باللهby God فُتَّcrush كَبِدِيmy liver ياO هَمِّيmy sorrow
بالله فُتَّ كَبِدِي يا هَمِّي
وغمَّand smother قَلْبيmy heart بالجَوَىwith anguish ياO غمِّيmy grief
وغمَّ قَلْبي بالجَوَى يا غمِّي
By God, crush my liver, O my sorrow!
Oh Allah, break open my liver, O my sorrow
And smother my heart with anguish, O my grief!
And fill my heart with burning embers, O my anguish
وابْلُand afflict جسْميmy body بالضَّنىَwith wasting sickness ياO سُقْمِيmy sickness
وابْلُ جسْمي بالضَّنىَ يا سُقْمِي
فبَعدَfor after رُوحيmy soul لاnot أُرِيدُI want جِسميmy body
فبَعدَ رُوحي لا أُرِيدُ جِسمي
And afflict my body with wasting, O my sickness!
Drench my body with grief, O my malady
For after my soul is gone, I do not want my body.
For after losing my soul, I have no use for my body
وبعدand after دِرْياقيmy antidote أُريدُI want سمِّيmy poison
وبعد دِرْياقي أُريدُ سمِّي
مُصيبتيmy calamity لمَّاwhen انتهتreached its utmost فيin العَظْمِmagnitude
مُصيبتي لمَّا انتهت في العَظْمِ
And after my antidote is gone, I want my poison.
And after losing my loved ones, all I want is to be named among the dead
When my calamity reached its utmost magnitude,
When my tribulation culminated, it mocked the silent mountains
قدindeed سخرتscoffed منat الجِبَالِthe mountains الصمِّunyielding
قد سخرت من الجِبَالِ الصمِّ
توسَّعَتْit grew فضاقَso proved too narrow عَنهاfor it كَتْمِيmy concealment
توسَّعَتْ فضاقَ عَنها كَتْمِي
it scoffed at the unyielding mountains.
It grew so wide even my restraint could not contain it
It grew too vast for me to keep it hidden.
I buried all my family against my will
دفنتI buried أَهليmy family كلَّهمall of them بَرَغْمِيagainst my will
دفنت أَهلي كلَّهم بَرَغْمِي
أَخِيmy brother وأُختيand my sister وأَبيand my father وأُمِّيand my mother
أَخِي وأُختي وأَبي وأُمِّي
I buried all my family against my will:
My brother, my sister, my father and my mother
my brother, my sister, my father, and my mother.
And how many unnamed others I interred
وكمand how many دفنتُI buried غَيْرَbesides مَنْthose whom أُسمِّيI name
وكم دفنتُ غَيْرَ مَنْ أُسمِّي
منof رُفْقَةٍcompanions مثلِlike بدورِfull moons التِّمfullness
من رُفْقَةٍ مثلِ بدورِ التِّم
And how many I buried besides those I name,
Friends like the Pleiades and bare bones I smelled
companions like full moons,
I buried each, though I did not want to, in a desolate, gloomy wasteland
ومنand of بهاليلَnoble men عظامٍgreat شُمِّlofty
ومن بهاليلَ عظامٍ شُمِّ
دفنتI buried كلاًّeach one منهمُof them عَنْwith علْمknowledge
دفنت كلاًّ منهمُ عَنْ علْم
and noble men, great and lofty.
At the bottom of a grave, under thousands of shovels of dirt
I knowingly buried every one of them
These were graves I built, though they destroyed me
فيin موحشٍa desolate place أَسْوَدَblack مُدْلَهمِّpitch-dark
في موحشٍ أَسْوَدَ مُدْلَهمِّ
فيin قَعْرthe depths of قَبْرٍa grave تَحْتbeneath أَلفِa thousand رَدْمِheaps of earth
في قَعْر قَبْرٍ تَحْت أَلفِ رَدْمِ
in a desolate place, black and pitch-dark,
Constructed with my blood and flesh
in the depths of a grave, beneath a thousand heaps of earth.
Scenes that blinded me, as you saw
تلكthose قبورٌgraves بُنيتwere built لهَدْمِيto demolish me
تلك قبورٌ بُنيت لهَدْمِي
لمnot تُبْنwere built إِلاَّexcept بدَمِيwith my blood ولَحْمِيand my flesh
لم تُبْن إِلاَّ بدَمِي ولَحْمِي
Those are graves built to demolish me;
And stabbed my heart with every care
they were built of nothing but my blood and flesh.
This grave for my intimacy, that for my kiss
مَناظرٌsights كماas رأَيتَyou have seen تُعْمِيstrike one blind
مَناظرٌ كما رأَيتَ تُعْمِي
وتَقْصِدُand assail القلبَthe heart بكُلِّwith every هَمِّsorrow
وتَقْصِدُ القلبَ بكُلِّ هَمِّ
Sights that, as you have seen, strike one blind,
And I lived on without them, though against my will
and assail the heart with every sorrow.
Due to my ill-fated destiny and unfair lot
لقبرfor a grave ذَاthis ضَمِّيmy embrace وهَذَاand this لَثْمِيmy kiss
لقبر ذَا ضَمِّي وهَذَا لَثْمِي
وعِشْتُand I lived مِنْfrom بَعدِهمafter them بِرَغْميagainst my will
وعِشْتُ مِنْ بَعدِهم بِرَغْمي
This embrace of mine and this kiss are for a grave.
