تَقولُ أَلا تَبكي أَخاكَ وَقَد أَرى

تَقولُ أَلا تَبكي أَخاكَ وَقَد أَرى

مَكانَ البُكا لَكِن بُنيتُ عَلى الصَبرِ

مَكانَ البُكا لَكِن بُنيتُ عَلى الصَبرِ

She says, "Will you not weep for your brother?" And I do see

You say, do not weep for your brother though

cause for weeping, but I was fashioned for patience.

I see the place for weeping, but I was built on patience

فَقُلتُ أَعَبدَ اللَهِ أَبكي أَمِ الَّذي

فَقُلتُ أَعَبدَ اللَهِ أَبكي أَمِ الَّذي

لَهُ الجَدَثُ الأَعلى قَتيلَ أَبي بَكرِ

لَهُ الجَدَثُ الأَعلى قَتيلَ أَبي بَكرِ

So I said, "Is it Abd Allah I weep for, or the one

So I said, shall I weep or worship Allah, the One

who lies in the uppermost grave, the man slain by Abu Bakr?

To whom belongs the highest grave, the slain Abu Bakr

وَعَبدُ يَغوثَ تَحجُلُ الطَيرُ حَولَهُ

وَعَبدُ يَغوثَ تَحجُلُ الطَيرُ حَولَهُ

وَعَزَّ المُصابُ جَثوَ قَبرٍ عَلى قَبرِ

وَعَزَّ المُصابُ جَثوَ قَبرٍ عَلى قَبرِ

And Abd Yaghuth—the birds hop around him;

And Abd Yaghuth, around whom the birds circle

and grievous was the loss: grave heaped upon grave.

And the affliction was great, a grave upon a grave

أَبى القَتلُ إِلّا آلَ صِمَّةَ إِنَّهُم

أَبى القَتلُ إِلّا آلَ صِمَّةَ إِنَّهُم

أَبَوا غَيرَهُ وَالقَدرُ يَجري إِلى القَدرِ

أَبَوا غَيرَهُ وَالقَدرُ يَجري إِلى القَدرِ

Violent death would have none but the house of Simmah; indeed, they

Death refused except the family of covenant, indeed they

would have nothing else, and fate runs toward fate.

Refused others, and fate flows to fate

فَإِمّا تَرَينا لا تَزالُ دِماؤُنا

فَإِمّا تَرَينا لا تَزالُ دِماؤُنا

لَدى واتِرٍ يَسعى بِها آخِرَ الدَهرِ

لَدى واتِرٍ يَسعى بِها آخِرَ الدَهرِ

So if you see us, our blood still remaining

So either you see us, our blood will not cease

with a slayer who bears it until the end of time,

To be with the avenger till the end of time

فَإِنّا لَلَحمُ السَيفِ غَيرَ نَكيرَةٍ

فَإِنّا لَلَحمُ السَيفِ غَيرَ نَكيرَةٍ

وَنَلحَمُهُ حيناً وَلَيسَ بِذي نُكرِ

وَنَلحَمُهُ حيناً وَلَيسَ بِذي نُكرِ

then we are indeed the sword's flesh—no denying it—

We are the flesh of the sword, not cowardly

and at times we feed it flesh, and that is no strange thing.

We flesh it sometimes, and it is nothing new

يُغارُ عَلَينا واتِرينَ فَيُشتَفى

يُغارُ عَلَينا واتِرينَ فَيُشتَفى

بِنا إِن أُصِبنا أَو نُغيرُ عَلى وِترِ

بِنا إِن أُصِبنا أَو نُغيرُ عَلى وِترِ

We are raided as men who owe blood, and vengeance is satisfied

It is jealous over us two at a time, so it is healed

through us if we are struck down, or we raid to settle a blood-debt.

By us if we are struck or we change the turn

بِذاكَ قَسَمنا الدَهرَ شَطرَينِ قِسمَةً

بِذاكَ قَسَمنا الدَهرَ شَطرَينِ قِسمَةً

فَما يَنقَضي إِلّا وَنَحنُ عَلى شَطرِ

فَما يَنقَضي إِلّا وَنَحنُ عَلى شَطرِ

Thus we have divided time into two halves,

By that we divided time in two halves

and it never passes without our being in one half or the other."

Nothing ends except we are still on one half