يا خليلي ومعيني — Sharif Al Murtaza

يا خليلي ومُعِينِي

كلّما رُمت النُّهوضا

O my friend and my helper,

whenever I seek to rise,

داوِ دائي أوْ فعُدْني

مَعَ عُوّادي مريضا

cure my illness, or else visit me

with my visitors, while I am ill.

فَقَبيحٌ بك أن تَرْ

فُضَ من ليس رَفوضا

For it is shameful of you to reject

one who is not given to rejecting.

قد أتى من يوم عاشو

راءَ ما كان بغيضا

There has come from the day of Ashura

what was hateful.

دَعْ نشيجي فيه يعلو

ودموعي أنْ تَفيضا

Let my sobbing rise on this day,

and let my tears overflow.

وبَنانِي قد خُضِبْنَ ال

دَم من سِنِّي عَضيضا

And my fingertips have been stained

with blood, bitten by my teeth.

وكن النّاهضَ للحَرْ

بِ متى كنتَ نَهوضا

And be the one who rises to war,

whenever you are ready to rise.

واِجعلِ الجيبَ لدمعٍ

من مآقيك مَغيضا

And make your robe's opening a drain

for tears from the corners of your eyes.

إنّه يومٌ سقينا

من نواحيه مضيضا

It is a day when we were made to drink

bitter anguish from its every quarter.

هَزَل الدّينُ ومَن في

هِ وقد كان نَحيضا

Faith and those within it grew lean,

though it had once been well-fleshed.

ورمتْ مُجْهَضَةٌ مَنْ

كان في البطن جهيضا

And a miscarrying woman cast out

the stillborn child within her womb.

ودعِ الأطرابَ واِسمعْ

مِن مراثيهِ القريضا

Leave merriment, and listen

to verse from its elegies.

لا تُرِدْ فيه وقد أدْ

نَسَنا ثوباً رَحيضا

Do not seek, on this day that has defiled us,

a garment washed clean.

قلْ لقومٍ لم يزالوا

في الجهالاتِ رُبوضا

Tell a people who have never ceased

crouching amid ignorance:

غرّهمْ أنّهُمُ سا

دوا وما شادوا بعوضا

It deluded them that they were masters,

though they had built not even a gnat.

في غدٍ بالرَّغم منكمْ

سترُدُّون القُروضا

Tomorrow, against your will,

you will repay the loans.

سوف تلقون بناءً

لكُمُ طال نقيضا

You will find a building

of yours that rose high, torn down.

والّذي يحلو بأفوا

هِكُمُ اليومَ حميضا

And what tastes sweet in your mouths

today will taste sour;

وقِباباً أنتُمُ في

ها وهاداً وحضيضا

and the domes you dwell within

will be hollows and low ground.

وَأراها عن قريبٍ

كالدّبى سوداً وبيضا

And I see them soon,

like young locusts, black and white.

وترى للبِيض والبي

ضُ عليهنّ وميضا

And you will see the gleam of white blades,

with helmets upon them.

وعلى أكتادها كل

لُ فتىً يُلفى جَريضا

And upon their withers, every

young man is found choked with anguish.

فبِهِمْ يطمَعُ طَرْفٌ

كان بالأمسِ غضيضا

So through them an eye grows hopeful

that yesterday was lowered.

وبهمْ يبرأُ من كا

ن وقد ضيموا المريضا

And through them is healed the one

who was ailing when they were wronged.

وبهمْ يرقد طَرْفٌ

لم يكنْ وَجْداً غموضا

And through them an eye sleeps

that, from grief, had not closed,

لأُباةٍ دَمُهُمْ سا

لَ على الأرض غريضا

for unbowed men whose blood flowed

fresh upon the earth.

رُفِعَ الرّأسُ على عا

لي القنا يَحكي الوميضا

The head was raised high upon

the spears, resembling a gleam.

واِنثنى الجسمُ لجُرْدِ ال

خيلِ بالعَدْوِ رضيضا

And the body lay bent beneath sleek

horses, crushed by their galloping.

حاشَ لي أَنْ أَتخلَّى

منهُمُ أو أستعيضا

Far be it from me to part

from them, or seek others in their place.

فَسقى اللَّهُ قبوراً

لهمُ العذْبَ الغضيضا

So may God water graves

of theirs with sweet, fresh water.

وَأبَتْ إلّا ثَرى الأَخْ

ضرِ والرَّوضَ الأريضا

And may they refuse all but green earth

and a luxuriant meadow.

وَإِليهنَّ يَشُدُّ ال

قومُ هاتيك الغُروضا

And to reach them, the people tighten

those saddle-girths.

ما نحَوْهُنَّ لنَدْبٍ

إنّما قضّوا فُروضا

They did not seek them to lament;

they only fulfilled duties.

وحَبْوهُنَّ اِستِلاماً

يَتركُ الأفواهَ فوضى

And they honored them with kisses

that leave mouths in disarray.