ياO أَباAbu (father of) القاسِمal-Qasim قُلtell ليme
يا أَبا القاسِم قُل لي
قُلsay لِماذاwhy لاnot تَزورُyou visit
قُل لِماذا لا تَزورُ
O Abu al-Qasim, tell me,
O Abu al-Qasim, tell me
tell me why you do not visit.
Tell me, why don't you visit
كُنتyou had قَدalready قَدَّمتَput forward وَعداًa promise
كُنت قَد قَدَّمتَ وَعداً
فَإِذاbut behold وَعدُكَyour promise زورُa lie
فَإِذا وَعدُكَ زورُ
You had already made a promise,
You had made a promise
but behold, your promise is a lie.
So if your promise is to visit
وَبذرتَand you sowed الودَّaffection بِالقَوwith speech (first fragment)
وَبذرتَ الودَّ بِالقَو
لِcompletes 'speech' فَلَمyet not تَزكُthrive البذورُthe seeds
لِ فَلَم تَزكُ البذورُ
And you sowed affection with
And you planted love with words
speech, yet the seeds did not thrive.
Why didn't the seeds grow
وَنحرتَand you slaughtered الودَّaffection بِالهَجthrough estrangement (first fragment)
وَنحرتَ الودَّ بِالهَج
رِcompletes 'estrangement' كَماas يهدىis offered up الجزورُthe camel for slaughter
رِ كَما يهدى الجزورُ
And you slaughtered affection through
And you slaughtered love with rejection
estrangement, as a camel is offered up.
Like sacrificial animals are slaughtered
اِنَّindeed أُمَّthe mother of الصدقsincerity فيin الوaffection (first fragment)
اِنَّ أُمَّ الصدق في الو
دِcompletes 'affection' لِمقلاةٌsurely one whose children do not survive نَزورُbearing few children
دِ لِمقلاةٌ نَزورُ
Indeed, the mother of sincerity in
Indeed, the mother of honesty in love
affection is surely one whose children do not survive, who bears few.
Is a fire we must tend