نَعى الناعي إِلَيّ أَبي

نَعى الناعي إِلَيّ أَبي

وَخَبّر أَين مُنقَلَبي

وَخَبّر أَين مُنقَلَبي

The death-messenger announced my father's death to me,

and told me where I shall return.

لموعظة رَآها في

لموعظة رَآها في

أَبيهِ لَها رَأَيتُ أَبي

أَبيهِ لَها رَأَيتُ أَبي

For a lesson he had seen in

his father, I beheld my father for that same lesson.

سُلِبتُ أَبي سَلامَتَه

سُلِبتُ أَبي سَلامَتَه

وَأُسلَبُ بَعد مستَلبي

وَأُسلَبُ بَعد مستَلبي

I was robbed of my father's well-being,

and I shall be taken after the one taken from me.

وَأَينَ من المُطِلِّ عَلى

وَأَينَ من المُطِلِّ عَلى

مَذاهِب مَذهَبي هَرَبي

مَذاهِب مَذهَبي هَرَبي

And where, from the one who looks down upon

the paths of my journey, is my escape?

وَما لِمُسافِرٍ جدّ الر

وَما لِمُسافِرٍ جدّ الر

رَحيل بِهِ ولِلَّعِبِ

رَحيل بِهِ ولِلَّعِبِ

And what has a traveler, pressed by

departure, to do with play?

مَضى طَلَقا لِغُرَّتِه

مَضى طَلَقا لِغُرَّتِه

وَأغفَلَ لَيلَةَ القَرَبِ

وَأغفَلَ لَيلَةَ القَرَبِ

He went on unrestrained in his heedlessness,

and neglected the night of the final approach to water.