أَلا اَبلِغا عَنّي حُصَيناً رِسالَةً

أَلا اَبلِغا عَنّي حُصَيناً رِسالَةً

فَإِنَّكَ قَد قَطَّعتَ أُخرى خِلالِكا

فَإِنَّكَ قَد قَطَّعتَ أُخرى خِلالِكا

Listen! You two, convey a message from me to Ḥuṣayn:

Deliver for me, O messenger, a missive to Husain,

For you have severed the last of your ties of friendship.

For you have already severed another bond between us.

رَأَيتَ زَماناً قَطَّعَ الناسُ بَينَهُم

رَأَيتَ زَماناً قَطَّعَ الناسُ بَينَهُم

عُرى الحَقِّ فيهِ فاقتَدَيتَ بِذالِكا

عُرى الحَقِّ فيهِ فاقتَدَيتَ بِذالِكا

You saw an age when people severed among themselves

You saw a time when people severed the ties of truth among them,

the bonds of truth, so you followed that example.

So you followed their example in that.

فَلَو كُنتُ إِذ خُبِّرتُ أَنَّكَ عامِلٌ

فَلَو كُنتُ إِذ خُبِّرتُ أَنَّكَ عامِلٌ

بِمَيسان تُعطي الناسَ مِن غَيرِ مالِكا

بِمَيسان تُعطي الناسَ مِن غَيرِ مالِكا

For had I, when told that you were an official

Had I known, when told of you, that you were an agent

in Maysan, giving people from wealth not your own,

Who gave people unjustly, not from your own wealth,

سَأَلتُكَ أَو عَرَّضتُ بِالوُدِّ بَينَنا

سَأَلتُكَ أَو عَرَّضتُ بِالوُدِّ بَينَنا

لَقَد كانَ حَقّاً واجِباً بَعضُ ذالِكا

لَقَد كانَ حَقّاً واجِباً بَعضُ ذالِكا

asked you, or hinted at the friendship between us,

I would have asked you or proposed affection between us -

some of that would surely have been rightfully due.

Indeed, some of that would have been rightly obligatory.

وَخَبَّرَني مَن كُنتُ أَرسَلتُ إِنَّما

وَخَبَّرَني مَن كُنتُ أَرسَلتُ إِنَّما

أَخذتَ كِتابي مُعرِضاً بِشِمالِكا

أَخذتَ كِتابي مُعرِضاً بِشِمالِكا

And the one I had sent told me that you merely

And he whom I had sent informed me that indeed

took my letter with your left hand, turning away.

You took my letter, turning away with your left hand.

نَظَرتَ إِلى عِنوانِهِ فَنَبَذتَهُ

نَظَرتَ إِلى عِنوانِهِ فَنَبَذتَهُ

كَنَبذِكَ نَعلاً أَخلَقَت مِن نِعالِكا

كَنَبذِكَ نَعلاً أَخلَقَت مِن نِعالِكا

You looked at its address, then cast it away,

You looked at its address and discarded it

as you would discard a worn-out sandal from among your sandals.

As you would discard a sandal repaired from your sandals.

حَسِبتُ كِتابي إِذ أَتاكَ مُعَرِّضاً

حَسِبتُ كِتابي إِذ أَتاكَ مُعَرِّضاً

لِسَيبكَ لَم يَذهَب رَجائي هُنالِكا

لِسَيبكَ لَم يَذهَب رَجائي هُنالِكا

I thought, when my letter came to you, hinting

When my letter came to you, turned away,

at your bounty, that my hope there would not be in vain.

I thought your disregard did not bode well.

نُعَيمُ بنُ مَعسودٍ حَقيقٌ بِما أَتى

نُعَيمُ بنُ مَعسودٍ حَقيقٌ بِما أَتى

وَأَنتَ بِما تَأَتي حَقيقٌ بِذالِكا

وَأَنتَ بِما تَأَتي حَقيقٌ بِذالِكا

Nuʿaym son of Maʿsūd is worthy of what he has done;

Nu'aym ibn Mas'ud is right in what he came with,

and you, in what you do, are worthy of the same.

And you are right in what you do - that is the truth.