ما حُكِّمَ البَيْنُ إِلا جارَ مُحْتَكِما

ما حُكِّمَ البَيْنُ إِلا جارَ مُحْتَكِما

وَلا انْتَضى سَيْفَهُ إِلا أَراقَ دَما

وَلا انْتَضى سَيْفَهُ إِلا أَراقَ دَما

Whenever parting was made arbiter, it ruled unjustly.

The dispute was only settled by an impartial judge,

And never did it draw its sword without shedding blood.

And his sword was only sheathed once blood was spilled.

يا دَارَهُمْ خَبِّرِينا مَا الَّذي صَنَعُوا

يا دَارَهُمْ خَبِّرِينا مَا الَّذي صَنَعُوا

فَرُبَّما جَهِلَ المُشْتَاقُ مَا عُلِما

فَرُبَّما جَهِلَ المُشْتَاقُ مَا عُلِما

O their dwelling, tell us what they have done.

Oh their homes! Inform us what they have done,

For the yearning one may not know what is known.

For the longing one is sometimes ignorant of what is known.

قَدْ سَرَّني أَنَّهُمْ قَدْ سَرَّهُمْ سَقَمِي

قَدْ سَرَّني أَنَّهُمْ قَدْ سَرَّهُمْ سَقَمِي

فَازْدَدْتُ كَيْما يُسَرُّوا بِالضَّنى سَقَما

فَازْدَدْتُ كَيْما يُسَرُّوا بِالضَّنى سَقَما

It has pleased me that my sickness has pleased them.

I was gladdened that they were gladdened by my illness,

So I grew sicker, that they might be pleased by my wasting.

So I increased in sickness so they would rejoice in woe.

اللَهُ يَعْلَمُ أَنِّي يَوْمَ بَيْنِهِمُ

اللَهُ يَعْلَمُ أَنِّي يَوْمَ بَيْنِهِمُ

نَدِمْتُ إِذْ لَمْ أَمُتْ فِي إِثْرِهِمْ نَدَمَا

نَدِمْتُ إِذْ لَمْ أَمُتْ فِي إِثْرِهِمْ نَدَمَا

God knows that, on the day of their departure,

God knows that the day they left,

I deeply regretted not dying in their wake.

I regretted that I did not die in their wake in regret.

أَسْتَرْزِقُ اللَهَ لي صَبْراً أَعِيشُ بِهِ

أَسْتَرْزِقُ اللَهَ لي صَبْراً أَعِيشُ بِهِ

يَكُونُ مَوْجُودُهُ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ عَدَمَا

يَكُونُ مَوْجُودُهُ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ عَدَمَا

I ask God to grant me patience by which to live,

I ask God to grant me patience with which to live,

Whose presence, after they are gone, is absence.

So that its existence after them is nonexistence.