نَجوتَ بالموتِ من وَجدي ومن شَجَني

نَجوتَ بالموتِ من وَجدي ومن شَجَني

وبَرَّحَت بي همومٌ ليسَ تَبرَحُني

وبَرَّحَت بي همومٌ ليسَ تَبرَحُني

Through death you escaped my anguish and my sorrow,

You escaped my torment and grief through death,

And worries have tormented me and never leave me.

Yet sorrows that do not leave me have been relieved by you.

يا مَن بمَصرعِه أمسيتُ أحسُدُه

يا مَن بمَصرعِه أمسيتُ أحسُدُه

فَكَفَّ عَن حَسَدي من كانَ يَحسُدُني

فَكَفَّ عَن حَسَدي من كانَ يَحسُدُني

O one whose death has made me envy him,

O you whose death has made me envious,

So he who once envied me has ceased to envy me.

My envy ceased for those who envied me.

لطالَ يومُكَ حتَّى أنَّه زَمنٌ

لطالَ يومُكَ حتَّى أنَّه زَمنٌ

ونحنُ نَحسبُه يَوماً من الزَّمَنِ

ونحنُ نَحسبُه يَوماً من الزَّمَنِ

Your day has stretched so long that it is an age,

Your day was so long that it became an era,

Though we reckon it a day in time.

While we reckoned it a day in time.

يومٌ عَلَت زَفَراتي يا عليُّ به

يومٌ عَلَت زَفَراتي يا عليُّ به

واستحسنت عَبراتي يا أبا الحَسَنِ

واستحسنت عَبراتي يا أبا الحَسَنِ

A day on which my sighs rose high, O Ali,

A day in which my sighs mounted, O Ali,

And my tears were deemed fitting, O Abu al-Hasan.

And my tears seemed graceful, O Father of Hasan.

والصَّبرُ أوَّلُ مَحزُونٍ عليكَ فهَل

والصَّبرُ أوَّلُ مَحزُونٍ عليكَ فهَل

شَيءٌ سِوَى الصَّبرِ يَثنِينِي عَن الحَزَنِ

شَيءٌ سِوَى الصَّبرِ يَثنِينِي عَن الحَزَنِ

And patience is the first to mourn you—so is there

Patience is the first resort of one mourning you, so is there

Anything besides patience to turn me from grief?

Anything besides patience that would dissuade me from grief?

يا أيُّها المَيتُ في الأكفانِ كَم كبدٍ

يا أيُّها المَيتُ في الأكفانِ كَم كبدٍ

تركتَ صاحِبَها مَيتاً بلا كَفَنِ

تركتَ صاحِبَها مَيتاً بلا كَفَنِ

O dead one in the shrouds, how many a liver

O you lying dead in shrouds, how many a liver

You have left with its owner dead, without a shroud!

Have you left dead without a shroud!

خَلَّفتَ في ناظِري شَخصاً يُخيِّلُ لي

خَلَّفتَ في ناظِري شَخصاً يُخيِّلُ لي

بَعدَ الرَّدَى أنَّ ما قد كانَ لم يَكُنِ

بَعدَ الرَّدَى أنَّ ما قد كانَ لم يَكُنِ

You left in my sight a figure that makes it seem to me,

You have left in my eyes an image that makes me imagine

After death, that what had happened had not happened.

After decay that what had been was not.

ما لِلمَنيَّةِ لَيسَت منكَ تُؤيِسُني

ما لِلمَنيَّةِ لَيسَت منكَ تُؤيِسُني

كأنَّها عادةٌ كانَت من الوَسَنِ

كأنَّها عادةٌ كانَت من الوَسَنِ

What is it with death, that it does not make me despair of you?

Death did not make me despair,

As though it were a habit born of drowsiness.

As if it were a habit amongst the bent.

قَضى عَلى القاضِيَينِ الدَّهرُ فيكَ بما

قَضى عَلى القاضِيَينِ الدَّهرُ فيكَ بما

أجراهُ من جورِه الماضِي على سَنَنِ

أجراهُ من جورِه الماضِي على سَنَنِ

Time passed judgment against the two judges in your case, through what

Fate judged the two judges in you with what

It wrought in its injustice, which follows an established course.

It had ruled of its past tyranny in its ways.

وهي المنُونُ فإن تَسبِق فَلا عَجبٌ

وهي المنُونُ فإن تَسبِق فَلا عَجبٌ

والناسُ مُرتَهنٌ في أثرِ مُرتَهَنِ

والناسُ مُرتَهنٌ في أثرِ مُرتَهَنِ

And such is Death: if you go first, it is no wonder,

And it is death. So if it comes first, no wonder!

And people are hostages, one in another's wake.

People are pawned in the wake of the pawned.