هِيَ اللَيالي فَلا تَغتَرّ بِالاِمَل

هِيَ اللَيالي فَلا تَغتَرّ بِالاِمَل

كَم سيد تَحتَ أَطباقِ التُراب بَلى

كَم سيد تَحتَ أَطباقِ التُراب بَلى

Such are the nights; do not be deceived by hope.

Oh nights, do not be fooled by hope

How many a lord has decayed beneath layers of earth!

How many masters lie under layers of soil

يا طالِباً راحَة من دَهرِه عَبثا

يا طالِباً راحَة من دَهرِه عَبثا

أَقصُر فَما الدَهر اِلّا بِالهُمومِ ملى

أَقصُر فَما الدَهر اِلّا بِالهُمومِ ملى

O you who vainly seek ease from your days,

O you who futilely seek respite from his capricious life

desist, for time is filled with nothing but cares.

Be brief, for life is nothing but worries

كَم مَنظَر رائِق أَفنَت جَمالَته

كَم مَنظَر رائِق أَفنَت جَمالَته

يَد المُنون وَأَعيَتهُ عَن الحيل

يَد المُنون وَأَعيَتهُ عَن الحيل

How many a fair countenance has had its beauty destroyed

How many lovely scenes faded in their prime

by death's hand, which left it helpless to devise a stratagem!

Claimed by the hand of death beyond remedy

وَكَم همام وَكَم قرم وَكَم ملك

وَكَم همام وَكَم قرم وَكَم ملك

تحت التُراب وَكم شهم وَكَم بَطَل

تحت التُراب وَكم شهم وَكَم بَطَل

And how many a noble man, how many a chieftain, how many a king

And how many ambitious and valiant kings

lie beneath the earth—how many a gallant man, how many a hero!

Lie under the soil, how many brave heroes

وَكَم اِمام اِلَيهِ تَنتَهي دول

وَكَم اِمام اِلَيهِ تَنتَهي دول

قَد صارَ بِالمَوتِ مَعزولا عَن الدُوَلِ

قَد صارَ بِالمَوتِ مَعزولا عَن الدُوَلِ

And how many an imam to whom states ultimately turned

And how many imams to whom dynasties lead

has, through death, been deposed from those states!

Now isolated from power through death

وَكَم عَزيز أَذَلَّتهُ المُنون وَما

وَكَم عَزيز أَذَلَّتهُ المُنون وَما

اِن صَدّها عَنهُ مِن مال وَلا خول

اِن صَدّها عَنهُ مِن مال وَلا خول

And how many a mighty man death has humbled, and no

And how many dignitaries made lowly by death

wealth or retinue kept it away from him!

Though neither money nor power shielded them

يا عارِفا دَهرَه يَكفيكَ معرِفَة

يا عارِفا دَهرَه يَكفيكَ معرِفَة

وَان جَهَلت تَصاريف الزَمان سل

وَان جَهَلت تَصاريف الزَمان سل

O you who know your age, that knowledge suffices you;

O you who know the ways of time, let your knowledge suffice

and if you do not know time's vicissitudes, ask:

And if you are ignorant of the turns of fate, inquire

هَل في زَمانِكَ أَو من قبلَه سَمعت

هَل في زَمانِكَ أَو من قبلَه سَمعت

أُذُناكَ ان اينَ أُنثى غير مُنتَقِل

أُذُناكَ ان اينَ أُنثى غير مُنتَقِل

Have you ever heard, in your time or before it,

Have your ears in your time or before

with your own ears, that a [son] of woman does not pass away?

Heard that any woman escapes unchanged?

وَهل رَأَيت أُناسا قَد علوا وَغلوا

وَهل رَأَيت أُناسا قَد علوا وَغلوا

في الفَضلِ زادوا بِما نالوا من الاجل

في الفَضلِ زادوا بِما نالوا من الاجل

And have you seen people who rose high and excelled

Or have you seen any eminent and exalted

in virtue increase their lifespan through what they attained?

Whose excellence increased with what they attained?

أَو هل نَسيب لدو اللموت أَو عميت

أَو هل نَسيب لدو اللموت أَو عميت

عَيناكَ عن واضِع نعشا وَمُحتَمل

عَيناكَ عن واضِع نعشا وَمُحتَمل

Or have you [forgotten 'Beget children for death']? Or have

Or have you a relation safe from death?

your eyes grown blind to one setting down a bier and another bearing it?

Or are your eyes blind to a funeral procession?

وَهل رَعى الموت ذاعز لعزته

وَهل رَعى الموت ذاعز لعزته

أَو هل خَلا أَحد دَهرا بِلا خلل

أَو هل خَلا أَحد دَهرا بِلا خلل

And has death spared a man of might because of his might?

Has death ever spared one for their dignity?

Or has anyone lived an age without adversity?

Or has anyone lived an age without decline?

