وَقائِلَةٍ وَالدَمعُ سَكبٌ مُبادِرٌ

وَقائِلَةٍ وَالدَمعُ سَكبٌ مُبادِرٌ

وَقَد شَرِقَت بِالماءِ مِنها المَحاجِرُ

وَقَد شَرِقَت بِالماءِ مِنها المَحاجِرُ

And a woman said, while tears streamed swiftly,

With a complainant, and tears flowing readily,

And her eye sockets were choked with water;

The rocks around her wet with water,

وَقَد أَبصَرَت حمّانُ مِن بَعدِ أُنسِها

وَقَد أَبصَرَت حمّانُ مِن بَعدِ أُنسِها

بِنا وَهيَ مِنّا موحِشاتٌ دَواثِرُ

بِنا وَهيَ مِنّا موحِشاتٌ دَواثِرُ

She had seen Ḥammān, once at ease

And Hamman saw after the loss of its companions,

With us, now desolate and ruined without us:

Us, as desolate ruins.

كَأَن لَم يَكُن بَينَ الحَجونِ إِلى الصَفا

كَأَن لَم يَكُن بَينَ الحَجونِ إِلى الصَفا

أَنيسٌ وَلَم يَسمر بِمكَّةَ سامِرُ

أَنيسٌ وَلَم يَسمر بِمكَّةَ سامِرُ

“As though there had never been, from al-Ḥajūn to al-Ṣafā,

As if between Al-Hajun and As-Safa,

A companion, and no night-talker had conversed in Mecca.”

There had never been a friend, nor had there ever stayed in Mecca a night companion.

فَقُلتُ لَها وَالقَلبُ مِنّي كَأَنَّما

فَقُلتُ لَها وَالقَلبُ مِنّي كَأَنَّما

يُقَبِّلُهُ بَينَ الجَوانِحِ طائِرُ

يُقَبِّلُهُ بَينَ الجَوانِحِ طائِرُ

So I said to her, while it was as though my heart

So I said to her, while my heart was as if

Were being kissed by a bird between my ribs:

A bird was kissing it among my ribs:

بَلى نَحنُ كُنّا أَهلها فَأَبادَنا

بَلى نَحنُ كُنّا أَهلها فَأَبادَنا

صروفُ اللَيالي وَالجُدودُ العَواثِرُ

صروفُ اللَيالي وَالجُدودُ العَواثِرُ

“Yes, we were its people, then we were wiped out

"Yes, we were its family, but we were destroyed by

By the vicissitudes of nights and stumbling fortunes.”

The turns of nights and pitiless misfortunes."