دموعٌ يستبقْنَ إلى النحورِ

دموعٌ يستبقْنَ إلى النحورِ

ونيرانٌ تشبُّ منَ الصدور

ونيرانٌ تشبُّ منَ الصدور

Tears race one another down to the throats,

Tears race down to the throats,

and fires blaze up from within the breasts;

And fires flare up from the breasts;

وناعٍ للحبائبِ كلَّ يومٍ

وناعٍ للحبائبِ كلَّ يومٍ

وطولُ الحزنِ في العمر القصيرِ

وطولُ الحزنِ في العمر القصيرِ

each day a herald mourns the beloved,

And a herald of loved ones' deaths each day,

and grief stretches long through this brief life.

And long sorrow within a short life.

أيمضي لي نهارٌ لم يرعْني

أيمضي لي نهارٌ لم يرعْني

ويتركني الزمانُ بلا زفيرِ

ويتركني الزمانُ بلا زفيرِ

Does any day pass without alarming me,

Will a day pass for me without dismaying me,

or time leave me without a sigh?

And will time leave me without a sigh?

فوا أسفا على عيشٍ مضى لي

فوا أسفا على عيشٍ مضى لي

ببدرٍ كانَ يزري بالبدورِ

ببدرٍ كانَ يزري بالبدورِ

Alas for a life I once enjoyed

Alas for the life I once had,

with a Badr who outshone the full moons.

With a full moon who put other full moons to shame.

سمعتُ نعيَّهُ فعدمْتُ صبري

سمعتُ نعيَّهُ فعدمْتُ صبري

وفقْدُ الإلْفِ ما هو باليسيرِ

وفقْدُ الإلْفِ ما هو باليسيرِ

I heard his death announced and lost all patience;

I heard the news of his death and lost my fortitude,

the loss of a beloved companion is no light thing.

And losing a beloved companion is no easy thing.

فيا بدرَ السماءِ أراكَ تبدو

فيا بدرَ السماءِ أراكَ تبدو

وقدْ وارَوا سميَّك في القبورِ

وقدْ وارَوا سميَّك في القبورِ

O full moon of heaven, I see you appear

So, O full moon of the sky, I see you appear,

when they have buried your namesake in the graves.

Though they have already buried your namesake in the graves.

ويا مطرَ السماءِ أراكَ تهمي

ويا مطرَ السماءِ أراكَ تهمي

أظنُّكَ باكياً صدرَ الصدورِ

أظنُّكَ باكياً صدرَ الصدورِ

O rain of heaven, I see you pouring down;

And O rain of the sky, I see you pouring down;

I think you weep for the foremost of all hearts.

I think you are weeping for the chief of chiefs.

أما واللّهِ لو أنّا قَدرْنا

أما واللّهِ لو أنّا قَدرْنا

غسلْنا البدرَ بالدمعِ الغزيرِ

غسلْنا البدرَ بالدمعِ الغزيرِ

By God, if only we had been able,

Indeed, by God, if we had been able,

we would have washed that full moon with abundant tears.

We would have washed the full moon with copious tears.

ولكنَّ الدموعَ دمٌ عبيطٌ

ولكنَّ الدموعَ دمٌ عبيطٌ

وشرطُ الغسلِ بالماء الطهورِ

وشرطُ الغسلِ بالماء الطهورِ

But tears are fresh-flowing blood,

But the tears are freshly shed blood,

and ritual washing requires purifying water.

And washing requires purifying water.

وكنّا لهُ في الصدورِ حَفَرْنا

وكنّا لهُ في الصدورِ حَفَرْنا

ومثلُ البدرِ يُجعلُ في الصدورِ

ومثلُ البدرِ يُجعلُ في الصدورِ

We would have dug his resting place within our breasts,

And we would have dug a grave for him in our breasts,

for one like the full moon belongs within the heart.

And one like the full moon belongs within our breasts.

لقدْ بلغَ المنى قبرٌ حواهُ

لقدْ بلغَ المنى قبرٌ حواهُ

أتتسعُ المقابرُ للبحورِ

أتتسعُ المقابرُ للبحورِ

A grave has attained its utmost wish by holding him—

Surely the grave that holds him has attained its wishes.

but can graves ever encompass oceans?

