أَرَاعكَ طَائِرٌ بَعَد الخُفوقِ

أَرَاعكَ طَائِرٌ بَعَد الخُفوقِ

بفَاجِعَةٍ مُشنَّعةِ الطُّروقِ

بفَاجِعَةٍ مُشنَّعةِ الطُّروقِ

Did a bird startle you after its fluttering,

A bird startled you after nightfall

with a calamity dreadful in its nighttime arrival?

With grievous news of one with neck ropes severed

نَعَم وَلَهاً على رجلٍ عَميدٍ

نَعَم وَلَهاً على رجلٍ عَميدٍ

أَظَلُّ كَأَنَّني شَرِقُ برِيقي

أَظَلُّ كَأَنَّني شَرِقُ برِيقي

Yes, grief-stricken for a man who was a mainstay,

Alas for a dignified man!

I remain as though choking on my own saliva.

I remain in the dark, my brilliance extinguished

كَأَنِّي إِذ عَلِمتُ بها هُدُوّاً

كَأَنِّي إِذ عَلِمتُ بها هُدُوّاً

هَوَت بي عاصفٌ مِن رَأسِ نِيقِ

هَوَت بي عاصفٌ مِن رَأسِ نِيقِ

It was as though, when I learned of it in the night's stillness,

As if when I learned of his murder, a tempest

a gale had hurled me from the summit of a crag.

Swept me from the pinnacle

أُعَلُّ بَزَفرَةٍ مِن بَعد أُخرى

أُعَلُّ بَزَفرَةٍ مِن بَعد أُخرى

لَهَا في القَلبِ حَرٌ كَالحَريقِ

لَهَا في القَلبِ حَرٌ كَالحَريقِ

I am plied with one sigh after another,

I heave sigh after sigh

its heat within the heart like a blaze.

With heart aflame as if set alight

وَتَردُف عَبرَةٌ تَهتَانَ أُخرى

وَتَردُف عَبرَةٌ تَهتَانَ أُخرى

كَفَائضِ غَربِ نَضَّاحِ فَتِيقِ

كَفَائضِ غَربِ نَضَّاحِ فَتِيقِ

And one tear follows the streaming of another,

Followed by a teardrop wandering astray

like the overflow of a great, gushing, wide-mouthed bucket.

Like the surplus flow from a bursting waterskin

كأَنِّي إِذ أُكَفكِفُ دَمعَ عيني

كأَنِّي إِذ أُكَفكِفُ دَمعَ عيني

وأَنهاها أَقُولُ لها هَرِيقي

وأَنهاها أَقُولُ لها هَرِيقي

It is as though, when I wipe away my eye's tears,

As if when I stem the flow of my tears

and bid it stop, I say to it, 'Pour forth!'

And restrain them, I say to them, “Cease!”

ألاَ تِلكَ الحوادثُ غِبتُ عَنها

ألاَ تِلكَ الحوادثُ غِبتُ عَنها

بأَرضِ الشَّامِ كَالفَردِ الغَريقِ

بأَرضِ الشَّامِ كَالفَردِ الغَريقِ

Ah, those calamities—I was away from them,

Was I not absent in the land of Syria

in the land of al-Sham, like a lone drowning man.

Like one drowned, sunk without trace?

فما أَنفَكُّ أَنظُر في كتابٍ

فما أَنفَكُّ أَنظُر في كتابٍ

تُدَاري النَّفسُ عَنهُ هَوى زَهُوقِ

تُدَاري النَّفسُ عَنهُ هَوى زَهُوقِ

So I never cease looking into a letter,

Yet I cease not to look in a book

from which the soul tries to ward off a longing for death.

Which makes the soul recoil, appalled at loss

يُخَبّرُ عَن وَفَاةِ أَخٍ كَريمٍ

يُخَبّرُ عَن وَفَاةِ أَخٍ كَريمٍ

بعيدِ الغَورِ نَفَّاعٍ طَليقِ

بعيدِ الغَورِ نَفَّاعٍ طَليقِ

It tells of the death of a noble brother,

It tells of the death of a generous brother

of profound depth, ever helpful and open-hearted;

Far off in the depths, lively and unconfined

وقَرمٍ يُعرِضُ الخُصمان عَنهُ

وقَرمٍ يُعرِضُ الخُصمان عَنهُ

كَمَا حَادَ البِكارُ عنِ الفَنيقِ

كَمَا حَادَ البِكارُ عنِ الفَنيقِ

and of a mighty chief from whom both adversaries turn away,

And an aged man whom adversaries avoid

as young camels veer away from a prized stallion;

As the hyena shuns the phoenix

كريمٍ يملأُ الشّيزى وَيَقري

كريمٍ يملأُ الشّيزى وَيَقري

إِذا ما قَلَّ إيماضُ البُروقِ

إِذا ما قَلَّ إيماضُ البُروقِ

a generous man who fills the wooden bowls and feeds guests,

A generous man who fills the drinking bowls

when lightning flashes grow scarce.

