عَبدُ العَزيزِ أنَا فِدَاكَ

عَبدُ العَزيزِ أنَا فِدَاكَ

مِن كُلِّ مَكرُوهٍ دَهَاك

مِن كُلِّ مَكرُوهٍ دَهَاك

Abd al-Aziz, I would be your ransom

I offer myself for sacrifice, Abd al-Aziz

from every ill that has befallen you.

To protect you from every hated thing

إِني دَعَوتُكَ فَلتُجِب

إِني دَعَوتُكَ فَلتُجِب

فَلَقد تُجيبُ لِمَن دَعاك

فَلَقد تُجيبُ لِمَن دَعاك

I have called you; do answer,

Indeed I called upon you, so answer me

for you do answer whoever calls you.

You answer those who call upon you

أم عن إجَابةِ دَعوَتِي

أم عن إجَابةِ دَعوَتِي

يَا لَيتَ شِعرِي من نَهَاك

يَا لَيتَ شِعرِي من نَهَاك

Or from answering my call—

Or is it that answering my prayer

ah, if only I knew—who has forbidden you?

Is something, I wish I knew, you forbid yourself

عَوَّدتَ عَينِي أن تَرَا

عَوَّدتَ عَينِي أن تَرَا

كَ فَما لِعَيني لاَ تَرَاك

كَ فَما لِعَيني لاَ تَرَاك

You accustomed my eye to seeing

My eyes grew accustomed to seeing you

you; why, then, does my eye not see you?

So why can they not see you now?

أنسِيتَنِي فَتَرَكتَنِي

أنسِيتَنِي فَتَرَكتَنِي

حَاشاكَ أن تَنسَى أخَاك

حَاشاكَ أن تَنسَى أخَاك

Have you forgotten me and so abandoned me?

Did you forget me and abandon me?

Far be it from you to forget your brother!

Never could you forget your brother!

خَلَّفتَ جَمرا فِي الحَشا

خَلَّفتَ جَمرا فِي الحَشا

لاَ يَنطَفِي بِسِوَى لِقَاك

لاَ يَنطَفِي بِسِوَى لِقَاك

You left embers in my breast

You left a coal ablaze in my inner being

that nothing but meeting you can quench.

That only meeting you again can extinguish

فِي القَلبِ مَا فيهِ منَ ال

فِي القَلبِ مَا فيهِ منَ ال

ألَمِ المُمِضِّ عَلَى صِبَاك

ألَمِ المُمِضِّ عَلَى صِبَاك

My heart holds so much

In my heart is the searing pain

searing pain over your youth.

Of grief that consumes my youth

لَو كُنتَ تُبصُر كُلَّمَا

لَو كُنتَ تُبصُر كُلَّمَا

رُمتُ الكتَابةَ فِي رِثَاك

رُمتُ الكتَابةَ فِي رِثَاك

If you could see me whenever

If only you could see whenever

I sought to write an elegy for you,

I try to write poetry mourning you

ورَأيتَ دَمعِي وَالمشدَا

ورَأيتَ دَمعِي وَالمشدَا

دَ عَلى الصَّحِيفَةِ فِي عِرَاك

دَ عَلى الصَّحِيفَةِ فِي عِرَاك

and saw my tears and the

And see my tears and the ink smudged

[ink?] wrestling on the page,

Across the page by my struggle

لَعَلِمتَ كَيفَ تَرَكتَنِي

لَعَلِمتَ كَيفَ تَرَكتَنِي

أُصلَى سَعِيراً مِن نَوَاك

أُصلَى سَعِيراً مِن نَوَاك

you would know how you have left me

You would know how you left me

burning in a blaze from your absence.

To suffer infernal fires of your loss

يَا وَاضِعِيه بِحُفرَةٍ

يَا وَاضِعِيه بِحُفرَةٍ

وَمُخلِّفِيه هَا هُنَاك

وَمُخلِّفِيه هَا هُنَاك

O you who lay him in a pit

O you who laid him in a grave

and leave him behind, over there,

And left him there now

لاَ تَعجَلُوا فِي دَفنِهِ

لاَ تَعجَلُوا فِي دَفنِهِ

فَعَسَآ يُعَاوِدُه حَرَاك

فَعَسَآ يُعَاوِدُه حَرَاك

do not hurry to bury him,

Do not hasten to bury him

for perhaps movement will return to him.

