1. The mailman brought a letter bearing woeful news
So my heart shuddered in fear of its content

2. We cried "Woe to you! What does your scroll contain?"
They said "The Caliph has fallen ill and frail"

3. The earth beneath us shook as if about to sink
As though its firm pillars were being uprooted

4. He whose soul had long led a virtuous life
His fate now seemed bound to fail

5. When I arrived and found the palace gate shut
My heart broke from the sound of quiet weeping