1. A lonely exile with no companion
Yearning for the sight of you, oh Tunis

2. He dies when darkness descends
And lives when dawn breaks

3. And what is the state of one whose home was lost
And Cyprus brought him closer to hardship

4. No capability, no patience
No respite, and who would speak?

5. Without this, minds go astray
And hearts bleed but cannot be stanched

6. The bitterness of disgrace and a target of humiliation
The fires of worries in him are kindled

7. And the eye falls on none but
A sick man wearing the garb of grief

8. My era and my wounds quenched with
A fervor that sears souls

9. Quenched at times without thanks
And their excuse is clear if they forget

10. You see every faintly ill
Moaning when clutched by pain

11. Softening ice and searing skin
Like fuelwood when touched

12. And at times you see them like ascetics
Roaming mountains without sitting

13. And they pluck from each bitterness
Matters that dry out heads

14. And they become drunkards’ prey when
They sense it, though cups did not circle

15. A blind man roams its ruins
A keen sense conversing with the heavens, distraught

16. Lingering, you'd think him a shadow
Did Moses' people camp here then flee?

17. And the sea around him, but within
Tempests of hissing, no whispers

18. As if on its coast a funeral
Donning mourning clothes

19. Neither is the land welcoming its visitors
Nor the sea a sea, nor is there a Jonah

20. No stroll but the gazes of foxes
And tortoise eyes, no sanctity

21. A distant, gloomy, and narrow place
A wasteland the hardship pulls along

22. Tell the loved ones no disgrace touches them
When the gathering is adorned

23. And fragrance wafts and joy shines
And the rose and narcissus greet them

24. When the memory of a beloved preoccupies you
And ties of affection seize souls

25. Say what you know of a brother
Whose virtues amongst you are studied

26. Perhaps your recollection will revive
His strength which neared collapse

27. O Splitter of love, O my Creator
You are the One who blesses and curses

28. I asked You, my Lord, by al-Mustafa
The Prophet of guidance, the good sapling

29. By his family, companions and followers
And those who at Badr gained martyrdom

30. And by the saints whose night
Is lit by the sun-like light of guidance

31. Save Your servants and look to him
With approving eyes, for by them he is guarded

32. And hasten his recovery, for You are Able
When Hippocrates or Hermes fall short

33. And reunite him with his loved ones
For long has he been jailed in Cyprus

34. And bless and bestow peace upon the one by whom
The idols of tyrants were toppled

35. And his family and companions and followers
Perhaps through their merit I find deliverance