سل إن عرفت الدار عن سكانها

سل إن عرفت الدار عن سكانها

وانشد بها قلباً رهين ضمانها

وانشد بها قلباً رهين ضمانها

Ask, if you recognize the dwelling, about its inhabitants,

Ask, if you knew the abode, about its dwellers

and seek there a heart held captive in its keeping.

And recite to a heart that is a hostage to its guarantee

واسبل دموع المقلتين بزفرة

واسبل دموع المقلتين بزفرة

تتوقد الاحشاء من نيرانها

تتوقد الاحشاء من نيرانها

And shed the tears of both eyes with a sigh

And let fall the tears of the weeping ones with a sigh

whose fires set the inward parts ablaze.

That ignites the innards with its fires

جار الزمان بها فامحل ربعها

جار الزمان بها فامحل ربعها

دهراً وكان الدهر طوع عنانها

دهراً وكان الدهر طوع عنانها

Time dealt cruelly with it, and its dwelling grew barren

Time has become a neighbor to it, so bear its place

for an age, though time had once obeyed its reins.

An epoch, and the epoch was obedient to its rein

قد اصبحت قفراً يباباً بعد ما

قد اصبحت قفراً يباباً بعد ما

امسى شقيق الروض من ندمانها

امسى شقيق الروض من ندمانها

It has become a barren, desolate waste, after

It has become barren ruins after it was

the meadow's anemones had been its boon companions.

The juxtaposition of the garden from its bliss

واذا مررت على الطفوف فطف بها

واذا مررت على الطفوف فطف بها

وانعَ ابن فاطمة وعقد جمانها

وانعَ ابن فاطمة وعقد جمانها

And when you pass by al-Tufuf, circle about it,

And if you passed by Al-Taff, then weep over it

and mourn Fatimah's son and her necklace of pearls.

And aid the son of Fatima and gather its beauty

لم انسه وبنيه يوم تحوطهم

لم انسه وبنيه يوم تحوطهم

ارجاس حربٍ من بني سفيانها

ارجاس حربٍ من بني سفيانها

I have not forgotten him and his sons, the day they were surrounded

I will not forget him and his sons the day

by Harb's vile brood, from the sons of Sufyan.

The vileness of war surrounded them, from the clan of Sufyan

فانصاع يخترق الصفوف بصارم

فانصاع يخترق الصفوف بصارم

ما انفكَّ يقطر من دما فرسانها

ما انفكَّ يقطر من دما فرسانها

Then he surged forth, piercing the ranks with a keen sword

So he charged, piercing through the ranks with his sword

that never ceased to drip with the blood of their horsemen.

That did not cease dripping the blood of its horsemen

بطل يكرُّ عليهم بضراغم

بطل يكرُّ عليهم بضراغم

ترتاع منها الاسد يوم طعانها

ترتاع منها الاسد يوم طعانها

A hero, he charges upon them with fierce lions,

A hero attacking them with spears

whom lions dread on the day of their spear-fighting.

That make the lion tremble on the day of its stabbing

آساد حرب في الكريهة لم تجد

آساد حرب في الكريهة لم تجد

عوناً سوى الهندي من اعوانها

عوناً سوى الهندي من اعوانها

Lions of war, who in dire battle found

The lions of war found no

no helper among their allies save the Indian blade.

Help but al-Hindi among its aides

ويريهم بالسمهرية ان سطا

ويريهم بالسمهرية ان سطا

طعناً يشيب المرد من شبانها

طعناً يشيب المرد من شبانها

And when he attacks, with Samhari spears he shows them

And he shows them in al-Samhariya that if

thrusts that turn the beardless among their young men gray.

A stab poured forth, it would gray the youth from its youths

حتى اذا شاء الأله بان يُرى

حتى اذا شاء الأله بان يُرى

ملقى بمهمهةٍ على كثبانها

ملقى بمهمهةٍ على كثبانها

Until, when God willed that he should be seen

Until when Allah willed that it be seen

cast down in a trackless waste upon its dunes,

Thrown in Mahmmah upon its dunes

فهوى على وجه الصعيد معفَّراً

فهوى على وجه الصعيد معفَّراً

تجري عليه الخيل في ميدانها

تجري عليه الخيل في ميدانها

he fell upon the surface of the earth, dust-covered,

He fell on the face of the dusty ground colored

while horses ran over him in their battlefield.

By horses galloping in its plain

صادي الحشاشة لا يبلُّ غليله

صادي الحشاشة لا يبلُّ غليله

افديه من صادي الحشا ظمآنها

افديه من صادي الحشا ظمآنها

His very life parched, his burning thirst unquenched;

Quencher of thirsts, his thirst is not quenched

I would ransom him, parched of heart and thirsting.

I ransom him from the quencher of thirsts when they thirst

وحش الفلا تبكيه في فلواتها

وحش الفلا تبكيه في فلواتها

وحمائم الاغصان في اغصانها

وحمائم الاغصان في اغصانها

The desert beasts weep for him in its wildernesses,

The beasts of the wilderness weep for him in their deserts

and the doves of the boughs amid their boughs.

