سَأَلتُ اللَه أَن يبقى

سَأَلتُ اللَه أَن يبقى

حَبيب كانَ لي حَرَما

حَبيب كانَ لي حَرَما

I asked God to let him live on—

I beseeched God that he might remain,

a beloved who had been my sanctuary.

A beloved who was a sanctuary to me.

فَلَم يَفعَلُ وَأَحسَبُهُ

فَلَم يَفعَلُ وَأَحسَبُهُ

لِيعطيني غَداً حَرَما

لِيعطيني غَداً حَرَما

But He did not, and I think He meant

But He did not, and I reckon He meant

to grant me a sanctuary tomorrow.

To grant me a sanctuary in the life to come.

أَفاقَ لَو اِرعَوى حَسَدٌ

أَفاقَ لَو اِرعَوى حَسَدٌ

أَفاقَ سِهامَهُ وَرَمى

أَفاقَ سِهامَهُ وَرَمى

He would have recovered had envy relented;

Envy roused itself—would that it had refrained!

it nocked its arrows and shot.

It woke its arrows and let them fly,

فَأَرعَفَهُ وَأَضعَفَهُ

فَأَرعَفَهُ وَأَضعَفَهُ

وَأبرَزَ عَينَهُ وَرَما

وَأبرَزَ عَينَهُ وَرَما

So it made his nose bleed and weakened him,

Causing him to bleed and waste away,

and made his eye bulge with swelling.

Baring its eye and striking him down.