مَن عَذيري مِن سَقامٍ

لَم أَجدْ مِنهُ طبيبا

What is my excuse for illness,

When I could not find a physician,

وَهُمومٍ كأُوارِ ال

نارِ يسكنّ القُلوبا

And worries like fires in the heart,

Settling into hearts,

وَكروبٍ لَيتَهنَّ ال

يَومَ أَشبهْنَ الكروبا

And sorrows - if only they were

The day they resembled sorrows,

وَخطوبٍ مُعضلاتٍ

بِتن يُنسين الخُطوبا

And troubles - complicated problems -

Whose talk makes one forget troubles,

شيّبتْ منّيَ فَوْدَي

يَ ولم آتِ المشيبا

It turned my hair gray,

Yet the gray did not come to me,

وَرَمتْ في غصنِيَ اليَبْ

سَ وَقَد كانَ رَطيبا

And berries grew on my branch

When it used to be fresh,

بانَ عَنّي وَتَناءى

كُلّ مَن كانَ قَريبا

Everyone who was once near

Has parted from me and kept away,

وَتَعرَّيتُ مِنَ الأَحْ

بابِ في الدّنيا عُزوبا

And I became detached in the world

From loved ones - solitary,

وَسَقاني الدّهرُ مِن فُر

قَةِ مَن أَهوى ذَنوبا

And fate made me drink from the separation

Of the one I love - a draft of sins,

إِنَّ يومَ الطفِّ يومٌ

كانَ لِلدّينِ عَصيبا

Indeed the day of the Event is a day

That was difficult for the faith,

لَم يَدعْ في القَلب منّي

لِلمَسرّاتِ نَصيبا

It left in my heart no share

For joys,

إِنّه يَومُ نحيبٍ

فَاِلتَزِمْ فيهِ النّحيبا

It is a day of weeping -

So adhere to weeping during it,

عُطَّ تامورَك وَاِتركْ

معشراً عطّوا الجيوبا

Give your rewards and leave

A group who have filled their pockets,

وَاِهجر الطيبَ فَلم يت

رُك لَنا عاشور طيبا

And abandon fragrance for no

Pleasant Ashura is left for us.

