الدمع يهمل والفؤاد عليل

الدمع يهمل والفؤاد عليل

والقلب في غمراته متبول

والقلب في غمراته متبول

Tears stream, and the heart is ailing.

The tears are neglected, and the heart is sick,

And the heart, amid its engulfing sorrows, is stricken.

And the heart is in its griefs confused,

ولقد أبيت وفي الحشاشة جمرة

ولقد أبيت وفي الحشاشة جمرة

بتأجج حمراء ليس تزول

بتأجج حمراء ليس تزول

And indeed I pass the night with an ember in my soul,

And I had refused, and in my sadness there was an ember,

Blazing red, never dying away,

With a burning redness that does not disappear,

من فقد طفل كان يؤنس وحشتي

من فقد طفل كان يؤنس وحشتي

وبه على الأيام كنت أصول

وبه على الأيام كنت أصول

From losing a child who used to soothe my loneliness,

Of one who lost a child who was comforting my loneliness,

And with him I used to defy the days.

And with him I was setting the days right,

فتكت به أيدي المنايا بغتة

فتكت به أيدي المنايا بغتة

فالحزن لي حتى الممات طويل

فالحزن لي حتى الممات طويل

The hands of death struck him down without warning,

The hands of death took him suddenly,

So my sorrow will last until death.

So the sorrow for me until death is long,

حار الطبيب بما يداوي سقمه

حار الطبيب بما يداوي سقمه

ودواؤه مالي إليه سبيل

ودواؤه مالي إليه سبيل

The physician was baffled about how to treat his illness,

The doctor was confused about what would cure his illness,

And I have no way of reaching his cure.

And his medicine I had no way to access,

مازلت أحذر موته ومصابه

مازلت أحذر موته ومصابه

حتى دنا لحمامه تعجيل

حتى دنا لحمامه تعجيل

I never ceased to dread his death and the calamity of losing him,

I kept fearing his death and his affliction,

Until his death drew swiftly near.

Until his burial came hastily,

أحسين ماذا أرتجي من حيرتي

أحسين ماذا أرتجي من حيرتي

من بعد فقدك أم عساي أقول

من بعد فقدك أم عساي أقول

O Husayn, what can I hope for in my bewilderment,

Oh goodness what can I hope for from my confusion,

After losing you—or what might I say?

After losing you, what more can I say,

أمعفراً في الترب رهناً للبلى

أمعفراً في الترب رهناً للبلى

حزني عليك مع الزمان طويل

حزني عليك مع الزمان طويل

O you laid in the dust, held hostage to decay,

Buried in dust, hostage to perishing,

My grief for you will endure through time.

My sorrow for you with time is long,

أودعت جسمك في الثرى رغماً فما

أودعت جسمك في الثرى رغماً فما

لي بعد موتك ما حييت خليل

لي بعد موتك ما حييت خليل

I laid your body in the earth against my will; so no

I buried your body in soil perforce, so after

Dear friend remains to me after your death, as long as I live.

Your death I have no intimate friend left,

إن كنت طفلاً إن همك خطبه

إن كنت طفلاً إن همك خطبه

خطب كبير في النفوس جليل

خطب كبير في النفوس جليل

Though you were a child, grief for you is indeed a calamity—

If you were a child, though your concerns were childish,

A great calamity, weighing heavily upon souls.

They were great concerns in the souls,

جاورت لحدا ثم جاور مهجتي

جاورت لحدا ثم جاور مهجتي

هم وآفات علي تجول

هم وآفات علي تجول

You took a grave for a neighbor; then beside my heart dwelt

You dwelled by a grave, then dwelled in my mind,

Grief and afflictions roaming over me.

Sorrows and afflictions wandering about me,

قد كنت آمل أن أكون لك الفدى

قد كنت آمل أن أكون لك الفدى

فأبى علي الدهر وهو بخيل

فأبى علي الدهر وهو بخيل

I had hoped that I might be your ransom,

I had hoped that I would be the ransom for you,

But Time refused me, and it is miserly.

But fate refused me while it was stingy,

فعدمت صبري عند توديعي له

فعدمت صبري عند توديعي له

ووددت أني حين ذاك قتيل

ووددت أني حين ذاك قتيل

So my fortitude failed when I bade him farewell,

So I lost my patience when bidding you farewell,

And I wished that I were slain at that moment.

And I wished that I was the one killed then.