قُلْ لِمَنْ كانَ وَجْهُهُ كضِياءِ

قُلْ لِمَنْ كانَ وَجْهُهُ كضِياءِ

الشّمْسِ في حُسْنِهِ وبَدْرٍ مُنيرِ

الشّمْسِ في حُسْنِهِ وبَدْرٍ مُنيرِ

Say to him whose face was like the radiance of

Say to him whose face was like the radiance

the sun in its beauty, and like a luminous full moon:

of the sun in its beauty, and like a radiant full moon:

كنتَ زَيْنَ الأَحْياءِ إِذ كُنْتَ فيهمْ

كنتَ زَيْنَ الأَحْياءِ إِذ كُنْتَ فيهمْ

ثُمَّ قَدْ صِرْتَ زَيْنَ أهلِ القُبورِ

ثُمَّ قَدْ صِرْتَ زَيْنَ أهلِ القُبورِ

You were the adornment of the living while you dwelt among them;

You were the adornment of the living when you were among them;

then indeed you became the adornment of those in the graves.

then you became the adornment of the dwellers in graves.

بأبي أنتَ في الحياةِ وفي المو

بأبي أنتَ في الحياةِ وفي المو

تِ وتحتَ الثّرَى ويومَ النُّشُورِ

تِ وتحتَ الثّرَى ويومَ النُّشُورِ

May my father be your ransom—in life and in dea—

May my father be your ransom, in life and in death,

—th, beneath the earth, and on the Day of Resurrection.

and beneath the earth and on the day of resurrection.

خُنْتَني في المَغِيبِ والخَوْنُ نُكْرٌ

خُنْتَني في المَغِيبِ والخَوْنُ نُكْرٌ

وذَمِيمٌ في سَالفاتِ الدُّهُورِ

وذَمِيمٌ في سَالفاتِ الدُّهُورِ

You betrayed me in my absence, and betrayal is abhorrent,

You betrayed me in my absence; betrayal is abhorrent

and infamous throughout the ages gone by.

and blameworthy in ages long past.

فَشَفَاني سَيْفي وأَسْرَعَ في حَزِّ

فَشَفَاني سَيْفي وأَسْرَعَ في حَزِّ

التّراقي قَطْعَاً وحَزِّ النُّحورِ

التّراقي قَطْعَاً وحَزِّ النُّحورِ

So my sword healed me, swiftly slashing through

So my sword healed me and hastened to cut

the collarbones outright, and cutting throats.

the collarbones clean through and slit the throats.