لَعَنَ اللَّه رجالاً

أترعوا الدّنيا غُصوبا

May God curse the men

Who forcibly took the world,

سالموا عَجزاً فلمّا

قَدروا شنّوا الحروبا

Who were helpless so made

Peace but then waged wars,

في المَعرّات يهبّو

نَ شمالاً وجنوبا

In battles they attack

From north and from south,

كُلّما لِيموا عَلى عَي

بِهمُ اِزدادوا عُيوبا

Whenever they are reproached

For their flaw, they increase in flaws,

رَكِبوا أَعوادَنا ظُل

ماً وَمازِلنا رُكوبا

They rode our backs unjustly

And our places of descent arrogantly,

وَدَعونا فَرأوا من

نا عَلى البُعد مُجيبا

And they called us from afar

Seeing that we answer from afar,

يَقطع الحَزْن وَيطوِي

في الدّياجيرِ السُّهوبا

Sorrow cuts through and folds

In the barren plains,

بِمَطِيٍّ لا يُبالي

نَ عَلى الأَيْنِ الدُّؤوبا

With a horse that does not care

To stop at ruins,

لا وَلا ذُقنَ عَلى البُع

دِ كَلالاً ولُغوبا

Not having rested at a distance

Tired or wearied,

وَخُيولٍ كَرِئالِ ال

دوِّ يَهززنَ السّبيبا

And horses like ostriches

That shake the gray hair,

فَأَتَوْنا بِجُموعٍ

خالَها الراؤونَ رُوبا

So we came in groups

Whose cowardice shamed them,

بِوجوهِ بَعدَ إسْفا

رٍ تَبرقعنَ العُطوبا

With faces behind masks

That light up veil covers,

فَنَشِبْنا فيهم كُرْ

هاً وَما نَهوى النُّشوبا

And we pierced them like

A hot branding iron, though we do not desire violence,

بِقُلوبٍ لَيسَ يعْرف

نَ خفوقاً ووجيبا

With hearts that know no

Fluttering or throbbing,

وَلَقَد كانَ طَويلُ ال

باعِ طَعّاناً ضَروبا

And he had a long reach

Biting and wounding them intensely,

بِالظُّبا ثمّ القَنا يَفْ

ري وَريداً وَتَريبا

With a straight spear then a bow

He severs veins and grievously harms them,

لا يرى وَالحربُ تُغلى

قدرُها مِنها هَيوبا

He does not see though war

Boils over from it - eruptions,

فَجَرى مِنّا وَمِنهم

عَنْدمُ الطّعن صَبيبا

So blood flowed from us and from them

When the stabbing occurred,

وَصَلِينا مِن حَريق ال

طَعنِ وَالضّربِ لَهيبا

And we prayed from the burning heat

Of blows and strikes - a flaming pyre,

كانَ مَرعانا خَصيباً

فَبِهمْ عادَ جَديبا

It was fertile pasture for us

But through them returned arid,

لَم نَكُنْ نَألف لَولا

جورُهم فينا خُطوبا

We were not accustomed - had it not been

For their tyranny upon us - to troubles,

لا وَلا تُبصرُ عَينٌ

في ضَواحينا نُدوبا

No eye discerns in our suburbs

Scars,

طَلَبوا أَوْتارَ بَدْرٍ

عِندَنا ظُلماً وحُوبا

They unjustly sought the strings of Badr

Amongst us, so impudently,

وَرَأوا في ساحَةِ الطّف

فِ وَقَد فاتَ القليبا

And they saw in the field of Al-Taff

When the hearts had fled,

قَد رَأَيتمْ فَأَرونا

مِنكمُ فَرداً نَجيبا

You have seen - so show us

A noble hero amongst you,

أَو تَقيَّاً لا يُرائى

بِتُقاهُ أَو لَبيبا

Or a pious man not pretending

In his piety or sensible,

كُلَّما كُنّا رُؤوساً

لِلوَرى كُنتُم عُجوبا

Whenever we were heads

Of the people, you were stubborn,

ما رَأَينا مِنكُم بِال

حقِّ إِلّا مُستريبا

We did not see truth in you

Except doubtful,

وَصَدوقاً فَإِذا فت

تَشتَهُ كان كَذوبا

And a truthful one - if his craving

Grew - would become a liar,

وَخَليعاً خالِياً عنْ

مَطمَعِ الخَير عَزوبا

And a perfidious, empty one

With no ambition for good - solitary,

وَبَعيداً بِمَخازي

هِ وَإِن كانَ نَسيبا

And one who is far in his shamelessness

Even if he is a relative,

لَيتَ عُوداً مِن غشومٍ

حقَّنا كانَ صَليبا

Would that a piece of burning coal

From Al-Ghushum was our cross,

وَبِودّي أَنَّ منْ يأْ

صلُنا كان ضريبا

And I wish that whoever reconciles us

Becomes a tax for us,

في غَدٍ ينضُبُ تيّا

رٌ لكم فينا نُضوبا

Tomorrow a breast that flows for you

In us will dry up,

وَيَقيءُ البارِدَ السَّلْ

سالَ من كان عَبوبا

And the cold sipper will vomit

What was drunk greedily,

ويعودُ الخَلَقُ الرّث

ثُ مِنَ الأمرِ قَشيبا

And debased people will return

From the matter - withered,

وَالّذي أَضحى وَأَمسى

ناشِباً يُضحِي نكيبا

By the One who rose and set

Ambushing, He will rise attacking violently,

آل ياسين وَمَنْ فَض

لُهُم أَعيا اللّبيبا

Family of Al-Yasseen and those superior to them

Are the sensible people,

أنتُمُ أمْنِي لدَى الحش

رِ إِذا كنتُ نَخيبا

You are my wish when I face sadness

If I am frustrated,

أنتُمُ كشّفتُمُ لِي

بِالتّباشيرِ الغُيوبا

You uncovered for me

Secrets with gladdening news,

كَم رَدَدتمْ مِخلَباً عن

ني حديداً ونيوبا

How many claws you have turned

From me - iron and talons,

وَبكم أَنجو إِذا عُو

جِلتُ موتاً أن أَنوبا

And through you I am saved if

I am terrified by death - I repent,

وَإِلَيكم جَمَحاني

ما حَدا الحادونَ نيبا

And to you my sorrow drove me

From how the hostile ones blamed me,

وَعَلَيكُم صلَواتي

مشهداً لِي ومغيبا

And upon you are my prayers

Witnessed for me and unseen,

يا سَقَى اللَّهُ قُبوراً

لكمُ زِنَّ الكثيبا

O may God water graves

For you - the sandy mound -

حُزنَ خير الناسِ جَدّاً

وَأَباً ضَخْماً حسيبا

The sorrow of the best of people, truly,

And a great and sufficient father,

لَقِي اللَّهَ وَظنَّ ال

ناسُ أَن لاقى شعوبا

He met God while people thought

He did not meet difficulty,

وَهوَ في الفِرْدَوسِ لَمّا

قيلَ قَد حَلَّ الجُبوبا

And he is in Paradise when

It was said the camel drivers arrived.