أُمررْ على جدثِ الحسينِ

أُمررْ على جدثِ الحسينِ

وقل لأعظُمِه الزكيّهْ

وقل لأعظُمِه الزكيّهْ

Pass by the grave of Ḥusayn,

I pass by Hussein's tomb

and speak to his pure bones:

And say to his most fragrant bones

يا أعظُماً لا زلتِ من

يا أعظُماً لا زلتِ من

وَطفاءَ ساكبةٍ رويّهْ

وَطفاءَ ساكبةٍ رويّهْ

O bones, may you ever receive rain from

O most fragrant one, you still are

a dense cloud pouring drenching showers.

Pouring profuse, streaming tears

ما لَذَّ عيشٌ بعد رضِّ

ما لَذَّ عيشٌ بعد رضِّ

كِ بالجياد الأعْوَجِيّهْ

كِ بالجياد الأعْوَجِيّهْ

Life has had no sweetness since you were crushed

No life is sweet after your loss

by the Aʿwajī steeds.

With horses charging chaotically

قبرٌ تضمّنَ طيّباً

قبرٌ تضمّنَ طيّباً

آباؤه خيرُ البريّهْ

آباؤه خيرُ البريّهْ

A grave holds a pure man,

A grave containing a sweet musk

whose forefathers were the best of creation.

Whose fathers are the best of creation

آباؤه أهلُ الريا

آباؤه أهلُ الريا

سةِ والخِلافةِ والوصيّهْ

سةِ والخِلافةِ والوصيّهْ

His forefathers were men of leadership,

His fathers, people of leadership

the caliphate, and testamentary succession,

Of caliphate and trusteeship

والخيرِ والشّيمِ المهذّ

والخيرِ والشّيمِ المهذّ

بةِ المطيَّبةِ الرضيّهْ

بةِ المطيَّبةِ الرضيّهْ

of goodness and refined virtues,

Of virtue and praised temper

pure and pleasing.

Of pleasing, acceptable traits

فإذا مررتَ بقبرهِ

فإذا مررتَ بقبرهِ

فأطلْ به وقفَ المطيّهْ

فأطلْ به وقفَ المطيّهْ

So when you pass by his grave,

So if you pass by his tomb

prolong your mount’s halt beside it.

Then descend and stop the riding beast

وابكِ المطهَّرِ للمطهَّر

وابكِ المطهَّرِ للمطهَّر

والمطهّرةِ الزكيّهْ

والمطهّرةِ الزكيّهْ

And weep for the pure one, born of the pure man

And cry for the pure one, the pure

and the pure, virtuous woman.

And the most immaculate, most fragrant

كبكاءِ مُعْوِلَة غَدت

كبكاءِ مُعْوِلَة غَدت

يوماً بواحدِها المنيِّهْ

يوماً بواحدِها المنيِّهْ

Like the weeping of a wailing woman, when

Like the crying of a wailing woman

death one day carried off her only child.

Bereft one day of her beloved

والعنْ صَدى عمرِ بن سع

والعنْ صَدى عمرِ بن سع

دٍ والملمّعِ بالنقيّهْ

دٍ والملمّعِ بالنقيّهْ

And curse the shade of ʿUmar ibn Saʿd,

And curse the memory of Umar Bin Sa’d

and the one mottled with white patches,

And his army armed with spears

شمرِ بن جوشنٍ الذي

شمرِ بن جوشنٍ الذي

طاحتْ به نفسٌ شقيّهْ

طاحتْ به نفسٌ شقيّهْ

Shimr ibn Jawshan, whom

And Shamir Bin Jawshan who

a wretched soul brought to ruin.

Was destroyed by his wretched soul

جعلوا ابن بنتِ نبيّهم

جعلوا ابن بنتِ نبيّهم

غَرَضاً كما ترمى الدريِّهْ

غَرَضاً كما ترمى الدريِّهْ

They made their prophet’s daughter’s son

They made the son of their prophet’s daughter

a target, like a mark shot at for practice.

A target, as pearls are thrown

لم يَدعهُمْ لقتالهِ

لم يَدعهُمْ لقتالهِ

إلاّ الجُعالةُ والعطيّهْ

إلاّ الجُعالةُ والعطيّهْ

Nothing called them to fight him

Nothing led them to fight him

but the bounty and the payment.

Except greed and desire for money

لما دَعوه لكي تُحكَّ

لما دَعوه لكي تُحكَّ

م فيه أولادُ البَغيّهْ

م فيه أولادُ البَغيّهْ

When they summoned him, so that

When they called him to come

the harlot’s sons might be set in judgment over him—

To be judged by the sons of treason

أولادُ أخبثِ من مشى

أولادُ أخبثِ من مشى

مَرحاً وأخبثِهم سجيّهْ

مَرحاً وأخبثِهم سجيّهْ

sons of the vilest who ever walked

The sons of the most despicable villain

in arrogance, the vilest of them in nature—

And the most despicable of them, Sajjah

فعصاهمُ وأبت له

فعصاهمُ وأبت له

نفسٌ معزّزةٌ أبيَّهْ

نفسٌ معزّزةٌ أبيَّهْ

he defied them, his refusal born of

But he disobeyed them and his

an honored and unyielding soul.

Honored, dignified soul refused

فغدوا له بالسّابغا

فغدوا له بالسّابغا

تِ عليهمِ والمَشرفيّهْ

تِ عليهمِ والمَشرفيّهْ

Then they advanced against him in full-length mail,

So they attacked him with their swords

and bearing Mashrafī swords,

Their armor and fine Yemeni clothes

والبَيْضِ واليَلب اليما

والبَيْضِ واليَلب اليما

ني والطوالِ السمهريّهْ

ني والطوالِ السمهريّهْ

and helmets and Yemeni leather armor,

And white swords and Yemeni blades

and long Samharī spears.

Their tall Median horses

وهم ألوفٌ وهو في

وهم ألوفٌ وهو في

سبعينَ نفساً هاشِميّهْ

سبعينَ نفساً هاشِميّهْ

They were thousands, while he was among

While they were thousands and he had

seventy Hāshimite souls.

Only seventy Hāshimī men

فَلقوه في خلفٍ لأح

فَلقوه في خلفٍ لأح

مدَ مقبلين من الثنِيّهْ

مدَ مقبلين من الثنِيّهْ

So they met him amid Aḥmad’s heirs,

So they confronted him in the rear

who came forward from the mountain pass,

Coming from behind the dunes

مستيقنينَ بأنّهم

مستيقنينَ بأنّهم

سِيقوا لأسبابِ المنّيهْ

سِيقوا لأسبابِ المنّيهْ

certain that they

Certain that they were being led

had been driven toward the means of death.

To the causes of prosperity

يا عين فابكِ ما حيي

يا عين فابكِ ما حيي

تِ على ذوي الذممِ الوفيّهْ

تِ على ذوي الذممِ الوفيّهْ

O eye, weep as long as you live

Oh eye, cry for as long as

for those who kept their pledges faithfully.

You live for people of integrity

لا عذرَ في تركِ البكا

لا عذرَ في تركِ البكا

ءِ دماً وأنتِ به حَريّهْ

ءِ دماً وأنتِ به حَريّهْ

There is no excuse for failing to weep

No excuse to refrain from crying

blood, when such weeping befits you.

Blood, while you are free