خلت سماء المعاني من سنا الشهب

خلت سماء المعاني من سنا الشهب

فالآن أظلم أفق الشعر والأدبِ

فالآن أظلم أفق الشعر والأدبِ

The sky of meanings is bereft of the meteors’ radiance;

The sky of meanings has become devoid of its meteors

so now the horizon of poetry and letters has darkened.

So now the horizon of poetry and literature has darkened

تقطب العيش وجها بعد رحلة من

تقطب العيش وجها بعد رحلة من

تجاذبوا بالمعاني مركز القطبِ

تجاذبوا بالمعاني مركز القطبِ

Life wears a frown after the departure of those

Life has become gloomy after the departure of those

who vied, through meanings, for the celestial pole’s place.

Who used to pull the center of meaning between them

تعطلت خرد الأيام من درر

تعطلت خرد الأيام من درر

كانت تحلى بها منهم ومن ذهبِ

كانت تحلى بها منهم ومن ذهبِ

The maidens of the days are stripped of pearls

The wisdom of days has become disabled without the pearls

with which those men once adorned them, and of gold.

That it used to adorn itself with, from them and from gold

لو تعلم الأرض ما ضمنت بطرت

لو تعلم الأرض ما ضمنت بطرت

بهم كما يبطر الإنسان بالنسبِ

بهم كما يبطر الإنسان بالنسبِ

If the earth knew what it held, it would swell with pride

If the earth knew who it embraced

in them, as a person swells with pride in lineage.

As man embraces his lineage

ولو درى المسك أن الترب ضمهم

ولو درى المسك أن الترب ضمهم

لو دنشقة عرف من شذا التربِ

لو دنشقة عرف من شذا التربِ

And if musk knew that the dust had embraced them,

And if musk knew that the soil contained them

it would crave a whiff of fragrance from the dust’s scent.

It would split open from the fragrance of the soil

لهفى عليهم إذ التذ السماع بما

لهفى عليهم إذ التذ السماع بما

أهدوا إليه التذاذ الذوق بالضربِ

أهدوا إليه التذاذ الذوق بالضربِ

Alas for them, since hearing delighted in what

It yearns for them when the hearing is delighted with what

they offered it, as taste delights in thick white honey.

They brought it of the delight of taste through eloquence

إن أبدلوا طربى بالحزن بعدهمُ

إن أبدلوا طربى بالحزن بعدهمُ

فطال ما أبدلوا الأحزان بالطربِ

فطال ما أبدلوا الأحزان بالطربِ

If they have replaced my joy with grief after their passing,

If after them they replaced my joy with sorrow

for so long they had replaced sorrows with joy.

Then how long they replaced joy with sorrow!

لو كان صونهم يا قلب يمكنني

لو كان صونهم يا قلب يمكنني

لصنتهم بك صون العين بالهدبِ

لصنتهم بك صون العين بالهدبِ

If keeping them safe, O heart, had been possible for me,

If protecting them were possible, O my heart

I would have guarded them with you, as eyelashes guard the eye.

I would have protected them in you like protecting the eye with the eyebrow

ما أنصفتهم عيوني في البكا ولو

ما أنصفتهم عيوني في البكا ولو

أغنت مدامعها عن وابل السحبِ

أغنت مدامعها عن وابل السحبِ

My eyes have not done them justice in weeping, even if

My eyes did not do justice to them in crying

their tears were enough to replace the clouds’ downpour.

Even if its tears sufficed instead of rain showers

فطالما سلكوا نهج البديع وما

فطالما سلكوا نهج البديع وما

هدوا إليه هدى الأقمار للنجبِ

هدوا إليه هدى الأقمار للنجبِ

For long they trod the path of rhetorical artistry, and their

How long they followed the path of rhetoric

guidance to it was like the moons’ guidance of noble camels.

And guided it as the moon guides the stars

قد كان من أربى تهذيب قافية

قد كان من أربى تهذيب قافية

واليوم لم أربى ميلا إلى أربِ

واليوم لم أربى ميلا إلى أربِ

Refining a verse was once among my desires;

There had been the most well-mannered rhyming

and today I see in myself no inclination toward any desire.

And today I have not seen any inclination towards prosody

زانوا بنظمهم الدنيا ولا عجب

زانوا بنظمهم الدنيا ولا عجب

إذا تزينت الظلماء بالشهبِ

إذا تزينت الظلماء بالشهبِ

They adorned the world with their verse, and it is no wonder

With their compositions they adorned the world, and no wonder

when darkness is adorned with meteors.

If darkness is adorned with meteors

لا تعجبن إن قضوا نحبا وفاجأهم

لا تعجبن إن قضوا نحبا وفاجأهم

ريب المنون فما في الموت من عجبِ

ريب المنون فما في الموت من عجبِ

Do not marvel if they met their end and were taken unawares

Do not be surprised if they passed away suddenly

by death’s vicissitudes: there is nothing strange in death.

And the harbinger of death took them by surprise, for in death there is no wonder

سقى ثراهم غواد لا انقشاع لها

سقى ثراهم غواد لا انقشاع لها

عيونها مثل أفواه من القربِ

عيونها مثل أفواه من القربِ

May morning rainclouds water their soil, never dispersing,

Their graves were watered by endless darkness

their eyes like the mouths of waterskins.

Their eyes like the mouths of graves