يا أُختَ ناجِبَةَ اِبنِ سامَةَ إِنَّني

أَخشى عَلَيكِ بَنِيَّ إِن طَلَبوا دَمي

O sister of the mourner, son of Samah

I fear for you, if my sons seek revenge for my blood

لَن يَقبَلوا دِيَةً وَلَيسوا أَو يَرَوا

مِنّي الوَفاءَ وَلَن يَرَوهُ بِنُوَّمِ

They will not accept blood money, and will not rest

Until they see loyalty from me, though they'll never see it from my sons

فَالمَوتُ أَروَحُ مِن حَياةٍ هاكَذا

إِن أَنتِ مِنكِ بِنائِلٍ لَم تُنعِمي

So death is more comforting than a life like this

If you've gotten nothing good from me

هَل أَنتِ راجِعَةٌ وَأَنتِ صَحيحَةٌ

لِبَنِيَّ شِلوَ أَبيهِمِ المُتَقَسَّمِ

Are you going back healthy and sound

To my paralyzed sons and their divided father?

وَلَقَد ضَنيتُ مِنَ النِساءِ وَلا أَرى

كَضَناً بِنَفسي مِنكِ أُمَّ الهَيثَمِ

I've been stingy toward women, yet I see

No one stings me like you, mother of Haytham

كَيفَ السَلامَةُ بَعدَما تَيَّمتِني

وَتَرَكتِ قَلبي مِثلَ قَلبِ الأَيهَمِ

How can I be safe after you orphaned me

And left my heart like the heart of the one-eyed man?

قَطَّعتِ نَفسي ما تَجيءُ سَريحَةً

وَتَرَكتِني دَنِفاً عُراقَ الأَعظُمِ

You tore up my soul - would you not come gently?

And left me sheltered in Great Iraq

وَلَقَد رَمَيتِ إِلَيَّ رَميَةَ قاتِلٍ

مِن مُقلَتَيكِ وَعارِضَيكِ بِأَسهُمِ

Truly, you shot at me the shots of a killer

With your eyelashes and eyebrows as arrows

فَأَصَبتِ مِن كَبِدي حُشاشَةَ عاشِقٍ

وَقَتَلتِني بِسِلاحِ مَن لَم يُكلَمِ

So you struck the innermost love of a lover from my liver

And killed me with the weapons of an unspoken word

فَإِذا حَلَفتِ هُناكَ أَنَّكِ مِن دَمي

لَبَريئَةٌ فَتَحَلَّلي لا تَأثَمي

So if you swear there that you are innocent of my blood

Absolve yourself, do not sin

وَلَئِن حَلَفتُ عَلى يَدَيكِ لَأَحلِفَن

بِيَمينِ أَصدَقِ مِن يَمينِكِ مُقسِمِ

And if I swear by your hand, I swear

By a truer oath than your oath, solemnly sworn

بِاللَهِ رَبِّ الرافِعينَ أَكُفَّهُم

بَينَ الحَطيمِ وَبَينَ حَوضَي زَمزَمِ

By Allah, Lord of those who raise up pilgrims

Between al-Hatim and the basins of Zamzam

فَلَأَنتِ مِن خَلَلِ الحِجالِ قَتَلتِني

إِذ نَحنُ بِالحَدَقِ الذَوارِفِ نَرتَمي

You killed me through the crevice of the litter

As we were atop the towering camel

إِذ أَنتِ مُقبِلَةٌ بِعَينَي جُؤذَرٍ

وَبِجيدِ أُمِّ أَغَنَّ لَيسَ بِتَوأَمِ

As you approached, with deceitful eyes

And the cheeks of Umm Aghanna, no twin