هُوَ الطف فاجعل فضة الدَمع عسجدا

هُوَ الطف فاجعل فضة الدَمع عسجدا

وَصغ لَكَ فُولاذ الغَرام مُهندا

وَصغ لَكَ فُولاذ الغَرام مُهندا

This is al-Taff; so turn the silver of tears into gold.

He is the gentle one, so make the silver of tears prostrate,

And forge passion's steel into an Indian sword for yourself.

And listen to the steel of passion softly wailed,

وَرِد منهل الأَحزان صِرفاً وَكرِّرن

وَرِد منهل الأَحزان صِرفاً وَكرِّرن

حَديثاً لجران الطُّفوفِ مُجددا

حَديثاً لجران الطُّفوفِ مُجددا

And drink sorrow unmixed at its spring, and repeat

Visit the spring of sorrows again and again,

A fresh tale for the dwellers of al-Tufuf.

Renewing the talk of those passed gently by.

وَما القَلب إِلا مُضغة جُد بقطعها

وَما القَلب إِلا مُضغة جُد بقطعها

وَدَعها فِداء السِّبط روحي لَهُ الفِدا

وَدَعها فِداء السِّبط روحي لَهُ الفِدا

The heart is but a morsel of flesh; give its pieces freely,

The heart is but a lump, grievously cut it open,

And let it ransom the Grandson—my soul be his ransom.

And leave it ransom for the beloved, my soul his ransom.

أَتَرضى حَياة بَعدَما ماتَ سَيد

أَتَرضى حَياة بَعدَما ماتَ سَيد

غَدا جده المُختار لِلناس سَيِّدا

غَدا جده المُختار لِلناس سَيِّدا

Would you accept life after a master has died,

Would you accept life after the death of the master,

Whose grandfather, the Chosen One, became humankind's master?

Tomorrow his grandfather the Chosen will be master of men?

أَتَرضى اكتِحال الجفن بَعدَ مصابه

أَتَرضى اكتِحال الجفن بَعدَ مصابه

وَجفن التُّقى وَالدين قَد باتَ أَرمَدا

وَجفن التُّقى وَالدين قَد باتَ أَرمَدا

Would you accept kohl upon your eyelid after his calamity,

Would you accept to darken your eyelids after their misfortune,

While the eyelid of piety and faith has grown sore?

And the eyelids of piety and faith remain blinded?

خُذ النَوح في ذاكَ المُصاب عَزيمة

خُذ النَوح في ذاكَ المُصاب عَزيمة

إِلى الفَوز وَاجعَل صَهوة الحُزن مقعدَا

إِلى الفَوز وَاجعَل صَهوة الحُزن مقعدَا

Take lamentation over that calamity as a firm resolve

Take comfort in that misfortune with determination

Toward salvation, and make sorrow's saddle your seat.

To attain success and make the saddle of sadness your seat.

بَكَت رزءه الأَملاك وَالأُفق شاهد

بَكَت رزءه الأَملاك وَالأُفق شاهد

أَلَم تَره مِن دَمعه قَد تَورَّدا

أَلَم تَره مِن دَمعه قَد تَورَّدا

The angels wept over his calamity, and the horizon bears witness:

The angels wept for his tragedy and the horizon witnessed,

Have you not seen it turn rose-red from its tears?

Do you not see it reddened from his tears?

فَيا فَرقداً ضاءَ الوُجود بِنوره

فَيا فَرقداً ضاءَ الوُجود بِنوره

فَلا بَعده نَلقى ضياء وَفَرقَدا

فَلا بَعده نَلقى ضياء وَفَرقَدا

So, O star by whose light existence shone,

O you who illuminated existence with your light,

So after him we find neither radiance nor a star.

After you we find no illumination or dawn.

وَرَيحانة طابَ الوُجود بِنَشرِها

وَرَيحانة طابَ الوُجود بِنَشرِها

بِها عَبثت أَيدي الطُغاة تعمدا

بِها عَبثت أَيدي الطُغاة تعمدا

And O basil sprig, whose fragrance sweetened existence,

O basil that scented existence with its blossoming,

Which tyrants' hands deliberately ravaged;

Destroyed wantonly by the hands of the tyrants.

وَدرة علم قَد أَضاءَت فَأَصبَحَت

وَدرة علم قَد أَضاءَت فَأَصبَحَت

تُمانعها الأَوغاد مَنعاً مُجَردا

تُمانعها الأَوغاد مَنعاً مُجَردا

And O pearl of knowledge that shone, only to face

O pearl of knowledge that shone and so

The scoundrels' outright obstruction.

The wicked sought to deprive it completely.

بِروحي مِنها منظَراً باتَ في الثَرى

بِروحي مِنها منظَراً باتَ في الثَرى

وَيا طالَما قَد باتَ في حجر أَحمَدا

وَيا طالَما قَد باتَ في حجر أَحمَدا

My soul be ransom for that sight of him lying in the soil,

By my soul, from it a spectacle lies in the dust

And oh, how often he lay in Ahmad's lap!

