فكم أمسى بما ألقى حزينا

فكم أمسى بما ألقى حزينا

وبين النوم معترك وبيني

وبين النوم معترك وبيني

So often I pass the evening saddened by what I endure,

How sorrowful my nights have been with all I've faced,

And a battlefield lies between sleep and me.

Tossed between sleep and restless wakefulness.

حرمت مقاصدي ومنعت عما

حرمت مقاصدي ومنعت عما

تميل لحسنه نفسي وعيني

تميل لحسنه نفسي وعيني

I was denied my aims and barred from that

Forbidden from my hopes, denied what my soul

To whose beauty my soul and my eye incline.

And my eyes yearn for in their loveliness.

فوجدي عبرة والسقم باد

فوجدي عبرة والسقم باد

وشوقي قد اراني العبرتين

وشوقي قد اراني العبرتين

So my passion is a tear, and sickness is plain,

My tears flow in sickness, my longing so plain,

And my yearning has shown me the two tears.

And in weeping my two eyes compete nonetheless.

وجئت وقد لهوت عن التصابي

وجئت وقد لهوت عن التصابي

بوصف محمد جد الحسين

بوصف محمد جد الحسين

And I came, having turned away from youthful dalliance,

I came and was diverted from all my pains

With a description of Muhammad, al-Husayn's grandfather.

By praising Muhammad, father of Al-Hussein.

أقول به أمنت صروف دهري

أقول به أمنت صروف دهري

ودرع الصبر أغنى عن مجنى

ودرع الصبر أغنى عن مجنى

I say: through him I am safe from my time's reversals,

In him I find comfort from life's bitterness,

And patience's armor has made my shield needless.

Patience's armor spares me my distress.

فما أغنى مسالمة الليالي

فما أغنى مسالمة الليالي

وأصبح شاكيا ألم التمنى

وأصبح شاكيا ألم التمنى

So making peace with the nights availed nothing,

The passage of these nights brings me no peace,

And I wake lamenting the pain of wishing.

I wake still yearning, my wishing no less.

نظمت عقيق دمعي من دمائي

نظمت عقيق دمعي من دمائي

فأعجزت الفرزدق وابن جنى

فأعجزت الفرزدق وابن جنى

I strung the agate of my tears from my blood,

In my blood I dipped the quill of my tear,

So I outdid al-Farazdaq and Ibn Jinni.

Beyond Farazdaq and Ibn Jini's finesse.

جمعت فنون أحبابي قديما

جمعت فنون أحبابي قديما

فلم أر في البراعة مثل فنى

فلم أر في البراعة مثل فنى

I gathered the arts of my loved ones long ago,

I gathered the arts of friends of old,

And in artistry I saw nothing to equal my art.

But found no subtlety to match my own kness.

حمام الأيك غنى مذ رآني

حمام الأيك غنى مذ رآني

وقاسمني الشجون فقلت غنى

وقاسمني الشجون فقلت غنى

The grove's doves have sung since they saw me,

The doves have sung since seeing me here,

And shared my sorrows, so I said, "Sing!"

My sorrows moved me to sing no less.

أخلاي اذكروا ما كان منى

أخلاي اذكروا ما كان منى

أكاد أطير وجدا أو كأني

أكاد أطير وجدا أو كأني

My dear friends, remember what came from me:

My friends, remember what I have been,

I almost fly with passion—or seem to.

Rapturous nearly, or so I profess.

ولا تنسوا أحاديث اعتذاري

ولا تنسوا أحاديث اعتذاري

فإني قد وثقت بحسن ظني

فإني قد وثقت بحسن ظني

And do not forget my words of apology,

And forget not my apologetic words,

For I have trusted in my favorable expectations.

For in your good graces I hope to rest.

زمان طفولتي أصبحت منه

زمان طفولتي أصبحت منه

ومن نعمانه صفر اليدين

ومن نعمانه صفر اليدين

From the time of my childhood I have come away,

The days of my childhood are done with me,

And from its Nu'man, empty-handed.

Gone too the blessings I knew, nonetheless.