لموت أمي أرى الأحزان تحنيني

لموت أمي أرى الأحزان تحنيني

فطالما لَحّستني لحس تحنيني

فطالما لَحّستني لحس تحنيني

At my mother's death, I see sorrows bowing me.

For my mother's death I see sorrows bending me

For how often she let me lick “tahnini”—tahini paste!

For she so often caressed me with caressing tenderness

وطالما دلّعتني حال تربيتي

وطالما دلّعتني حال تربيتي

حتى طلعت كما كانت تربيني

حتى طلعت كما كانت تربيني

And how often she pampered me while bringing me up,

And so often pampered me during my upbringing

Until I turned out just as she had brought me up.

Until I grew as she had nurtured me

أقول نمنم تجي بالأكل تطعمني

أقول نمنم تجي بالأكل تطعمني

أقول امبو تجي بالماء تسقيني

أقول امبو تجي بالماء تسقيني

I say “num-num”; she comes with food and feeds me.

I say "Numnam", she comes with food to feed me

I say “embo”; she comes with water and gives me a drink.

I say "Embo", she comes with water to quench my thirst

إن صحت في ليلة وي وي لأسهرَها

إن صحت في ليلة وي وي لأسهرَها

تقول هاها بهزّكي تُنّنيني

تقول هاها بهزّكي تُنّنيني

If one night I cry “wee, wee” to keep her awake,

If I got sick at night she stays up all night

She says, “Ha-ha, I'm rocking you,” and lulls me to sleep.

She says "Hehe" rocking me to lull me to sleep

كم كحّلتني ولي في جبهتي جعلت

كم كحّلتني ولي في جبهتي جعلت

صوصو بنيلي وكم كانت تُحنّيني

صوصو بنيلي وكم كانت تُحنّيني

How often she kohled my eyes, and on my forehead drew

How much kohl she put on my eyelids and made

A little chick with my indigo; how often she hennaed me!

Sesame spots on my forehead, how she would pamper me

وربما شكشكتني حين أغضبها

وربما شكشكتني حين أغضبها

وبعد ذا كشكشتني كي ترضيني

وبعد ذا كشكشتني كي ترضيني

And sometimes she poked me when I angered her,

And sometimes she would tickle me when I angered her

And afterward she tickled me to win me over.

And after that she tickled me to satisfy me

ومن فقيهي إن أهرب ورام أبي

ومن فقيهي إن أهرب ورام أبي

مسكي وبعث له كانت تُخبّيني

مسكي وبعث له كانت تُخبّيني

And if I fled my religious teacher and my father sought

And when I ran away from my father the cleric

To catch me and send me to him, she would hide me.

She held me and sent for him, she would hide me

وزغرتت في طهوري فرحة وغدت

وزغرتت في طهوري فرحة وغدت

تنثر الملح من فوقي وترقيني

تنثر الملح من فوقي وترقيني

And she ululated joyfully at my circumcision and began

And during my ritual wash she rejoiced

Scattering salt over me and reciting protective charms for me.

Sprinkling salt over me and cleansing me

وفي زواجي تصدّت للجلاء عسى

وفي زواجي تصدّت للجلاء عسى

على المنصّة تلقاني بتزييني

على المنصّة تلقاني بتزييني

And at my wedding she took charge of the bridal display, hoping

And at my wedding she busied herself with henna

To find me on the dais in my finery.

So she could receive me on the dais with my adornments

وربّت أولادي أيضاً مثل تربيتي

وربّت أولادي أيضاً مثل تربيتي

وبعد ذلك ماتت آه وا أنيني

وبعد ذلك ماتت آه وا أنيني

And she raised my children too, just as she had raised me.

And she raised my children just as she raised me

And after that she died—ah, alas, my groaning!

Then after that she died, oh my painful lament

وخلّفتني يتيماً أبن أربعة

وخلّفتني يتيماً أبن أربعة

وأربعين سنيناً في حسابيني

وأربعين سنيناً في حسابيني

And she left me an orphan, aged four

And left me an orphan at forty four years old

And forty years, by my reckoning.

In my counting of age

يعظّم اللَه فيها الأجر لي وكذا

يعظّم اللَه فيها الأجر لي وكذا

لي فيّ من بعدها جودوا بآمين

لي فيّ من بعدها جودوا بآمين

May God greatly increase my reward for her loss, and likewise

May God magnify for her and me the reward

For me, in my own case after her—be generous with an “Amen.”

And for me after her, give freely with "Amen"