اليوم قد صوَّت ناعي الهُدى

اليوم قد صوَّت ناعي الهُدى

يفصحُ بالنعي ولا يكني

يفصحُ بالنعي ولا يكني

Today the herald of guidance’s death has cried out,

Today the guide's crier sounded his call

speaking plainly of the death, not in veiled words.

Proclaiming the news, no cryptic hints

ينعي قتيل الطفِّ عند ابنه

ينعي قتيل الطفِّ عند ابنه

المهديّ مولى الأنس والجن

المهديّ مولى الأنس والجن

He announces the death of al-Taff’s slain one before his son,

Mourning the martyr of al-Taff with his son

the Mahdi, master of humankind and jinn.

Al-Mahdi, patron of humanity and jinn

وقائلٍ ذا السقف ما باله

وقائلٍ ذا السقف ما باله

ابيضَّ وعهدي فيه كالدجن

ابيضَّ وعهدي فيه كالدجن

And someone asks: ‘This roof—what ails it?

"Why is this roof so bright?" someone asked

It has turned white, though I remember it dark as clouds.’

When my contract on it was as black as pitch

قلت رأى المهديّ مستشعر ال

قلت رأى المهديّ مستشعر ال

سواد حزناً باكيَ الجفن

سواد حزناً باكيَ الجفن

I said: ‘It saw the Mahdi clad in

I said, Al-Mahdi was so profoundly grieved

black in grief, his eyelids weeping;

Weeping copiously for the martyr's end

فصارَ عيناً كلّه للبكا

فصارَ عيناً كلّه للبكا

فها هو ابيضَّ من الحزنِ

فها هو ابيضَّ من الحزنِ

so it became, in its entirety, an eye for weeping,

That he was all eyes with crying

and behold, it has turned white from sorrow.’

And so it turned bright white from his sorrow