Perhaps he will come alive again

وَيحِي ومَا هَذَا أرَى

وَيحِي ومَا هَذَا أرَى

عَبد العَزِيزِ أَأنتَ ذاك

عَبد العَزِيزِ أَأنتَ ذاك

Woe is me! What is this I see?

And I see this, can this be

Abd al-Aziz, is that you?

Abd al-Aziz, is it really you?

فِي القَبرِ أنتَ مُمَدَّدٌ

فِي القَبرِ أنتَ مُمَدَّدٌ

وعلَى تُرَابٍ وَجنتَاك

وعلَى تُرَابٍ وَجنتَاك

You lie stretched out in the grave,

There in the grave you lie

and your cheeks rest upon the earth.

Covered with earth, your cheeks too

قَلبِي تَوسَّد يَا حَبِي

قَلبِي تَوسَّد يَا حَبِي

بُ فَما لَه عَنكَ انفِكَاك

بُ فَما لَه عَنكَ انفِكَاك

Make my heart your pillow, O

My heart, O my beloved, pillows itself

beloved, for it cannot be parted from you.

So how can it ever be torn from you?

أمُحَلِّلا أكفانَه

أمُحَلِّلا أكفانَه

رِفقاً بِه شَلَّت يَدَاك

رِفقاً بِه شَلَّت يَدَاك

O you who loosen his shrouds,

Gently freeing his shroud

be gentle with him—may your hands be paralyzed!

Your hands have unbound

دَفَنُوكَ بل دَفَنُوا الفَضِي

دَفَنُوكَ بل دَفَنُوا الفَضِي

لَةَ فَهىَ بعضٌ مِن حُلاَك

لَةَ فَهىَ بعضٌ مِن حُلاَك

They buried you—no, they buried

They buried you - but truly buried

virtue, for it is one of your adornments.

Just a part of your magnificence

مَا صَاحَ مِن مُستَنجِدٍ

مَا صَاحَ مِن مُستَنجِدٍ

إلاَّ ولَبَّتهُ خَطَاك

إلاَّ ولَبَّتهُ خَطَاك

No seeker of help ever cried out

No beseecher cried out but your sandals

without your footsteps answering him.

Raced to answer his summons

ولقد نَعَى الناعِي المَحا

ولقد نَعَى الناعِي المَحا

مِدَ والمَحَاسنَ إذ نعَاك

مِدَ والمَحَاسنَ إذ نعَاك

And indeed, the death-herald announced the death of

Many a eulogizer has mourned the praiseworthy

praiseworthy qualities and virtues when he announced your death.

Virtues lost when you passed

أمَّا الوفَا يَا رَبَّهُ

أمَّا الوفَا يَا رَبَّهُ

فَعلَيك تَفرِضُه نُهَاك

فَعلَيك تَفرِضُه نُهَاك

As for loyalty, O its master,

But loyalty, by its nature

your reason makes it incumbent upon you.

Is a duty we owe the departed

وَأخُوكَ أحمدُ لَم يَزل

وَأخُوكَ أحمدُ لَم يَزل

لِوَفَائِهِ يَبكِي وَفَاك

لِوَفَائِهِ يَبكِي وَفَاك

And your brother Ahmad continues,

And your brother Ahmad still weeps

out of his loyalty, to weep for yours.

For the loyalty you showed in life

مُتَمَلمِلٌ وفُؤادُه

مُتَمَلمِلٌ وفُؤادُه

مُتَألمٌ وَالجَفنُ بَاك

مُتَألمٌ وَالجَفنُ بَاك

He is restless, and his heart

Distraught, his heart afflicted, his eyelids flowing

is aching, and his eyelid weeps.

He found a father in you when in tender youth

ألفيتَ فِيه أبَاك مُذ

ألفيتَ فِيه أبَاك مُذ

فَارقَتَ فِي صغَرٍ أبَاك

فَارقَتَ فِي صغَرٍ أبَاك

You found your father in him ever since

His own father left him

you parted from your father in childhood.