الموت باب وَكل الناس داخِله

الموت باب وَكل الناس داخِله

لكِنَّ ذا الفَضلِ مَحمول عَلى عجل

لكِنَّ ذا الفَضلِ مَحمول عَلى عجل

Death is a door, and all people enter it;

Death's door admits all, but the virtuous

but the man of virtue is borne away in haste.

Are carried on the wings of great deeds

وَلَيسَ فَقد اِما عالِم علم

وَلَيسَ فَقد اِما عالِم علم

كَفَقدِ من لَيسَ ذا علم وَلا عمل

كَفَقدِ من لَيسَ ذا علم وَلا عمل

And the loss of an [imam], a learned luminary, is not

The passing of a man of knowledge and wisdom

like the loss of one with neither knowledge nor deeds.

Is not like one without knowledge or deeds

وَلَيسَ مَوت الَّذي ماتَت له أُمَم

وَلَيسَ مَوت الَّذي ماتَت له أُمَم

كَمَوتِ شَخص من الاوغاد والسفل

كَمَوتِ شَخص من الاوغاد والسفل

And the death of one whose loss is death to nations is not

Nor is the death of one whose nation mourns

like the death of someone among the base and the lowly.

Like that of the common and base souls

لاجل ذا طال منا النوح وَانَحدَرَت

لاجل ذا طال منا النوح وَانَحدَرَت

منا الدُموع كَسَيل وابل هطل

منا الدُموع كَسَيل وابل هطل

For this reason our lamentation has lasted long, and down have flowed

Thus we mourn and tears rain down

our tears, like a torrent of heavy, pouring rain,

Like a torrential downpour

عَلى امام همام فاضِل فطن

عَلى امام همام فاضِل فطن

حبر لَبيب ملاذ لِلعُلومِ وَلى

حبر لَبيب ملاذ لِلعُلومِ وَلى

for a resolute imam, virtuous and discerning,

For an imam, an ambitious and judicious leader

a wise scholar, a refuge for learning, [a saint].

An eloquent sage, refuge of sciences

لَهُ يَد وردت بَحر الهُدو وَرَوَت

لَهُ يَد وردت بَحر الهُدو وَرَوَت

حَديثه عَن فُنون السادَة الاول

حَديثه عَن فُنون السادَة الاول

He had a hand that reached the sea of [guidance] and recounted

Whose hands drew from the sea of guidance

its discourse on the disciplines of the early masters.

And narrated the arts of the early masters

وَكَم له مِت تَآليف بِجَوهَرِها

وَكَم له مِت تَآليف بِجَوهَرِها

جَلَت وَما اِحتاجَ مَعناها اِلى خلل

جَلَت وَما اِحتاجَ مَعناها اِلى خلل

And how many of his writings, with their precious substance,

His many works are precious

shone forth; their meaning had no need of flaws [wording uncertain].

Needing no refinements to their meanings

يا رَب بِالمُصطَفى الهادي وَصاحِبُه

يا رَب بِالمُصطَفى الهادي وَصاحِبُه

في الغارِ ثُم شَهيد الدار ثُم على

في الغارِ ثُم شَهيد الدار ثُم على

O Lord, by the Chosen One, the guide, and his companion

Oh Lord, by the praiseworthy guide and his companion

in the cave, then the martyr of the house, then [Ali],

In the cave, then the martyr of the house, then Ali

اِغفِر بِفَضلِكَ لِلعِبادِ وَاِعفُ عَن الما

اِغفِر بِفَضلِكَ لِلعِبادِ وَاِعفُ عَن الما

ضي وَآمنه من خَوف وَمِن وَجل

ضي وَآمنه من خَوف وَمِن وَجل

forgive Your servants by Your grace, and pardon the one who has

Forgive by Your grace Your servants, overlook their sins

departed; grant him safety from fear and dread.

And save them from fear and turmoil

وَاِلطُف بِعَبدِكَ عَبد الله منشئها

وَاِلطُف بِعَبدِكَ عَبد الله منشئها

فَأَنتَ ما زِلت أَهل اللُطف في الازَلِ

فَأَنتَ ما زِلت أَهل اللُطف في الازَلِ

And be gracious to Your servant Abd Allah, this poem's composer;

Be gentle with Your servant Abdullah who composed this

for You have ever been gracious, from eternity.

For You are eternally the Most Gentle from eternity

ثُمَّ الصَلاةِ عَلى أَزكى الوَرى حَسبا

ثُمَّ الصَلاةِ عَلى أَزكى الوَرى حَسبا

وَالآل وَالصَحبِ وَالاتباعِ وَالخول

وَالآل وَالصَحبِ وَالاتباعِ وَالخول

Then blessings upon the purest of humankind in noble standing,

Then blessings upon the purest of mankind in lineage

and upon his family, companions, followers, and attendants.

And his family, companions, followers and comrades