1. يا من صفا ودُّ صدري

    له وسِرّي وجهري

    O you, for whom the love in my breast is pure,

    as are my private thoughts and open words;

  2. ومن تكدَّر عندي

    لرزئه صفوُ دهري

    and you, whose bereavement has clouded

    the serenity of my days:

  3. ما مات ركنك لا بل

    ركني وفخري وذُخري

    It was not your pillar who died—no, rather,

    my pillar, my pride, and my treasure.

  4. لو كنتُ أملِك عمري

    وهبتُه شَطر عمري

    Had I command of my lifespan,

    I would have given him half my life;

  5. أو كنت اسطيع دفعاً

    عنه بروحي ووَفْري

    or had I been able to defend

    him with my soul and my wealth,

  6. دافعت عنه المنايا

    وكلِّ فادحِ أمر

    I would have warded off death from him,

    and every crushing calamity.

  7. وقَلَّ في واجب الحِف

    ظ عنه دفعي ونصري

    Yet little, beside the duty of safeguarding,

    would be my defense and aid for him.

  8. ما كان إلاّ يمني

    ومُقلتَيَّ وأَزْرِي

    He was my very good fortune,

    my two eyes, and my strength.

  9. لئن تولّى حميداً

    بكلّ مدحٍ وشكر

    If indeed he has departed, praiseworthy,

    with every tribute and thanks,

  10. لَحَسْبُه لك فينا

    نَجْلاً وخِلفةَ فخر

    it is enough for him to have you among us,

    a son and an heir to glory,

  11. يلقَى الزمان بحزمٍ

    والمَكْرُماتِ ببِشر

    who faces time with resolve,

    and noble deeds with a cheerful face.

  12. لم تَنْء منه المنايا

    عنّا بطيٍّ ونَشْرِ

    Death has not taken anything of him

    from us: neither folding nor unfolding,

  13. ولا بفضل وبذل

    ولا بسهل ووعر

    nor excellence and giving,

    nor smooth ground and rough.

  14. بل كل ذا فيك أمسى

    حريّة في ابن حرّ

    Rather, all this now lives in you:

    nobility in a freeborn man's son.

  15. وكان جسماً وروحاً

    يسمو بها كلُّ بَرّ

    He was a body and a spirit,

    through which every righteous man rises.

  16. فالجسم بان وأودى

    وروحه فيك يجري

    The body has departed and perished,

    but his spirit flows within you.

  17. كذاك لو وَلَد البد

    رُ لم يَلدْ غيرَ بدر

    So too, if the full moon begot,

    it would beget nothing but a full moon.

  18. يا مورِثي بملامي

    رسِيس همّ وذعرِ

    O you who bequeath to me, by reproaching me,

    a lingering trace of sorrow and dread,

  19. ومُتْهِمي بظنون

    لم تدر ما عَقْد سِرِّي

    and accuse me on grounds of suspicion,

    not knowing what my secret heart is bound to:

  20. قليل لومك أمضى

    من كل بِيض وسُمْر

    A little of your blame cuts more keenly

    than all bright swords and brown spears.

  21. وخُوْنُ عهِدك عندي

    أشدّ من كل كفرِ

    And betrayal of your covenant, to me,

    is more grievous than any unbelief.

  22. وكيف ترضى يميني

    مني لقلبي بغدر

    And how could my right hand consent

    to my betraying my own heart?

  23. ما كان تركي صلاتي

    على أبيك وأجري

    I did not forgo my prayer

    over your father, nor my reward,

  24. إلا لداءٍ دهاني

    وحلَّ عُقْدةَ صبري

    except for an illness that struck me

    and loosened the knot of my patience.

  25. وحلّ بالرِجْل مني

    فجذَّ خطوي وخَطْري

    It settled in my leg,

    and cut short my steps and stride,

  26. حتى لقد عاقَني عن

    صلاةِ ظُهري وعصري

    so much so that it kept me from

    my noon and afternoon prayers.

  27. فاعِذر فقد راح صدقي

    إليك يسعى بعذري

    So pardon me, for my sincerity has set out

    toward you, hastening with my excuse.

  28. واعلم بأن مصابي

    على أبيك وضرّي

    And know that my grief

    for your father, and my suffering,

  29. مصاب قيسِ بليلى

    ووجدُ خَنْسا بصخر

    are Qays's grief for Layla

    and Khansa's anguish for Sakhr.