لِله في مُرَّاكُشٍ قبرٌ بِه

لِله في مُرَّاكُشٍ قبرٌ بِه

قد كُوِّرَت شمسُ العُلاَ والسُّؤدَدِ

قد كُوِّرَت شمسُ العُلاَ والسُّؤدَدِ

God, what a tomb in Marrakesh, wherein

God has a grave in Marrakesh

The sun of eminence and nobility has been folded away!

Where the sun of glory and fortune has set

يا دَوحةً أرخَت عليه ظِلاَلَها

يا دَوحةً أرخَت عليه ظِلاَلَها

وَحَنَت عليهِ بكلٍّ فرعٍ أميَدِ

وَحَنَت عليهِ بكلٍّ فرعٍ أميَدِ

O spreading tree that let its shadows fall over him,

O palm tree spreading your shade over it

And bent over him with every swaying bough,

And bending over it with every supple branch

أَهَويتهِ أم قد رَثيتِ لِحالِه

أَهَويتهِ أم قد رَثيتِ لِحالِه

أم أنتِ بنتٌ مِن أخِيه الأَبعَدِ

أم أنتِ بنتٌ مِن أخِيه الأَبعَدِ

Did you love him, or did you pity his plight?

Do you miss him or mourn his state

Or are you a daughter of his more distant brother?

Or are you his distant brother's daughter?

ليست جذُورُكِ كَنزَ مَجدٍ في الثَّرَى

ليست جذُورُكِ كَنزَ مَجدٍ في الثَّرَى

أم أنتِ ناظرةٌ بعَينَى هُدهُدِ

أم أنتِ ناظرةٌ بعَينَى هُدهُدِ

Your roots are not a treasure of glory in the soil,

Your roots are not the treasure of glory in the soil

Or are you looking with the eyes of a hoopoe?

Or do you watch with hoopoe's eyes?

لما قسَا الإنسانُ مِن قربَائِه

لما قسَا الإنسانُ مِن قربَائِه

كانَ النباتُ لِضِّمهِ بالمرصَدِ

كانَ النباتُ لِضِّمهِ بالمرصَدِ

When his human kin grew hard-hearted,

When man grew hard on his own kin

The plant lay in wait to embrace him.

The vegetation was there to embrace him

إني رأيتُ البؤس يَجذِبُ بعضَه

إني رأيتُ البؤس يَجذِبُ بعضَه

ورأيتُ من مُتوسِّدٍ مُتوسَّدِ

ورأيتُ من مُتوسِّدٍ مُتوسَّدِ

Indeed, I have seen misery draw its own kind,

I have seen misery attracting more misery

And I have seen a pillow made of one who rested his head.

And I have seen the prosperous turn destitute