يا مَوْتُ قدْ مزَّقْتَ صَدْري

وقَصَمْت بالأَرزاءَ ظَهْرِي

O Death, you have torn my chest

Oh Death, you have ripped my breast apart,

And broken my back with sorrow

And broken my back with the weight of woes,

ورمَيْتَني مِنْ حالقٍ

وسَخِرْتَ منِّي أَيَّ سُخْرِ

You have cast me into the abyss

You cast me down from a towering height,

And mocked me, how mockingly!

And mocked me with the cruelest scorn,

فلَبِثْتُ مرضوضَ الفؤادِ

أَجرُّ أجنحتي بذُعْرِ

So I remained, my heart writhing,

So I remained with a shattered heart,

Dragging my wings in fright,

Dragging my wings in trembling dread,

وقَسَوْتَ إذْ أَبقيتَنِي في

الكونِ أَذْرَعُ كُلَّ وَعْرِ

And you were cruel leaving me

You were cruel to leave me in this realm,

To flounder in every hardship.

To traverse every rugged and jagged path,

وفَجَعْتَني فيمَنْ أُحِبُّ

ومنْ إليهِ أَبُثُّ سرِّي

And you pained me about one I love,

You struck me down through the one I love,

To whom I confide my secrets,

The one to whom I confided my soul,

وأَعُدُّهُ فَجْرِي الجميلَ

إِذا ادْلَهَمَّ عليَّ دَهْري

And whom I count as my beautiful dawn

Whom I deemed my beautiful, breaking dawn,

When the days darken around me.

Whenever my fate grew dark and grim,

وأَعُدُّهُ وَرْدِي ومِزْماري

وكَاسَاتي وخَمْرِي

I count him as my rose and my flute,

I held him as my rose and my flute,

My wine cups and my wine,

My overflowing cups and my wine,

وأَعُدُّهُ غَابي ومِحْرابي

وأُغْنِيَتي وفَجْرِي

I count him as my forest and my shrine,

I held him as my forest and my sanctuary,

My song and my dawn.

My song and my morning light,

وَرَزَأْتَني في عُمْدَتي

ومَشُورَتي في كلِّ أمْرِ

You have abandoned me of my pillar

You afflicted me in my pillar of strength,

And my counsel in every matter,

My counsel in every deed and affair,

وهَدَمْتَ صرحاً لا أَلوذُ

بغيرِهِ وهَتَكْتَ سِتْرِي

And destroyed a palace for me

You razed a fortress; I seek no refuge

With no other refuge, rending my veil.

Save in him, and now you have torn my veil.

فَفَقَدْتُ روحاً طاهراً

شهماً يَجِيشُ بكلِّ خَيْرِ

So I lost a pure soul

Thus I have lost a spirit so pure,

Nobly overflowing with all good,

Gallant, overflowing with boundless good.

وَفَقَدْتُ قلباً همُّهُ أَنْ

يستوي في الأُفقِ بدْرِي

And lost a heart whose only care

I have lost a heart whose only care

Was to rise in my horizon like the full moon.

Was that my full moon rise high in the sky.

وَفَقَدْتُ كفًّا في الحَيَاةِ

يصُدُّ عنِّي كلَّ شرِّ

And I lost a hand that in life

I have lost a hand in this life,

Would ward every evil from me,

That warded off every evil from me.

وَفَقَدْتُ وجهاً لا يُعَبِّسُهُ

سوى حَزَني وضُرِّي

And lost a face that frowned

I have lost a face that never frowned,

Only at my sorrow and misfortune.

Save at my sorrow or my pain.

وَفَقَدْتُ نفساً لا تَني عنْ

صوْن أَفراحي وبِشْرِي

And I lost a self that never deserted

I have lost a soul that never ceased

Guarding my joys and tidings,

To guard my joys and delight.

وَفَقَدْتُ رُكني في الحَيَاةِ

ورايَتي وعمادَ قصْرِي

And I lost my pillar in life,

I have lost my cornerstone in life,

My banner and column of my palace.

My banner and the pillar of my palace.

يَا مَوْتُ قَدْ مَزَّقْتَ صَدْري

وقَصَمْتَ بالأَزراءِ ظهْرِي

O Death, you have torn my chest

Oh Death, you have ripped my breast apart,

And broken my back with sorrow.

