لمّا أَتاني خَبرُ الزَيّات

لمّا أَتاني خَبرُ الزَيّات

وَأَنَّهُ قَد عُدّ في الأَمواتِ

وَأَنَّهُ قَد عُدّ في الأَمواتِ

When news of al-Zayyat reached me,

When news of Zayyat's death came to me,

and that he had been counted among the dead,

That he had passed into the realm of the dead,

أَيقَنتُ أَنَّ مَوته حَياتي

أَيقَنتُ أَنَّ مَوته حَياتي

I knew for certain that his death was my life.

I knew that his death was the death of my life.