Are graveyards vast enough for seas?

أبدرَ الدينِ عزَّ عليكَ صبري

أبدرَ الدينِ عزَّ عليكَ صبري

وطاشَ العقلُ واختلَّتْ أموري

وطاشَ العقلُ واختلَّتْ أموري

O Badr al-Din, how hard your loss has made patience for me!

O Badr al-Din, I find it hard to bear your loss,

My reason reels, and all my affairs are thrown awry.

And my mind reeled, and my affairs fell into disorder.

أبدرَ الدينِ كيفَ هجرتَ أهلاً

أبدرَ الدينِ كيفَ هجرتَ أهلاً

وترضى بالقبور عن الصدورِ

وترضى بالقبور عن الصدورِ

O Badr al-Din, how could you forsake your family

O Badr al-Din, how could you forsake your family,

and accept graves in place of loving hearts?

And be content with graves instead of our breasts?

أبدرَ الدينِ هلْ تُفدى بمالٍ

أبدرَ الدينِ هلْ تُفدى بمالٍ

فنبذلَ كلَّ مذخورٍ خطيرِ

فنبذلَ كلَّ مذخورٍ خطيرِ

O Badr al-Din, can wealth redeem you,

O Badr al-Din, can you be ransomed with wealth,

that we might offer every precious treasure laid by?

So we might give every precious treasure we have stored?

أبدرَ الدينِ كنتَ أخاً وفيّاً

أبدرَ الدينِ كنتَ أخاً وفيّاً

تجلُّ عن القساوةِ والقبورِ

تجلُّ عن القساوةِ والقبورِ

O Badr al-Din, you were a faithful brother,

O Badr al-Din, you were a faithful brother,

too exalted for hardness and for graves.

You are too noble for hard-heartedness and the graves.

فكيفَ سكنتَ في جناتِ عدنٍ

فكيفَ سكنتَ في جناتِ عدنٍ

وقلبي منكَ في نارِ السعيرِ

وقلبي منكَ في نارِ السعيرِ

How, then, have you come to dwell in the Gardens of Eden

So how have you settled in the gardens of Eden,

while, for want of you, my heart is in the Blazing Fire?

While my heart, because of you, is in the fire of hell?

وكيفَ رضيتَ هذا البعدَ لكنْ

وكيفَ رضيتَ هذا البعدَ لكنْ

قضاءُ الواحدِ الربِّ القديرِ

قضاءُ الواحدِ الربِّ القديرِ

How could you consent to this distance? Yet it is

And how have you accepted this separation? But—

the decree of the One, the Almighty Lord.

It is the decree of the One, the Almighty Lord.

ولو أنّا صبرْنا كانَ أولى

ولو أنّا صبرْنا كانَ أولى

فما نالَ الثوابَ سوى الصبور

فما نالَ الثوابَ سوى الصبور

Had we been patient, that would have been better,

And if we had been patient, that would have been more fitting;

for none gains the reward except the steadfast.

For none but the patient attain the reward.

وفي خيرِ الأنامِ لنا عزاءٌ

وفي خيرِ الأنامِ لنا عزاءٌ

وغايتنا إلى هذا المصيرِ

وغايتنا إلى هذا المصيرِ

In the best of humankind we have consolation,

And in the best of humankind we find consolation,

and our own journey ends at this same destination.

And our destination is this fate.

سألتُ اللهَ يسكنُهُ جناناً

سألتُ اللهَ يسكنُهُ جناناً

ويزلفُهُ بولدانِ وحورِ

ويزلفُهُ بولدانِ وحورِ

I have asked God to lodge him in gardens

I asked God to make him dwell in gardens,

and draw him near among immortal youths and houris,

And draw him near with youths and houris,

ويعقبنا وإياهُ سماحاً

ويعقبنا وإياهُ سماحاً

ومغفرةً ويعفو عنْ كثيرِ

ومغفرةً ويعفو عنْ كثيرِ

and afterward grant both us and him His bounty

And grant us and him bounty in the end,

and forgiveness, and pardon much.

And forgiveness, and pardon much.