يا أُختَ ناجِبَةَ اِبنِ سامَةَ إِنَّني

يا أُختَ ناجِبَةَ اِبنِ سامَةَ إِنَّني

أَخشى عَلَيكِ بَنِيَّ إِن طَلَبوا دَمي

أَخشى عَلَيكِ بَنِيَّ إِن طَلَبوا دَمي

O sister of Najibah ibn Samah, I

O sister of the mourner, son of Samah

fear what my sons may do to you, should they seek vengeance for my blood.

I fear for you, if my sons seek revenge for my blood

لَن يَقبَلوا دِيَةً وَلَيسوا أَو يَرَوا

لَن يَقبَلوا دِيَةً وَلَيسوا أَو يَرَوا

مِنّي الوَفاءَ وَلَن يَرَوهُ بِنُوَّمِ

مِنّي الوَفاءَ وَلَن يَرَوهُ بِنُوَّمِ

They will accept no blood money, nor, until they see

They will not accept blood money, and will not rest

me whole again—which they never will—will they sleep.

Until they see loyalty from me, though they'll never see it from my sons

فَالمَوتُ أَروَحُ مِن حَياةٍ هاكَذا

فَالمَوتُ أَروَحُ مِن حَياةٍ هاكَذا

إِن أَنتِ مِنكِ بِنائِلٍ لَم تُنعِمي

إِن أَنتِ مِنكِ بِنائِلٍ لَم تُنعِمي

So death is more restful than a life like this,

So death is more comforting than a life like this

if you grant me no favor from yourself.

If you've gotten nothing good from me

هَل أَنتِ راجِعَةٌ وَأَنتِ صَحيحَةٌ

هَل أَنتِ راجِعَةٌ وَأَنتِ صَحيحَةٌ

لِبَنِيَّ شِلوَ أَبيهِمِ المُتَقَسَّمِ

لِبَنِيَّ شِلوَ أَبيهِمِ المُتَقَسَّمِ

Will you, yourself unharmed, bring back

Are you going back healthy and sound

to my sons their father's dismembered body?

To my paralyzed sons and their divided father?

وَلَقَد ضَنيتُ مِنَ النِساءِ وَلا أَرى

وَلَقَد ضَنيتُ مِنَ النِساءِ وَلا أَرى

كَضَناً بِنَفسي مِنكِ أُمَّ الهَيثَمِ

كَضَناً بِنَفسي مِنكِ أُمَّ الهَيثَمِ

I have indeed wasted away over women, yet I see nothing

I've been stingy toward women, yet I see

like the wasting you cause in my soul, Umm al-Haytham.

No one stings me like you, mother of Haytham

كَيفَ السَلامَةُ بَعدَما تَيَّمتِني

كَيفَ السَلامَةُ بَعدَما تَيَّمتِني

وَتَرَكتِ قَلبي مِثلَ قَلبِ الأَيهَمِ

وَتَرَكتِ قَلبي مِثلَ قَلبِ الأَيهَمِ

How can I be safe after you have enslaved me with love

How can I be safe after you orphaned me

and left my heart like the heart of one bereft of reason?

And left my heart like the heart of the one-eyed man?

قَطَّعتِ نَفسي ما تَجيءُ سَريحَةً

قَطَّعتِ نَفسي ما تَجيءُ سَريحَةً

وَتَرَكتِني دَنِفاً عُراقَ الأَعظُمِ

وَتَرَكتِني دَنِفاً عُراقَ الأَعظُمِ

You have torn my soul apart; it cannot go free,

You tore up my soul - would you not come gently?

and left me gravely ill, my bones stripped bare.

And left me sheltered in Great Iraq

وَلَقَد رَمَيتِ إِلَيَّ رَميَةَ قاتِلٍ

وَلَقَد رَمَيتِ إِلَيَّ رَميَةَ قاتِلٍ

مِن مُقلَتَيكِ وَعارِضَيكِ بِأَسهُمِ

مِن مُقلَتَيكِ وَعارِضَيكِ بِأَسهُمِ

Indeed, you loosed at me a killer's shot,

Truly, you shot at me the shots of a killer

with arrows from your two eyes and your cheeks.

With your eyelashes and eyebrows as arrows

فَأَصَبتِ مِن كَبِدي حُشاشَةَ عاشِقٍ

فَأَصَبتِ مِن كَبِدي حُشاشَةَ عاشِقٍ

وَقَتَلتِني بِسِلاحِ مَن لَم يُكلَمِ

وَقَتَلتِني بِسِلاحِ مَن لَم يُكلَمِ

So you struck a lover's last spark of life within my liver,

So you struck the innermost love of a lover from my liver

and killed me with the weapon of one who had suffered no wound.

And killed me with the weapons of an unspoken word

فَإِذا حَلَفتِ هُناكَ أَنَّكِ مِن دَمي

فَإِذا حَلَفتِ هُناكَ أَنَّكِ مِن دَمي

لَبَريئَةٌ فَتَحَلَّلي لا تَأثَمي

لَبَريئَةٌ فَتَحَلَّلي لا تَأثَمي

So if you swear there that, of my blood, you are

So if you swear there that you are innocent of my blood

truly innocent, seek absolution; do not incur sin.

Absolve yourself, do not sin

وَلَئِن حَلَفتُ عَلى يَدَيكِ لَأَحلِفَن

وَلَئِن حَلَفتُ عَلى يَدَيكِ لَأَحلِفَن

بِيَمينِ أَصدَقِ مِن يَمينِكِ مُقسِمِ

بِيَمينِ أَصدَقِ مِن يَمينِكِ مُقسِمِ

And if I swear in your presence, I shall surely swear

And if I swear by your hand, I swear

with a swearer's oath more truthful than yours:

By a truer oath than your oath, solemnly sworn

بِاللَهِ رَبِّ الرافِعينَ أَكُفَّهُم

بِاللَهِ رَبِّ الرافِعينَ أَكُفَّهُم

بَينَ الحَطيمِ وَبَينَ حَوضَي زَمزَمِ

بَينَ الحَطيمِ وَبَينَ حَوضَي زَمزَمِ

by God, Lord of those who raise their palms

By Allah, Lord of those who raise up pilgrims

between al-Hatim and the two basins of Zamzam:

Between al-Hatim and the basins of Zamzam

فَلَأَنتِ مِن خَلَلِ الحِجالِ قَتَلتِني

فَلَأَنتِ مِن خَلَلِ الحِجالِ قَتَلتِني

إِذ نَحنُ بِالحَدَقِ الذَوارِفِ نَرتَمي

إِذ نَحنُ بِالحَدَقِ الذَوارِفِ نَرتَمي

for you indeed killed me through the gaps in the curtained chambers,

You killed me through the crevice of the litter

as we shot at one another with tear-streaming eyes,

As we were atop the towering camel

إِذ أَنتِ مُقبِلَةٌ بِعَينَي جُؤذَرٍ

إِذ أَنتِ مُقبِلَةٌ بِعَينَي جُؤذَرٍ

وَبِجيدِ أُمِّ أَغَنَّ لَيسَ بِتَوأَمِ

وَبِجيدِ أُمِّ أَغَنَّ لَيسَ بِتَوأَمِ

as you approached with the eyes of a wild-ox calf

As you approached, with deceitful eyes

and the neck of a mother whose nasal-voiced calf was no twin.

And the cheeks of Umm Aghanna, no twin