And oh how long it slept in Ahmad's lap!

وَثَغراً فم المُختار مَص رضابه

وَثَغراً فم المُختار مَص رضابه

وَهَذا يَزيد بِالقَضيب لَهُ غَدا

وَهَذا يَزيد بِالقَضيب لَهُ غَدا

And for a mouth whose saliva the Chosen One's mouth sucked,

And a mouth, the Chosen One's, that sucked his pleasure

Yet this Yazid came at it with a rod.

And this Yazid strikes it with his staff tomorrow.

وَرَأساً يَد الزَهراء كانَت وِسادة

وَرَأساً يَد الزَهراء كانَت وِسادة

لَهُ فَغَدا بِالترب ظُلماً موسدا

لَهُ فَغَدا بِالترب ظُلماً موسدا

And for a head—al-Zahra's hand had been its pillow,

And a head, Fatima's hand was its pillow

Yet it came to be unjustly pillowed upon the dust.

So tomorrow it will rest in the dust unjustly.

لَئِن أَفسَدوا دُنياك يا ابن محمد

لَئِن أَفسَدوا دُنياك يا ابن محمد

سَيَعلم أَهل الظُلم مَنزلهم غَدا

سَيَعلم أَهل الظُلم مَنزلهم غَدا

Even if they ruined your worldly life, O son of Muhammad,

If they corrupted your world, O son of Muhammad,

The wrongdoers will know their abode tomorrow.

The people of injustice will know their places tomorrow.

لِئام أَتوا بِالظُلم طَبعاً وَإِنَّما

لِئام أَتوا بِالظُلم طَبعاً وَإِنَّما

لِكُلِّ أمرئ مِن دَهرِهِ ما تَعوَّدا

لِكُلِّ أمرئ مِن دَهرِهِ ما تَعوَّدا

Base men who practiced injustice by nature; for

The villains came with injustice as their nature,

Each man gets from his life only what he has grown used to.

And to each man comes what he is accustomed to in his time.

وَحَقك ما هَذا المُصاب بِضائر

وَحَقك ما هَذا المُصاب بِضائر

لأن الوَرى وَالخَلق لَم يخلقوا سُدى

لأن الوَرى وَالخَلق لَم يخلقوا سُدى

And by your sacred right, this calamity does you no harm,

Your right is not harmed by this misfortune,

For humankind and all creatures were not created in vain.

For the worlds and creations were not created in vain.

فَأَلبَسَكَ الرَحمَنُ ثَوبَ شهادة

فَأَلبَسَكَ الرَحمَنُ ثَوبَ شهادة

وَأَلبَسَهُم خزياً يَدوم مَدى المدى

وَأَلبَسَهُم خزياً يَدوم مَدى المدى

So the All-Merciful clothed you in the robe of martyrdom,

So the Merciful clothed you in the garb of martyrdom,

And clothed them in disgrace that lasts for all eternity.

And clothed them in disgrace enduring for eternity.

لَبستُم كِساء المَجد وَهوَ إِشارة

لَبستُم كِساء المَجد وَهوَ إِشارة

بِأَن لَكُم مَجداً طَويلاً مُخَلدا

بِأَن لَكُم مَجداً طَويلاً مُخَلدا

You donned the cloak of glory, and this is a sign

You wore the raiment of glory, a sign

That yours is long-lasting, immortal glory.

That you have everlasting glory immortalized.

وَطَهركُم رَب العُلى في كِتابه

وَطَهركُم رَب العُلى في كِتابه

وَقَرر كُل المُسلِمين وَأشهَدا

وَقَرر كُل المُسلِمين وَأشهَدا

And the Lord of the heights purified you in His Book,

And the Lord most high purified you in His book

And made all Muslims acknowledge it and bear witness.

And settled for all Muslims as witnesses.

أَتُنكر هَذا يا يَزيد وَلَيسَ ذا

أَتُنكر هَذا يا يَزيد وَلَيسَ ذا

بِأَول قبح مِنكَ يا غادر بَدا

بِأَول قبح مِنكَ يا غادر بَدا

Do you deny this, O Yazid? This is not

Do you disavow this, O Yazid, though it is not

The first vile deed to come from you, O traitor.

The first ugliness to appear from you, O traitor!

بَني المُصطفى عَبد لَكُم وده صَفا

بَني المُصطفى عَبد لَكُم وده صَفا

فَأَضحى غذاء لِلقُلوب وَمَورِدا

فَأَضحى غذاء لِلقُلوب وَمَورِدا

O sons of the Chosen One, your servant's love has grown pure,

The family of Mustafa are your loyal slaves

And become nourishment and a wellspring for hearts.

