أَتانا بَريدانِ مِن واسِطٍ

يَخُبّانِ بِالكُتُبِ المُعجَمَه

Two couriers came to us from Wasit

Bearing books with collected poems

أَقولُ وَما البُعدُ إِلا الرَدى

أَمَسلَمَ لا تَبعدَن مَسلَمَه

I say, separation is but perdition

O Muslim! Do not separate from a Muslim

فَقَد كُنتَ نوراً لَنا في البِلادِ

تَضيءُ فَقَد أَصبَحَت مُظلِمَه

For you were a light for us in the countries

Illuminating, but now darkened

كَتَمنا نَعِيَّكَ نَخشى اليَقينَ

فَجَلّى اليَقينُ عَنِ الجُمجُمَه

We wished to deny you, fearing certainty

But certainty revealed the skull

وَكَم مِن يَتيمٍ تَلافَيتَهُ

بِأَرضِ العَدُوِّ وَكَم أَيِّمَه

And how many orphans did you care for

In enemy land, and many a widow

وَكُنتَ إِذا الحَربُ دَرَّت دَماً

نَصَبتَ لَها رايَةً مُعلَمَه

And when war spilled blood

You raised a marked flag against it