الخنساء إِنّي أَرَقتُ فَبِتُّ اللَيلَ ساهِرَةً al-Khansa I was sleepless, so I spent the night keeping vigil

                           
إِنّي أَرِقْتُ فَبِتُّ اللَيلَ ساهِرَةً 

 كَأَنَّما كُحِلَت عَيني بِعُوّارِ
أَرْعى النُّجومَ وَما كُلِّفتُ رِعيَتَها 

 وَتارَةً أَتَغَشّى فَضلَ أَطمارِ
وَقَد سَمِعتُ وَلَم أُبْجَحْ بِهِ خَبَراً 

مُحَدِّثاً جاء يَنْمى رَجْعَ أَخْبارِ
يَقولُ صَخْرٌ مُقيمٌ ثمَّ في جَدَثٍ 

لَدَى الضَّريحِ صَريعٌ بَيْنَ أَحجارِ
فَاِذهَب فَلا يُبعِدَنكَ اللَهُ مِن رَجُلٍ 

 تَرَّاكِ ضَيمٍ وَطَلّابٍ بِأَوْتارِ
قَد كُنتَ تَحمِلُ قَلباً غَيرَ مُهتَضَمٍ 

مُرَكَّباً في نِصابٍ غَيرِ خَوّارِ
مِثلَ السِنانِ تُضِىءُ اللَيلَ صورَتُهُ 

مُرُّ المَريرَةِ حُرٌّ وَاِبنُ أَحرارِ
فَسَوْفَ أَبكيكَ ما ناحَتْ مُطَوَّقَةٌ 

وَما أَضاءَتْ نُجومُ اللَيلِ لِلسَّارى
وَلن أُصَالِحَ قَوماً كُنتَ حَربَهُمُ 

  حَتّى تَعودَ بَياضاً جُؤنَةُ القارِى

I suffered insomnia, so I spent the night awake,

my eyes painted by Epiphora.
Observing the stars, uncompelled.
Hiding myself in a ragged robe.
For I´d heard unpleasant news,
one came, returning intelligence,
saying, "Rock resides in a grave,
at the tomb, thrown to the ground, amongst the stones".
May God keep you, being a man
who hated injustice and demanded requital.
You had a heart without malice,
combined with a powerful pedigree,
like a tracer whose arc lights up the night,
bitter in resolution, free, the son of free men.
I´ll weep for you as long as the dove cries and the night stars shine.
I will not reconcile with a people with whom you were at war
until hell freezes over!

The version of the poem presented here is given by al-Buhturi.

Translated into English by Mark F Westergreen