And broken my back with the weight of woes,

يَا مَوْتُ ماذا تبتغِي منِّي

وقدْ مزَّقتَ صَدْرِي

O Death, what do you want of me

Oh Death, what do you seek from me,

When you have torn my chest?

When you have already torn my chest?

ماذا تودُّ وأَنتَ قَدْ

سوَّدتَ بالأَحزانِ فِكْرِي

What do you wish, when you have

What is your wish, now that you

Blackened my thoughts with sorrows?

Have blackened my thoughts with grief?

وتَرَكْتَني في الكائناتِ

أَئِنُّ منفرداً بإِصْرِي

Leaving me in creation

You left me among all living things,

To sigh alone with my burden,

Moaning alone under my heavy burden,

وأَجوبُ صحراءَ الحَيَاةِ

أَقولُ أَيْنَ تُراهُ قبْرِي

And roam the desert of life

Wandering the vast desert of life,

Crying "Where can I find my grave?"

Asking: Where, I wonder, lies my grave?

ماذا تَوَدُّ من المُعَذَّبِ

في الوُجُودِ بغيرِ وِزْرِ

What do you want of the tormented

What do you want from one tormented,

In existence without any excuse?

Living in this world without a sin?

ماذا تودُّ من الشَّقيِّ

بعيشِهِ النَّكِدِ المُضِرِّ

What do you want of the wretched one

What do you want from the wretched soul,

In his grievous and ruinous life?

In a life so bitter and harmful?

إنْ كنتَ تطلبُني فهاتِ

الكأسَ أَشربُها بصَبْرِ

If you seek me then bring the cup

If it is me you seek, then bring

I will drink it with patience,

The cup; I will drink it with patience.

أَو كنتَ ترقُبُني فهاتِ

السَّهمَ أَرشُقُهُ بنَحْرِي

Or if you watch for me then bring

Or if you lie in wait, then bring

The arrow - I will meet it with my neck.

The arrow; I will plunge it into my throat.

خذني إليكَ فقد تبخَّرَ

في فضاءِ الهمِّ عُمْرِي

Take me to you, for my life

Take me to you, for my life has vanished

Has evaporated in the air of worries,

Into the vast void of despair.

وتَهَدَّلَتْ أَغْصانُ أَيَّامي

بلا ثَمَرٍ وزَهْرِ

And the branches of my days

The branches of my days hang low,

Have dwindled without fruit or flower.

Bare of any fruit or bloom.

وتناثَرَتْ أَوراقُ أَحلامي

على حَسَكِ المَمرِّ

And the leaves of my dreams

The leaves of my dreams lie scattered,

Are scattered over the gravel of the road.

Upon the thorns of the path.

خذني إليكَ فقدْ ظمِئْتُ

لكأسِكَ الكَدِر الأَمرِّ

Take me to you, for I have thirsted

Take me to you, for I thirst

For your bitter and painful cup.

For your murky, most bitter cup.

خذني فقدْ أَصبَحْتُ أَرقُبُ

في فَضَاكَ الجوْنِ فَجْرِي

Take me, for I have come to hope

Take me, for I have begun to watch

For your deathly pre-dawn.

For my dawn in your pitch-black void.

خذني فما أَشقى الَّذي

يقضي الحَيَاة بمِثْلَ أَمْرِي

Take me, for none is more miserable than he

Take me, for how wretched is he

Who lives a life like mine.

Who endures a life like mine.

يَا مَوْتُ قَدْ مزَّقتَ صدْرِي

وقصمتَ بالأَزراءِ ظهْرِي

O Death, you have torn my chest

Oh Death, you have ripped my breast apart,

And broken my back with sorrow.

And broken my back with the weight of woes,

يَا مَوْتُ قَدْ شاعَ الفؤادُ

وأقفرتْ عَرَصَاتُ صدْرِي

O Death, my heart lies ravaged

Oh Death, my heart is laid to waste,

And desolate are the plains of my chest,

And the courtyards of my chest are barren.

وغَدَوْتُ أَمشي مُطْرِقاً مِنْ

طُول مَا أَثْقَلْتَ فِكْرِي

So I walk with downcast eyes

I walk with my head bowed low,

From the weight with which you have burdened my thoughts.

From how long you have burdened my mind.

يَا مَوْتُ نفسي ملَّتِ الدُّنيا

فهلْ لم يأْتِ دوْرِي

O Death, my soul is tired of life

Oh Death, my soul has wearied of this world,

So has not my time come?

Has my turn not finally come?