal

In unfolding their hidden lore among the records;

In spreading its contents among registries,

وَطودُها في عُلوم لَيسَ يلحقه

وَطودُها في عُلوم لَيسَ يلحقه

مِنا بِمضمارها سبّاق غايات

مِنا بِمضمارها سبّاق غايات

And its mountain in the sciences, whom none can overtake,

And whose mountains are in sciences unmatched,

Not even a champion among us on their racecourse toward the goals.

Which none of us can compete with in its arenas,

لا أَوحش اللَه بَعد الأُنس أَندية

لا أَوحش اللَه بَعد الأُنس أَندية

كانَت مَصابيحها مِنهُ مُنيرات

كانَت مَصابيحها مِنهُ مُنيرات

Would that God had not left gathering halls desolate after fellowship,

May God not make his gatherings lonely after their conviviality,

Whose lamps shone bright through him;

Their lamps having been lit by Him,

وَلا أَتى يَوم بُؤس فيهِ قَد محيت

وَلا أَتى يَوم بُؤس فيهِ قَد محيت

سُعود أَوقاته مِن بَعد إثبات

سُعود أَوقاته مِن بَعد إثبات

And that no day of misery had come, on which were erased

Nor may a day of misery come wherein

The good fortunes of its hours, once established;

The joys of its times were blotted out after establishment,

وَلا رَماه الرَدى مِنهُ عَلى عجل

وَلا رَماه الرَدى مِنهُ عَلى عجل

بِأَسهُمٍ وَرِماح سَمهريات

بِأَسهُمٍ وَرِماح سَمهريات

And that death had not hastily struck him with its own

Nor may fickleness cast him down hastily

Arrows and hard, straight spears;

With arrows and spears of fate,

وَلانعتهُ القَوافي في الطُروس بِما

وَلانعتهُ القَوافي في الطُروس بِما

أَبكى عُيون الفُصول الفاضليات

أَبكى عُيون الفُصول الفاضليات

And that rhymes had not mourned him on pages with words

Nor did metrics lament him in poems

That made the eyes of the Fadili passages weep.

Which made the eyes of the virtuous seasons weep,

فَإِنَّهُ كانَ حبراً عَن مَدائحه

فَإِنَّهُ كانَ حبراً عَن مَدائحه

بِالعَجز مُعترف رَب البَلاغات

بِالعَجز مُعترف رَب البَلاغات

For he was a scholar; when it came to praising him,

For he was an ink that acknowledged inability

The master of eloquence acknowledged his inability.

To praise the Lord of eloquence,

وَكانَ مَجلسه في كل آونة

وَكانَ مَجلسه في كل آونة

مَع السكينة يَزهو بِالمَسرات

مَع السكينة يَزهو بِالمَسرات

And his gathering was, at every moment,

And his assembly was, at all times,

Serene and radiant with joys.

Joyous with tranquility,

وَكانَ يَعفو عَن الجاني وَلَو كثرت

وَكانَ يَعفو عَن الجاني وَلَو كثرت

في حَقه مِنهُ أَنواع الإساآت

في حَقه مِنهُ أَنواع الإساآت

And he would pardon the offender, however numerous

He would pardon the offender even if numerous

The kinds of wrong that man had done him.

Types of wrongdoing against him increased,

وَكانَ يَفرَح بِالعافي وَيَغمره

وَكانَ يَفرَح بِالعافي وَيَغمره

مِن غَير سؤل بَغَيث مِن مَبرّات

مِن غَير سؤل بَغَيث مِن مَبرّات

And he delighted in the petitioner and showered him,

And he would rejoice in well-being and it would overwhelm him

Without being asked, with a rain of benefactions.

With unasked for showers of blessings,

لَما قَضى نحبه ناحَت لفرقته

لَما قَضى نحبه ناحَت لفرقته

تراجمٌ زانَها حُسن العِبارات

تراجمٌ زانَها حُسن العِبارات

When his life ended, there wailed at his departure

When his star set, his biographies wept for parting with him,

Translations graced with beautiful phrasing.

