أُريهِ وَجْهَ مُبْتَسِمِ

أُريهِ وَجْهَ مُبْتَسِمِ

وَأُخْفِي فِي الحَشَى ضَرَمِي

وَأُخْفِي فِي الحَشَى ضَرَمِي

I show him a smiling face,

I show him a smiling face

And hide my burning anguish in my breast.

And hide my pain within

وَبِي أَضْعَافُ مَا يَشْكُو

وَبِي أَضْعَافُ مَا يَشْكُو

مِنَ الْبُرَحَاءِ وَالسَّقَمِ

مِنَ الْبُرَحَاءِ وَالسَّقَمِ

And within me is many times what he suffers

And I have much more

Of severe torment and sickness.

Than his complaints of illness and discomfort

إِذَا حَوَّلْتُ عَنْهُ نَوَا

إِذَا حَوَّلْتُ عَنْهُ نَوَا

ظِرِي رُدَّتْ إِلَى الظُّلْمِ

ظِرِي رُدَّتْ إِلَى الظُّلْمِ

When I turn my eyes away from him,

When I turn away,

They are turned back toward injustice.

My sight returns to darkness

وَخُيِّلَتِ الحَقَائِقُ لِي

وَخُيِّلَتِ الحَقَائِقُ لِي

كَأَشْبَاحٍ بِعَيْنِ عَمِي

كَأَشْبَاحٍ بِعَيْنِ عَمِي

And truths seem to me

And realities seem to me

Like phantoms in a blind man's eye.

Like ghosts in a blind eye

يُهَادِنُهُ الضَّنَى فَيَنَا

يُهَادِنُهُ الضَّنَى فَيَنَا

مُ أَحْيَاناً وَلَمْ أَنَمِ

مُ أَحْيَاناً وَلَمْ أَنَمِ

Wasting sickness makes a truce with him, and he

Grief keeps him company, so he sleeps

Sleeps at times, while I have not slept.

Sometimes, while I never sleep

أقُولُ لأُمِّهِ فِي اليَأْ

أقُولُ لأُمِّهِ فِي اليَأْ

سِ إنَّ اللهَ ذُو كَرَمِ

سِ إنَّ اللهَ ذُو كَرَمِ

I tell his mother, in

I say to his mother in despair

Despair, that God is indeed generous.

That God is most generous

وَأَعْلَمُ أَنَّهَا نَسَمٌ

وَأَعْلَمُ أَنَّهَا نَسَمٌ

تُعَدُّ عَلَيْهِ فِي النَّسَمِ

تُعَدُّ عَلَيْهِ فِي النَّسَمِ

And I know they are breaths

And I know that she is a breeze

Counted against him among the breaths.

Counting breaths over him in the breeze