Like a sword in solitude, not an arrow in a quiver
And I lived on after them against my will,
In Sufi-like poverty and destitution
لِشُؤْمِfor the ill luck of بَخْتيmy fortune ولسُوءِand for the ill fortune of قَسْمِيmy lot
لِشُؤْمِ بَخْتي ولسُوءِ قَسْمِي
كالسَّيفِlike a sword فيin الوَحْدَةِsolitude لاnot كالسَّهْمlike an arrow
كالسَّيفِ في الوَحْدَةِ لا كالسَّهْم
because of my ill luck and my wretched lot,
My reason and patience were lost after them
like a sword in solitude, not like an arrow,
When I had been in prosperity and plenty
فيin فَقْرٍpoverty صُوفيٍّa Sufi وذميand a dhimmi (protected non-Muslim)
في فَقْرٍ صُوفيٍّ وذمي
قدindeed ضاعwas lost عقليmy reason بعدهمafter them وحلميand my forbearance
قد ضاع عقلي بعدهم وحلمي
in the poverty of a Sufi and a dhimmi.
In bounty and abundant luxury
My reason and my forbearance were lost after them.
When I did not cast them aside, or myself
وكنتand I was فيin غِنىًwealth وغُنمِand gain
وكنت في غِنىً وغُنمِ
فيin نعمةٍblessing وفيand in نعيمٍbliss جَمِّabundant
في نعمةٍ وفي نعيمٍ جَمِّ
And I had lived in wealth and gain,
When I did not ignore them, or myself
in blessings and abundant bliss.
They saw my love as inescapable destiny
وكنتand I was لاnot أُرْمَىI am shot at بِهمwith them وأَرْمِيand I shoot
وكنت لا أُرْمَى بِهم وأَرْمِي
وكُنْتُand I was لاnot أُصْمَىI am killed outright بهمwith them وأُصْمِيand I kill outright
وكُنْتُ لا أُصْمَى بهم وأُصْمِي
And with them I was not shot at, but shot at others;
And their fate was to end up as my fate
and with them I was not struck dead, but struck others dead.
To seek refuge in my name in times of woe
يرونthey regard حُبِّيlove for me كالقضاءِas a decree الحَتْمirrevocable
يرون حُبِّي كالقضاءِ الحَتْم
ورَسْمُهمand their custom أَنthat ينتهواthey abide لرَسْمِيby my command
ورَسْمُهم أَن ينتهوا لرَسْمِي
They regarded loving me as an irrevocable decree,
Never did I imagine they would all die
and their custom was to abide by my command,
After them, my life lost all taste
ويَسْتعيذواand they seek refuge فيin الهُمومِtroubles باسْمِيby my name
ويَسْتعيذوا في الهُمومِ باسْمِي
لمnot يَجْرِoccurred مَوْتُthe death كلَّهمof all of them فيin وَهْمِيmy mind
لم يَجْرِ مَوْتُ كلَّهم في وَهْمِي
and seek refuge in my name amid troubles.
Oh my deprivation after them, and my nothingness
The death of them all had never crossed my mind.
Oh my loss of direction after the loss of my guiding stars
ماnot لِحياتيfor my life بَعْدَهمafter them مِنْany طَعْمِtaste
ما لِحياتي بَعْدَهم مِنْ طَعْمِ
فياso O افْتِقَارِيmy poverty بَعْدَهُمafter them وعُدْمِيand my destitution
فيا افْتِقَارِي بَعْدَهُم وعُدْمِي
There is no savor to my life after them.
Oh sorrows that never cease growing
So O my poverty after them, and my destitution!
Oh tears that never cease flowing
وياand O ضَلاليmy wandering astray بعدafter فقدthe loss of نَجْمِيmy star
ويا ضَلالي بعد فقد نَجْمِي
وياand O هموماًsorrows لاَnot تَزَالُcease تَنْمِيgrow
ويا هموماً لاَ تَزَالُ تَنْمِي
And O my wandering astray after the loss of my star!
Pouring more than I can hide beneath my shirt
And O sorrows that never cease to grow!
Oh unjust times in judgment
وياand O دُموعاًtears لاnot تَزالcease تَهْمِيstream
ويا دُموعاً لا تَزال تَهْمِي
تَكْثُرare too plentiful أَنْto أَسْتُرَهاI conceal them بكُمِّيwith my sleeve
تَكْثُر أَنْ أَسْتُرَها بكُمِّي
And O tears that never cease to stream,
No wonder you are my ruler and my opponent
too plentiful for me to conceal with my sleeve!
With what crime, what sin
وياand O زماناًTime جائراًunjust فيin الحُكْمِjudgment
ويا زماناً جائراً في الحُكْمِ
لاno غروwonder أَنْتَyou حاكميmy judge وخَصْمِيand my adversary
لا غرو أَنْتَ حاكمي وخَصْمِي
And O Time, unjust in judgment,
Have you wronged me, and how can I be blamed?
no wonder: you are my judge and my adversary.
My praise is to Allah, and to my time my blame
بأَيِّfor what ذَنْبٍsin وبأَيِّand for what جُرْمِcrime
بأَيِّ ذَنْبٍ وبأَيِّ جُرْمِ
ظَلَمْتَنيyou wronged me ومَاand not يَحلُّis lawful ظُلْمِيwronging me
ظَلَمْتَني ومَا يَحلُّ ظُلْمِي
For what sin, and for what crime,
have you wronged me, though wronging me is not lawful?
[CENTERcentering tag]للهfor God حَمْدِيmy praise ولدَهْريand for my fate ذمِّيmy blame[/CENTERcentering tag]
[CENTER]لله حَمْدِي ولدَهْري ذمِّي[/CENTER]
My praise is for God, and my blame for my fate.
Partial English translation: 42 of 45 Arabic lines translated.