يا حُسنَ بَغلِ الحُسَيني

يا حُسنَ بَغلِ الحُسَيني

يَراكَ مِن غَيرِ عينِ

يَراكَ مِن غَيرِ عينِ

How lovely is al-Husayni’s mule!

Oh, the beauty of al-Husayni’s mule!

It sees you without an eye,

It sees you without an eye.

وَسَمعُه لا بِأُذنٍ

وَسَمعُه لا بِأُذنٍ

كَلّا وَلا أُذُنَينِ

كَلّا وَلا أُذُنَينِ

And its hearing is not through one ear—

And its hearing is not through one ear—

No indeed, nor through two.

No indeed, nor through two ears.

وَمَشيُهُ بِثلاثٍ

وَمَشيُهُ بِثلاثٍ

مِن أَرجُلٍ وَيَدَينِ

مِن أَرجُلٍ وَيَدَينِ

And it does its walking on three

And it walks on three

Of its hind legs and forelegs.

Of its hind legs and two forelegs.

وَطولُهُ في قِياسٍ

وَطولُهُ في قِياسٍ

يَنوفُ عَن قَبضَتَينِ

يَنوفُ عَن قَبضَتَينِ

Its stature, when measured,

And its length, when measured,

Exceeds two fist-lengths.

Exceeds two fist-widths.

وَأَكلُه مِن شَعيرٍ

وَأَكلُه مِن شَعيرٍ

غُرارَةً دونَ مَيْنِ

غُرارَةً دونَ مَيْنِ

And what it eats in barley

And it eats barley—

Is a whole sackful—no lie.

A large sackful, no lie.

وَرُبّما صامَ عاماً

وَرُبّما صامَ عاماً

وَرُبّما سَنَتَينِ

وَرُبّما سَنَتَينِ

Perhaps it fasts for a year,

And sometimes it fasts a year,

And perhaps for two.

And sometimes two years.

وَمَشيُهُ قَدرَ فِترٍ

وَمَشيُهُ قَدرَ فِترٍ

كَمَشيِنا فَرسَخَينِ

كَمَشيِنا فَرسَخَينِ

For it to walk a single span

And its walk of a thumb-to-index span

Is like our walking two parasangs.

Is like our walk of two parasangs.

وَالمِيلُ يَقطَعُهُ في

وَالمِيلُ يَقطَعُهُ في

عامَينِ مُتّصِلَينِ

عامَينِ مُتّصِلَينِ

And a mile it traverses in

And it covers a mile in

Two unbroken years.

Two consecutive years.

بَغلٌ حلا وَهوَ أَحلى

بَغلٌ حلا وَهوَ أَحلى

إِذا اِعتَلاهُ الحُسيني

إِذا اِعتَلاهُ الحُسيني

A lovely mule—and lovelier still

A sweet mule, and sweeter still

When al-Husayni mounts it.

When al-Husayni mounts it.