Adorned with excellent diction,

وَالأَرض قَد عَمَّها في يَوم مَصرعه

وَالأَرض قَد عَمَّها في يَوم مَصرعه

حزنٌ تَصاعد مِنها لِلسَموات

حزنٌ تَصاعد مِنها لِلسَموات

And on the day of his death, the earth was filled

And on the day of his death, grief permeated the land,

With grief that rose from it to the heavens.

Ascending from it to the heavens,

وَرُوحُه قابلتَها الحُور مُذ فصلت

وَرُوحُه قابلتَها الحُور مُذ فصلت

عَن جسمه بِالتَحيات الزَكيات

عَن جسمه بِالتَحيات الزَكيات

And the houris met his spirit as soon as it parted

And his soul was met by the houris when it parted

From his body, with pure greetings;

From his body with pure greetings,

وَباتَ في لَيلة الإِسرا بِها فرحاً

وَباتَ في لَيلة الإِسرا بِها فرحاً

منعّم البال مسروراً بِلَذات

منعّم البال مسروراً بِلَذات

And there he passed the Night Journey's night rejoicing,

And he spent the night of ascension joyfully,

At ease in spirit, gladdened by delights.

With a delighted heart, luxuriating in pleasures,

وَكانَ لَما تَوارى بِالضَريح رُؤي

وَكانَ لَما تَوارى بِالضَريح رُؤي

كَأَنَّهُ في رِياض سندسيات

كَأَنَّهُ في رِياض سندسيات

And when he was hidden in the tomb, he was seen

And when he was interred in the tomb, he appeared

As though in gardens of fine silk.

As if in gardens of brocade,

وَحَولَهُ مِن بَني الزَهراء جدّته

وَحَولَهُ مِن بَني الزَهراء جدّته

بدور تَم تَناهت في الكَمالات

بدور تَم تَناهت في الكَمالات

And around him were sons of al-Zahra, his ancestress—

And around him were the People of the House, his ancestry,

Full moons that had reached the utmost perfection;

In circles that attained perfection,

وَكانَ يَتلو عَلَيهم وَهوَ بَينَهُمُ

وَكانَ يَتلو عَلَيهم وَهوَ بَينَهُمُ

مُتَوّجٌ بِوَقارٍ بَعض آيات

مُتَوّجٌ بِوَقارٍ بَعض آيات

And he recited to them, while in their midst,

And he recited over them, while between them,

Crowned with dignity, a few verses.

Crowned with dignity, some verses,

وَقال يا لَيت قَومي يَعلَمون بِما

وَقال يا لَيت قَومي يَعلَمون بِما

أوتيت مِن رَفع مِقدار وَخَيرات

أوتيت مِن رَفع مِقدار وَخَيرات

And he said, 'Oh, if only my people knew what

And said: would that my people knew what

I have been granted—exalted rank and blessings!'

I was given of exalted worth and bounty!

هُناكَ طِبنا نُفوساً بِالَّذي سَمعت

هُناكَ طِبنا نُفوساً بِالَّذي سَمعت

آذاننا عَنهُ مِن أَبناء سادات

آذاننا عَنهُ مِن أَبناء سادات

There we were gladdened in spirit by what

Therein our souls found rest in that which we heard

Our ears had heard of him from the sons of noblemen.

From the descendants of the Masters,

وَفي رَبيع غَدا مَجدي يُؤرّخه

وَفي رَبيع غَدا مَجدي يُؤرّخه

رفاعة حاله حال بجنات

رفاعة حاله حال بجنات

And in Rabi‘, Majdi set about composing his chronogram:

And in the coming springtime, my glory will be dated

Rifa‘a's lot is to dwell in gardens.

By Rifa'a whose state is that of the gardens.