And the doves of the branches among their branches

للّه يومك يا ابن بنت محمد

للّه يومك يا ابن بنت محمد

ماجت له الافلاك في سكانها

ماجت له الافلاك في سكانها

God, what a day was yours, O son of Muhammad's daughter!

Oh your day, O son of the daughter of Muhammad

The celestial spheres surged at it, with their inhabitants.

For which the celestial spheres in their inhabitants shook

من مبلغٌ عليا نزار وهاشم

من مبلغٌ عليا نزار وهاشم

وبني الفواطم من بني عدنانها

وبني الفواطم من بني عدنانها

Who will bring word to the noblest of Nizar and Hashim,

Who will tell ‘Ali, Nizar, and Hashim

and the sons of the Fatimahs among Adnan's descendants,

And the sons of the Fatimids from the sons of ‘Adnan

إِن الحسين وصحبه ايدي العدى

إِن الحسين وصحبه ايدي العدى

حملت رؤوسهم على خرصانها

حملت رؤوسهم على خرصانها

that Husayn and his companions—the enemy's hands

Indeed al-Husayn and his companions, the hands of the enemies

bore their heads upon their spears?

Carried their heads on their spearheads

تخذت قراها الخيل مركضة لها

تخذت قراها الخيل مركضة لها

تعدو عواديها على جثمانها

تعدو عواديها على جثمانها

The horses made their backs a galloping ground for themselves,

Their horses took their dwellings as racetracks to them

their charging steeds racing over their bodies.

Galloping their valleys over their bodies

وجنت على سبط النبي واظهرت

وجنت على سبط النبي واظهرت

من حقدها ما اضمرت بجنانها

من حقدها ما اضمرت بجنانها

And they wronged the Prophet's grandson and revealed

They lowered themselves upon the Prophet's grandson and showed

the hatred they had hidden within their hearts.

From their hatred what they harbored in their souls

تباً لها من عصبة اموية

تباً لها من عصبة اموية

نقض المواثق لم يزل من شانها

نقض المواثق لم يزل من شانها

Ruin upon them, that Umayyad band!

Ruin to them, the clan of the Umayyads

Breaking covenants has always been their way.

Who broke pacts - it was always their way

نقضت عهود المصطفى ببنيه في

نقضت عهود المصطفى ببنيه في

يوم تمادى الغي في خذلانها

يوم تمادى الغي في خذلانها

They broke the Chosen One's covenants concerning his sons, on

They broke the pacts of Mustafa regarding his sons on

a day when error ran rampant in their betrayal.

The day the ignorance manifested in their betrayal

لهفي لزينب هي تندب ندبها

لهفي لزينب هي تندب ندبها

ودموعها تنهلُّ من اجفانها

ودموعها تنهلُّ من اجفانها

My anguish for Zaynab as she mourns her noble hero,

My fervor for Zaynab as she wails her wailing

and her tears stream from her eyelids.

And her tears flow from her eyelids

ترنو الى السجاد وهو مكبَّل

ترنو الى السجاد وهو مكبَّل

فيزيدها شجواً على اشجانها

فيزيدها شجواً على اشجانها

She gazes toward al-Sajjad while he is shackled,

She turns to al-Sajjad while he is shackled

so he adds grief to her sorrows.

So it increases her agony upon her agonies

قطعوا بها قفر الفلاة بضلَّع

قطعوا بها قفر الفلاة بضلَّع

تكبو من الاعياء في وخدانها

تكبو من الاعياء في وخدانها

They crossed the desert waste with her on limping mounts

They severed the desert plains with him with wounded ribs

that stumble from exhaustion in their hurried gait.

Bending from fatigue in its cheeks

هيماء صالية الهجير من الظما

هيماء صالية الهجير من الظما

تهوى سباع الطير في وديانها

تهوى سباع الطير في وديانها

Thirst-maddened, scorched by noon's heat, parched with thirst;

Wandering the desolate quarter from thirst

birds of prey plummet into its valleys.

While the beasts of prey hunt in its valleys

وإليكم آل النبي خريدة

وإليكم آل النبي خريدة

بكمُ يضوع المسك من اردانها

بكمُ يضوع المسك من اردانها

And to you, O family of the Prophet, a maiden ode—

And to you, O Prophet’s family, beloved

through you, musk wafts from her sleeves.

With you the musk diffuses from its flasks

غراء من درر الدموع منظم

غراء من درر الدموع منظم

برثائكم منثور عقد جمانها

برثائكم منثور عقد جمانها

Radiant—from pearls of tears are strung

Necklaces of the pearls of tears, strung

the scattered pearls of her necklace, in mourning for you.

In your elegy, scattered beads of its adornments

أهديتها لكم وحسبي منكم

أهديتها لكم وحسبي منكم

غرف مشيدة بخلد جنانها

غرف مشيدة بخلد جنانها

I have offered her to you; enough for me from you are

I dedicated it to you, and it suffices me from you

lofty chambers in Paradise's everlasting gardens.

Houries built in the eternity of its heavens