عودي بطرفك يا قريشُ كليلا

عودي بطرفك يا قريشُ كليلا

وبعزمك امتلأت ظباه فلولا

وبعزمك امتلأت ظباه فلولا

Return, O Quraysh, with your gaze dulled,

Return with your glances, O Quraish, at nightfall,

And with your resolve, its blade-edges filled with notches.

And with your resolve the deserts were filled, otherwise,

فعلى الرؤوس رفعت فخركِ ميِّتاً

فعلى الرؤوس رفعت فخركِ ميِّتاً

ودفنتِ مجدك في الصعيد أثيلا

ودفنتِ مجدك في الصعيد أثيلا

For above the heads you raised your pride, dead,

You raised your pride above the heads as dead,

And buried your deep-rooted glory in the earth.

And buried your glory in the barren valley.

واهاً لكاهلك الأجبّ لقد شآ

واهاً لكاهلك الأجبّ لقد شآ

وقراً على ظهر الزمان ثقيلا

وقراً على ظهر الزمان ثقيلا

Alas for your maimed shoulders! Their load has surpassed

Alas for your unyielding shoulders! They have become

A heavy burden upon the back of Time.

Burdensome on the back of time, heavily.

خفَّت حلوم بني أبيك بساعةٍ

خفَّت حلوم بني أبيك بساعةٍ

ذهبت بحامل ثقلها محمولا

ذهبت بحامل ثقلها محمولا

The wisdom of your father's sons grew light in an hour

The flesh of your father's sons faded in an hour,

That bore away the bearer of its weight, himself borne.

When the bearer of its heaviness went carried.

بمقلّبٍ وسطَ النديِّ أناملاً

بمقلّبٍ وسطَ النديِّ أناملاً

لم تدرِ إلاَّ الرفدَ والتقبيلا

لم تدرِ إلاَّ الرفدَ والتقبيلا

With one who, amid the gathering, moved fingers

With overturned palm-trees amidst the call for help

That knew only giving and kisses.

You knew nothing but repelling and kissing.

نسيتْ به الأرزاء بل ذكرت به

نسيتْ به الأرزاء بل ذكرت به

رزءَ الحسين غداة خرَّ قتيلا

رزءَ الحسين غداة خرَّ قتيلا

Through him she forgot calamities—rather, through him she remembered

The honored women forgot it, but remembered

Husayn's tragedy, the morning he fell slain.

The morning of al-Husayn's death as one slain.

رفعته والتكبير بالعشر التي

رفعته والتكبير بالعشر التي

قتلوا بها التكبير والتهليلا

قتلوا بها التكبير والتهليلا

She raised him amid cries of 'God is greatest,' during the ten days

You raised it while uttering Allahu Akbar over the ten

In which they slew 'God is greatest' and 'There is no god but God.'

By whom the utterances of Allahu Akbar and La Ilaha Illa Allah were killed.