When the downpour of rain is scarce

وَأَعظَمُ ما رُميتُ به فَجُوعاً

وَأَعظَمُ ما رُميتُ به فَجُوعاً

كتابٌ جاءَ مِن فَجٍ عَميقِ

كتابٌ جاءَ مِن فَجٍ عَميقِ

And the most grievous blow that struck me

Yet the greatest blow that struck me with anguish

was a letter that came from a far-off mountain pass,

Was a letter from a deep ravine

يُخَبِّرُ عَن وَفَاةِ أَخٍ فَصَبراً

يُخَبِّرُ عَن وَفَاةِ أَخٍ فَصَبراً

تَنَجَّز وَعدَ مَنّانٍ صَدُوقِ

تَنَجَّز وَعدَ مَنّانٍ صَدُوقِ

telling of a brother's death—so be patient:

Telling of the death of a patient brother

seek fulfillment of the bountiful, truthful Giver's promise.

Who fulfilled the promise of a truthful bestower

سَأَصبِرُ لِلقَضَاءِ فَكُلُّ حَيٍّ

سَأَصبِرُ لِلقَضَاءِ فَكُلُّ حَيٍّ

سَيَلقَى سَكرَةَ المَوتِ المَذُوقِ

سَيَلقَى سَكرَةَ المَوتِ المَذُوقِ

I shall bear fate patiently, for every living being

I shall show patience in the face of destiny

will face the stupor of death that all must taste.

For every living soul shall taste death's bitterness

فما الدَّنيا بقَائِمةٍ وَفيها

فما الدَّنيا بقَائِمةٍ وَفيها

مِن الأَحيَاءِ ذُو عَينٍ رَمُوقِ

مِن الأَحيَاءِ ذُو عَينٍ رَمُوقِ

For the world will not endure, nor will there remain within it

Thus is the world, neither lasting, while in it

any living being with an eye that gazes.

Is one whose eye is moist

وللأَحيَاءِ أَيّامٌ تَقضَّى

وللأَحيَاءِ أَيّامٌ تَقضَّى

يَلُفُّ خِتَامُها سُوقاً بسُوقِ

يَلُفُّ خِتَامُها سُوقاً بسُوقِ

And the living have days that pass away,

And the living have days that pass

whose ending entwines shins with shins.

Their end folding one after another

فَأَعنَاهُم كَأَعدَمِهم إِذا مَا

فَأَعنَاهُم كَأَعدَمِهم إِذا مَا

تَقَضَّت مُدَّةُ العَيشِ الرَقيقِ

تَقَضَّت مُدَّةُ العَيشِ الرَقيقِ

So their richest are like their poorest, when

So think of them as nonexistent when their brief

the span of fragile life has run its course.

Allotted span of life runs out

كذَلِكَ يُبعَثُنَ وَهُم فُرادى

كذَلِكَ يُبعَثُنَ وَهُم فُرادى

ليومٍ فيهِ تَوفِيةُ الحُقُوقِ

ليومٍ فيهِ تَوفِيةُ الحُقُوقِ

Thus they shall be raised, each one alone,

Thus shall they be resurrected, lone

for a day when all dues are paid in full.

For a day in which all rights will be restored

أَبَعدَ هُمَامِ قَومِكِ ذي الأَيَادي

أَبَعدَ هُمَامِ قَومِكِ ذي الأَيَادي

أَبي الوَضَّاحِ رَتَّاقِ الفُتُوقِ

أَبي الوَضَّاحِ رَتَّاقِ الفُتُوقِ

After your people's noble chief, the giver of favors,

After the protector of your people, the open-handed one

Abu al-Waddah, mender of breaches,

My father, opener of the lofty assemblies

وبَعدَ عُبَيدَةَ المحمودِ فِيهم

وبَعدَ عُبَيدَةَ المحمودِ فِيهم

وبَعدَ سَمَاعةَ العَودِ العَتيقِ

وبَعدَ سَمَاعةَ العَودِ العَتيقِ

and after Ubaydah, praised among them,

And after Ubaydah the Praised among them

and after Sama'ah, the venerable elder,

And after Samaah of the ancient lute

وبَعدَ ابنِ المُفضَّلِ وابنِ كافٍ

وبَعدَ ابنِ المُفضَّلِ وابنِ كافٍ

هما أَخَواكَ في الزَّمنِ الأَنيقِ

هما أَخَواكَ في الزَّمنِ الأَنيقِ

and after Ibn al-Mufaddal and Ibn Kaf—

And after the two sons of Mufaddal, your brothers

the two were your brothers in those lovely days—

In that graceful time long past

تُؤَمِّلُ أَن تَعِيشَ قَرِيرَ عَينٍ

تُؤَمِّلُ أَن تَعِيشَ قَرِيرَ عَينٍ

وأَينَ أَمامَ طَلاَّبٍ لَحُوقِ

وأَينَ أَمامَ طَلاَّبٍ لَحُوقِ

do you hope to live with your eye at peace?

You hoped to live at peace, carefree

And where can you flee before a pursuer sure to catch you?

Yet who can outrun the eager seekers of booty?

وَدنيَاكَ الَّتي أَمسَيتَ فيها

وَدنيَاكَ الَّتي أَمسَيتَ فيها

مُزَايلةُ الشَقِيقِ عَنِ الشَّقيقِ

مُزَايلةُ الشَقِيقِ عَنِ الشَّقيقِ

And your world, in which you pass the evening,

And this world in which you became

is the parting of brother from brother.

One neighbour ejected by another