وَلا تَقبُروني إِنَّ دَفني مُحَرَّمٌ

وَلا تَقبُروني إِنَّ دَفني مُحَرَّمٌ

عَلَيكُم وَلَكِن أَبشِري أُمَّ عامِرِ

عَلَيكُم وَلَكِن أَبشِري أُمَّ عامِرِ

And do not bury me, for my burial is forbidden

Do not bury me, for that is forbidden to you,

to you; but rejoice, Umm ʿĀmir.

But give glad tidings to mother of Amer,

إِذا ضَرَبوا رَأسي وَفي الرَأسِ أَكثَري

إِذا ضَرَبوا رَأسي وَفي الرَأسِ أَكثَري

وَغودِرَ عِندَ المُلتَقى ثَمَّ سائِري

وَغودِرَ عِندَ المُلتَقى ثَمَّ سائِري

When they strike my head—and in the head is most of me—

That when they strike off my head, though my head most they sever,

and the rest of me is left there at the place of encounter,

And hurl me, when dead, on the course I used to follow,

هُنالِكَ لا أَرجو حَياةً تَسُرُّني

هُنالِكَ لا أَرجو حَياةً تَسُرُّني

سَجيسَ اللَيالِي مُبسَلاً بِالجَرائِرِ

سَجيسَ اللَيالِي مُبسَلاً بِالجَرائِرِ

There I hope for no life that would gladden me,

There is no more hope that life will delight me,

as long as nights endure, given over to doom for offenses.

After nights of evil and days of crime.

لَقُلتُ لها قَد كانَ ذَلِكَ مَرَّةً

لَقُلتُ لها قَد كانَ ذَلِكَ مَرَّةً

ولَستُ على ما قَد عَهدتُ بِقادِرِ

ولَستُ على ما قَد عَهدتُ بِقادِرِ

I would have said to her, 'That was indeed so once,

There was a time when, had that been said to me,

and I cannot do what I once used to.'

I had not been able, as now, to deny it.