خطبتني الخطوب بالهم لما

خطبتني الخطوب بالهم لما

حدثتني بألسن الحدثان

حدثتني بألسن الحدثان

Calamities courted me with sorrow when

You betrothed me with worries when

they spoke to me with the tongues of time's vicissitudes.

You told me with the tongues of the two old friends

نكبتني في ابني بل سلبتني

نكبتني في ابني بل سلبتني

نور عيني فأظلم النيران

نور عيني فأظلم النيران

They afflicted me through my two sons—nay, they robbed me

You brought me down through my son, rather you robbed me

of the light of my eye; the two luminaries grew dark.

Of the light of my eye so the fires darkened

طمست فرقدي بعد طلوع

طمست فرقدي بعد طلوع

وعجيب أن يطمس الفرقدان

وعجيب أن يطمس الفرقدان

They blotted out my two Farqad stars after their rising;

You obscured my brightness after its emergence

strange indeed that the two Farqad stars should be blotted out!

And it's wondrous that the two bright stars could be obscured

يا لها نكبة على نكبة جا

يا لها نكبة على نكبة جا

ءت وجرحاً ينكى بجرح ثاني

ءت وجرحاً ينكى بجرح ثاني

Ah, a calamity upon calamity has

Oh what a calamity upon calamity that came

come, and a wound reopened by a second wound,

And wounds that make one moan with another wound

ومصاباً على مصاب وثكلا

ومصاباً على مصاب وثكلا

بعد ثكل أصيب منه جناني

بعد ثكل أصيب منه جناني

and affliction upon affliction, and bereavement

And affliction over affliction and bereavement

after bereavement, by which my heart was stricken.

After bereavement I was afflicted in my soul

أيها العاذل المعزي بفقدي

أيها العاذل المعزي بفقدي

لبني ذخرته لزماني

لبني ذخرته لزماني

O reprover, consoling me for my loss

O consoler who consoles me for the loss

of my little son, whom I had treasured for my future days,

Of my son, whom I hoarded for my time

اتئد لا تعزني بعزاء

اتئد لا تعزني بعزاء

ليس مثلي يغتر بالهذيان

ليس مثلي يغتر بالهذيان

Be measured; do not console me with words of comfort:

Do not try to console me with consolation

one like me is not deceived by babble.

That is not like me, fooled by delusions

إن في مهجتي لهيب سعير

إن في مهجتي لهيب سعير

بعضها محرق لظى النيران

بعضها محرق لظى النيران

Indeed, in my heart is the flame of a raging fire—

In my mind there is the flame of hellfire

part of it burns even the flames of fire—

Some of it burning with the heat of fires

وعظيماً من البلايا قطيعاً

وعظيماً من البلايا قطيعاً

وغموراً قد ضاعفت أحزاني

وغموراً قد ضاعفت أحزاني

and a mighty herd of calamities,

And much of calamities, a large group

and engulfing floods that have doubled my sorrows,

And deep sorrows that multiplied my sorrows

ودموعاً تنهل من دم جفني

ودموعاً تنهل من دم جفني

على وجنتي كالعقيان

على وجنتي كالعقيان

and tears pouring from the blood of my eyelid

And tears that flow from the blood of my eyelids

onto my cheek like pure gold.

Onto my cheeks like springs

وفقدت السلو فقد رقادي

وفقدت السلو فقد رقادي

فتراني مراقب السرحان

فتراني مراقب السرحان

And I lost solace as I lost my sleep,

And I lost comfort so I lost my sleep

so you see me keeping watch for the wolf.

So you see me observing the Pleiades

بدل العيش بعد فقد حسين

بدل العيش بعد فقد حسين

بهموم وترحة وهوان

بهموم وترحة وهوان

Life was exchanged, after the loss of Husayn,

Instead of living after the loss of Hussein

for cares, sorrow, and humiliation.

With worries, agony, and disgrace

وكرهت الحياة والعمر لما

وكرهت الحياة والعمر لما

غاب عن ناظري وأخلى مكاني

غاب عن ناظري وأخلى مكاني

And I hated life and the length of my days when

And I hated life and age when

he vanished from my sight and left my dwelling empty.

He disappeared from my sight and left my place

لو رآني العدو رق لما بي

لو رآني العدو رق لما بي

وبكى لي الصديق مما دهاني

وبكى لي الصديق مما دهاني

Had my enemy seen me, he would have pitied my plight,

If an enemy saw me, he would have mercy

and my friend would have wept for me at what befell me.

And a friend would cry for what pained me

في بني فجعت فيه فمالي

في بني فجعت فيه فمالي

عنه صبر يقرني بمكان

عنه صبر يقرني بمكان

I was bereaved of my little son; I have no

Through my son I was anguished so how can I

patience in his absence to let me rest in one place.