Thus they have become food for hearts and refuge.

غَريب عَن الأَوطان ناء فُؤاده

غَريب عَن الأَوطان ناء فُؤاده

تضرم مِن نار الأَسى وَتَوقَّدا

تضرم مِن نار الأَسى وَتَوقَّدا

A stranger far from his native lands; his heart

Stranger to homelands, his heart aflame

Caught fire from sorrow's flames and blazed.

With the fires of grief, kindled anew.

أَلَم بِهِ خطب مِن الدَهر مُظلم

أَلَم بِهِ خطب مِن الدَهر مُظلم

تحمل مِن أَكداره وَتقَلدا

تحمل مِن أَكداره وَتقَلدا

A dark calamity from time befell him;

He met from fate obscure calamities

He bore its troubles and wore them about his neck.

Bearing from its sorrows those foreordained.

نَضا سَيفه في وَجهه متعمداً

نَضا سَيفه في وَجهه متعمداً

وَجَردهُ عَن حَقه فَتَجَرَّدا

وَجَردهُ عَن حَقه فَتَجَرَّدا

It deliberately unsheathed its sword in his face,

He unsheathed his sword in his face deliberately

And stripped him of his right, leaving him bare.

And stripped him of his rights, stripped bare.

بِبابكم أَلقَى العَصا وَحريمُكُم

بِبابكم أَلقَى العَصا وَحريمُكُم

أَمان إذا دَهر طَغى وَتَمَرَّدا

أَمان إذا دَهر طَغى وَتَمَرَّدا

At your gate he laid down his staff; your sanctuary

At your door he cast down his staff, and your harem

Is safety when time grows tyrannical and rebels.

A refuge when fate became unruly and rebellious.

أَتاكُم صَريخاً مِن ذُنوب تَواتَرَت

أَتاكُم صَريخاً مِن ذُنوب تَواتَرَت

عَلى ظَهرِهِ في اليَوم مَثنَى وَمفردا

عَلى ظَهرِهِ في اليَوم مَثنَى وَمفردا

He came to you crying for rescue from sins that kept coming

He came to you screaming from sins recurring

Upon his back each day, in pairs and singly.

Upon him each day, once and again.

أَتاكُم لِيستَجدي النَوال لأَنَّكُم

أَتاكُم لِيستَجدي النَوال لأَنَّكُم

كِرام نَداكُم يَسبق الغَيث وَالنَدى

كِرام نَداكُم يَسبق الغَيث وَالنَدى

He came to you to beg for bounty, because you

He came to you to gain sustenance, for you

Are generous; your bounty precedes rain and dew.

Are generous, your call more abundant than rain or dew.

أَتاكُم لِيَحمي من أَذى الدَهر نَفسه

أَتاكُم لِيَحمي من أَذى الدَهر نَفسه

وَأَنتُم حُماة الجار إِن طارق بَدا

وَأَنتُم حُماة الجار إِن طارق بَدا

He came to you to shield himself from time's harm,

He came to you to protect himself from the harm of fate

And you guard the neighbor if a night visitor appears.

While you are protectors of neighbor should raider come.

أَتاكُم أَتاكُم يا سُلالة حَيدر

أَتاكُم أَتاكُم يا سُلالة حَيدر

كَسيراً يُناديكُم وَقَد أَعلَن الندا

كَسيراً يُناديكُم وَقَد أَعلَن الندا

He came to you, came to you, O offspring of Haydar,

He came to you, O descendants of Haydar,

Broken, calling to you, raising his cry aloud:

Walking, calling out to you, his call proclaimed:

حُسين أَقلني مِن زَمان شَرابه

حُسين أَقلني مِن زَمان شَرابه

حَميم وَغسلين إِذا ما صفا صدا

حَميم وَغسلين إِذا ما صفا صدا

Husayn, deliver me from an age whose drink

"Hussein, save me from the poisoned drink of time,

Is scalding water and pus; whenever it clears, it turns rusty.

Pure and cleansing when voices declare as one."

عَلى جدك المُختار صَلى الهَنا

عَلى جدك المُختار صَلى الهَنا

وَسَلم ما حادَ إِلى أَرضه حَدا

وَسَلم ما حادَ إِلى أَرضه حَدا

May our God bless your grandfather, the Chosen One,

Bless his grandfather the Chosen, peace and prayers be upon him

And grant him peace as long as a camel-driver chants toward his land,

As long as there is land and the limits of space.

وَعَم بِها آلاً وَصَحباً وَتابِعاً

وَعَم بِها آلاً وَصَحباً وَتابِعاً

لَهُم وَمحباً لِلجَميع موَحدا

لَهُم وَمحباً لِلجَميع موَحدا

And extend this blessing to his family, companions, and every follower

And his family, companions, followers,

Of theirs, and every lover of them all who affirms God's oneness.

And those who love them, united in one faith.