أَلُبنى لَقَد جَلَّت عَلَيكَ مُصيبَتي

غَداةَ غَدٍ إِذ حَلَّ ما أَتَوَقَّعُ

Oh my sons, indeed my misery loomed over you

The morning after tomorrow when what I feared befell

تُمَنّينَني نَيلاً وَتَلوينَني بِهِ

فَنَفسِيَ شَوقاً كُلَّ يَومٍ تَقَطَّعُ

You wished me attainment while it kept eluding me

Thus my soul longed everyday and was torn to pieces

وَقَلبِكِ قَطُّ ما يَلينُ لِما يَرى

فَواكَبَدي قَد طالَ هاذا التَضَرُّعُ

While your heart was hard, unaffected by what it saw

Thus my plaints went on far too long

أَلومَكِ في شَأني وَأَنتِ مُليمَةٌ

لَعَمري وَأَجفى لِلمُحِبِّ وَأَقطَعُ

Do I blame you for my cause while you remain unforgiving?

By my life! Most callous towards the lover and most hard-hearted!

أَخُبِّرتِ أَنّي فيكِ مَيِّتُ حَسرَتي

فَما فاضَ مِن عَينَيكِ لِلوَجدُ مَدمَعُ

You were told I was dying of despair over you

Yet tears of anguish never flowed from your eyes for me

وَلَكِن لَعَمري قَد بَكَيتُكِ جاهِداً

وَإِن كانَ دائي كُلُّهُ مِنكِ أَجمَعُ

But by my life, I cried over you vigorously

Even when my whole malady was from your hands

صَبيحَةَ جاءَ العائِداتُ يَعُدنَني

فَظَلَّت عَلَيَّ العائِداتُ تَفَجَّعُ

The dawn came and the returning women told me:

As they returned, they keened over me

فَقائِلَةٌ جِئنا إِلَيهِ وَقَد قَضى

وَقائِلَةٌ لا بَل تَرَكناهُ يَنزِعُ

One said: "We came to him and he had passed"

Another said: “Nay! But we left him as his soul departed”

فَما غَشِيَت عَينَيكِ مِن ذاكَ عَبرَةٌ

وَعَيني عَلى ما بي بِذِكراكِ تَدمَعُ

Yet not a teardrop clouded your eyes at this news

While my eyes overflow with tears at the mere thought of you

إِذا أَنتِ لَم تَبكي عَلَيَّ جَنازَةً

لَدَيكِ فَلا تَبكي غَداً حينَ أَرفَعُ

If you never cried over my corpse

Then do not cry for me tomorrow when I am interred