Have patience that pairs me to a place

حرت في طبه وحار الأطبا

حرت في طبه وحار الأطبا

ء وخابت ظنوننا للأماني

ء وخابت ظنوننا للأماني

I was baffled by his treatment, and so were the

I fretted over his tomb and the doctors were confused

physicians; vain were our hopes of fulfilling our wishes

And our hopes for wellness were unfulfilled

من مداواته ولم يقف الدا

من مداواته ولم يقف الدا

ء ولم ينجح الدوا في أوان

ء ولم ينجح الدوا في أوان

through treating him; unabated was the

From his treatment, and the cure did not stand

illness, and the medicine did not succeed in time.

And medicine did not work in time

يا دموعي ويا زفيري أعينا

يا دموعي ويا زفيري أعينا

ني بنار الخليل والطوفان

ني بنار الخليل والطوفان

O my tears, and O my sighing, help

Oh my tears and oh my sighs help me

me with the Friend's fire and the Flood.

With the fire of bereavement and the flood

لهف نفسي غداة سار إلى التر

لهف نفسي غداة سار إلى التر

ب وقد رحلوه عن أوطاني

ب وقد رحلوه عن أوطاني

Alas for my soul on the morning he went to the

My soul pined the next day when he went to the soil

dust, when they had carried him away from my dwellings.

And they had sent him away from my homelands

رحلوه إلى القرافة رغماً

رحلوه إلى القرافة رغماً

أودعوه للحد والأكفان

أودعوه للحد والأكفان

They carried him to al-Qarafa against my will;

They sent him to the cemetery by force

they consigned him to the grave and the shrouds.

They placed him for the grave and shrouds

غيبوه عن ناظري وضميري

غيبوه عن ناظري وضميري

هو فيه مصور للعيان

هو فيه مصور للعيان

They hid him from my sight, yet within my mind

They hid him from my sight and conscience

he is pictured as plainly as if before my eyes.

He is depicted in it to envision

وخلا منه منزلاً كان معمو

وخلا منه منزلاً كان معمو

راً قديماً بلفظه والمعاني

راً قديماً بلفظه والمعاني

And a dwelling lies empty of him that was

And his house that was once filled

once filled with his speech and its meanings.

With his expressions and meanings was emptied of him

فبقايا آثاره سخنة العي

فبقايا آثاره سخنة العي

ن وألفاظه شجا الآذان

ن وألفاظه شجا الآذان

So his surviving traces sear the

So the remnants of his traces have hot eyes

eye, and his words are a grief to the ears.

And his words have piercing ears

غاب عني السرور مذ غاب

غاب عني السرور مذ غاب

واسودَّ بياض الرجاء والجدران

واسودَّ بياض الرجاء والجدران

Joy has been absent from me since he vanished,

Joy disappeared from me since he disappeared

and the whiteness of hope and the walls turned black.

And the whiteness of hope and walls darkened

يا خليلي ساعداني بنوح

يا خليلي ساعداني بنوح

أو بدمع أولا فلا تعذلاني

أو بدمع أولا فلا تعذلاني

O my two friends, help me with wailing

Oh my two friends, help me with crying

or with tears; otherwise, do not reproach me.

Or with tears or do not blame me

وارحماني فقد تضاعف همي

وارحماني فقد تضاعف همي

ودموعي قد قرحت أجفاني

ودموعي قد قرحت أجفاني

And pity me, for my sorrow has doubled,

And have mercy on me for my worries have multiplied

and my tears have made my eyelids sore.

And my tears have ulcerated my eyelids

واندباه عني فقد كل فكري

واندباه عني فقد كل فكري

والمراثي ملت حديث لساني

والمراثي ملت حديث لساني

And lament him for me, for my mind has grown weary,

And mourn him for me for all my thoughts are of him

and elegies have wearied of my tongue's speech.

And the elegies have filled my tongue

كل عام للموت عندي نصيب

كل عام للموت عندي نصيب

في سراة البنين والأخوان

في سراة البنين والأخوان

Every year, death claims a share from me

Every year death takes a share from me

among the noblest of sons and brothers.

In the families of sons and brothers

فأرى الموت والخطوب جميعاً

فأرى الموت والخطوب جميعاً

يثكلاني فكيف لا ينكلان

يثكلاني فكيف لا ينكلان

So I see death and calamities together

So I see death and calamities both

bereaving me; why do they not desist?

Bereaving me so how can they not dishearten me

فأنا الدهر لم أزل باكي

فأنا الدهر لم أزل باكي

العين كئيباً مكابد الأحزان

العين كئيباً مكابد الأحزان

So all my days I have remained with weeping

For indeed I have not ceased crying

eyes, dejected, struggling with sorrows.

My eye sorrowful, enduring sorrows

لا تلمني يا عاذلي إن قلبي

لا تلمني يا عاذلي إن قلبي

موجع من تفرق الأقران

موجع من تفرق الأقران

Do not blame me, O my reprover, for my heart

Do not blame me, oh consoler of me, if my heart is

is pained by the parting of companions.

Hurt from the separation of friends