1. I passed Karbala and my inner being was stirred,
The graves of noble youths, honorable protectors without blame.

2. Graves from which tears flow,
Like the flowing of fragrance on meadows.

3. I stood by them to atone for my sins,
The scent of musk sealed shut.

4. And in my hands, pressed against my chest,
Were flowers more eloquent than any words.

5. My tears flowed upon them
Like pearls streaming from a necklace.

6. I asked one of its dwellers,
The exalted leaders of the lofty dunes,

7. And he made me envision al-Husayn there lonely,
So I yearned for the forsaken one wronged.

8. Whenever I remember him one day,
My soul almost flees from life to the sanctuary.

9. My soul refused the leadership
The morning after the cutting of the ties in Karbala.

10. Defending his truth alone,
That hero, that advocate.

11. With one eye watching the enemy
And the other gazing upon the tents.

12. He strove for battle, swaying with delight,
While the flames of war blazed with embers.

13. Worries assailed him but he repelled them
With a heart like the carrier of worries.

14. His palms sufficed in peace and war
To bestow enormous favors upon the living.

15. From him flowed swords from their sheathes
To reside in the ribs and the skulls.

16. Until he fell dead above the earth,
His honor intact with his defender.

17. And I have not seen the like of your calamity,
Vanquished over the years, over the eras.

18. It is as if every helmet that covered you
Was the tongue of a spear or the edge of a sword.

19. O Karbala, how many full moons upon you
Were eclipsed by fate before perfection!

20. How many branches in your land prospered and then withered,
Redeemed by the souls of the honorable!

21. How many of Ahmad's family from his progeny
Quenched their thirst as the water became dyed red!

22. What an alliance it was, concerned only
For the Family of God during the sacred month!

23. And there, forced to drink the cup of death,
Struck down by the sword or pierced by arrows.

24. The hearts of the kin captivated, fluttering like doves.
Will someone convey from me to Quraysh,

25. The elite of mankind in the sacred abode,
That when you brandished your swords

26. And the Master's head was raised atop the spear,
And when your horsemen galloped,

27. While the Master's chest was crushed to pieces,
And when your noble tents were pitched,

28. While the Master's belongings were looted,
And when the clouds poured rain upon you

29. While the Prophet's grandson was thirsty at Karbala,
And when the period of weaning was over for you

30. While his infant son was slaughtered before weaning,
And he had supporters in God who sold

31. The life of the soul for a terrible death,
They defended and attained loftiness, the only ones

32. From the children of Ham and Shem to attain it.
O son of those who leap into the throes of death,

33. If defeat stings you during the collision,
They are God's proofs upon all creation,

34. By them the lawful is known from the banned.
They are given the name Al-Abā (The Lofty) above all others,

35. For their share was the greatest.
Whenever I stand at the most high station,

36. Meeting the light of your face in safety,
Having raised for you the banners that will be seen

37. Fluttering over Mecca and then over the Sanctuary,
There the yearner will gain satisfaction and be granted,

38. Access for your loyalists to fulfill their hopes.