خطُ أختي لم أكن أجهله

خطُ أختي لم أكن أجهله

إن أختي دائماً تكتب لي

إن أختي دائماً تكتب لي

My sister's handwriting was familiar to me.

My sister's handwriting I did not know

Indeed, my sister always writes to me.

My sister always writes to me

حدثتني أمس عن أهلي وعن

حدثتني أمس عن أهلي وعن

مضض الشوق وبُعد المنزل

مضض الشوق وبُعد المنزل

Yesterday she told me about my family, and about

She told me yesterday about my family and

the ache of longing and the remoteness of home.

The agony of longing and the remoteness of home

ماعساها اليوم لي قائلة؟

ماعساها اليوم لي قائلة؟

أيُّ شيءٍ يا ترى لم تقلِ

أيُّ شيءٍ يا ترى لم تقلِ

What might she be saying to me today?

What will she tell me today?

What, I wonder, has she not said?

What else, I wonder, did she not say

وفضضت الطرس ..لم أعثر على

وفضضت الطرس ..لم أعثر على

غير سطرٍ واحدٍ ..مختزلِ

غير سطرٍ واحدٍ ..مختزلِ

And I unfolded the sheet... I found

I opened the letter.. I did not find

nothing but a single, terse line.

Anything but one line.. abbreviated

وتهجيت بجهدٍ بعضه

وتهجيت بجهدٍ بعضه

إن أختي كتبت في عجل

إن أختي كتبت في عجل

And with effort I spelled out part of it.

I tried hard to decipher some of it

Indeed, my sister had written in haste.

My sister wrote in haste

فيه شيءٌ...عن عليٍ مبهمٌ

فيه شيءٌ...عن عليٍ مبهمٌ

ربما بعد قليل ينجلي

ربما بعد قليل ينجلي

There was something unclear in it about Ali,

It has something...vague about Ali

perhaps it would soon become clear.

Maybe soon it will become clear

وتوقفتُ ..ولم أتممْ..وبي

وتوقفتُ ..ولم أتممْ..وبي

رعشاتُ الخائف المبتهل

رعشاتُ الخائف المبتهل

And I stopped... I did not finish... within me were

And I stopped.. and did not finish.. and in me

the tremors of a frightened supplicant.

Are the tremors of the pleading frightened one

وترآءى لي عليٌّ كاسياً

وترآءى لي عليٌّ كاسياً

من خيوط الفجر أسنى حُلَلِ

من خيوط الفجر أسنى حُلَلِ

And Ali appeared to me, clad

And Ali appeared to me wearing

in the brightest robes of dawn's threads.

The finest threads of dawn

مَرِحَ اللفتةِ مزهو الخطى

مَرِحَ اللفتةِ مزهو الخطى

سلس اللهجة حلو الخجل

سلس اللهجة حلو الخجل

playful in his glance, proud in his stride,

Playful gesture, swaggering gait

smooth in his speech, sweet in his shyness.

Smooth speech, sweet shyness

تسأل البسمةُ في مرشفه

تسأل البسمةُ في مرشفه

عن مواعيد انسكاب القُبَلِ

عن مواعيد انسكاب القُبَلِ

The smile upon his lips asks

The smile asks in its bud

when the kisses are to pour forth.

About the timing of pouring kisses

طلعةٌ استقبل الدنيا بها

طلعةٌ استقبل الدنيا بها

ناعم البال بعيد المأمل

ناعم البال بعيد المأمل

A countenance with which he greeted the world,

An appearance that greeted the world with it

his mind at ease, his hopes far-reaching.

Gentle spirit, far-sighted hopes

كم أتى يشرح لي أحلامه

كم أتى يشرح لي أحلامه

وأمانيه على المستقبل

وأمانيه على المستقبل

How often he came to explain his dreams to me

How much he came to explain his dreams to me

and his hopes for the future.

And his wishes for the future

قال لي في كبرياء إنه

قال لي في كبرياء إنه

يعرف الدرب لعيش أفضل

يعرف الدرب لعيش أفضل

He told me with pride that he

He told me proudly that he

knew the path to a better life.

Knows the way to a better life

إنه يكره أغلالي التي

إنه يكره أغلالي التي

أوهنت عزمي وأدمت أرجلي

أوهنت عزمي وأدمت أرجلي

He hated my shackles, which

That he hates my shackles which

had weakened my resolve and bloodied my feet.

Weakened my resolve and stilled my feet

سوف يعطي في غدٍ قريته

سوف يعطي في غدٍ قريته

خبرة العلم وجهد العمل

خبرة العلم وجهد العمل

Tomorrow he would give his village

Tomorrow he will give his village

expert knowledge and hard work.

The knowledge of science and the effort of work

وسيبني بيته في غابةٍ

وسيبني بيته في غابةٍ

تترامى فوق سفح الجبل

تترامى فوق سفح الجبل

And he would build his house in a forest

And he will build his house in a forest

stretching far over the mountain slope.

That stretches over the mountainside

وسأعتز به في غده

وسأعتز به في غده

وأراه مثلاً للرجل

وأراه مثلاً للرجل

And I would take pride in him in his tomorrow,

And I will take pride in him tomorrow

and see him as a model of manhood.

And see him as a model for man

عدت للطرس الذي ليس به

عدت للطرس الذي ليس به

غير سطرٍ .. واحدٍ .. مختزلِ

غير سطرٍ .. واحدٍ .. مختزلِ

I returned to the sheet, which held

I returned to the letter which has

nothing but a single, terse line.

Nothing but one line.. abbreviated

وتجالدت .. لعلي واجد

وتجالدت .. لعلي واجد

فيه ما يبعد عني وجلي

فيه ما يبعد عني وجلي

And I steeled myself, hoping I might find

And I struggled.. perhaps I can find

in it something to dispel my dread.

In it what takes away my agony

وإذا أقفل معناه على

وإذا أقفل معناه على

وهمي الضارع ..كل السبل

وهمي الضارع ..كل السبل

And suddenly its meaning closed off

And if its meaning seals off

every path for my pleading illusion.

My fervent illusion.. all paths

غرقت عيناي في أحرفه

غرقت عيناي في أحرفه

وتهاوى مِزقاً عن أنملي

وتهاوى مِزقاً عن أنملي

My eyes drowned in its letters,

My eyes drowned in its letters

and it tumbled in shreds from my fingertips.

And slipped shredded from my fingers

قلبُ أختي ..لم أكن أجهله

قلبُ أختي ..لم أكن أجهله

إن أختي دائماً تحسن لي

إن أختي دائماً تحسن لي

My sister's heart was familiar to me.

My sister's heart.. I did not know it

Indeed, my sister is always kind to me.

My sister always wishes me well

ما لها تنحرني نحراً على

ما لها تنحرني نحراً على

قولها ..مات ابنها.. مات علي

قولها ..مات ابنها.. مات علي

Why does she slaughter me so with

Why does she slaughter me with

her words: her son has died... Ali has died?

Her words.. her son died.. Ali died